Burgess Hill 0 Dulwich Hamlet 1

Burgess Hill 0 Dulwich Hamlet 1
Ryman Isthmian League Division One South
Saturday 12th April 2008

To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe. That is the quest of the Hamlet as a hard-earned victory, their first at the Leyland Park home of the Hillians, meant that mathematically at least their fleeting dreams of snatching an improbable place in the play-offs have not yet breathed their dying breath. Logic says a null point return from their remaining games for both the Rebels of Worthing and the K’s of Kingston combined with mighty triumphs over both deadly rivals Tooting and the mercenaries of the Met Police cannot happen in the real world but then logic has never found a home ion the hearts of the die-hard fan of the beautiful game. Whilst that ethereal shade of hope remains fluttering in front of the Pink and Blue brigade then the switch on the life support of Dulwich Hamlet promotion hopes remains flickering in the ON position.
Friday night had seen Worthing demolish a Corinthian-Casuals, relieved of the spectre of relegation, glassy eyes turning northward to Wembley, a result that leavened the pressure not only upon the Hamlet but upon the hosting Hillians who play-off pretensions carried greater weight than that of their guests. So it came as surprise to many when player-manager Jamie Howell chose to make a slew of changes from the XI taken to the cleaners by Tooting in midweek. By contrast his opposite number Craig Edwards, content to marshal his men from the sidelines unlike his counterpart, was able to recall Marc Cumberbatch from suspension to resume his stonewall partnership with Ryan Bernard at the heart of defence though illness robbed him of striker Meshach Nugent before kick-off meaning a first start for loanee winger Kraig Rochester.
Lachrymose skies relented before the off though they would return at regular intervals throughout the half, sending a ragtaggle band of travelling supporters scurrying for what flora passed for cover at arboreal Leylands Park. With the first whistle, the first punch was thrown by a Hillians side seemingly better recovered from their midweek mauling. Hamlet fans who had endured the Ashford assassination feared more of the same as the yellow clad hordes swept through porous pink. Barely had 60 seconds slipped by than the deadly Shaheen Sadough had battled past Colour Sergeant Bernard, the centre-half rescued by a able deputy in the form of Steve May, across like a whippet to hammer the ball beyond the boundaries and to safety. Keeping Hillians at bay, Dulwich created the games first true opening in the fifth minute as Alex Martin’s snow white boots slipped a pass wide to the left wing where Billy Chattaway came thundering up the rails, Matt Piper left in his wake as he drove into the penalty area. A screaming shot as Danny Gainsford tried to charge down the ball but home custodian Chris May proved its equal, battering down the strike at his near post. The pendulum had truly swung, released by the ubiquitous Martin, Sebastian Schoburgh’s spindly legs became a blur as he zipped to the goal line, pulling the ball back beyond ‘keeper May, stranded at his near post. The stamp of goal was upon Hamlet’s goalmouth assassin, Charlie Taylor, but fate combined with desperate defending as the ball seemed glued to his feet. Amidst a muddled, muddy mêlée a yard from goal the ball refused to be buried in the net and the Hillians’ relief column, Gainsford, cleared the lines. Still Dulwich pressured, a swinging corner to the back of the six yard box was dragged down out of the air on the chest of Bernard, but a yellow swarm blocked his path and the Hamlet skipper was unable to bundle the ball into the net.
Space opened up for Benson Paka, the midfielder clicking up a gear, a Ferrari swishing past the putt putting jalopies of the Hillians defence to drive in a daisy trimmer through the sodden sward. May was down smartly to batter the ball away but Rochester latching on to the rebound, only to dally on the ball as reinforcements arrived. A shot from the neophyte winger, on target, but charged down by a phalanx of defenders, Paka pouncing upon the loose ball to ramrod a hot in on goal, denied as a pair of hands not attached to the custodian beat down the ball. Plaintive cries for a spot kick but not guilty came down the judgement from the beak as referee Mr Robinson signalled no offence. Jesus may love your wife more than she will know but, though Dulwich are long inured to the denial of stonewall penalties, still they rankle and love letters from SE22 may be in short supply for Mr Robinson.
With Hamlet still seething their defence dozed as a Burgess Hill free kick was allowed to drift to Howell, unattended on the edge of the area, but he failed to punish diffident defending as he dragged a low drive well wide of Jamie Lunan’s right-hand upright.
Justice made manifest on 43 minutes as Hillians’ glass-jawed, stood square and toothless, drawn across as Paka ran at them, battering ram against the castle walls. Yellow shirts made to cut him off at the pass; instead Paka merely slid a simple pass to Taylor outside him, neglected by defence. Helpless, May was coolly beaten as Taylor hammered a ball low and beyond him into the far corner of the net, a ninth goal in as many games for the Hamlet hitman. A tenth was but a whisker away in stoppage time as Chattaway clipped the ball back from the back line, only for Taylor to turn and the ball past the upright from eight yards out.
An early threat from the Hillians as Neil Watts went for the spectacular with a long range hooked effort that would have drawn applause from all corners had it found the net but instead buzzed Lunan’s crossbar as harmless as a destung wasp. Touché said the Hamlet, a corner forced, Bernard beaten by the colossus Gainsford but first to the rebound, bicycle kick, nay more a Penny Farthing kick, as the Hamlet skipper launched the ball back over his head and past a startled seagull circling above, the ball dropping from the ether to be claimed by May under pressuring from the hovering Taylor. A steaming run from Paka, a pass from one hired gun, Martin, to another, Rochester, across the field. Distance seemed his enemy but Rochester let fly with a powerful effort from the wings that might have found its aim but for a flick off a defender’s boot that sent the ball over the head of May to ripple the net albeit the roof of the net.
A chance for the gargantuan Gainsford as his markers went AWOL whilst a free kick was delivered. Relief then when the big man failed to exact punishment with a wayward header actress the face of goal. Pumped upfield by Lunan, the dropping ball was plucked out of the air by Paka then slipped left into the path of Taylor but a shot on goal lacked the power to cause more than minor inconvenience to May.
Threat once more from the Hillians as Dulwich found themselves backpedalling furiously as a poor corner left them exposed at the rear. The thunder of cavalry upfield. Sadough had first one chance then another, but his first was beaten off before he overlapped on to a pass from Watts, letting off a steamer of a drive but always, always rising too high over the crossbar.
A rare lapse of concentration. CSM Bernard, RSM Edwards, their barked orders ringing in the ears of the Hamlet foot soldiers, would not allow such a lapse once more. Bernard was up and over the trench once more, venturing deep into enemy territory as he won an aerial dog-fight with Gainsford, flicking a header down towards Daryl Plummer, only May’s alertness denying the substitute an early impression on his introduction into the fray. Desperate now laced Hillians’ play, victory was imperative but they remained pinned in their own half. Gainsford less-than-surreptitious tug on Taylor as he was beaten once more on the fringes of the area saw a caution for the centre-half. Less lenient officials might have been issuing cards of more a crimson hue. Woven from finest silk, Schoburgh’s skills took out a host of defenders as he set up Martin to deliver into Taylor but a poor connection saw the ball hooked off target on the turn.
With the undertakers in and tapping in the final tacks upon the coffin of their dreams, Hillians came mightily close to doing the same to those of the Hamlet as excruciating injury time crept by as a far-flung volley from John Lansdale zipped over the crossbar but the points belonged to the Hamlet. Another new dawn? One last new hope? Don’t turn off the life-support just yet!

Teams:
BHTFC: Chris May; David Piper; Matt Piper; Kenny Hewitt; Danny Gainsford; Nick Fogden; Phil Elkins; James Martin; Shaheen Sadough; Jamie Howell (John Lansdale 70); Neil Watts
Substitutes not used: Tom Edmonds; Ollie Rowland; Lloyd Cotton; Colin Hunwick

DHFC: Jamie Lunan; Steve May; Billy Chattaway; Benson Paka; Ryan Bernard; Marc Cumberbatch; Sebastian Schoburgh; Stanley Muguo; Kraig Rochester (Daryl Plummer 75); Charlie Taylor; Alex Martin (Henry Darko 80)
Substitutes not used: Ricky Dobson; Meshach Nugent; Sheikh Ceesay (GK)

Attendance: 160

Officials:
Referee: Mr Tim Robinson
Assistant Referees: Mr Timothy Hatt & Mr Daniel Robathan

Goalscoring:
1-0 DHFC: Charlie Taylor 43rd minute