Bromley FC 2 Dulwich Hamlet 0
Pre-Season Friendly
Wednesday 9th August 2006

Passing up on an orchestra stall amongst the elite for the Bolshoi’s Cinderella at Covent Garden, your humble scribe found himself settling for pretty much the same at the less palatial Hayes Lane. A flowing, balletic performance from the Hamlet, but despite the elegant chorography of the Dulwich corps, pleasing to the eye, there lingered the question of whether there was a point to all the pirouetting as the hosts closed out an ultimately comfortable victory. Oh for a cutting edge to augment to the Hamlet’s dainty play as for large tracts of the game they matched their Kentish rivals, bolstered by the arrival of one time Crystal Palace chairman, Mark Goldberg, and his wallet in the dugout. In the one place that mattered most though they were frustratingly second best, Hamlet’s tyro custodian Chris, son of the legend, Lewington by far the busier of the evening’s goalkeepers.

If Hamlet had played Cinderella to their hosts in recent encounters, there was little evidence of that in the game’s first flourishes as Hamlet went toe to toe with their ambitious opponents. Penetration though was at a premium, with the Lilywhites’ goal unsullied until late in the half. Meanwhile the hosts’ greatest threat came in the form of Alex Tiesse, whose lightning pace might have contributed to an early lead for the hosts. Rangy one time Dulwich midfielder Peter Adeniyi intercepted a stray pass in the middle of the park and showed exceptional vision to release the pocket rocket, only for Dulwich’s defence to apply the heavy touch as he burst into the area, the eventual shot wide of the upright. Tiesse was again denied soon after as Lewington produced a brave save diving at the striker’s feet, the Hamlet coming within a whisker of punishing Bromley on the break as Luke Cornwall powered past his marker only to send a delicate chip floating over keeper Andy Walker and the crossbar.

Thick and fast the chances came for Bromley, all with the slippery Tiesse in their vanguard. Denied by Lewington again, the ball ran kindly for Nic McDonnell who stayed on his feet but the ball was tucked wide of the gaping goal. Tiesse again struck the target from a difficult angle but Lewington proved to be his nemesis, quickly down to make a smart save at the base of his near post. Finally Walker was called into serious action as half-time drew ever closer, a Dulwich free kick finding skipper Jamie Coyle arriving ghostlike at the back of the six yard box, a powerful header battered behind by the keeper at angle of post and bar. In the final throes both sides found the net only to be denied by offside rulings, Jean-Serge Musungu for the Hamlet and Barry Moore the unfortunate ‘scorers’.

That Bromley’s opening goal three minutes into the second half would be laced with the sting of ill fortune would mean not a jot. For all the fancy footwork and precision passing the deadlock would be broken by that all staple of industrial football, the lumbering centre half applying his bulk to a header at a corner. An attempted defensive clearance mishit, slicing the ball across the face of the six yard box, Tutu Henriques in the role of Executioner as, like a felled redwood, he fell forward to connect first and put the ball away from close range.

Invigorated by the goal, Bromley looked to put the game to bed. Tony Boot, demobbed from Chelmsford barracks in the summer might well have added to the lead but wasted brace of excellent chances in swift succession, first shooting wide from a fine Sam Wood delivery then blazing the ball high into the wilds of feral Bromley when well placed. Unfortunately for the Hamlet, he had recovered his sense of direction by the 63rd minute, when Moore whipped in a teasing cross from the right wing. Alone and untended at the back of the box, a leaping Boot hung in the air to meet the incoming cross and despatch a textbook header beyond a powerless Lewington. Matters might well have reached a nadir had the Lilywhites’ not had a Nic McDonnell headed goal from a corner was ruled illegitimate due to the presence of Henriques straying offside.

Not until the shaggily coiffured Billy Warner came off the bench did the Hamlet start to show the show of attacking prowess needed, Warner letting rip with a cruise missile of a shot, but caused only collateral damage as it zipped the wrong side of the upright. A madcap endgame saw Walker misjudge a bouncing ball, frantically denying Kenny Beaney outside his box, albeit courtesy of the illegal use of his hands. With the seconds ebbing Premiership referee Phil Crossley elected not to inflict an early bath upon the errant keeper, something Hamlet rued as Walker made a comfortable save to keep out the resultant free kick. Perhaps his gestures could have been misconstrued. However Mr Crossley was a little less forgiving as both McDonnell and Kirk Watts were asked to leave the field, albeit without the apparent stigma of a red card, the latter not replaced as Bromley played out the final minutes a man short.

Teams:
BFC: Andy Walker; Mark Corneille, Lee Fieldwick, Donal O'Sullivan, Tutu Henriques; Sam Wood, Peter Adeniyi, Barry Moore, Bobby Bowry, Kirk Watts; Nic McDonnell, Alex Tiessse
Subs: Tony Boot, Adrian Stone, Nathan Simpson, Gary Drewett, Michael Power, Adam Greenway, Sam Wood (GK).

DHFC: Chris Lewington; Nicolas Plumain; Darren Spinks; Jamie Coyle (Captain); Gavin Dayes; Daniel Nwanze; David Moore; Kenny Beaney; Luke Cornwall; Jean-Serge Musungu; Phil Williams
Subs: Carlton Murray-Price; Billy Warner; Wayne Burnett; Ohran Stewart

Officials:
Referee: Mr Phil Crossley
Assistant Referees: Mr T Rawlings & Mr J Lengthorne