Sevenoaks Town 0 Dulwich Hamlet 4
Tuesday 17th July 2007
Pre-Season Challenge Match

The Craig Edwards era began in earnest with a healthy workout out and a comfortable victory over Kent League side Sevenoaks Town, marked by a hat-trick including a brace of penalties for one of that rare species, a player not tempted by the gelt of the Hamlet’s paying guests. The player in question, Mazin Ahmad, converted a brace of penalties, one in each half to sandwich an excellent finish late in the first half but goal of the evening went to Helder Valdes, whose powerful run from his own half was crowned with a precise finish midway through the first half.
Along with Ahmad, Jason Turley, Phil Williams and Daniel Jones among the starting XI showed where their loyalties lay but for the large Dulwich contingent it was an evening of recognising some familiar and some not so familiar faces. Among these was Hamlet’s skipper for the evening, Veli Hakki who had followed his manager from windblown, desolate Aveley back to the happy hunting grounds of his youth. Moreover, it was Hakki who laid the foundations for the evening’s opening goal with a slide rule pass dissecting a static Sevenoaks defence. The pass tempted Ahmad into the chase and though it seemed as he would lose out in the chase to a quick-reacting ‘keeper, spread-eagled at his feet, a desperate defender lunged in from behind, taking Ahmad’s legs from beneath him. No doubt about the decision, though unsurprisingly the ‘keeper was none too pleased having done his job legally. Now he faced a spot kick from the same individual but his time there was no reprieve as Ahmad slotted the ball deep into the bottom corner and Hamlet led.



Sevenoaks resistance had lasted just 7 minutes and as Dulwich’s pace-laden attack ripped into them with abandon it seemed as if the further goals were in the offing, though when the next came its provenance came as something of a surprise, though manner would hearten those who fear the classic style of the Burnett, albeit short, reign might be usurped now the Barbarians have sacked the Hill. Centre-half Valdes, elegant in possession, composed in distribution, gathered the ball deep in his own half. Striding forward into Sevenoaks territory, he neatly exchanged passes with Benson Kpaka before accelerating down the right flank of the impotent Sevenoaks rearguard. Having powered his way into the area only the ‘keeper remained as last line of defence, but his efforts to narrow the angle proved fruitless as Valdes coolly slipped the ball under him for a Hamlet second.



The pace quickened, Hakki’s free kick from 30 yards out curled serenely over the wall but the Sevenoaks number one remained on alert gathering the ball under his crossbar. Hakki reprised the free kick shortly before the break though this time the custodian was less troubled as the effort drifted over his crossbar. By this time though he had been beaten for a third time as with 37 minutes on the clock, Ahmad struck again with a sweet finish on the half volley at the back of the six yard box, polishing off an excellent cross from Jamie Findlay whose pace on the right had unlocked the home defence on the flank.
Jones’s pace began to worry the men of Kent come the early stages of the second half. A smart pullback from the back line after battled for possession found Williams but the shape of defender loomed ahead of him and the strike was charged down. A moment later and Jones hit the gas to leave the defence in his wake only to be denied as the ‘keeper arrived to snatch the ball off his feet. A carbon copy within seconds but this time the ‘keeper arrived too late and Jones was sent crashing to the floor. An unhappy custodian berated the referee as he pointed to the spot but received no sympathy neither from the man in black nor Ahmad who completed his hat-trick with another textbook spot kick low into the corner once more.
The first substitution arrived in the wake of that goal. Off went Findlay and Turley, their replacements could not have been in greater contrast, a mighty warhorse in defender Shane Mangodza, a lithe colt in zippy attacker Craig Braham. Quickly Braham announced his presence, lashing the ball across the face of goal, Jones mere inches away from turning the cross cum shot home at the back stick as he flung himself at the ball.
Defensive changes seemed to unsettle the Hamlet and Sevenoaks embarked on spell of domination marked out by an excellent save from the underemployed Sheikh Ceesay, flinging himself skywards to tip over a fearsome shot on the angle. Though the pulse of the game remained up-tempo, copious changes disrupted the flow and though both sides might have found the net to add to the evening’s tally, the final whistle came with the scoreline 4-0 to the Hamlet.

Team:
Sheikh Ceesay; Jason Turley; Harry Vatalian; Benson Kpaka; Dave Walters; Helder Valdes; Jamie Findlay; Veli Hakki (Capt.); Daniel Jones; Mazin Ahmad; Phil Williams
Substitutes used: Stanley Muguo (for Veli Hakki 70); Meshach Nugent (for Daniel Jones 77); Shawn Beveney (for Dave Walters 77); Peter Lyall (for Phil Williams 70); Craig Braham (for Jamie Findlay 55; Chima Eberendu (for Mazin Ahmad 77); Shane Mangodza (for Jason Turley 55)