Dulwich Hamlet 2 Chipstead 1

Dulwich Hamlet 2 Chipstead 1
Ryman Isthmian League Division One South
Tuesday 11th November 2008

“We ought to give thanks for all fortune: it is good, because it is good, if bad, because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country”
Dulwich Hamlet sit proudly in third place in the table after this victory over troubled Chipstead, deserved in execution, fortunate in opportunity for the Chips had none of their own, striking the frame of the goal no fewer than a quartet of times during the course of the contest.
It was a shaky start for the Hamlet against a side whose cup exploits had perhaps o’ershadwed the paucity of their league performances that had seen they slip inexorably into the relegation slots. Not that they had relegation written upon their faces as they sparked into life and posed the greater threat in the opening quarter hour. With greater fortune, they might have built themselves a comfortable cushion of goals before Dulwich had engaged engines. The poor butt of Dame Fortune’s jests was Josh Smith, the nippy young winger left wondered he that detour he had taken through the Battersea Black Cat Sanctuary and Looking Glass Emporium on the way to Champion Hill had been such a good idea.
In 11th minute of the eleventh day of the eleventh month Smith spun inside Billy Chattaway and struck a shot beyond the hand of a diving Jamie Lunan only to see it cannon back off the base of the upright. Dulwich were similarly spared just four minutes later when a shot from lively if luckless Smith took a deflection off a Dulwich defender, arched over a stranded Lunan but rebounded back from the crossbar. As the half roiled on, Dulwich finally decided to take part. A booming long clearance was gathered by Daryl Plummer, the winger scampering clear in the inside-left channel and hitting a fearsome volley on the run, however veteran Chipstead 'keeper James Wastell produced a fine save to batter the ball away well low down to his right. Shortly afterwards, Scott Simpson shot wide from the angle when well placed eight yards out. Three minutes later Plummer was sent away on the left, centring for Walid Matata, free in the middle, to tuck home under Wastell, but much to the display of the wingman, the flag had long been raised against Plummer.
On song this evening Plummer continued to provide the chances. Looking lively on the wing, he found Laurent Hamici with a precise pullback, the striker pulling the trigger on a stinging snap shot but denied by the ever-alert Wastell, though ‘twas a pity there was no one in a Pink and Blue short on hand to profit from the ‘keeper’s parry.
O Fortuna velut Luna statu variabilis, semper crescis aut decrescis;
O Fortune, like the moon you are changeable, ever waxing and waning;
Fortuna waxed for the Hamlet, waned for the Chips as, on the stroke of half-time, Dulwich profited from her favours Jamie Lunan juggled the ball along the top of his own crossbar as he wrestled with a header from a Chips corner.
Manager Craig Edwards made a change at the break for Matata was struggling once more with his persistent injury. He drew Simpson across from the flank into the vanguard, bringing Nick Ogbanufe on for a delayed debut to fill the vacant wide berth.
Was it the change that lit up the Dulwich offence? Of course and who would argue with Mr Edwards! Eight minutes into the half with a masterpiece of a goal, but like all masterpieces, it is not just the signature of the master that makes the work. This was a fine goal, elegant in composition upon the canvas as first Chattaway, then Benson Paka and finally Plummer built the foundations. A neat flick in from the wing from Plummer as if to hand the brush and palette to Hamici, the final brushstroke, the final flourish belonging to the hitman as he shifted the ball to his right foot and from just inside the area drilled a shot with little backlift but almost infinite power beyond the defenceless Wastell.
The lead was short lived however when Simpson gave away a sloppy free kick five minutes later. From the free kick Laurence Buchmann swung in a pinpoint delivery, aided and abetted by a Dulwich defence that went AWOL as the unguarded Fred Fleming rose to head in past Jamie Lunan and off the underside of the crossbar.
Stung into action, Dulwich almost regained the advantage straight from the kickoff as the ball was played out into the left pocket, a chipped cross shot rising just over the bar. Dulwich continued push forwards looking for the winner and a goal-bound header from Marc Cumberbatch, getting on the end of Paka’s delivery, was deflected behind. The best move of the match secured victory for Dulwich when a fine pirouette on the halfway line by Paka enabled him to play a pinpoint pass into Hamici's path, the leaden footed Chips defence vainly pleading for offside. Bearing down on goal the striker had selflessness to turn the ball inside to Simpson in space, who shrugged off the challenge of Fleming to slam the ball home from close range.
Two minutes later, Chipstead were once again left cursing their misfortune when the ill-fated Smith beat the advancing Lunan only to see his shot strike the underside of the bar and ricochet back into play.
Deflated Chips threatened little after that. Dulwich could, nay should, have extended that lead, made it comfortable. A Lunan launch was nodded on by Cumberbatch, Cedric Ngakam swinging a leg at the loose ball, Wastell bravely blocking amidst the flying boots. The corner found the head of Ced but this time he was wide of the far stick. So well were Hamici and Simpson working as a double act, the BBC will soon be commissioning their Christmas special. The pair exchanged dinky passes on the edge of the area to create the opening, shame though that the shot was snatched at and always rising over the bar.

Teams:
DHFC: Jamie Lunan; Peter Martin; Billy Chattaway; Benson Paka; Cedric Ngakam; Marc Cumberbatch; Daryl Plummer; Stanley Muguo; Laurent Hamici; Walid Matata (Nick Ogbanufe HT); Scott Simpson
Substitutes not used: Junior Kaffo; Gary Noel; Kyle Graham; Sheikh Ceesay

CFC: James Wastell; Jamie Findlay; Laurence Buchmann (Shane Graham 82); Andrew Wareing; Fred Fleming (Capt.); Daryl Coleman; Nathan Campbell; Alec Brown (Aaron Cole-Bolt 74); Liam Oxley; Jamal York; Josh Smith
Substitutes not used: Chris Head; Gavin Quintyne; Barry Coleman

Goalscoring:
1-0 DHFC Laurent Hamici 53rd minutes
1-1 CFC: Fred Fleming 58th minute
2-1 DHFC Scott Simpson 65th minute

Officials:
Referee: Mr Matt Foley
Assistant Referees: Mr Dele Sotimirin and Mr Roger Wells

Attendance: 224