Woking Youth 0 Dulwich Hamlet Youth 1
Southern Youth League – Central Division
Monday 22nd October 2001
Southern Youth League – Central Division
Monday 22nd October 2001
Probably the best performance of the season so far, as everything seemed to click seamlessly into place. So why the scoreline I hear you ask. Well two words sum that up – Stuart Baverstock, who put in performance reminiscent of Horatio’s lone defence of the bridge across the Tiber, or Bruce Willis in Die Hard for anyone who hasn’t studied Latin! The young keeper who has them raving at Kingfield and who has already represented the Cards in the Conference despite his tender years, put in a stunning display that drew rapturous applause from the crowd. He pulled a plethora of eye-popping, nay impossible, stops out of the hat as it would seem he would frustrate the Hamlet all evening. Perhaps he still had nightmares about the Southern Youth League Challenge Cup Final when his defences were breached four times as the Hamlet romped to victory. In the end it was apt that the effort that would finally beat him matched his keeping in quality, Craig Phelps spectacular effort sailing into the top corner from an impossible angle.
With Ossie Bayram having been injured in a reserve team game, John Kaspai was forced to shuffle his pack with Alfie Bonsu lining up alongside Arron Hamilton in the centre of defence and it proved to be an inspired decision. The two worked together like a dream and rarely allowed Woking to threaten Chris Arnold between the sticks.
On pitch made greasy by heavy rain during the day, Dulwich were first out of the trap and inside the first minute Freddie Sansom’s charge down the left almost set up Lee Scott but Baverstock was alert to the danger, setting his stall out for the evening with a brave dive at the feet of the Dulwich striker. Twice in a minute Meshach Nugent threatened but first he was flagged offside as he turned in a Sansom cross then was denied by Bracken’s plucky challenge as he steamed into the box. Then it was Scott’s turn again but as he tried to capitalise on a defensive error, Baverstock’s alertness saw him race from his line to hack the ball clear.
With Dulwich in almost total control Scott was denied once again by the leviathan in green as he raced on to a through ball only for his effort to cannon off the keeper’s knees. For a second it seemed as the ball might drop over the line but Strong was back there to clear the ball of the goalline. Two minutes later and Hamilton, adding his stature to the attack, met Phelps’ cross with a thumping header, but placed it too close to Baverstock. Thick and fast the chances rained in with Dan Amsberry taking advantage of a poor clearance to hammer the ball back in but just too high.
The closest Woking had come to goal in all this time was Bracken’s attempting interception of Sansom’s dangerous cross that saw the ball just miss the upright, but they gave Dulwich a shock when Bates wove his way into the box, only for Hamilton to produce a biting tackle that quickly saw Dulwich on the attack. A pink and blue wave swept upfield, ending with Nugent’s angle shot that flashed a whisker wide of the post. In quick succession John Kasapi saw his shot deflected wide, Bonsu’s chip goalwards from a tight angle was headed off the line then Scott’s sharp drive flashed across the face of the goal. It seemed as if Scott must have run over a herd of black cats on the way for Dame Fortune was not on his side as he struck the crossbar with a deep cross from the far touchline seconds later. Further chances fell by the wayside, Kasapi losing control at the vital after he nipped into the box, then Sansom’s overhead kick almost finding the top corner following Phelps’ header back across goal. In stoppage time Phelps seized upon a loose ball on the edge of the box but his fine left foot strike beat the keeper only to cannon back of the foot of the post.
Part Two of the Stuart Baverstock One Man Show resumed after tea and oranges with the big man denying Amsberry as he met Sansom’s cross with a well-placed header. A minute later debutante left back, Bradley Mortimer might have inscribed his name in the goalscoring charts when he was first to a cleared freekick, but he snatched at the chance, hitting his effort high into the suburban night.
With Dulwich pressing it was inevitable someone in Red would feel the referee’s wrath and first to do so was Cooke, whose crude challenge on Amsberry earning him the game’s first yellow. From the freekick, Phelps attempted a spectacular 20-yard drive but Baverstock’s precise positioning ensured he was in the right place to gather the attempt comfortably.
Twenty minutes remained and a frisson of fear seemed to grip the Hamlet, fear that despite all their labours that vital breakthrough would not come, fears reinforced by an amazing close range save to deny Amsberry from inside the six yard box. However all Baverstock’s acrobatics were not enough to prevent the night’s only goal in the 72nd minute. From the edge of the box, Phelps swivelled to hit a curling, lopping drive that eluded the keeper’s best efforts to reach it as the ball dropped inside the far post. He was instantly mobbed by his ecstatic colleagues.
Number two should have followed in swift succession but for another piece of wizardry from Baverstock. The ball arrived from the right to be met by Scott a couple of yards out only for the keeper to fling himself across his goal and somehow prevent a certain goal. The luckless Scott was again denied when Baverstock stuck out a foot to push his low drive past the post then saw his stock increase with another fine save to deny Nugent after he beaten the offside trap. Dulwich should have had a penalty near the end when a blatant handball was seen by everyone in the ground bar the ones that mattered - the officials. Still the way the amazing Baverstock was playing, he would probably have saved it!
Teams: Woking FC: Stuart Baverstock; Ellis; Strong; Bracken; Harding; Ruby; Cooke; Parrington; Hodgkiss; Bates; Da Costa
Subs: Josing; Rice; Cunningham; Brooks; Haslett
Dulwich Hamlet: Chris Arnold; Perry Holland (Mohammed Ismail 83); Bradley Mortimer; Alfie Bonsu; Arron Hamilton; Craig Phelps; Lee Scott; John Kasapi (Matt Penny 73); Meshach Nugent; Dan Amsberry; Freddie Sansom
Man of the match: Arron Hamilton: A rock in the centre of defence, the foundation for exceptional all-round performance from every member of the team.
With Ossie Bayram having been injured in a reserve team game, John Kaspai was forced to shuffle his pack with Alfie Bonsu lining up alongside Arron Hamilton in the centre of defence and it proved to be an inspired decision. The two worked together like a dream and rarely allowed Woking to threaten Chris Arnold between the sticks.
On pitch made greasy by heavy rain during the day, Dulwich were first out of the trap and inside the first minute Freddie Sansom’s charge down the left almost set up Lee Scott but Baverstock was alert to the danger, setting his stall out for the evening with a brave dive at the feet of the Dulwich striker. Twice in a minute Meshach Nugent threatened but first he was flagged offside as he turned in a Sansom cross then was denied by Bracken’s plucky challenge as he steamed into the box. Then it was Scott’s turn again but as he tried to capitalise on a defensive error, Baverstock’s alertness saw him race from his line to hack the ball clear.
With Dulwich in almost total control Scott was denied once again by the leviathan in green as he raced on to a through ball only for his effort to cannon off the keeper’s knees. For a second it seemed as the ball might drop over the line but Strong was back there to clear the ball of the goalline. Two minutes later and Hamilton, adding his stature to the attack, met Phelps’ cross with a thumping header, but placed it too close to Baverstock. Thick and fast the chances rained in with Dan Amsberry taking advantage of a poor clearance to hammer the ball back in but just too high.
The closest Woking had come to goal in all this time was Bracken’s attempting interception of Sansom’s dangerous cross that saw the ball just miss the upright, but they gave Dulwich a shock when Bates wove his way into the box, only for Hamilton to produce a biting tackle that quickly saw Dulwich on the attack. A pink and blue wave swept upfield, ending with Nugent’s angle shot that flashed a whisker wide of the post. In quick succession John Kasapi saw his shot deflected wide, Bonsu’s chip goalwards from a tight angle was headed off the line then Scott’s sharp drive flashed across the face of the goal. It seemed as if Scott must have run over a herd of black cats on the way for Dame Fortune was not on his side as he struck the crossbar with a deep cross from the far touchline seconds later. Further chances fell by the wayside, Kasapi losing control at the vital after he nipped into the box, then Sansom’s overhead kick almost finding the top corner following Phelps’ header back across goal. In stoppage time Phelps seized upon a loose ball on the edge of the box but his fine left foot strike beat the keeper only to cannon back of the foot of the post.
Part Two of the Stuart Baverstock One Man Show resumed after tea and oranges with the big man denying Amsberry as he met Sansom’s cross with a well-placed header. A minute later debutante left back, Bradley Mortimer might have inscribed his name in the goalscoring charts when he was first to a cleared freekick, but he snatched at the chance, hitting his effort high into the suburban night.
With Dulwich pressing it was inevitable someone in Red would feel the referee’s wrath and first to do so was Cooke, whose crude challenge on Amsberry earning him the game’s first yellow. From the freekick, Phelps attempted a spectacular 20-yard drive but Baverstock’s precise positioning ensured he was in the right place to gather the attempt comfortably.
Twenty minutes remained and a frisson of fear seemed to grip the Hamlet, fear that despite all their labours that vital breakthrough would not come, fears reinforced by an amazing close range save to deny Amsberry from inside the six yard box. However all Baverstock’s acrobatics were not enough to prevent the night’s only goal in the 72nd minute. From the edge of the box, Phelps swivelled to hit a curling, lopping drive that eluded the keeper’s best efforts to reach it as the ball dropped inside the far post. He was instantly mobbed by his ecstatic colleagues.
Number two should have followed in swift succession but for another piece of wizardry from Baverstock. The ball arrived from the right to be met by Scott a couple of yards out only for the keeper to fling himself across his goal and somehow prevent a certain goal. The luckless Scott was again denied when Baverstock stuck out a foot to push his low drive past the post then saw his stock increase with another fine save to deny Nugent after he beaten the offside trap. Dulwich should have had a penalty near the end when a blatant handball was seen by everyone in the ground bar the ones that mattered - the officials. Still the way the amazing Baverstock was playing, he would probably have saved it!
Teams: Woking FC: Stuart Baverstock; Ellis; Strong; Bracken; Harding; Ruby; Cooke; Parrington; Hodgkiss; Bates; Da Costa
Subs: Josing; Rice; Cunningham; Brooks; Haslett
Dulwich Hamlet: Chris Arnold; Perry Holland (Mohammed Ismail 83); Bradley Mortimer; Alfie Bonsu; Arron Hamilton; Craig Phelps; Lee Scott; John Kasapi (Matt Penny 73); Meshach Nugent; Dan Amsberry; Freddie Sansom
Man of the match: Arron Hamilton: A rock in the centre of defence, the foundation for exceptional all-round performance from every member of the team.
