Dulwich Hamlet 3 Leatherhead 0

Ryman Isthmian League Division One South

Saturday 10^th March 2007

Slowly but surely the promotion pack is stringing out as the title challengers look to step up the pace and make that vital break away from the peleton. Victory over a below par Leatherhead, missing the talismanic Dave Stevens, captain and leading scorer, ensuring that Dulwich kept pace with that slowly thinning promotion pack, the Tanners confidently brushed aside. Defeat for the visitors may well have provided a fatal blow to their own hopes of an invite to the play-off party but the jostling below the title race is such that clubs that might have already been dreaming of an early summer break might now find themselves making room for an extra game or two come season's end.

This was a fractious encounter, peppered by cautions and not lacking the ugly dismissal which is almost de rigueur in clashes between two sides. Both sides were missing their leading striker, albeit for differing reasons, the Hamlet's Chris Dickson rested at the request of Charlton Athletic following an impressive run out with the Addicks' Reserves in midweek that saw him bag a quick fire brace against Fulham's second string. Ah the penalties for success, the big boys climbing over the fence to scrump your finest apples. For the Tanners that former Hamlet hero, usurped King of the Hill, Stevens sat out his return to SE22 suspended. The absence of the dynamic Dickson sent a clarion call out to Serge Musungu to once again don his striker's motley, a task he took to with relish helping himself to a double late in the first half sending a happy Hamlet to the dressing rooms with a comfortable two goal advantage. Whilst Musungu was resuming goalscoring duties his role in the engine room returned to the remit of Kenny Beaney, making his reappearance after a brief sojourn with the tenants of Champion Hill, Fisher Athletic.

Exasperatingly the opening passage of play was patchy, punctuated by a plethora of frustrating felonies, primarily by the visitors as foul then free kick framed the first exchanges. Dulwich might have felt they had the better of the rare openings that materialised, the Tanners goal threatened most. Five minutes in Leigh Bremner was released into the penalty area, but forced wide by ‘keeper Paul Borg who blocked the initial attempt. The ball ran kindly for Mazin Ahmad, whose tricky charge along the back line exposed the goal but again Borg was on hand to block though a wicked rebound off the incoming Ahmad might have caused more problems but for a timely hook to safety as the ball threatened to drop for Musungu.

Lynvall Duncan's crude challenge on Ahmad in the left pocket brought him a severe talking to from the referee but more importantly gave Dulwich a dangerous free kick, lashed in by Duncan's prey, Ahmad. It took a neat header from Dean Carpenter, ducking in ahead of Bremner to nod the ball behind for a corner. On the quarter hour another Leatherhead offence saw Captain Jamie Coyle rise to meet a sweetly flighted ball in but flicking his header just wide of the target.

Referee Mr Brook finally lost patience with the niggling play of the visitors on 20 minutes when Iain Hendry found himself the first of the afternoon's plethora of cards, more for what had gone before than the offence he had just committed. Something suddenly sparked in the visitors, corners were forced and the first attempt of note from a Tanners' player but frustratingly for the pocket of travelling fans Steve Sargent lashed his opening wildly wide of the goal.

‘Keeper Borg showed prodigious juggling skills not long after as he rushed from his area to head the ball away from an inrushing Bremner before turning to hook the ball back over his head as Musungu attempted to lob the ball over him. Beaney latched on the ball, feeding the hungry Shawn Beveney wide on the right but a moment to long to control the ball and Borg was fling himself in the path of the big Guyanese's strike. Still the danger had not passed, the ball flew across the six yard box, colleted by Ahmad tight to the corner flag, corner by a pair of burly defenders but with the grace of a Nureyev he left them in his wake, dancing through the tackles along the fringes of the penalty area, lacking only the finishing touches as the final strike flew harmlessly wide of Borg's goal.

Overworked Borg was back in the thick of it again as he hacked the ball clear after Bremner had been released down the right flank but all his heroics came to naught with 8 minutes left of the half as his rearguard went absent with leave. A ball out of defence headed back over the last line of defence was allowed to drop and Musungu nipped in before Borg could arrive to coolly lift the ball over a custodian spread at his feet, watching as the ball bounced into the now unprotected net.

Half time beckoned when Hamlet produced a number 2 courtesy of the same player though the architect this time was Bremner. Scampering away down the right wing as sluggish defenders looked in vain for a flag to rescue them, Bremner lashed over a teasing cross though the corridor of uncertainty in front of Borg's goal and towards Musungu dashing in at the back stick. Sticking out a foot Musungu's touch was the perfect, if awkward looking, finish to the move and despite the best efforts of a flying Borg to keep the ball from crossing the line, the ball found its home nestling in the net.

A frantic five minutes opened the second half. Musungu almost repaid the favour to Bremner but his pull back was too far behind his strike partner. Leatherhead might well have had a penalty as the ball bounced up against the hand of Gavin Dayes but went unnoticed by the man in black. Borg again proved his defence's only lifeline, first bravely smothering the ball at the feet of Bremner then battering the ball over the crossbar from point blank range after Ahmad had led the defence a merry dance once more.

Time for an injection of something, anything, for the lacklustre Tanners so on came Julien Thompson for James Greenaway, the replacement almost having an instant effect as he set up a shooting chance for Gavin Bolger 18 yards out but his stabbed attempt had neither the power nor the direction to beat Simon Overland guarding the Dulwich net. Not so Borg who had to be on his toes to hack the ball away from Bremner moments later as Musungu slipped the ball through to him.

A caution for Bolger as he cynically tripped Lewis Tozer became the precursor to the descent of the red mist upon Champion Hill. Matches between these two protagonists are seldom without their flashpoints and this afternoon was little exception as Stewart Holmes took great exception to the close attentions of Bremner, turning on his persecutor and flinging him to the floor, the testosterone boiling to the surface as the two sets of players squared up to one another. When at last the dust had settled Holmes participation was at an end, a red card flourished soon to be followed by a yellow for Bremner for his part in proceedings. A quick conversation between assistant and referee and Tanners coach Steve Wood too was dispatched from the arena.

Against ten men one might have expected Hamlet to up the tempo and polish off their decimated opponents, but though Musungu was millimetres away from connecting with a neatly chipped in ball from Ahmad, closest in the aftermath of the dismissal was Scott Bennetts, hooking the ball goalwards after a free kick had been headed across to him, only to find Dulwich's Goliath of the Goalmouth, Overland waiting at his right-hand upright to pluck the ball out of the ether.

Not till the final minutes did the passion reignite, Borg denied first Ahmad then Beveney with smart blocks at their feet before substitute defender Danny Lavender ventured upfield for a Tanners' free kick, latching on to a half-clearance but volleying the ball tamely wide of the upright. With Leatherhead anxiously awaiting relief from Mr Brook's whistle, Coyle iced the cake whilst Ahmad plopped the cherry on top as goal number 3 arrived four minutes into stoppage time. Tyro substitute David Milton was played in denied by Borg working overtime as he spread himself to block the ball at Milton's feet, only for it to run kindly into the path of skipper Coyle who glanced up and picked out Ahmad at the back of the box, the cross a work of perfection met firmly by the head of Ahmad outjumping taller defenders, the ball firmly planted in the back of the net.

The result leaves Dulwich still in third place as both leaders Maidstone and second Hastings United won 3-1 at Molesey and home to Fleet respectively. A Ryan Hayes hat trick keeps Dartford fourth but none of the next five managed victories, Tooting denied a victory at Dover by a Tommy Tyne penalty, Met Police beaten at Cray, Fleet downed at the Pilot Field, Hastings, and you know the Leatherhead result. Those results awakened play-off hopes for dark horses Horsham YMCA, 4-1 destroyers of a Corinthian-Casuals side, rock bottom and with four players suspended for the trip to Sussex. The battle at the bottom saw Ashford drive another nail in the coffin of Godalming despite a late rally from the G's, the Nuts'n'Bolts o'erleaping their relegation rivals.

Teams:

DHFC: Simon Overland; Jason Turley; Gavin Dayes (Stanley Muguo 77); Justyn Richards; Jamie Coyle (Capt); Lewis Tozer; Shawn Beveney; Kenny Beaney; Leigh Bremner (David Milton 85); Serge Musungu (Sol Pinnock 85); Mazin Ahmad

Substitutes not used: Phil Williams; Nicolas Plumain

Cautions: Leigh Bremner 62; Kenny Beaney 65

LFC: Paul Borg; Jamie Beer; Dean Carpenter (Danny Lavender HT); Lynvall Duncan; Iain Hendry; Stewart Holmes; Steve Sargent; James Greenaway (Julien Thompson 53); Marc Charles-Smith; Gavin Bolger; Scott Bennetts (Joe Sheerin 81)

Substitutes not used: Paul Sears; Mark Harper

Cautions: Iain Hendry 20; Gavin Bolger 61; Joe Sheerin 90+1

Dismissals: Stewart Holmes (Violent Conduct 62)

Attendance: 338

Officials:

Referee: Mr Carl Brook (St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex)

Assistant Referees: Mr Michael Webb (Woking, Surrey) & Mr David Moran (Aldershot, Hampshire)

Goalscoring:

1-0 DHFC Serge Musungu (37^th minute)

2-0 DHFC Serge Musungu (45^th minute)

3-0 DHFC Mazin Ahmad (90^th minute (4^th minute of stoppage time))