3 reasons non-league Sutton United can shame Arsenal

It seems outlandish to suggest Sutton United can really beat Arsenal.

Yes, Arsene Wenger's lot was stunned by a 5-1 defeat last Wednesday, but it was against Bayern Munich. Sutton leaned on a solitary strike from part-time builder Jamie Collins against Leeds United in the FA Cup's previous round, and has lost consecutive matches to Boreham Wood, Solihull Moors, and Guiseley.

There is precedent, however. Reigning league champion Arsenal travelled to Wrexham on Jan. 4, 1992 in an FA Cup classic. The Welsh side had finished bottom of the English football pyramid the previous campaign, but was saved from relegation into the non-league by financial issues at Aldershot. Wrexham humbled its illustrious visitor with a two-goal comeback sparked by a free-kick from hard-drinking veteran Mickey Thomas.

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Here are three reasons that Sutton could be the next club to shock Arsenal in association football's oldest competition and earn a meeting with fellow non-league side Lincoln City in the final eight.

The ground

Gander Green Lane will be packed to the rafters for Arsenal's visit, but those in red shirts will be at their most uncomfortable under the creaks and rumbles of the Main Stand.

The large communal bath and small shower heads will be a far cry from the luxuries enjoyed at the Emirates Stadium, and the away dressing room - cramped and painted in unflattering shades of brown and yellow - could be a den of mixed-up boot bags by halftime.

It's the pitch and its 3G surface, however, that have caused the most controversy. Sutton needs the local community to safeguard its existence - manager Paul Doswell is unpaid as he's sunk £500,000 of his own cash into the club - so uses the artificial turf in order to allow the ground to be reserved for local use each day of the week.

That brings in some much-needed coin, and has also helped Sutton when it welcomes teams to south London.

"The pitch changes the game, it is a different surface and one we are not used to, but there are no excuses from us and we have to be ready for it," Leeds manager Garry Monk told The Express' David Wright before the fourth round.

The Yorkshire giant certainly wasn't ready for a plastic pitch, where the bounce and run of the ball are a wholly different proposition than on the grass everywhere else.

There's a reason that Sutton, positioned 16th in the National League, has the fifth-best home record in the division, and it could prove unsteady footing for Arsenal.

Arsenal

Wenger is still indecisive over his future in north London. He has vowed to stay in management whether he's at Arsenal or not, but then hinted at remaining with the club until Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement age of 71, which would mean another four years for the Frenchman.

Right now, his performance only appeases the boardroom. Edging a top-four finish each season and frugal practices in the transfer market mean the coffers remain full. Those elements, coupled with unimaginative tactics and an outdated scouting setup, are to blame for the vast gulf between Arsenal and Premier League leader Chelsea, and Champions League tormentor Bayern Munich - and that huge distance has Arsenal Fan TV's contributors baring their teeth.

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Wenger will inevitably ring the changes for the encounter. Matches against Liverpool and Bayern Munich loom, so he'll likely hand chances to some talented youngsters, including Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. The latter, a midfielder by trade, was an auxiliary right-back in the fourth round, and had a tough first half against Preston North End's Aiden McGeady.

Whoever's included from the first whistle Monday will be affected by the angry atmosphere in the stands that's also permeated the club.

Gander Green's Gunners

The abruptly named Jack Jebb won't be able to line up against Arsenal due to his FA Cup endeavours for previous club Newport County earlier in the campaign, but three Gunners graduates will still push for selection Monday.

Roarie Deacon and Jeffrey Monakana - the latter of whom was an unused substitute in the previous round against Leeds - are not as familiar with the Arsenal ways as Craig Eastmond, the 26-year-old who made 10 appearances before leaving for free in 2013.

"I will be nervous before the game because I am an Arsenal fan through and through," said Eastmond, who returns from a three-game ban after being sent off in a 5-0 FA Trophy defeat to Boreham Wood.

"I never thought I would play Arsenal, but that is part of being a footballer and playing against a team you support."

Eastmond could've been criticised for being starry-eyed in his sole Champions League outing, when he started alongside Tomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri, and Jack Wilshere in the midfield against Shakhtar Donetsk. The then-19-year-old scored an own goal before being hauled off for Carlos Vela before an hour had elapsed.

This time, he insists he and his teammates won't be overawed by Arsenal.

"As a team we would obviously like to win. We are not going to come here on Monday, look at the Arsenal players and be like 'Oh my days' and be amazed by them," Eastmond said.

Sutton's players are desperate for another famous victory - perhaps the best in the tournament's history - so they can welcome Lincoln to Gander Green Lane in an all-non-league meeting on the quarter-final weekend of March 10-13.

(Photos courtesy: Reuters)