Slade Green 2 Dulwich Hamlet 1

Saturday 5th August 2006

Pre-Season Friendly

“Wham bam thank you mam”, exclaimed the Slade as they launched a king-sized spanner in the works of Dulwich’s pre-season preparations courtesy of a stubborn, gritty performance, a large dollop of serendipity and aided and abetted by the Hamlet’s inability to find the net as often as they carved open the chances. Had Hamlet added to Luke Cornwall’s 14th minute goal, this would have been all over before the break but the finishing lacked composure and although the home keeper was kept busy, making some acrobatic saves Dulwich knew in their heart of hearts that more clinical finishing will be needed once the phoney war is over.
Where Kent and London intersect, amid the railway shunting yards and industrial estates, there sits The Small Glen, home of Slade Green though on a pitch burnt umber by the unrelenting sun the only verdant touch was provided by the shirts of the hosts. Ambitious too are Slade, amongst their ranks a cocktail of experience honed in the upper echelons of Kentish Football and drawn together under the management of Adam Heaslewood, who played a key role in Cray Wanderers meteoric rise from the Kent League.
For their part Hamlet were once again able to call on the services of striker Luke Cornwall, an injury preventing his participation since victory at Beckenham. In a 4-4-2 formation the wise head of Cornwall was paired with the youthful enthusiasm of prodigy Carlton Murray-Price, whilst at the back Lewis Tozer and Jamie Coyle started as the centre back pairings for the first time. Still missing was keeper Carl Emberson, young Chris Lewington continuing to deputise.
Perhaps it was the searing sun, perhaps the bone dry pitch but this game took a while getting into its stride. The Hamlet clearly held the upper hand but few and far where the openings until a marvellously worked goal broke the impasse just before the quarter hour mark. A deft through pass into the left channel, the diminutive figure of Chris Hurst in pursuit. A pinpoint deep cross from the angle of the penalty area and dispute plaintiff calls for offside, Cornwall rose majestically at the back post to bullet a header home despite the best efforts of a diving keeper to batter the ball out.
A welcome respite from the heat for the players soon after in bizarre circumstances as a singular pitch invasion took place, not the usual small dog as every purveyor of cheap video compilations, packaged for the Christmas market and to keep Danny Baker employed, knows but one of the human variety as a young child decided his daddy in the Slade Green attack needed some advice on how to breach the Hamlet rearguard. Time for some swift liquid reflection for the combatants as the intruder was enticed back to the sidelines with a soft drink. Refreshed the Hamlet attacked anew and thought they had doubled the lead when Cornwall found the net once again with a head, his delight turning to frustration as a late flag signalled him offside.
Number two might have arrived courtesy of stunning diving header, albeit a defensive one, as home defender flung himself full length in his attempt to cut out a wicked low cross from Nicolas Plumain whizzing down the left wing. Ohran Stewart was left frustrated after a low strike from distance skidded along the dusty surface but lacked the power to trouble the keeper as he got down with time to spare. Best chance of all fell to Hurst as the break ticked ever closer, the winger sneaking in behind the defence but his attempt to chip the keeper was thwarted as a spectacular looking, if over theatrical leap saw the ball tipped over the crossbar.
There was little sign of the impending doom as Dulwich began the second half in confident mood but despite controlling the game there seemed a nagging doubt that a second goal would be hard to come by. Even when the chance did arise, a free kick following a foul on Plumain that almost sparked a full scale bundle, the home keeper was once again at his best to pull off a stunning save from Coyle’s blazing drive round the wall.
The hour mark brought the obligatory mass substitutions as the Hamlet made half-a-dozen changes, among them the welcome return of Daniel Nwanze, whose goals early in the pre-season campaign had contributed to victory at Beckenham. One might have said that the reshuffle contributed to the Hamlet’s concession of the equaliser not long afterwards, though the manner of the mildly freakish lofted effort as Hamlet’s defence stalled at a corner owed as much to Dame Fortune as to the intent of its deliverer, the ball looping high over Lewington as he stretched in vain to prevent the ball dropping behind him into the net.
The lead might well have been restored with mere minutes as Dulwich put together a sweet move ending with a wickedly whipped ball in across the face of goal, Cornwall flinging himself full length to bullet a header home. But once again the assistant referee’s flag proved his nemesis, offside the unpopular verdict.
That decision would become even more painful when lax marking at a corner allowed Slade Green to poach the ultimate winner, the much-travelled Andy Silk, once of Bromley, rising as if spring heeled to bullet a textbook header home with Hamlet markers looking on aghast. Straight from the restart Hamlet hit back with a flowing passage of play that Stewart and Cornwall exchange passes on the edge of the area but ended with the ball clipped over the bar with only the keeper standing between Hamlet and an equaliser. Plumain too had the chance to bring things level as time became increasingly precious, overlapping into the box to latch on to Wayne Burnett’s pass but from six yards out he was thwarted by the figure of keeper smothering the ball at his feet.

DHFC:
Chris Lewington

Nicolas Plumain Jamie Coyle Lewis Tozer Tony Houghton

Chris Hurst Cedric Meeko Ohran Stewart David Moore

Carlton Murray-Price Luke Cornwall

Subs used: Billy Warner; Gavin Dayes; Matt Dean; Kenny Beaney; Wayne Burnett; Daniel Nwanze