Dulwich Hamlet 0 Kingstonian 1

Dulwich Hamlet 0 Kingstonian 1
Isthmian League Division One South
Friday 21st September 2007

Thank heavens for nostalgia; for as your humble scribe nurses a tumbler of Scotland’s finest, the memories of fabled past encounters with the fellow fallen giants of Kingstonian cloud the mind through the mellow mists of memory. The desired effect of the malt does not work its magic and all too soon the history is pushed aside by the evening’s disjointed encounter, all harum-scarum football seemingly with an goal, as aimless as a blinded archer, as rushed and muddled as the last scrum of inebriates as the bell sounds for last orders.
Had Hamlet’s play been stilted, drained one might have looked to the sapping, extended FA Cup battle with Deal just three days earlier but with the adrenaline of that victory still flowing in their veins, their was no doubting that Hamlet were wound up for this game like a clockwork toy. Unfortunately in which direction they would shoot off was anybody’s guess.
Kingstonian came to the Hill top of the pile, defeat at Tooting the single blemish on an otherwise perfect league record, their success built on twin pillars of a miserly defence and the interchangeable triumvirate in attack, the scoring prowess of Bobby Traynor and Saheed Sankoh supplemented by James Rose. Though K’s fans would see the former in the ascendancy, one freakish goal would make up for the absence of the latter.
As fast and furious as any Friday night disco the game sprang into action from the opening whistle, but the tunes being on the pitch grated as much as a Bobby Crush Techno crossover. Unsurprising then that the goal when it arrived would be as mellifluous as a post-operative tomcat bemoaning the loss of his manhood. Quarter of a hour had slipped by when referee David Buck spotted a foul where none else could and when the free kick was pumped into the box Dulwich 'keeper Sheikh Ceesay seemed to lose the ball in flight, a mighty bounce leaving him leaden-footed and allowing the predatory Dean Lodge to exploit the unfortunate custodian mishap, beating Ceesay to the ball and sliding it into the unguarded net.
Dulwich were caught at the restart and Lodge was allowed to make a penetrative run trough the middle of the park, slipping a pass behind the defence for Sankoh to gallop on to. It took a strong tackle from the alert Shayne Mangodza to take the sting off the shot of the K’s striker as it dribbled back into the hands of Ceesay.
Galvanised Hamlet upped the pace but though the football was played at breakneck speed at times, it was play of the lemming, disjointed, not knowing the final goal - too often final passes went astray or were overhit. Shawn Beveney went close with a early second half free kick that shaved the upright whilst an alert Luke Garrard rescued Simon Huckle after a wild slash at a cross sent the ball spinning in the path of onrushing Hamlet attackers Anton Innocent and Serge Musungu, dragging the ball back into his body at the second attempt as it threatened to squirm away from him.
A rare chance for K’s saw the talismanic Wes Goggin found on the corner of the six yard box but his close range effort was blocked by the body of defender Ricky Dobson. Garrard once more proved the bête-noire of the Hamlet as a series of corners midway upped the pressure on the K's goal, making a stunning block from a rasping Stanley Muguo strike from 10 yards out. Though Hamlet's football had moved into a higher gear, the K's rearguard refused to be breached, Dulwich bereft of ideas, openings and opportunities until the final throes of the game when late substitute Craig Braham made inroads on the right. An awkward pass and an acute angle combined to thwart one chance but loosed again on the wing three minutes into stoppage he picked out Beveney on the fringes of the six yard box but a flicked volley a foot wide of the upright encapsulated Hamlet's poverty in front of goal.

Teams:
DHFC: Sheikh Ceesay; Steve May (Craig Braham 90+1); Ricky Dobson; Benson Paka; Shayne Mangodza; Steve Aris; Shawn Beveney; Stanley Muguo; Anton Innocent; Serge Musungu (Sol Patterson-Bohner 61); Billy Chattaway (Phil Williams 74)
Substitutes not used: Rene Regis; Nas Hussein (GK)

KFC: Luke Garrard; Aaron Goode; Liam Cockerill; Simon Sobihy; Gavin Cartwright; Simon Huckle; Dean Lodge; Jason Turley; Bobby Traynor; Saheed Sankoh (James Rose 86); Wes Goggin (Danny Summers 76)
Substitutes not used: Tommy Moorhouse; Nick Rundell; Luke Naughton

Attendance: 475
Match Officials:
Referee: Mr David Buck (Istead Rise)
Assistant Referees: Mr Barry Lynch (Camberley) & Mr Richard Hailstone (Ash)

Goalscoring:
1-0 KFC: Dean Lodge 16th minute