Ryman Isthmian League Division One South
Tuesday 19th September 2006
A game that ebbed and flowed like the tides of the sea finally went the way of the Hamlet late into the evening via the unerring boot of Chris Dickson, almost ubiquitous on the scoresheet these days. In victory the Hamlet leapfrogged their ambitious opponents into the heady heights of fourth place and for the first time in this season kindled the fires of promotion hopes in the hearts of their long suffering supporters. All the more unlikely was the victory for with a mere 24 minutes on the clock and trailing 2-0 to an impressive Dartford XI, Dulwich were seemingly out for the count, but for the exhortations of their manager they drew strength girding their loins and seizing the game by the scruff of the neck. By the break they had drawn level, the second half they claimed as their own, only to sow their seeds on the stony ground of the Darts' impervious defence until Dickson struck with just three minutes until the game's conclusion.
Not one to throw his toys from the pram in defeat, manager Wayne Burnett's only change in the aftermath of that cruel cup exit at Walton and Hersham was to bring in Danny Moore at left back in the stead of Nicolas Plumain. On only their second ever visit to Champion Hill, the third placed Darts picked from their strongest squad as aimed to put their FA Cup disappointments behind them and remain in touch with their Kentish rivals, Dover, leading the promotion pack.
A fast and furious opening saw much in the way of high octane football but little in the way of serious goal chances. Elegant skills by Phil Williams opened a passage through the right but a low drilled cross was safely gathered at the near post by keeper Kevin Hudson as the Hamlet forwarded hovered in anticipation. Then on 13 minutes Hamlet found themselves carelessly conceding a corner. As the waters of Lethe washed over the Dulwich defence, midfielder Eddie McClements ran unchecked into space, meeting Ryan Briggs' flag kick with a crisp volley, one that keeper James Pullen could only check but not keep out.
Matters deteriorated 11 minutes later when carelessness again inflicted its sting upon the Hamlet rearguard. Gavin Dayes dithered on the ball, was mugged by Dave Martin allowing the Dartford man a clear run on goal. Pullen stood up well, making a fine block to save Dayes' blushes but in the melee that followed, a desperate lunge on Brendon Cass, first to the loose ball, saw him hid the deck. The shrill blast of the whistle seemed like a banshee's scream; a penalty that might be the death of Hamlet hopes this night. Martin stepped up to the mark, the giant figure of Pullen ranged against him. A searing drive aimed for the bottom corner failed to deceive the Hamlet custodian but its strength defeated him, Pullen's hand just failing to keep out the spot kick.
Pumped by the steroids of scoring Dartford looked rampant, Hamlet dishevelled. Again at a corner Dartford might have added to their tally. The ball only half cleared was pumped back in again by Martin to where Jay May lurked unmarked at the back of the box. As he fell May met the ball with a stinging volley, but one that failed to trouble Pullen as he gathered the shot in textbook fashion. Not long after and Dulwich were on the back foot again, as the Darts sped out of defence, Martin letting fly on the run but once more Pullen would make the save look routine.
From looking like a comfortable victory the contest would be turned on its head as the half entered its final throes. Already Tommy Osbourne had rescued his side with a vital interception, hacking the ball off the toes of Luke Cornwall as Dickson pulled a vicious cross back from the goalline. Dickson himself then tested Hudson as he held off his marker before unleashing a powerful strike from 18 yards. A minute later and Hudson would find himself picked the ball from his net as Hamlet's up-tempo approach paid dividends courtesy of Cornwall, the striker anticipating a ball in, latching on to the pass, outpacing the last of the defence on a determined run, rounding a stranded Hudson and calmly rolling the ball into the far corner of the net despite the presence of Osbourne struggling to cover on the line.
The merest of margins prevented Cornwall getting on the scoresheet once more as, stretching out a leg, he just failed to get a touch on a fierce low drive across the face of the six yard box. However if the Darts believed they might escape with their lead at the break, those hopes were dashed with three minutes left as quicksilver winger Phil Williams at last produced the goods with a goal of sublime quality. Waltzing through a host of futile challenges, Williams' wizardry with the ball had the crowd gasping in anticipation, released in an orgy of celebration as, and from 10 yards out, the ball was precisely rolled inside the upright with Hudson vainly trying to narrow the angle.
First chance of the second half fell to their hosts as they attempted to restore their lost lead, Pullen denying Martin as the big man turned his luck with a lob from distance. However, this was a rare flash from the Darts as Dulwich went to town. Dickson took control of a pinpoint cross field pass, leaving Danny White for dead but denied by Hudson's outstretched fingertips as a low drive was turned around the post. White still seemed traumatised by the Dickson experience as he came within a whisker of giving Hamlet the lead, the ball looping awkwardly off his head as he ducked to meet the corner but bouncing off the top of the crossbar. Ripping at the Dartford flanks with increasing regularity, scent of victory filled Dulwich nostrils. Williams powered to the goalline, ripped a ferocious drive across the face of goal but with no one at hand to capitalise. Moore and Moore for the Hamlet as Danny's long throw picked out David, the latter trying his luck with a chip from the edge of the box but without the height to trouble Hudson. A free kick on the periphery of the visitors' penalty area saw Kenny Beaney's fierce grasscutter deflect off a suspiciously advanced wall, fizzing millimetres beyond the far post. The corner kept the pressure dial turned to maximum. Deep to the ball was the ball delivered, Dickson's header back across nodded out by Richard Avery but only as far as Cornwall whose acrobatic bicycle kick deserved better than to flash wide of the target.
Sensing victory was within touching distance, Burnett unleashed the untamed pace of substitute Eniola Oluwa upon the unsuspecting Darts. For a moment Hamlet wobbled as an unscheduled Dartford breakaway almost saw Martin sneak in but Pullen remained alert to punt the ball to safety. Normality was resumed soon after as Oluwa's pace and control paved the way for Dickson to let rip from distance but the tiniest of deflections sent the ball fizzing over the crossbar. Dickson again went close as a chipped effort dropped wide of the left hand upright, after he burst past central defender Avery.
A clumsy foul by Lewis Tozer on replacement Ryan Hayes gave Darts yet another chance to snatch what had seemed an unlikely three points, but the free kick, easily within scoring range, went the way of the Pterodactyl, flying into oblivion beyond the Greendale badlands.
Time became relative, seconds flying by even as the crotchety Hudson seemed to lapse into suspended animation. Daniel Jones replaced Cornwall as Hamlet unleashed a phalanx of hungry young forwards upon their guests. With wings on his boots and rockets in his feet, Williams capped a breathtaking move as he powered up the engines and unleashed a screamer from fully thirty yards that might have ripped the net asunder had it not missed its intended target by a fraction.
A draw seemed cast in the rune but then cruel fate would intervene. A clash with Dickson saw Avery forced off as the trainer attended to a cut above his eye. With the keystone ripped from their defence, Dartford fell apart as Pullen dropped an almighty clearance on the edge of the penalty area. Confusion reigned as Hudson advanced aimlessly, stranded as own of his own stabbed the ball past him into the path of Dickson who gleefully slotted the ball into the unguarded net before being swamped by delirious team-mates. Five long years had passed since Hamlet last turned such a deficit into victory.
Still the drama would not abate as Darts found attacking vigour once more but to no avail as Dayes produced a perfectly timed tackle to deny McClements as the bustling midfielder bullied his way into the area. But the flickering candle of hope, nearly snuffed out in that painful first hour, but now illuminating all of Champion Hill would not be extinguished this night.
Teams:
DHFC: James Pullen; Jason Turley; Danny Moore; Daniel Nwanze; Gavin Dayes; Lewis Tozer; David Moore (Eniola Oluwa 70); Danny Beaney; Luke Cornwall (Daniel Jones 84); Chris Dickson; Phil Williams
Subs: Cedric Meeko; Sol Pinnock; Nicholas Plumain
DFC: Kevin Hudson; Tommy Osborne; Danny White; Brad Potter; Richard Avery; Steve Hafner; Ryan Briggs; Jay May; Brendon Cass (Ryan Hayes 77); Eddie McClements; Dave Martin
Subs: Glenn Billenness; Craig Maguire; Tommy Olson
Attendance: 300
Goal Scoring
0-1 DFC Eddie McClements 13th minute
0-2 DFC Dave Martin 24th minute (Penalty)
1-2 DHFC Luke Cornwall 39th minute
2-2 DHFC Phil Williams 42nd minute
3-2 DHFC Chris Dickson 87th minute
Referee: Mr Paul Andrews (Rochester)
Assistants: Mr Christopher Evans (Ealing) & Mr Aheene Yahiaoui (Loughborough Park)
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