A week can be a long time in football as anyone connected with Sutton United will tell you.

The club has gone from the wonderful high of hosting Arsenal in the FA Cup fifth round – a dream tie that any lower league club would love to stage - to less than 24 hours later, the hugely disappointing low of having its proud name kicked into the gutter.

The much-talked about pie-eating prank of former back-up goalkeeper Wayne Shaw in front of a TV audience of millions has certainly left an unsavoury taste in the mouths of those associated with the club after the incident was linked to gambling. Meanwhile, the world and his wife have been eager to scoff at the week's events on social media.

The irony is that Shaw was the only member of the Sutton playing staff to manage a lap of honour at the final whistle, an experience denied the rest of the team who had performed so magnificently against the Gunners.

The heroes in amber and chocolate had to leave the biggest stage of their careers following a pitch invasion ruined by youths, who were clearly not Sutton United fans, looking for trouble.

The incident will, of course, be forgotten in time and thankfully the news-hungry world of sports journalism has already moved on to pick the bones out of an even bigger story, the sacking of Leicester City's Premier League-winning manager Claudio Ranieri.

The last few months have been a real rollercoaster ride which those of us fortunate enough to have witnessed will never forget but many thrill-seekers are ready for a return to the cut and thrust of the non-league football they know and love. 

United are in National League action tomorrow (Saturday) and face a tricky trip to Devon to take on fellow strugglers Torquay United.

The U’s sit one place above the Gulls, in 17th, but have three games in hand, so a victory at Plainmoor will go a long way to helping them pull away from the dreaded dropzone.

With tough games coming thick and fast, Sutton boss Paul Doswell has made a statement of intent by securing the services of Welling United’s prolific striker Adam Coombes.

Carshalton-born Coombes has found the net 34 times in all competitions for the National South side this season and is third on the list of the division’s top scorers.

His form in front of goal has unsurprisingly attracted the attention of a number Football League clubs but Sutton pounced this week to seal the deal on a free transfer.

The 25-year-old former member of the Chelsea academy, who has also had spells at Yeovil Town, Notts County and Bromley, will see Sutton as the perfect stepping stone for a possible return to the Football League.

Coombes, who scored for Notts County in their 4-2 Capital One Cup defeat against Liverpool at Anfield, joins other recent additions Jack Jebb, Pape Gueye and Baboye Traore in bolstering United’s squad ahead of a hectic schedule.

Sutton boss Paul Doswell said: “Adam and his brother have represented the club before at Junior level before Chelsea whisked him away, and living locally, he still held a strong affinity for our club.

"We know it will take about a week or so to calm down from the Arsenal game, but we need to focus on the league now.

“We have 17 games left and we need to win five.

“The cup was a nice distraction and took us into another world, but if we end up relegated it will take away from that experience."

Meanwhile, Championship side Cardiff City have joined the list of club’s interested in Sutton’s magic man Roarie Deacon.

Other club’s said to be tracking one of the National League’s hottest properties include Charlton Athletic, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, and Millwall.