Kingstonian 3 Dulwich Hamlet 0

Kingstonian 3 Dulwich Hamlet 0
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 9th February 2008

The Hamlet dropped out of the play-off positions after a parlous performance against a Kingstonian side that rose out of their own furrow of depression with victory built on a solid bedrock of a defence that rarely allowed the Dulwich forwards a sniff of goal. With former Brighton Youth Teamer, Michael Kamara, making his début in place of the out of sorts Benson Paka, Dulwich began briskly with Dewayne Clarke buzzing a wing ball across the face of goal as early as the first minute. Not long after the new boy was in the thick of things as he was bundled brusquely to the turf mere millimetre from the edge of the K’s penalty box. But to Dulwich’s dismay naught came of the free kick as Shawn Beveney left the red and white shuddering as he slammed the dead ball into the defensive stockade. The massed ranks of the home guard continued in the same vein as Billy Chattaway larruped the loose ball into the same committed rearguard.
However the dark clouds were already gathering for the Hamlet as K’s sprung into life as Wayne Finnie served notice launching a long throw towards Bobby Traynor on the penalty spot only for the misfiring hitman to strike the ball wide of the mark. Conceding a contentious free kick, Dulwich were almost made to pay as Simon Huckle’s free kick picked out former Hamlet hero Jason Turley, but the ball refused to play ball, Turley unable to tame it and get away a shot of note. The K’s had scented blood and a move of quality tore a gash in the Hamlet flank, Neil Lampton sweeping the ball out to Traynor on the left, the striker slipping the ball to the lively Dean Lodge overlapping around him. The angle might have been against him but the self-possessed wingman lashed a low cross cum shot that took the merest of deflections but enough to send the ball zipping past the far post of the diving Sheik Ceesay. Turley was again threatened his former teammates as he took delivery of Huckle’s pass but always rising drive failed to trouble the net.
Come the 25th the locals, tenants in what was once their own home, at last saw the chances of their heroes become concrete with the opening goal courtesy of Traynor. Finnie’s booming throw with the power, accuracy and damage potential of a trebuchet was flicked on by the head of Huckle, rising highest at the front of the six yard box. Lurking at the back, mysteriously unguarded, was Traynor and the predatory K's man took full advantage to lash the ball low across the face of goal and into the far bottom corner. The lead might well have been quickly doubled had Dean Lodge not smacked his volley from the edge of the area into the body of Sheikh Ceesay, but a missed opportunity that would have carried greater weight had Meshach Nugent's angled drive swirled mere inches over 'keeper Luke Garrard's crossbar.
If there was hope of Dulwich staging a second half recovery, those hopes were soon dashed as K's grabbed number two in calamitous manner within three minutes of the restart. K’s had upped the pressure Huckle nodding the ball across the six yard box but it seemed to be an textbook gather for Ceesay as he tried to clutch the ball out of the air, but it sprung from his hands like a hot potato covered in goose grease. Amid the flurry of boots and bodies Finnie stooped with a head to prod the ball into the now yawning net.
Things were looking ominous for the Hamlet, a third goal only averted by the quick thinking Shayne Mangodza, swiftly across to hack the ball away from the rampaging Traynor who was in hot pursuit of a long ball nodded on.
A rare chance for the Hamlet as the K’s goal was threatened courtesy of a free kick. Dewayne Clarke had a thumping drive, bravely blocked by Jon Coke at close-range and though the Hamlet man was swiftly on the rebound to dart past the still-shuddering Coke, the K’s defender had back-up in the gargantuan shape of Gavin “Hoss” Cartwright, stretching a leg across the charging Clarke to halt his run. Debatable whether ball or man was played as Clarke tumbled to the floor but little compliant from the men in Pink and Blue.
Come the hour mark and a change was called for to reinvigorate the Hamlet. Beveney, Clarke and newcomer Michael Kamara all made way for Charlie Taylor, Sebastian Schoburgh and Benson Paka. For a while it seemed as if the touchline transfusion might have done the trick. Striker Taylor galloped on to a chipped pass into space, dinking into the area and trying to square the ball across to Billy Chattaway free on the penalty spot only for Finnie to slide across to cut out the pass for a corner. But moments later it was K’s rumbling up field once more, Tommy Williams serving a warning with a larruped strike on goal from distance, swinging wide of Ceesay’s left hand post at the last instant.
More medals for the gallant home defence as centre-half Marc Cumberbatch took return delivery of his own throw from Taylor, lashing a magnificent low cross from the back line, destined for Mangodza’s mighty presence in the six yard box, until Simon Sobihy stuck his head in the lion’s mouth to nod the ball away from his defensive counterpart.
The K’s tanks rumbled forward once more, a rising shot from one time hero of the Hamlet, Jason Turley, always, always rising too high as it cleared the woodwork. Still it mattered not a jot to the locals when a third arrived 11 minutes from time. A free kick was lofted into the box, Traynor picked out, a neat pirouette and shot charged down. However the danger persisted, Hamlet struggling to clear their lines, for which they would pay as Williams chanced his arm with a dribbling low strike from the edge of box, one that at first seemed to be routine for Ceesay but perhaps a stray divot caused the ball to bobble for calamity became catastrophe for the crestfallen Ceesay as the ball bounced off the custodian falling body and creep into the far corner of the net.
Though Steve May threatened a consolation lashing a fierce strike across the face of Garrard’s goal in the final minute after Schoburgh’s dance moves on the wing had gotten the better of Lodge, a quick break set in motion as Garrard bowled the ball out to Lodge, scooting down the flank. An inch-perfect cross from the inch high winger found Huckle, in the solitary space of eremite, wide out on the right, but the midfielder, drafted into attack, failed to find the target with a lolloping volley that bounced wide of Ceesay far upright.

Teams:
KFC: Luke Garrard; Jon Coke; Simon Sobihy; Wayne Finnie; Gavin Cartwright; Tommy Williams; Neil Lampton; Jason Turley; Bobby Traynor; Simon Huckle; Dean Lodge
Substitutes not used: Jamie Beer; David Suchy; Saheed Sankoh; Steve Goddard; Luke Naughton

DHFC: Sheikh Ceesay; Steve May; Ricky Dobson; Michael Kamara (Benson Paka 60); Shayne Mangodza; Marc Cumberbatch; Shawn Beveney (Charlie Taylor 60); Dewayne Clarke (Sebastian Schoburgh 60); Meshach Nugent; Stanley Muguo; Billy Chattaway
Substitutes not used: Daryl Plummer; Tim Roberts

Attendance: 337

Match Officials:
Referee: Mr Marvin Thompson
Assistant Referees: Mr Gavin Collins & Mr Andrew Thacker

Goalscoring:
1-0 KFC Bobby Traynor 25th minute
2-0 KFC Wayne Finnie 48th minute
3-0 KFC Tommy Williams 79th minute

Kingstonian vs Dulwich Hamlet