Dulwich Hamlet 1 Fleet Town 1

Ryman Isthmian League Division One South

Tuesday 3^rd April 2007

A fourth draw on the spin, albeit against a fellow promotion challenger, left Dulwich perilously close to the trapdoor out of the play-off positions despite this result moving them up into fourth spot, ahead of Tooting and Dover on goal deafened alone. Elsewhere deadly rivals Tooting kept up the pressure with a 3-2 win at Leatherhead despite the dismissal of Joe Vines early in the second half, whilst Fleet must still fancy their chances with one of the less-obstacle strewn run-ins, still a win and a game in hand behind the Hamlet. With an Easter Monday trip to Imperial Fields still to come, the Hamlet's season now hinges NOT only on their own results but on those of the teams around them.

Recalled to the starting line up were Phil Williams and Nicolas Plumain, whilst Daniel Morris, a late cameo at Princes Park on Saturday, made his first start. Fleet meanwhile did their bit for László Bíró's estate, their changes determined as much by who was first to the shirts as to any tactical scheming for one-time England wingman, Andy Sinton.

Despite a lively start from the Hamlet, the visitors were gifted the opening goal after the quarter hour when amidst a melee on the fringes of the Hamlet penalty area, experienced striker flopped on the ball as Lewis Tozer challenged. Swift with the whistle, referee Mr Thompson awarded a contentious free kick and with ‘keeper Simon Overland poorly positioned, Fleet midfielder James Field further punished the Hamlet, spotting the unguarded bottom corner to curl the field low past the wall and home.

The goal lit a spark in the Dulwich attack. Almost straight from the restart Damien Scannell galloped off down the right wing, pulling the ball back across the Fleet area to where Phil Williams was waiting. The winger pulled the trigger, smacking the ball first time but with recalled Fleet custodian Justin Gray rooted to the spot, the ball crept a fraction wide of his left hand upright. Moments later a free kick from Kenny Beaney reached Jamie Coyle at the back of the six yard area only for the legs of a lunging defender to turn his strike behind for a corner kick. Scannell again reminded all of his prowess on the wing with a pinpoint cross from the right, picking out the head of Daniel Morris, making his home debut. Unfortunately the new boy could not mark his first start with a goal, nodding the ball wide of the target. The Hamlet onslaught continued and much to the chagrin of player and supporter alike, Mr Thompson failed to award a penalty when Nicolas Plumain was upended as a quick turn saw his marker left flat-footed. Sent tumbling seemingly inside the area, Plumain looked aghast as the man in black instead spotted the ball a clear foot outside the penalty box.

With a mantra of defence at all costs, Fleet committed all hands to the task of smothering the Hamlet's lightning attacks, launching few of their own. The best chance of the half spurned by Adam Wallace who sent the ball fizzing into the night sky like a wayward firework when clean through on the right. Not that that displeased their youthful travelling faithful. No more Latin, no more French, no more sitting on the old school bench, a half term trip to Champion Hill and a goal lead.

Misfiring in attack when at last the massed ranks of a stolid Fleet rearguard had been breached became all too commonplace. A sweeping move orchestrated by Beaney in the middle of the park saw Plumain released to rampage down the left wing. He in turn found Scannell, looking for an opening as he torn across the edge of the area before feeding Morris. His neat turn took his marker out of the equation but a skanked shot failed to trouble Gray as it swerved well away from goal.

Various niggles and gamesmanship went unheeded by the officials though as half time drew closer Mr Thompson was at last forced to dip into his pocket for his cards as the lumbering Steve Hemmings resorted to a scything tackle on a fast-disappearing Scannell, depriving the Hamlet man of his legs as he threatened to leave his opponent spitting his dust.

The start of the second half was almost heralded by an equaliser as Dulwich piled on the pressure. Barely three minutes in and a corner dropped by Tozer on the penalty, the cultured centre-half bringing the ball under control before firing in a venomous drive that Gray did excellently to get his body behind, extinguishing the fire of Tozer's strike. Midfield dithering almost proved costly for the Hamlet when the ball was lost, Reid the grateful recipient of a pass but with the goal beckoning Justyn Roberts bore down on the veteran hitman, robbing him of the ball as he shaped to shoot.

A change in attack saw Serge Musungu replace the malfunctioning Morris before the hour mark with Mazin Ahmad joining the fray soon after. It was Fleet however that threatened next when Matty Lewis chanced his arm with a free kick from distance, curling the ball delightfully over the defensive wall but a smidgeon too high as Overland stretched in vain.

On 74 minutes Dulwich found a chink in the Fleet armour to squeeze in an equaliser. A long ball into the left channel was seized upon by the marauding Scannell, cutting inside Sam Pearce and unleashing a fearsome low drive from a yard outside the penalty area. Gray was quick to get down and beat out the strike, but his defence came second best in a race with substitute Musungu to the loose ball, Gray recovering quickly but unable to resist as the poacher Musungu arrived first to slide the ball under the ‘keeper and into the net.

The rigours of repulsing the Dulwich onslaught was starting to take its toll on the flustered Fleet kludging defence, as the Hamlet went in search of that all-important equaliser. Ahmad left a quartet of red-shirted, red-faced defenders in his wake with an electric charge before slipping a pass into the path of Shawn Beveney, but Gray reacted faster to gather the ball ahead of the Hamlet midfielder. With time slipping away one last assault almost paid dividends but amidst a flurry of bodies in the visitors' penalty area, red shirts defending to the last, shot after shot was blocked, Musungu then Tozer both denied as parity reigned once again.

Teams

DHFC: Simon Overland; Nicolas Plumain; Gavin Dayes; Justyn Roberts; Jamie Coyle; Lewis Tozer; Shawn Beveney (Mazin Ahmad 66); Kenny Beaney; Daniel Morris (Serge Musungu 58); Damien Scannell; Phil Williams (David Milton 89)

Substitutes not used: Leigh Bremner; Jason Turley

FTFC: Justin Gray; Sam Pearce; Will Salmon; Ben White (Eddie Smith 81); Mark Paterson; Steve Hemmings; James Field; Matty Lewis; Tony Reid; Adam Wallace; Martin Girling

Substitutes not used: Tony Millerick; James Mann; Jermaine Hamilton; Paul Smith

Caution: Steve Hemmings

Attendance: 246

Officials:

Referee: Mr Marvin Thompson (Northolt)

Assistant Referees: Mr Phil Stevens (Streatham) & James Vallance (Putney)

Goalscoring:

0-1 FTFC James Field 15^th minute

1-1 DHFC Serge Musungu 74^th minute