Dulwich Hamlet 1 Fleet Town 1

Ryman Isthmian League Division One South

Tuesday 3^rd April 2007

A fourth draw on the spin, albeit against a fellow promotion challenger, left Dulwich perilously close to the trapdoor out of the play-off positions despite this result moving them up into fourth spot, ahead of Tooting and Dover on goal deafened alone. Elsewhere deadly rivals Tooting kept up the pressure with a 3-2 win at Leatherhead despite the dismissal of Joe Vines early in the second half, whilst Fleet must still fancy their chances with one of the less-obstacle strewn run-ins, still a win and a game in hand behind the Hamlet. With an Easter Monday trip to Imperial Fields still to come, the Hamlet's season now hinges NOT only on their own results but on those of the teams around them.

Recalled to the starting line up were Phil Williams and Nicolas Plumain, whilst Daniel Morris, a late cameo at Princes Park on Saturday, made his first start. Fleet meanwhile did their bit for László Bíró's estate, their changes determined as much by who was first to the shirts as to any tactical scheming for one-time England wingman, Andy Sinton.

Despite a lively start from the Hamlet, the visitors were gifted the opening goal after the quarter hour when amidst a melee on the fringes of the Hamlet penalty area, experienced striker flopped on the ball as Lewis Tozer challenged. Swift with the whistle, referee Mr Thompson awarded a contentious free kick and with ‘keeper Simon Overland poorly positioned, Fleet midfielder James Field further punished the Hamlet, spotting the unguarded bottom corner to curl the field low past the wall and home.

The goal lit a spark in the Dulwich attack. Almost straight from the restart Damien Scannell galloped off down the right wing, pulling the ball back across the Fleet area to where Phil Williams was waiting. The winger pulled the trigger, smacking the ball first time but with recalled Fleet custodian Justin Gray rooted to the spot, the ball crept a fraction wide of his left hand upright. Moments later a free kick from Kenny Beaney reached Jamie Coyle at the back of the six yard area only for the legs of a lunging defender to turn his strike behind for a corner kick. Scannell again reminded all of his prowess on the wing with a pinpoint cross from the right, picking out the head of Daniel Morris, making his home debut. Unfortunately the new boy could not mark his first start with a goal, nodding the ball wide of the target. The Hamlet onslaught continued and much to the chagrin of player and supporter alike, Mr Thompson failed to award a penalty when Nicolas Plumain was upended as a quick turn saw his marker left flat-footed. Sent tumbling seemingly inside the area, Plumain looked aghast as the man in black instead spotted the ball a clear foot outside the penalty box.

With a mantra of defence at all costs, Fleet committed all hands to the task of smothering the Hamlet's lightning attacks, launching few of their own. The best chance of the half spurned by Adam Wallace who sent the ball fizzing into the night sky like a wayward firework when clean through on the right. Not that that displeased their youthful travelling faithful. No more Latin, no more French, no more sitting on the old school bench, a half term trip to Champion Hill and a goal lead.

Misfiring in attack when at last the massed ranks of a stolid Fleet rearguard had been breached became all too commonplace. A sweeping move orchestrated by Beaney in the middle of the park saw Plumain released to rampage down the left wing. He in turn found Scannell, looking for an opening as he torn across the edge of the area before feeding Morris. His neat turn took his marker out of the equation but a skanked shot failed to trouble Gray as it swerved well away from goal.

Various niggles and gamesmanship went unheeded by the officials though as half time drew closer Mr Thompson was at last forced to dip into his pocket for his cards as the lumbering Steve Hemmings resorted to a scything tackle on a fast-disappearing Scannell, depriving the Hamlet man of his legs as he threatened to leave his opponent spitting his dust.

The start of the second half was almost heralded by an equaliser as Dulwich piled on the pressure. Barely three minutes in and a corner dropped by Tozer on the penalty, the cultured centre-half bringing the ball under control before firing in a venomous drive that Gray did excellently to get his body behind, extinguishing the fire of Tozer's strike. Midfield dithering almost proved costly for the Hamlet when the ball was lost, Reid the grateful recipient of a pass but with the goal beckoning Justyn Roberts bore down on the veteran hitman, robbing him of the ball as he shaped to shoot.

A change in attack saw Serge Musungu replace the malfunctioning Morris before the hour mark with Mazin Ahmad joining the fray soon after. It was Fleet however that threatened next when Matty Lewis chanced his arm with a free kick from distance, curling the ball delightfully over the defensive wall but a smidgeon too high as Overland stretched in vain.

On 74 minutes Dulwich found a chink in the Fleet armour to squeeze in an equaliser. A long ball into the left channel was seized upon by the marauding Scannell, cutting inside Sam Pearce and unleashing a fearsome low drive from a yard outside the penalty area. Gray was quick to get down and beat out the strike, but his defence came second best in a race with substitute Musungu to the loose ball, Gray recovering quickly but unable to resist as the poacher Musungu arrived first to slide the ball under the ‘keeper and into the net.

The rigours of repulsing the Dulwich onslaught was starting to take its toll on the flustered Fleet kludging defence, as the Hamlet went in search of that all-important equaliser. Ahmad left a quartet of red-shirted, red-faced defenders in his wake with an electric charge before slipping a pass into the path of Shawn Beveney, but Gray reacted faster to gather the ball ahead of the Hamlet midfielder. With time slipping away one last assault almost paid dividends but amidst a flurry of bodies in the visitors' penalty area, red shirts defending to the last, shot after shot was blocked, Musungu then Tozer both denied as parity reigned once again.

Teams

DHFC: Simon Overland; Nicolas Plumain; Gavin Dayes; Justyn Roberts; Jamie Coyle; Lewis Tozer; Shawn Beveney (Mazin Ahmad 66); Kenny Beaney; Daniel Morris (Serge Musungu 58); Damien Scannell; Phil Williams (David Milton 89)

Substitutes not used: Leigh Bremner; Jason Turley

FTFC: Justin Gray; Sam Pearce; Will Salmon; Ben White (Eddie Smith 81); Mark Paterson; Steve Hemmings; James Field; Matty Lewis; Tony Reid; Adam Wallace; Martin Girling

Substitutes not used: Tony Millerick; James Mann; Jermaine Hamilton; Paul Smith

Caution: Steve Hemmings

Attendance: 246

Officials:

Referee: Mr Marvin Thompson (Northolt)

Assistant Referees: Mr Phil Stevens (Streatham) & James Vallance (Putney)

Goalscoring:

0-1 FTFC James Field 15^th minute

1-1 DHFC Serge Musungu 74^th minute

Dartford FC 1 Dulwich Hamlet 1

Ryman Isthmian League Division One South

Saturday 31^st March 2007

The barren, wind-battered approach to Princes Park is purgatory but as one crests the hill the first glimpse of the Darts' new home draws little breath that remains from one's body. Buried under bricks and mortar by the greedy hands of the developers, Watling Street was Victorian Gradgrind to sparkling new Princes Park, a 21^st century stadium boasting all the "green" credentials, solar panels for power, rain recycling systems to water the playing field, sustainable wood. For your humble though this meant a blanket smoking ban, an anxious wait until half-time before one can draw on a gasper. Fortunately the buzz of a pulsating contest meant the usual nicotine hit went almost unmissed.

Three wins out of four for the hosts would mean naught should they lose today. A single change saw Tommy Osborne return having missed an unconvincing 4 goal defeat of bottom club Corinthian-Casuals with injury. Meanwhile hamlet boss Wayne Burnett shuffled his pack in an attempt to gain a much-needed three points after three games without a win, Mazin Ahmad and Leigh Bremner restored to the starting line-up whilst Serge Musungu and Williams dropped to the bench.

Dulwich threatened after just four minutes when Jamie Coyle swept a low cross into the six yard box, the ball allowed to wend its way to Damien Scannell whose attempt to force the ball home was foiled by a combination of ‘keeper and defender, fellow striker Bremner unable to connect with the rebounds. However it was the Darts who were first to find the net, putting the hosts on course to cement their place in the play-off pack whilst seriously damaging the ambitions of the visiting Hamlet. 7 minutes gone, Eddie McClements robbed Coyle of the ball, an intricate run into the box though a brace of challenges taking him clear of the defence only from big Hamlet custodian Simon Overland to bravely block at the feet of the onrushing wingman. But with the Dulwich rearguard missing in action Overland was left defenceless as first Brendon Cass then Jay May tried to bundle the loose ball home, May succeeding where his compatriot had failed.

If the vocal hordes of Darts aficionados had expected that goal to spark an black and white avalanche, their hopes soon evaporated as Dulwich dominated play but could not find the Philosopher's Stone that might turn the base metal of their domination into the gold of goals. Ahmad chanced his arm with a long range free kick, the ball buzzing a foot too high over Darts goalie, Tony Kessell's crossbar.

A momentary lapse in defence for the Hamlet almost let in May once more after Cass had slipped a neat pass into him, but Justyn Roberts composed tackle in manner of the late lamented Bobby Moore robbed the Dartford man of the chance to double his tally. Faced by the massed phalanxes of home defenders, Kenny Beaney attempted to curl the ball beyond Kessell from the corner of the penalty area, a defender's involuntary intervention almost assisting him as the deflection left Kessell flat-footed but relieved as the ball bounced wide of his near upright. A deep cross from the left, swirling on the wind, was met by the head of Mark Green, the ball nodded back across the face of goal with the Darts deadliest weapons, May and Cass, in attendance but each seemingly frozen as the ball bounced harmlessly wide of the post.

Custodian Kessell played a key role in keeping the Hamlet from bringing the contest back to parity, smartly off his line twice in quick succession first to gather the ball as Bremner burst past the static central defenders in his quest to reach a clearance headed back then as Scannell zipped through the defence, stealing the ball off the Hamlet man's toes with an outstretched leg as Scannell prepared to round him. The lively Scannell continued to ask questions of the home defence, neat skills on the edge of the box but a shot blocked by a mass of black and white. Kessell was again called into action after Shawn Beveney, recipient of the ball on the right wing, spun away from a brace of dumbfounded markers before curling in an angled shot that a diving Kessell did well to push away, a defender's knee completing the job as Bremner went hunting for the rebound. Dulwich's defence had still not learnt the lessons of May's opener and with just two minutes of a pulsating half remaining, abundant white shirts flooded the Hamlet penalty area, McClements sweeping the ball across to Ryan Hayes who in turn attempted to find Cass only for a last-gasp tackle from skipper Jamie Coyle to lash the ball behind for a corner.

The second half dawned brightly for the Hamlet though Scannell's powerful run to the edge of the area remained unembellished by a goal as the ball spun wide of the mark whilst Bremner, despite his acrobatics, could not provide the telling connection with a right wing cross. The ball flicked into his path by Beveney, Scannell let fly with a rasping shot but always twisting just that little bit shy of the net.

Subdued in the first half, Darts now rallied and but for the resilience of Dulwich custodian, Overland, might well have made the points their own. Twice in a minute Overland made vital saves at the feet of first Green then Cass as the Hamlet defence was breached too easily. Changes were made. On came Daniel Morris for his debut replacing Bremner. Ahmad made way for Musungu. Dulwich stepped up a gear. Gavin Dayes attempted to bend a shot in at the post but missed by inches. Rumbling through like a Sherman Tank, Cass broke through the last line of resistance but found Overland unflappable in adversity, the ball blocked and amidst a tumultuous gallimaufry Lewis Tozer managed a clearance under heavy fire.

The minutes ticked away. Ten minutes left, a slip from Coyle let in Tommy Osborne, haring down the left wing to deliver a low ball into May, the usually reliable hitman snatching at the opportunity to wallop the ball out of the ground. Two minutes later Steve Norman floated a long, long free kick that almost embarrassed Overland as it hung on the breeze, the big number one back-pedalling furiously to somehow stretch to the last sinew and turn the ball over the bar, freezing the celebrations of the throats of the Dartford Warblers behind the goal. Game, set and match it might been but the importance of that save magnified immeasurably as Hamlet struck the leveller through the boot of Williams, on in place of Dayes less than 10 minutes previous. Wound up and raring to go, Williams had nibbled at the Darts defence with probing runs that fell stony ground but he feasted upon a sublime chip into the angle of the six yard box, larruping a first time volley from the acutest of angles into the far corner of the stunned Kessell's net.

A point apiece might have sated had the stakes not been so high, the wolves circling as goals went in for Dover, Tooting, Hastings, Maidstone, six teams fight fighting for five seats at the promotion party. Hamlet went hunting for the winner, Scannell blocked by the legs of Kessell as he tried to finish from a tight angle. Selected as Man of the Match by the afternoon's sponsors, Kessell justified that award further plucking a free kick from the forehead of Tozer as he rose highest in the forest of players. Right at the death the Darts could not have had a more clear-cut chance to claim victory. May flicked the ball over the head of Tozer head before supplying McClements at the far post. Stretching to meet the ball, McClements drew groans of agony from the massed ranks of Darts supporters as the ball flashed agonisingly a fraction wide of the foot of Overland's post. One-apiece, a fair reward for endeavour but not what the chairmen might have ordered. The dogfight intensifies.

Teams:

DFC:

Tony Kessell, Tommy Osborne, Steve Norman, John Guest, Richard Avery, Lew Watts (Brad Potter 57), Mark Green, Jay May, Brendon Cass, Eddie McClements, Ryan Hayes (Steve Hafner 74)

Subs not used: Carl Bruce, Ryan Briggs, James Tedder

DHFC: Simon Overland, Jason Turley, Gavin Dayes (Phil Williams 74), Justyn Roberts, Jamie Coyle, Lewis Tozer, Shawn Beveney, Kenny Beaney, Leigh Bremner (Daniel Morris 63), Damien Scannell, Mazin Ahmad (Serge Musungu 68)

Substitutes not used: Nicolas Plumain, David Milton

Cautions: Lewis Tozer

Attendance: 1,409

Referee: Mr Ashvin Degnarain

Assistant Referees: Mr Ross Wooding & Mr Arif Khalfe

Goalscoring:

1-0 DFC Jay May 7^th minute

1-1 DHFC Phil Williams 83^rd minute

The players and officials line up pre-match for a minute's silence in memory of long-time Darts supporter Raymond Fuller


Have Boreham Wood fans defected?


It went that way!


Mazin Ahmad on the ball


Catch me if you can!


This week's spot the ball contest. No winners yet!


Damien Scannell attempts a shot on goal from the edge of the area


Dulwich throw up the big boys for a freekick


An acrobatic effort from Leigh Bremner but no luck this time.


Damien Scannell shapes to shoot but this effort goes wide of the mark