Romford FC 1 Dulwich Hamlet 4

Romford FC 1 Dulwich Hamlet 4
Pre-Season Challenge Match
11th August 2001

A week away from the opening day of the season, Dulwich clinically put sorry Romford to the sword, although the final margin of victory flattered the hosts as the Hamlet failed to polish off a multitude of chances that could have seen them rattle up a cricket score in the ninety minutes. However some of the goals scored were of such exquisite execution that the travelling faithful would surely spurn the lack of quantity in favour of quality.
The only new face on display was that of Landry Zahana-Oni, once of Bromley and Luton Town, who came in for Declan Perkins in the vanguard of the attack. Injuries also played their part with James Mercer and Al-James Hannigan suffering minors tweaks that saw them sit this one out.
From the start it was obvious that this battle between two great old names of the Isthmian League was something of mismatch. The home defence found themselves battling to contain a rampant Dulwich attack that bombarded the home goal from the off. How that goal remain unpenetrated for so long must remain a mystery but it was not for want of Hamlet exertion, Ryan Gray in particular earning a mention in dispatches as he exploited an evil slope to pepper the Romford six-yard box with a succession of inviting crosses.
After Rob French had gone close with a long range dipping effort that singed the bar, Joel Rogers brought the best out of home keeper Nicky Wilson. Trapping the ball on his chest, he left his marker for dead, turning into the box. Only Wilson remained to thwart him as the goal lay at his mercy, but the valiant save that was called for materialised and the scores remained level – for the moment. Three minutes later Gray found himself denied by Wilson when he met a deep cross to the bar post, only to see his header saved at the base of the post.
Romford’s chances were few and far between, but moments after this let off, they were nearly gifted the lead when Kevin Clark found himself unmarked in the box to loop a header goalwards. For a moment it seemed as if Dulwich keeper, Danny Burgess, had been caught flatfooted but he recovered to pluck the ball out from under the bar. Apart from that scare the home side were restricted to a few long-range efforts that seemed to upset the dogs in the kennels behind the goal more than Burgess does.
Dulwich continued to batter away but somehow Romford’s defence refused to crumble. Gray’s mishit shot turned into an inviting cross but it ran too far in front of Rogers. Not giving up was Julian Old and his resilience meant he just kept the ball in before lofting a deep cross to Gray at the back post. Somehow from a few feet out he got under the ball and pumped a header high over the bar. Several heads went into hands at this clanger but payback time was not far away.
A moment later Rogers misdirected a powerful header straight into keeper’s hands, but Gray’s disappointment was about to turn to delight. Picking up the ball on the left wing from Michael Ebanks, a roguish nutmeg was followed by a searing drive into the box to Zahana-Oni. A deft flick of the heel and the Romford players between himself and the goal line vanished leaving him the simple chance of knocking the ball home from less than a yard.
Romford barely had time to recover from this when a stunner from Rogers earned rapturous applause from home and visiting fans alike. Nodding the ball forward, he juggled it on his knee, flicking the ball into the air before unleashing a thunderous shot from fully 30 yards out that gave Wilson not a prayer.
With the season only a week away, Dulwich seemed to step off the gas, although they might well have added to the scoreline. Instead the Hamlet faithful had to wait until the closing seconds of the half before the Romford rearguard was breached again. Again Gray was the provider, a deep cross picking out Zahana-Oni whose precise header into the bottom corner of the net left Wilson standing rooted to the spot.
A raft of substitutions preceded the start of the second half – Luke Edgehill, Wayne Grant, Sheldon Brown and Danny Ward all given the opportunity to stake a place in the opening day’s line-up. However most surprising was the bloke in the goalkeeper’s shirt, manager Gwynne Berry taking over the gloves from an injured Burgess who had tweaked a hamstring. Not that he seemed keen, proffering the gloves in the direction of the Dulwich fans gathered behind the goal, although his offer was declined.
The one way traffic of the first half remained in place as the second got underway, with Edgehill proving a real torment for the Romford defenders, constantly leading them a merry dance. Within a minute of the kick-off, his mazy run was only denied the ultimate reward by another fine Wilson save. Minutes later and that man Wilson was again to the fore, his block preventing Old increasing the deficit.
However on 53 minutes, even Wilson’s acrobatics could not stop Dulwich from making it four. Another rasper of a goal, this time the perpetrator one Danny Ward, meeting a crossfield ball 25 yards out to rifle a shot wide of Wilson and into the back of the net.
Zahana-Oni could well have claimed a hat trick 3 minutes later as a corner caused panic in the home box. The ball pinged around before Zahana-Oni’s touch but he could only direct at the relieved Wilson.
As the afternoon wore on, Romford were allowed to fight their way back into the game and Berry’s quiet sojourn between the sticks came to a abrupt end as he was forced into action, making some crucial saves to preserve the clean sheet, including a fine save at the feet of ?
However the stand-in keeper was left cruelly exposed 10 minutes from the death, when the referee rather generously awarded Romford a penalty after Clark stumbled over Nick Leach’s feet as he chased the ball. Dean Harding’s penalty was expertly executed and left Berry standing as he slotted it neatly into the bottom corner to give the final scoreline an air of respectability.
Both sides had suffered the ignominy of relegation last season, Dulwich from the lofty heights of the Premier Division, Romford from Division One (though that paled into insignificance with the potential demise that threatened them then and still hangs ominously over Sungate) and on this performance the team most likely to regain former status would surely have to the Hamlet.

Team: Danny Burgess; Oliver Hunt; Michael Ebanks; Gwynne Berry; Nick Leach; Rob French; Julian Old; Francis Quarm; Joel Rogers; Landry Zahana-Oni; Ryan Gray
Subs not used: Wayne Grant; Danny Ward; Luke Edghill; Sheldon Brown