Dulwich Hamlet 2 Hendon FC 2

Dulwich Hamlet 2 Hendon FC 2
The FA Cup Sponsored by E.On – 2nd Qualifying Round
Saturday 27th September 2008

The road to Wembley is a highway littered with many corpses of the hopeful and the hopeless but today Dulwich did not join them, as heart and spirit saw them through to a replay with embattled Hendon. All this despite the loss of Mo Coly to a contentious second caution three minutes before the break. By then Dulwich seemed doomed, already a goal down to a cracking Rakatahr Hudson strike on 23 minutes and playing insipid, directionless football enlightened only by the rapier-like raids of Benson Paka down the right wing. Stirring words stirred failing hearts and stiffened sinews. More controversy as a second Hendon goal was chalked off, much to the chagrin of a vociferous green clad horde from north of the Thames, then from the bench arose a hero in the shape of Gary Noel, whose goal 2 minutes after arriving in the fray levelled matters. Captain Fantastic Marc Cumberbatch snaffled up a rebound from the crossbar after ‘keeper Berkley Lawrencin had lost the ball in the unseasonably bright sun and in the blink of an eye the game had been turned on its head. Victory against the odds seemed on the cards but the Dons found a hero of their own in the industrious Harry Hunt who struck in the 78th minute to earn his side a replay.
The preparation for battle was hardly ideal for either contender. Dulwich had been beaten late in the day at home to Cray Wanderers to slip off the pace in the promotion race, though at least Craig Edwards could welcome back Laurent Hamici to partner Tom Bolarinwa in a changed strike force. Ryan Bernard’s injuries still niggled and with Cedric Ngakam cup tied, it meant a return to the line up for Coly, playing in the floating midfield-cum-defence role ahead of the three man rearguard. Behind that the last line of defence saw Jamie Lunan re claim the gloves after completing his suspension.
“You've Got Your Troubles, I’ve Got Mine”, might have been the theme tune from the North Londoners, defeat at Premier Division title contenders in midweek, paling into insignificance with the breaking Friday news that the gates had been slammed shut at Claremont Road, bolted down for the last time, to leave the Dons wandering homeless in search of pastures new. The FA Cup must have been a welcome relief for the emerald-clad Hendon hordes, for if this was their doomsday beckoning, they would face the grim reaper with a smile and a hangover. The boss, one Gary McCann late of this parish, had other thoughts. Unhappy with some players’ performances he wielded the axe. Experienced custodian Richard Wilmot relegated to the bench in favour of teenage tyro Lawrencin after some below-par displays. Up front Glenn Garner earned promotion from the Under 21’s to join the promising Hunt in the vanguard.
If the cauldron bubbled as the afternoon wore the early exchanges merely simmering, the combatants more ready steady cook than Hell’s Kitchen as they readied the ingredients for what would become a rollicking cup-tie of the old-fashioned variety. The first quarter hour was punctuated with misfires and mishits. Hunt looked lively, Paka livelier. The greatest Hamlet threats when the talismanic midfielder let rip down the wing, but this strike force failing to get on the end of some teasing, tempting, torpedo deliveries. Scott Simpson chanced his arm with a rattling strike on the volley from one cross but it ballooned over the bar by a country mile. A rare shot in anger from Danny Dyer for the Dons failed to test Lunan. On the quarter hour Bolarinwa sprinted on to a defence-splitting pass, only to see the onrushing Lawrencin diving at his feet and scrambling the ball away.
Power Ranger Paka switched from provider to predator as he gathered a long range clearance out of defence from Cumberbatch, bringing the ball under control, switching on the accelerator and hammering past his marker. Cutting into the box, he smacked in a shot but a foot the wrong side of the upright.
Set-piece frailty came back to haunt Dulwich as Hamlet threat was countered by Dons delivery. Cumberbatch threw himself upon the grenade as he blocked a fierce strike from Garner, supplied by Maclaren but for the resultant corner a weak defensive header feel to Hudson on the edge of the area who sacked the ball back on the volley, the ball deflected into the roof of the net off the hand of Lunan.
The Dons, exhorted onwards by the visiting choristers, singing their praises, drank from the well of hope and slowly took command of the game. Rattled Dulwich became ragged, Coly was cautioned for a needless tug back, and the chances began to flow for the visitors. A cross field ball picked out Maclaren, unguarded on the right of the box, his sweetly struck effort comfortably gathered by Lunan at his far post. Hunt got into a good position only to fire wide and then some neat interplay between James Bent and Garner ended with the latter wasted a great opening as skewed a shot wide from 10 yards out.
Brief relief for the Hamlet as they got back on the attack, a corner won, defensive header straight to Paka but a looping header too comfortable for Lawrencin who gathered with ease. A larruped free kick from Lunan booming the box but Cumberbatch couldn’t connect, running through to the Hendon custodian gathering as frustrated Hamlet attackers followed in, sniffing for a slip. Dulwich were spared when Dave Diedhiou and Garner challenged for the same rightwing cross, the former’s header spinning wide of the upright as the two teammates collided. Once more Paka provided the impetus for a Hamlet attack, supplying Hamici on the brink of the box, the striker’s effort blocked but whirling away to Charlie Howard but a snatched effort from 20 yards out proved no danger.
With two minutes of the half remaining Dulwich’s molehill became a mountain as Coly was cautioned for a second time and was sent from the field. Contentious to many, the referee’s decision to issue a second yellow, then the red came as the big man challenged for a high ball with Diedhiou, the Hendon man crumpling to the turf.
Craig Edwards resisted the temptation to make personnel changes at the break, instead switching to a even more offensive formation, one that almost bore fruit in the first minute as Bolarinwa was played in, denied both by Lawrencin at his near post and a fractional offside flag. But then fortune played a telling role as Diedhiou believed he had give his team a second, perhaps, killer goal as Bent’s leftwing delivery squirmed from the hands of Lunan under pressure from Hunt, Diedhiou smacking the ball home, only for Mr Norcott to rile the visitors by ruling that the Hamlet custodian had been fouled.
Sloppy passing from the Dons set up a chance for Paka, now marauding down the middle, a charging run down throat of the defence topped with a screaming low drive but wide of the mark. Hendon wasted a host of half-chances but the game swung back to the Hamlet midway through the half. 65 minutes saw Noel replace Hamici and just two later the substitute struck an arrow into the heart of Hendon hopes.
A slice through the flank led by Daryl Plummer, a pass that left defenders in limbo, Noel on the sprint in pursuit, knocking aside Bolarinwa in his single-minded quest for the ball. Lawrencin rushed out but Noel slipped the ball past him. The angle was acute but Noel kept calm, rattling the ball home despite the best efforts of defenders to recover their ground. Noel’s House Party convened at the corner flag. Barely had the Dons drawn a second breath and where once they had seemed in command, their lead had fully slipped its leash. A free kick was delivered high into the area, defender Mark Kirby getting a head to it but only backwards toward his own goal. Lawrencin attempted to palm the unexpected away, only to turn the ball against his own crossbar. Dons dithered, Dulwich didn’t. Cumberbatch latched on to the loose ball and from 8 yards drilled the ball into the net to spark delirious celebrations that seemed so unlikely 20 minutes earlier.
Forlorn Hendon rolled back, only to flounder on Hamlet breakwaters. Delicious victory seemed within toughing distance of the Hamlet as chances went begging. Then on 78 minutes a heartbreaker as Hunt sealed a razor-sharp charge forward from the Greens. The Assistant Referee was waving his flag furiously as the Dons stormed up field, albeit for a Dulwich offence, only to lower it having failed to attract the attention of the man in black. How cruel that would have been or how fortunate had Mr Norcott noticed and halted play for the ball made its way to Hunt, hovering on the edge of the area, picking out the bottom corner with a 20 yard drive that beat Lunan low, cracking against the upright before swirling along the line to nestle in the far corner of the net.
Pure theatre and epilogue to the goals still more excitement as the protagonists went hell-bent for a winner. Lunan parried away a Hunt effort; Plummer had a smacker blocked by the diving Kirby, Noel unable to turn the loose ball home with a miscued header. The 90 minutes had clicked over when best chance of all went begging as a deep left wing cross was nodded back across goal by Diedhiou for the diving Hudson but a looping header skimmed the crossbar.
Feisty football had failed to find a winner and so we reconvene at Harrow Borough, gypsy Dons home for Wednesday at least.

DHFC: Jamie Lunan; Steve May; Billy Chattaway; Benson Paka; Mohamed Coly; Marc Cumberbatch; Daryl Plummer; Charlie Howard; Laurent Hamici (Gary Noel 65); Tom Bolarinwa (Tyran James 85); Scott Simpson
Substitutes not used: Kyle Graham; Junior Kaffo; Robert Bartley; Fasineh Koroma; Sheikh Ceesay (GK)

HFC: Berkley Lawrencin; Kevin Maclaren; Craig Vargas; Rakatahr Hudson; Mark Kirby; James Bent; Danny Dyer (Frank Wilson 78); Dave Diedhiou; Harry Hunt; Charlie Mapes; Glenn Garner (Lubomir Guentchev 69)
Substitutes not used: Festus Mansaray; Richard Wilmot (GK); Michael Roche; Kayan Kalipha; Marc Leach

Goalscoring:
1-0 HFC Rakatahr Hudson 23rd minute
1-1 DHFC Gary Noël 67th minute
2-1 DHFC Marc Cumberbatch 69th minute
2-2 HFC Harry Hunt 78th minute

Officials:
Referee: Mr Wade Norcott (Harlow, Essex)
Assistant Referees: Mr Michael Jarvis (Braintree, Essex) & Mr Peter Wilson (Chelmsford, Essex)

Attendance: 353