Dulwich Hamlet 0 Tooting and Mitcham United 2

Ryman Isthmian League Division One South

Tuesday 13^th March 2007

Cold-bloodedly efficient, Tooting and Mitcham boosted their own promotion aspirations with a well-regimented suffocation of the Hamlet's free flowing football, whilst simultaneously pricking the hopes of their hosts of closing the gap on leaders Maidstone. Playing to the battle plan of that wily old fox Billy Smith, the grey haired general's blueprints for victory ruthlessly executed by a willing band of foot soldiers to whom flair was an anathema but success was not.

Those amongst the 400 + who arrived in expectation of a repeat of the 13 goal FA Trophy thriller would have been sorely disappointed but purists of the defensive game might have hummed in contented delight as Tooting's five man defence, swallowed whole the Hamlet's attack, whilst midfield was surrendered to the visitors, at times without a whimper.

Hamlet might have grabbed the lead before the Tooting stranglehold took hold, silky skills from Serge Musungu, dancing across the face of the penalty area, set up Mazin Ahmad for a shot low from 20 yards but gargantuan goalie Dave King swiftly got his down to the strike shovelling the ball behind for a corner. However that soon paled into insignificance as Tooting drew first blood on the quarter hour. Justyn Roberts was penalised for a late challenge, a yellow card a personal punishment but for the Hamlet worse followed as Matt York pumped the dead ball deep to the back of the six yard where Joe Vines rose high above the crowd of players to meet the ball with a thumping header that found a home in the back of the net.

Hamlet answered and it took a neat steal of the ball from the toes of Ahmad as he charged in to meet a Leigh Bremner cross, before a quick fire Bremner strike curled wide at the last after Ahmad's explosive burst through the middle had created the opening.

Amidst the artisans of Tooting, there was still space for an artist, one Ronnie Green, late of this Hamlet, but now plying his trade in the monochrome stripe of their fiercest rivals. Tricky skills blighted by a weak finish before the merest of deflections took a shot wide after he had ghosted to the edge of the area to unleash a powerful strike. 32 minutes, a Tooting corner and again the Hamlet rearguard was dwarfed by a towering header from Romald Bouadji but the Frenchman was left unfulfilled as Simon Overland flung himself to his right to batter the ball away one-handed. The big Hamlet custodian was twice more called into action before the break to prevent the Terrors adding to their lead, first battering down a fierce angled strike from Green after a long pass had picked him out loitering on the far side of the area, then smothering a ferocious bullet of a drive from Paul Vines after the bullish centre forward had stampeded away down the left wing.

Second half brought a tactical switch from the Hamlet management as Ahmad and Musungu made way for David Milton and Phil Williams but hopes that the two pacy replacements lay the foundations for a telling inject of goals soon flounder as Green gained reward for his industry. Skipper Allan McLeod's lofted cross in from the left wing should have been comfortably dealt with but a weak defensive header dropped at the feet of the lurking Green and nipped past the last defender before driving a low shot past Overland.

The vice tightened around the Hamlet. Williams danced up field, but 4 striped shirts suffocating him his final ball proved harmless. A Hamlet corner was met by Gavin Dayes, his downward header bouncing wide of King's near upright, the Tooting custodian unnerved as the ball skimped the woodwork. A quick throw found Shawn Beveney, the rare oxygen of space perhaps intoxicating his brain as the ball was larruped over the crossbar from 20 yards.

Another Hamlet corner, into a six yard box more packed than the 7:45 to London Bridge, pinged around as first attacker then defender attempted a poke goalwards or otherwise, before finding Jamie Coyle wide right, a swinging cross almost deceiving King until the giant custodian rose on tiptoes to palm the ball over the bar.

Paul Vines should have done better when Tooting exploited the gaps in defence, the ball finding Dean Hamlin alone on the right but when he supplied his striker the ball was stabbed just wide. Indeed Tooting were building on the foundation of those impassable monoliths in defence, the visitors looking the more likely to score though goalmouth threats were few. Not until the final minutes did either goal again look truly in danger when the men in Pink and Blue pitched up in the Tooting goalmouth for a corner. Again the space was limited, the ball bounced around in a crazy bagatelle but fortune favoured the defence as Coyle's attempt looped off a defender into the waiting arms of King. As he attempted to clear the ball up field, he clashed with Dayes as the Hamlet man held his ground, the incident provoking a mild confrontation, at odds with previous derby eruptions, that soon subsided and saw first Dayes, then King the recipients of the evening's final cautions.

Teams:

DHFC: Simon Overland; Jason Turley; Gavin Dayes; Justyn Roberts; Jamie Coyle (Capt.); Lewis Tozer; Shawn Beveney; Kenny Beaney (Sol Pinnock 60); Leigh Bremner; Serge Musungu (David Milton HT); Mazin Ahmad (Phil Williams HT)

Substitutes not used: Nicolas Plumain; Stanley Muguo

T&MUFC: Dave King; Oliver Hunt; Dean Hamlin; Matt York; Allan McLeod; Romald Bouadji; Vernon Francis; Joe Vines; Paul Vines; Ben Abbey (Jason Pinnock 85); Ronnie Green

Substitutes not used: Eben Allen; Aaron Day; Colin Hartburn; Adam Broomhead

Attendance: 414

Officials:

Referee: Mr Steve Briffitt (Shirley)

Assistant Referees: Mr Alex Neil (Woodmansterne) & Mr Chris Phillips (Carshalton Beeches)

Goalscoring:

0-1 T&M Joe Vines 15^th minute

0-2 T&M Ronnie Green 48^th minute