Sutton boss sets sights on Charlton’s EFL Trophy exit ahead of crunch clash

Sutton boss Matt Gray has set his sights on knocking Charlton Athletic out of the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night when his side head to The Valley for their final Group J match.

Both Sutton and the Addicks are on three points in the four-team table, with unbeaten Crawley Town claiming top spot last week in their 3-2 win over Aston Villa’s U21 side.

Michael Appleton’s side are second in the table and would progress through to the next round with a draw or a win due to their superior goal difference.

Sutton have to win if they want to make it through and knock Charlton out.

“We want to progress through – I want to get out of the group,” Gray told Sutton’s YouTube channel after their 1-1 League Two draw with Tranmere Rovers.

“There will be players who haven’t played so much and will be given valuable minutes. That’s always how it has been in this trophy, even when we got to the final.

“You want to win and progress through, but I also want to freshen it up a little bit.

“It was a heavy pitch for us to play on today – we have had a hell of a lot of rain this week.

“We’re travelling up to Grimsby next weekend.

“We will see where we are on Monday and see where we are with injuries, the freshness of the squad and the players, and then pick the team accordingly.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD