LATICS missed the chance to make up vital ground on Stevenage as they slipped to a fifth straight defeat and squandered their game in hand.

This should have been Latics' first League Two home game of 2022 but it was called off less than two hours before kick-off due to a waterlogged pitch.

They were without a permanent manager at the time, with Selim Benachour still in interim charge following the November departure of Keith Curle.

The general mood at the club had lifted since the original fixture was scheduled with the return of John Sheridan and a subsequent seven-game unbeaten run.

But on the back of that Latics lost four - two at home to Carlisle and Exeter, two away at Swindon and Walsall.

By and large the fans had stuck with the team, recognising the effort and endeavour, the pressures on a small squad that was being hurt by injuries and suspensions and forgiving the lapses in concentration that had cost them at crucial times.

But their patience ran out last night, and the boos rang out at Boundary Park at half-time, when they trailed 1-0, and again at full-time, after Sutton had scored another two and could easily have had more but for the efforts of Danny Rogers.

Not even the squad being at its weakest to date this season could temper their frustration.

With captain Carl Piergianni and left back Sam Hart suspended, centre half Harrison McGahey injured, Christopher Missilou away with Congo, Junior Luamba still on the road to match fitness after a hamstring injury and Michael Fondop and Dylan Fage both sidelined it was another new-look line-up for Latics.

It was a particularly youthful defence with 19-year-old Will Sutton at the heart of it and 18-year-old Benny Couto on the left of a back four, although 35-year-old Nicky Adams at right back bumped up the average age.

But although Sheridan's side were indeed down to the bare bones, so stretched was the Sutton squad that, in addition to having former Oldham stopper Dean Bouzanis in the starting line-up they had two goalkeepers on the bench in Stuart Nelson and Brad House just to make up the numbers.

So that made it all the more frustrating when Latics went a goal down through yet another instance that could have been avoided.

Sheridan had called on the players who came into the side to use it as an opportunity to make their mark.

Couto had not featured at all since the club legend returned, and while he would have been desperate to make an impression and rediscover his early season form it just did not work out that way. Instead he looked rusty from a two-month watching brief.

There had been early openings for Latics. Dylan Bahamboula skipped down the left but over-hit his cross, Nicky Adams delivered a good ball in from the right but Hallam Hope could not keep his header down.

Adams then curled a corner into the six-yard box, Davis Keillor-Dunn kept it alive and put another ball into a packed penalty area, Sutton attempted to clear but the ball dropped for Bahamboula, but the attacking midfielder made a complete mess of his attempted shot and the ball veered towards the Joe Royle Stand.

It went downhill from there.

When Sutton launched their next attack, in attempting to clear the ball Couto instead saw it cannon off Ricky Korboa, rebound past him and Rogers and go over the line.

Latics limped towards half-time, with Bahamboula being barracked for straying offside from a goal kick.

They needed a big response in the second half, but instead Sutton doubled their lead in the 49th minute with a double for Korboa, who beat Will Sutton in a foot race on a break from a set piece and clinically slotted past an exposed Rogers.

Hallam Hope was cruelly denied by the woodwork when his dipping, swerving shot had Bouzanis beaten, but not the crossbar.

Rogers gave Latics a fighting chance with a brilliant double save from Richie Bennett and then Korboa's follow-up, before Ben Goodliffe sent a free header over.

The visitors put the game beyond Latics from the penalty spot when substitute Tope Obadeyi brought down David Ajiboye on the byeline and substitute Harry Beautyman sent Rogers the wrong way.

Will Sutton scored his second goal in three games with an 82nd minute header. But it was nothing more than a consolation, and not much of one at that.

LATICS (4-2-3-1): Rogers; Adams (Obadeyi 68), Sutton, Clarke, Couto; Hunt (Vaughan 67), Whelan; Keillor-Dunn, Bahamboula, Stobbs; Hope.

Subs not used: Leutwiler, Da Silva, Diarra, Hopcutt, Turner.

SUTTON UNITED (4-4-2): Bouzanis; Boldewijn, Goodliffe, Rowe, Wyatt; Ajiboye, Davis (Beautyman 60), Lovatt, Korboa; Bugiel (Dundas 82), Bennett (Kouassi 88).

Subs not used: Nelson, House.

REFEREE: Marc Edwards ATTENDANCE: 4,624