Metropolitan Police 0 Dulwich Hamlet 2

Metropolitan Police 0 Dulwich Hamlet 2
The FA Trophy – First Round Qualifying
Saturday 18th October 2008

Wildly misfiring Met Police will rue the opportunities they had to gun down the Hamlet during their now-traditional first half reveries as they seemed to take time to adjust to the arrival of some new recruits to the Dulwich cause. With Laurent Hamici out suspended after picking up his quota of yellow cards, Craig Edwards managed to pick up some young talent, pulling the proverbial rabbit from the hat as the prodigal son returned to the vanguard. From the supporters a frisson of expectation as the name of Charlie Taylor crackled through the Imber Court ether, last season’s goalscoring hero taking the place of this term’s leading hitman. The anticipation of seeing the pair in tandem was almost palpable but the fans would have to wait.
A jealous eye must have been cast from the opposition bench for Jimmy Cooper’s coppers were similarly without their leading hitman, Scott Forrester’s indiscretions in the previous round precluding his participation. Likewise when the police roll call came absent too was influential if erratic defender Tommy Moorhouse, another to fall foul of the officials in that Waltham Abbey game. As early chances fluttered away like city bonuses, how Cooper must have wished he could have raided the ranks for a striker to make the best of the early Police advantage.
An off the ball incident, very much off the ball, had sidelined right back Peter Martin, meaning a debut in that slot for former Watford Academian Femi Omogbehin. With Billy Chattaway playing a more central role early on and Cedric Ngakam swinging across to the left back role, Dulwich seemed a bit disjointed in the early exchanges as they were pushed back time and again by a blue tide. Michael Cobden bombed a ball in from the flanks picking out former Tooting midfielder Vernon Francis who chanced his arm with a screaming 30 yard but harmlessly wide of Jamie Lunan’s goal. Soon after veteran Dave Newman slipped the ball into Craig Carley but the wily wingman cum striker dragged his effort beyond the back stick.
A chance for redemption fell to Carley within moments but from 20 yards out he failed to trouble Lunan. Police marksmanship proved even more wayward when Francis plopped in a cross from the rightwing, a defensive dropping to Stephen Goddard, scorer in both previous outings, but brutally ballooning the ball into the stratosphere from barely five yards out. Close range shooting proved the Achilles heel of the Police once more when from 10 yards out Carley’s shot sailed over to worry the horses of the Mounted Division more than Hamlet’s so far untested ‘keeper.
From the Alamo to attack and gently rolling forward Dulwich managed the game’s first shot on target soon after the quarter hour as Daryl Plummer razed a hole in the thin blue line of defence but his drive from outside the area lacked the power to more than warm the gloves of Will Packham between the sticks.
A cynical foul by Steve Sargent curtailed a promising charge upfield from Chattaway, earning the Met Police midfielder the afternoon’s first caution and allowing the ball to be pumped into the heart of the home area where the Police looked decidedly uncomfortable against the aerial threat of the Hamlet’s triumvirate of big men, Ryan Bernard, Marc Cumberbatch and Ngakam, the latter’s header flicking off the brow of Francis and over for a corner. Once more the Police defence looked jittery but as the ball ping-ponged around the six yard box, a blue shirt threw itself in the way whenever a Hamlet man struck at that elusive object.
From defence the Police built their best move of the match, Packham larruped a free kick from his own half deep into the right pocket, Garry Drewett scooping the ball past his marker and chipping a pass into Michael Cobden lurking on the edge of the area. The strike lacked the necessary power but was on a one way ticket to the bottom corner of the net until Lunan flung himself earthwards pushing the ball out at the last second. Still the danger hovered as Carley chased in the loose ball and this time the game-breaking goal seemed preordained, that was until Lunan spread himself once more to smother Carley’s attempt to tuck home the rebound.
From bumper cars running a circle Hamlet became Ferraris. Snorting like the prancing horse of that marquee, Chattaway, turbocharger at full chat, accelerated from one half to the other before sending in a deep, deep cross-field pass to the prowling Plummer at the back of the six yard box. Serpent of old Nile, Plummer became a mass of contorted sinews as he swivelled to strike the back goalwards, only for defender Stuart Harte, arms flapping in the manner of a demented turkey, to charge down his effort at the back post.
Engines finely tuned Dulwich drove at the Boys in Blue once more, Benson Paka the architect of an outrageous chip from distance that had Packham scrambling across the six yard box to pluck from the air at full stretch as the ball threatened to float past him. As half time whistle brought truce to the field of combat memories of the early Police barrage had long faded in the fog of history, Hamlet at the gallop now preamble over. Breathes were bated as Act II was awaited.
The watering hole is bracing stroll from the arena and uncompromising officials would not wait for your humble scribe to drain the dregs from his dram before the restart and so I must take the word of those present that the Police contrived the most glaring of misses almost before battle had been drawn in anger. Sergeant Sargent of the Police drilled a ball low across the face of Lunan’s goal, Francis and Carley both waiting to snap up the pass but neither connecting as the goal loomed large before them. It was to be the death knell of the Police challenge.
Dulwich replaced new boy Famoud Sonko, of the Stoke City Sonkos, with Tom Bolarinwa, announced as Ballerina by the crusty voice behind the tannoy. More pogo than pas-de-deux was the focused young winger. Within five minutes of the reshuffle the Hamlet had gone ahead, the goal engineered by Taylor on the right, hammering the throttle down as he left his marker choking on his exhaust. The striker’s instinct might have taken over but selflessly he whipped that ball across goal to where Scott Simpson was arriving at full pelt, bringing the ball under his spell, the Houdini of the wing shed the chains of defence, stretching to stab the ball past a helpless Packham. One chance one goal, a pæan to the Police’s coronach of chances lost.
Taylor was now in his element and with Hamlet’s next attack he swept across a deep ball to the back of the six yard where Plummer o’erleapt the full back but directed his header a foot wide of the upright. From engineer to pilot seat for Taylor, another page in the lore of the Hamlet for the prodigal, a goal conjured out of thin air, Merlin, Oz, Potter even bow your heads. Once more the left flank of the Police caved in, a will-o'-the-wisp Bolarinwa danced through before spinning the ball across the face of goal. A defensive touch away but only to Plummer who linked up with Taylor for whom the goal was the bull’s-eye but with a blue wall in the rugged form of Ron Edwards before him, a distant vision. No matter he drew back his foot, the trigger sprung and from 20 yards the ball curling on its inexorable trajectory over the grasping hands of Packham and under the bar.
Looking dead and buried at this point the Police were thrown an unlikely lifeline just two minutes later when Lunan was controversially penalised by referee Mr T Power as he scrambled for the ball after being impeded by Goddard. “Black villainy”, cried the Hamlet! But a Zorro waited to rescue Dulwich as master of the spot kick, Lunan, left his dive late smothering Carley’s precisely struck effort on the goal line. It seems an age since Lunan was beaten from the 12 yard mark, this save added to ones this year against Eastbourne Town, Charlton Athletic and Molesey inter alia.
Still a breath of life in the Police but even that came close to being snuffed out as Dulwich were within a linesman’s flag of screwing the last bolts on the coffin lid. The ball was launched out of defence by Chattaway, Plummer’s run seemingly timed to perfection as he latched on to it, marching on to stroke the ball past Packham only to be called back as the goal was chalked off. Not that it mattered much for with time in scarce supply and opportunities even scarcer, the Police were already preparing their yellow boards of excuse. Meanwhile the Hamlet when hunting in search of more prey, Taylor so unlucky not to put the seal on victory with a third shortly before time was called. A booming clearance beyond the last line of defence had Packham tearing headlong from his goal, only to find himself stranded as Taylor lifted the ball calmly over him. A Montmartre strumpet, the goal beckoned the ball in but as it dropped from the clouds, it sprung back off the hardened goalmouth and bounced back over the crossbar.
Where the hosts had snatched, gulped then regurgitated their opportunities, Dulwich nibbled, tasted then gorged. The Road to Wembley stretches out ahead once more.

Teams:
MPFC: Will Packham; Stuart Harte; Michael Cobden (Craig Brown 60); Ron Edwards (Justin Bowen 77); Dave Newman; Vernon Francis; Steve Sargent; Rob George (Matt Cefai 77); Stephen Goddard; Craig Carley; Garry Drewett
Substitutes not used: Steve Potterill; Mo Maan

DHFC: Jamie Lunan; Femi Omogbehin; Cedric Ngakam; Benson Paka; Ryan Bernard; Marc Cumberbatch; Daryl Plummer (Junior Kaffo 90+1); Billy Chattaway; Scott Simpson (Gary Noel 80); Charlie Taylor; Famoud Sonko (Tom Bolarinwa 54)
Substitutes not used: Mohamed Coly; Sheikh Ceesay

Goalscoring:
1-0 DHFC Scott Simpson 57th minute
2-0 DHFC Charlie Taylor 65th minute
Penalty Save Jamie Lunan from Craig Carley 67th minute

Officials:
Referee: Mr Tony Power
Assistant Referees: Mr Mark Englebretson & Mr Benjamin Furneaux

Attendance: 111