Cray Wanderers 2 Dulwich Hamlet 1

Cray Wanderers 2 Dulwich Hamlet 1
Ryman Isthmian league Division One South
Monday 27th August 2007

Expectations that the Hamlet would rally from the Worthing reverse two days early first flourished then died as a hard-earned half time lead was meekly surrendered in a second-half when Dulwich proved toothless in attack, sometimes comedic in defence. A dead leg kept Steve Aris from taking up his defensive but Hamlet found an able deputy in Stuart Booth who claimed the captain’s armband in Aris absence. Injuries also deprived Dulwich of a number of other regulars, Veli Hakki and Phil Williams amongst them.
Cray threatened early as Ross Lover drifted a free kick across the face of Chuck Martini’s goal, slipping wide of the far post as first George Fenwick with his head then a lunging Michael Power failed to add the finishing touch. A long throw launched into the penalty area from Craig Braham was met by the head of Anton Innocent but the ball bobbed over the bar. Markers went absent when a long throw from Alan Matthews picked out Fenwick in the middle in a carbon copy but his freedom seemed to surprise him and the ball was nodded well over. Substituted with an injury after just 14 minutes Fenwick had time to brood on the bench, particularly after Jamie Kempster tucked the ball away moments after Fenwick’s departure only to be flagged offside.
A frail back pass almost gifted Hamlet the opener on 20 minutes as Innocent refused to let the ball trickle back to Glen Knight in the Cray goal but somehow Knight managed to scramble the ball away from the edge of his area. 2 minutes later and the goal finally arrived as Benson Kpaka’s tenacious tackle won the ball in midfield, a pass slipped into the path of Shawn Beveney, the big Guyanese rumbling through the defence before the stroking the ball low and hard into the far bottom corner of Knight’s net.
Beveney was threatened again, bursting into the box only to be thwarted at the first incursion but regaining possession. A dinked pass to Braham, a deep cross from the wing back seemed destined for the head of Innocent but stretching to the last sinew Knight somehow finger tipped the ball out of the air as Innocent flew in.
Breaking on the left Mazin Ahmad, on his return to the starting line-up, a low drive for the bottom corner eluded the dive of Knight but as the travelling fans tried to suck the ball home, Mark Willy extended a limb to drag the ball off the line with an outstretched boot. Having been rarely troubled a ballistic missile of a free kick tested the Hamlet ‘keeper in the closing seconds, Martini coming to clutch the ball as Danny Chapman galumphed in.
By the break Dulwich were firmly in control but the second half was a different story as Cray came out of their corner punching hard, though they were indebted to a freakish goal shortly before the hour mark to bring matters level. The tone of the half was set early on, petulant at times as bookings were dished out in quick succession to Cray’s Jamie Wood and Dulwich’s Braham. The second of these brought in its wake a Cray free kick but left unguarded Lewis Wood wasted the opportunity nodding wide. Still buzzing Cray forced a corner, the ball pinging about the Hamlet box amidst which Booth made a vital headed clearance. A Lover pass bisected the Hamlet defence, Lewis Wood in hot pursuit but Shayne Mangodza stayed on the case, hooking the ball off the Cray man’s feet as he readied to shoot.
Cray kept the thumbscrews on the Hamlet defence, fortune favouring them as they drew level in the 57th minute. A deep in swinging corner was missed in flight by Martini, smacking an oblivious Jamie Wood in the face and rebounding into the back of the net. The surprised Wood received a bloodied nose for his troubles but it was the Hamlet’s whose nose was put out of joint 6 minutes later when a beautifully worked goal put the Amber Army ahead. The ball was spread out from the centre of the park to the diminutive Wood, galloping at Dulwich’s right flank, a cross of pure precision finding Ross Lover dissecting the Hamlet’s centre-half to gather the cross and fire an unstoppable shot past the by now exposed Martini. Michael Power could have put the result beyond doubt when an unnoticed shove on Harry Vitalien proved the catalyst for a surging attack but with the big forward bearing down on goal; Martini pulled off a fine block to batter away the striker’s drive. Rarely did Hamlet threaten in the half, substitute Daniel Morris scuffing a shot wide of the target after leaving the last line of defence in his wake though there was a good shout for a penalty in stoppage time as Dulwich piled on the pressure from a Martini free kick bombed into the penalty area. The ball eventually made its way to Shayne Mangodza but as a defender lunged in, the big centre-half stayed on his feet, his honesty unrewarded as that last chance evaporated in the summer sun.

Teams:
DHFC
Chuck Martini; Craig Braham; Ricky Dobson; Benson Kpaka; Shayne Mangodza; Stuart Booth; Shawn Beveney; Cedric Kabongo (Daniel Morris 64); Anton Innocent; Harry Vitalien (Meshach Nugent); Mazin Ahmad
Substitutes not used: Daniel Jones; Sheikh Ceesay
CWFC: Glen Knight; Alan Matthews (David Hall 21); Colin Luckett; Danny Chapman; Mark Willy; Ryan Royston; Ross Lover; Jamie Kempster; George Fenwick (Lewis Wood 14); Michael Power; Jamie Wood
Substitutes not used: Dean Morris; Tyrone Sterling; Aaron Day

Bookings:
CWFC: Jamie Wood 50 (Unsporting Conduct)
DHFC: Craig Braham 51 (Foul Play); Harry Vitalien 55 (Foul Play)

Goalscoring:
1-0 DHFC Shawn Beveney 22nd minute
1-1 CWFC Jamie Wood 57th minute
2-1 CWFC Ross Lover 63rd minute

Match Officials:
Referee: Mr Phil Sharp
Assistant Referees: Mr Ron Albert & Mr Matt Worwood

Attendance: 185