Dover Athletic 3 Dulwich Hamlet 1

Ryman Isthmian League Division One South

Tuesday 22nd August 2006

Hamlet had the moves, Dover the punch and in the final reckoning that was the deciding factor for the Division’s heavyweights, tipped by all but the most committed of opposition supporters to be the ones lifting the title come season’s end. For the Hamlet it was déjà vu, as with Corinthian-Casuals there were times when they played the opposition off the park, weaving intricate patterns across the turf but without the killer touches that might have sealed a morale boosting upset victory.
The early exchanges set the tome for the match, Kenny Beaney letting rip with a piledriver from distance but well clear of the mark, before Tommy Tyne was mightily unlucky not to find the net after breaking free only for a last ditch challenge from Jamie Coyle to send the ball lopping ion slow motion fractionally over the crossbar with Jamie Pullen powerless. Dover’s counter attacking proved potent and Dulwich were fortunate no one was on hand to provide the final touch after Bradley Spice whipped an enticing ball across the penalty area.
A disputable free kick close to the goal line as Bryon Walker tangled with David Moore and the chance was there for Athletic to pounce. In came the free kick from skipper Lee Spiller and with Hamlet defence more at sea than a cross channel ferry defender Matt Bourne was on hand to accept the gift, diving headlong to nod the home from close range. Infused with the vim of scoring, Dover upped the pace. A neat move ended with a shot on target from John Keister though with little power or direction to trouble Pullen, but then having lost the ball in attack Dulwich found themselves being sliced open by the pace of a rampant Spice, a headlong charge halted open by the most cynical of challenges from Dan Nwanze, the rare glint of steel in Dulwich’s silky eleven. Some officials might have been less compassionate with their cards but Mr Brooks showed mercy in brandishing just a yellow.
Half-an-hour in and Dulwich were within a whisker of levelling the contest. A corner, up went Jamie Coyle, defenders clinging to him like limpets, the ball dropping at the feet of Sol Pinnock, who took a split second to tee up the ball but a vicious shot curled agonisingly wide of the top corner of the net. As if in sympathy, Dover’s Danny Chapman managed to miss a gilt edged chances within moments as he met Walker’s low cross from the left, only to lamp the ball high over the stand with the goal at his mercy. Pinnock was again to be frustrated as the long ball attack made a rare appearance in Dulwich’s new repertoire, Chris Dickson winning a header to set up the teenage rampage, a last second intervention taking the striker’s low drive a fraction wide of the upright. The corner too deep but Pinnock was alert at the back, providing the redelivery for Coyle to get in a header on goal but denied by Glen Knight’s alert save.
Failure to convert their chances was to prove costly for the Hamlet as they were caught cold for a second with half time drawing closer. A poor corner went straight to Lee Spiller, who provided the spark as Dulwich found themselves tore asunder, Spice proving too hot for the pursuing Nicolas Plumain and delivering the perfect ball across goal for Tyne to finish with rapier-like precision.
Rallying, the Hamlet were twice denied by Knight, redeeming himself, pawing Coyle’s volley away with his fingertips after the keeper had failed to collect a corner. In stoppage time, Dulwich’s most incisive move of the half ended in disappointment. Instigated by a crunching Nwanze tackle, the ball flowing on the feet of Dickson as he drove across the edge of the area, interchanging with Pinnock, a smart strike turned behind by Knight. Still the siren call were there and deep in stoppage time, Dover were convinced they had grabbed a third as James Rogers’ corner caused confusion in the Hamlet six yard box, Tyne poking the ball towards goal but in the scramble it was unclear whether the ball crossed the line, a consultation between referee and assistant confirming it had not.
Two minutes into the second half and Dulwich threw themselves a lifeline, David Moore released on the right to pull the ball into the box where Dickson set up the ball for Pinnock to incisively sweep the ball into the bottom corner of the net. This should have been the cockspur for a Hamlet revival as the opening quarter of the second half were stage-managed by the Hamlet, punctuated only by Spiller’s long range free kick dealt with comfortably by Pullen. Somehow though the second goal would not come. Plumain’s powerful strike always curling wide failed to trouble Knight but the home custodian was called into more serious action when Dickson juggled the ball through a host of defenders only for Knight to batter away his final shot. A long ball missed by Craig Cloke gave Dickson the chance to atone but in beating Knight to the ball, he failed to find the target as he stabbed the ball past the keeper.
Dover were clearly becoming rattled by the Hamlet’s retaliation, a booking for time wasting administered to Cloke indicative of this. But then a comical goal conceding in farcical manner gave the hosts vital breathing space. A Dulwich corner found Jamie Cheeseman in a great scoring position but an excruciating air shot allowing Dover to launch a rapid counter, though the danger seemed negligible when Plumain outpaced Walker to knock the ball back to Pullen. Then to the horror of the Hamlet, he slipped in trying to return the ball to Plumain passing the ball back to the lurking Walker. Not one to look this gift horse in the mouth, the Dover player kept his composure to round the prostrate Pullen and restore his side’s two goal cushion.
Dickson went close to a second when a neat move on the edge of the area saw Dickson swivel but shoot wide and Cheeseman failed to get a decent connection on Luke Cornwall’s delivery. However the case for muscular football was nigh well proven, the case all but closed in stoppage time when Walker failed to take a golden opportunity for number four as, unmarked, he flung himself at James Dryden’s tantalising cross from the left wing. For Dulwich, the footballing evangelism will prevail but to the silk a touch of steel needs to be added if the golden vision of promotion is to be realised.

DAFC: Glen Knight; John Keister; James Rogers (Tony Browne; 61); Matt Bourne; Craig Cloke; Craig Wilkins; Danny Chapman; Lee Spiller (Capt); Tommy Tyne (Shane Hamshare; 86); Bradley Spice (Jimmy Dryden; 62); Byron Walker
Subs not used: Nick Humphrey; Darren Smith

DHFC: Hamlet: James Pullen; Jason Turley; Nicolas Plumain; Daniel Nwanze; Jamie Coyle (Capt); Lewis Tozer; David Moore (Danny Moore; 77); Kenny Beaney; Sol Pinnock (Luke Cornwall; 80); Chris Dickson; Phil Williams (Jamie Cheeseman; 66)
Unused subs: Ohran Stewart; Carlton Murray-Price

Attendance: 802

Officials:
Referee: Mr C S Brooks
Assistant Referees: Mr G S Croft & Mr D Spain

Goal Scoring:
1-0: DAFC: Matt Bourne 23rd minute
2-0: DAFC: Tommy Tyne 38th minute
2-1: DHFC: Sol Pinnock 47th minute
3-1: DAFC Byron Walker 76th minute

Dulwich Hamlet 2 Corinthian-Casuals 2

Ryman Isthmian League Division One South

Saturday 19th August 2006

A comfortable lead let slip from their grasp at the hands of a side allegedly destined for the basement and the trapdoor into oblivion. Welcome to the new season at Champion Hill where the terraces resemble reruns of Dad’s Army, the Private Frasers, “We're doomed, I say. Doomed”, competing with the Corporal Joneses, “Don't Panic Mr Burnett, don't panic!” Already some naysayers are sounding the death knells for Hamlet’s hopes of promotion with a mere 41 games left. Then again expectations were high, amateur Corinthian-Casuals expected to be steamrolled as a gentle precursor to massive midweek trip to title favourites Dover. All was going to plan, a brace of goals for the goal machine Chris Dickson, the odd scare but dealt with; then the visitors decided to tear up the script as Andre McCollin bagged a brace of his own within three minutes and might have won the game for his team had his finishing been more accurate.

The seasons alter, the summer’s muggy damp presaging dank autumn but upon the newly refurbished Champion Hill turf, a carpet where beauteous football can be played thoughts of the long, hard months ahead were put to bed as the two combatants swept the ball around with gay abandon. The whip hand lay with the Hamlet but already the warning signs were there as McConnell and his diminutive strike partner, the nippy Jamie Byatt threatened to break through the rearguard as Dulwich proved vulnerable to lightning counter-attacks.

On the quarter hour, Dickson outmuscled his marker to set up Carlton Murray-Price, a well-struck effort from the edge of the area too close to keeper Colin Harris and comfortably pouched. From the feet of Dickson, three minutes later came a master class in the art of finishing, David Moore’s sliderule pass into the path of the rampaging striker. Too fast for his pursuers, Dickson ran on to smoothly slot the ball into the near corner of the net as Harris vainly tried to narrow the angle.

“C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre”, the passes following like fine wine, the fans drunk on the beauty of a passing game so long absent from the Hill but in the heady atmosphere of this connoisseurs’ football, the thrill of goals was missing. An intricately worked free kick gave Kenny Beaney a shooting chance from a tight angle, Harris agile to batter the ball behind for a corner. From this the ball pinged its way to Murray-Price a pirouette on the ball setting his marker adrift, but a cruel deflection sent his close range strike lopping over the crossbar. For the Casuals a deep left wing cross was met with a thumping header at the back stick, James Pullen well placed to palm the ball behind. Then Dulwich were breaking out, Dickson’s impudent back heel setting up Beaney to drive a cross low into the six yard box where Williams awaited only for a contorting defender to somehow flick the ball away with his head.

Touché came the Casuals response as Byatt’s pace saw Pullen’s goal open up in front of him but a rash shot on the run failed to test the keeper as the side netting rippled. Back came the Hamlet, Jason Turley providing an overlap on the right, his cross nodded weakly out to Dickson but from the edge of the area, he snatched at the chance sending the ball sailing harmlessly over the bar. Moore chanced his arm from distance, a deflection failing to trouble Harris but from the boot of McCollin came a silent warning as on the stroke of half time, he made space for himself and let fly with a bullet of an effort that had Pullen pulling out all the stops to batter it away.

Four minutes after the restart the Hamlet gained themselves a modicum of security with a second goal as Dickson doubled the lead with a carbon copy of the opener. This time the subtle pass came from the feet of Williams, Dickson kick-starting the motor as he slipped fluently into his rhythmic stride, inexorably bound goal and a sweet blockbuster of a finish. Surely the victory would now be assured even though Dickson would be denied a much merited hat trick, first when Moore’s chip into the six yard box was headed out to him, a stinging volley acrobatically tipped on to the crossbar, substitute Jamie Cheeseman beaten to the rebound. Another athletic Dickson run agonisingly ended with the side netting billowing as Harris did just enough to make the angle too acute. Sandwiched between these chances, Williams struck a venous shot from distance wide of the mark.

Not that the Casuals had retired from the scene, far from it. The electric Byatt caught the Hamlet defence in deep snooze, rounding Pullen and only denied a goal by the intervention of skipper Jamie Coyle slipping back to put the ball behind. Two minutes later and Byatt repeated the trick; this time the Hamlet’s saviour was Nicolas Plumain echoing his captain’s heroics. The somnambulant Dulwich defence had not heeded these alarm call when McCollin came calling to reduce the arrears soon after. 74 minutes on the clock, in snuck the big striker and Pullen found himself beaten for the first time. Three minutes later and McCollin was there again, catching the defence napping once more from a position of safety, Hamlet now found themselves staring down the barrel of an embarrassing defeat.

In redemption of defence lapses, Coyle came close to restoring Dulwich’s lead with a powerful header from a corner but McCollin could, nay should, have laid claim to the match ball as he punched a hole in the Hamlet rearguard, only to blaze wildly wide of the goal as Pullen flung himself at his feet. Try as they might Hamlet could not recover the lost points, a shot out of nothing from Moore comfortably held by a flying Harris, the keeper also reacting acrobatically to tip over an effort from Cheeseman as a late, late free kick caused pandemonium in the Casuals’ box.

At the final whistle, delighted, the Casuals danced a jig of joy more in tune with cup winners than point sharers while disconsolate Dulwich trooped off to a post-mortem. For the pensive Wayne Burnett, Herculean tasks await. Already he has cleaned out the stables of Augeus, populated them with young colts. The golden apples of Hesperides glinting in the promised land of the premier, but other tasks await before he and his charges get there, not least to inject a spine of steel to complement the sleek and silky football.

DHFC; James Pullen; Jason Turley; Nicolas Plumain; Daniel Nwanze (Ohran Stewart 75); Jamie Coyle (Capt); Lewis Tozer; David Moore; Kenny Beaney; Carlton Murray-Price (Jamie Cheeseman 59); Chris Dickson; Phil Williams (Danny Moore 67)

Subs not used: Sol Pinnock; Billy Warner

Attendance: 256