Chatham Town 1 Dulwich Hamlet 4

Chatham Town 1 Dulwich Hamlet 4
Ryman Isthmian League Division One South
Tuesday 25^th September 2007

The woes of that K’s defeat paled away as Hamlet put together a fine second half rally to record their most comprehensive victory of the season so far. Work commitments robbed Hamlet of Steve Aris but the game saw the debuts of Dulwich’s new recruits from crisis-racked Walton Casuals, Jermaine Hinds in the centre of defence and the crafty Sol Patterson-Bohner added some much needed graft to the Hamlet midfield.

Caution was cast to the wind in a nail-biting opening exchange with defences constantly on their toes as both sides attacked at will. Will was not happy! As early as the second minute a sweeping Dulwich move saw the ball swept out to the left wing, an excellent low delivery catching Henry Darko unawares as it bounced in front of him allowing the alert John Whitehouse to claim. A swift riposte from the Chats as a chance was carved open for the home side but Tyran James but lifted his shot over both 'keeper Sheikh Ceesay and the crossbar. Steve May, making the first of several incisive sallies into the opposing penalty-area, saw his strike tipped onto the post by agile custodian Whitehouse. Darko tenancy would later create the chance for Stanley Muguo to unleash a sizzling strike from 25 yards out but the drive, always rising, zipped a fraction too high over Whitehouse’s crossbar.

Fancy footwork from Helder Valdez threatened to open up the home defence until a crude challenge two yards outside the box curtailed the run but the free kick came to naught as Shawn Beveney cannonball drive was charged down by the Chatham wall.

Steven Best also spurned an excellent chance for Chatham as a low cross in from the left was allowed to run as far as the Chatham man lurking on the far side of the box. With just Ceesay to beat, Best snatched at his chance lashing the high into the night sky. Once more the lithesome Whitehouse would prove to be the nemesis to the Hamlet as he stretched every sinew to get his fingertips to a rising shot from Benson Paka which crashed off the top of the crossbar. That save was to prove crucial for the hosts as Chatham struck on the break in first-half stoppage time to snatch the lead. Overplaying the ball in the middle of the park, Dulwich lost possession and found themselves quickly on the back foot as Chatham swept imperiously forward. James took possession of the ball hard left, turning inside a wrong-footed Shayne Mangodza before striking a low drive tucked tight inside the far post of a diving Ceesay, the ball bouncing in off the far post.
Strong words brought their reward and the second half saw Dulwich turn that domination at last into goals. 55 minutes and it was all square as a deep corner was headed back across the goal and in the land of the giants in the six yard box, Henry Darko snuck in through the undergrowth to nod the ball home after Patterson-Bohner's comer from the left was nodded back from beyond the far post by Mangodza.

Two minutes later and the Hamlet were ahead, an timely throw out from Ceesay picked out Muguo in space on the left and the latter's forward pass was latched on to by Beveney. With the Chatham defence trailed in his boot prints Beveney charged forwards before dancing past the 'keeper and hammering the ball home.

The overworked Whitehouse kept Hamlet at bay as they threatened to run riot, blocking a close range strike from Stanley Muguo after Darko's refusal to give up on the ball despite being surrounded by red-clad defenders had created the opening. Darko's pace was to the fore as a third goal in ten minutes cemented the Hamlet advantage, the ball pumped out of defence by Ceesay, the diminutive striker in hot pursuit before unleashed a fearsome drive a la Bobby Charlton to leave the net rippling as Whitehouse leapt in vain.

Chatham found a second wind but Ceesay proved a rock in the Hamlet goal with a couple of crucial saves including a breathtaking point-blank stop to keep Dominic Elmes from cutting the deficit. On an evening where ‘keepers shone, Whitehouse, Horatio defending Pons Sublicius albeit with less success, denied Darko a much deserved hat-trick with a well-timed block before flinging himself low to his right to batter away Beveney's glancing header. However Whitehouse heroics could not deny the Hamlet a further goal. Ceesay’s inspired ‘keeping had built the foundations for Dulwich to add a fourth three minutes from time. An intelligent cross-field pass from Patterson-Bohner picked out Paka who slipped the ball into the box. As the ball squirmed loose from a crowd of players on the edge of the Chatham penalty area into the path of May, the fullback crowning an industrious performance as he nimbly sidestepped a defender and tucked the ball past the exposed Whitehouse from 6 yards out.

CTFC: John Whitehouse; Bradley King; Danny White; Daniel Larkin; Robert Goodger (Capt.); Steven Best (Mark Murison 61); Matthew Solly; Mark Brooks; Dominic Elmes (Gavin Schulz 76); Sam Groombridge; Tyran James
Substitutes not used: Adam Boots; Tom Binks; Craig Govey

DHFC: Sheikh Ceesay; Steve May; Ricky Dobson; Benson Paka; Shayne Mangodza; Jermaine Hinds; Shawn Beveney (Capt.); Stanley Muguo; Henry Darko; Sol Patterson-Bohner (Rene Regis 88); Helder Valdez (Phil Williams 76)
Substitutes not used: Craig Braham; Billy Chattaway; Nas Hussein (GK)

Attendance 114

Goalscoring
1-0 CTFC: Tyran James 45th minute (+ 1)
1-1 DHFC: Henry Darko 55th minute
2-1 DHFC: Shawn Beveney 58th minute
3-1 DHFC: Henry Darko 65th minute
4-1 DHFC: Steve May 87th minute

Match Officials:
Referee: Mr Paul Harris
Assistant Referees: Mr Andrew Carter & Mr Jeff Lengthorn