Dulwich Hamlet 0 Tooting and Mitcham 2

Dulwich Hamlet 0 Tooting and Mitcham 2
Ryman League – Division One
Saturday 23rd March 2002

Much was expected of this match after the action-packed clash between these two deadly rivals in the Surrey Senior Cup at the end of January, but most left disappointed after a fragmentary game was settled by two perplexing decisions from greenhorn referee Justin Comley. A penalty awarded to the visitors for reasons apparent to none but the man with the whistle converted by Nigel Webb to give the Tooting the lead was swiftly followed by Charley Side’s mugging in the box could not have brought less acknowledgement that had it occurred in front of a Brixton copper. Just for good measure Dulwich old boy Conrad Kane added a second six minutes from the end to cement victory and condemn the Hamlet to their fourth straight league defeat. At the same time Tooting snapped a six match losing run.
In the absence of Martin Eede the managerial reins passed to Engin Salih and the major changes saw him bring in John Ashton, on loan from Conference side Hayes, deposing Oliver Hunt on the right of central defence and Ryan Pacey promoted from the bench to take the place of Danny Ward. Tooting too had their problems, injuries had robbed them of Alex O’Brien and former Dulwich man Mickey Rootes whilst Steve Symes was serving a ban. Among the replacements was Simon Bassey who’d endured an unproductive spell at the Hamlet last year and early indications did not suggest a happier outcome as he found himself the recipient of an early yellow card after just five minutes.
To the great frustration both of the players and crowd, Dulwich held the upper hand in the opening exchanges bar a piece of opportunism from Elliott Onochie who capitalised on an error in defence to send in a neat cross to Nigel Webb who could only find the arms of James Mercer with his deft flicked header. Once again enjoying himself against his former club Francis Quarm was just off target with a volley after juggling the ball on the edge of the box. On twenty minutes a snaking run from the teenager tore a hole through Tooting’s defence before the ball was laid out to Rob French on the right. The Dulwich’s captain’s cross was tempting but Micky Brady was alert to the danger and managed to get to the ball to head it behind before Declan Perkins arrived. In came the corner and rising highest was Tony Chin whose crashing header was nudged against Tony Webb’s right hand post by Bassey, who then flung himself to the ground to thwart French’s follow up. There seemed a suspicion of handball in the block but the referee was having none of it.
Five minutes later and it was Chin to the fore as Quarm delivered a pinpoint freekick into the heart of the box, the centre half soaring highest to direct the ball goalwards only for a superlative save from Tony Webb to turn the ball over the crossbar.
Tooting best chance of the half came after 30 minutes when Nigel Webb almost conjured a goal out of nothing. Getting first to a nothing ball, and with keeper Mercer in close attendance, he cunningly flicked the ball back over his own head towards goal but to a chorus of groans from the visiting fans could only watch as the ball struck the top of the crossbar and bounced harmlessly behind.
Seven minutes before the break a long ball out of defence almost caught Tooting on the hop. Dean Forbes managed to get in ahead of Perkins to try to nod the ball back to his keeper, but it lacked the power to reach him. In nipped Side to try to capitalise but he stumbled over the feet of Forbes. There were some howls for a foul, but to his credit none from Side and the danger passed.
Tooting started the second half the better of the two teams with youth team graduate James Mordey coming within a whisker of opening the scoring as he met Onochie’s cross with a strong header. However the deadlock seemed unlikely to be broken until the referee’s 58th minute brainstorm. A freekick on the left wing saw a deep cross delivered to Brady at the back who nodded the ball back across goal but with Onochie charging in Mercer made a brave punch to clear the danger, colliding with Onochie as he did so. Instantly the whistle blew, initially it seemed for an injury, but then slowly it dawned that a penalty had been awarded. Bewilderment all round from both sets of players and supporters with Dulwich arguing long and hard against the punishment. All to no avail and once the protests had subsided up stepped Nigel Webb. Having missed in Tooting’s League Cup semi-final First Leg defeat at Northwood, the pressure was on but he coolly sent Mercer the wrong way, dispatching the spotkick low to the keeper’s left. Dulwich’s puzzlement was not helped by the referee’s later revelation that the award had been for a ‘blatant push’ by debutant Ashton on Nigel Webb.
The mood in the home camp was not helped by Mr Comley’s decision less than three minutes later to wave play on when Side was used as a climbing frame by Forbes as the ball was delivered into the Tooting box from distance. The ill-feeling swiftly translated itself into bookings for the Hamlet with first French finding his way into the referee’s notebook for a heavy challenge, then mild-mannered Quarm losing his head after a clash with Luke Ferguson. Qudos to French for holding him back when it seemed as if the youngster was ready to rip into the Tooting man, but it did not save him from a yellow. Amid the mayhem it also seemed that Ferguson tried to headbutt him, but that passed unnoticed.
Salih threw on first Warren Burton then Lee Endersby to try and make a breakthrough, but Tooting’s rearguard held firm in spite of the threats and it was the visitors who seemed more likely to score. Nigel Webb’s was sent scurrying through by Bassey but Mercer’s reactions were spot on as he pulled off a fine save low to his right to deny him.
With absences forcing his hand, Tooting manager had named himself among the substitutes and within two minutes of replacing Noel Frankum had set up the Kane for Tooting’s second. Espying the evergreen Kane making a move, his precise pass was perfect allowing Kane to leave Chin trailing in his wake as he ran on to dispatch a textbook finish past Mercer, powerless to prevent the goal.

1. James Mercer
2. Jon Ashton
3. Ryan Pacey
4. Nick Leach
5. Tony Chin
6. Rob French
7. Danny Husbands
8. Danny Moore
9. Charley Side
10. Francis Quarm (15: Lee Endersby 77)
11. Declan Perkins (12: Warren Burton 68)
Sub not used:
14: Danny Twin