Dover Athletic 2 Dulwich Hamlet 2

Dover Athletic 2 Dulwich Hamlet 2
Ryman Isthmian League Division One South
Saturday 8th September 2007

Before the off the Crabble rang long to applause in appreciation of one of its own, Dennis Hammond director, friend, but most of all supporter through the brightest and darkest days of Dover’s turbulent history. By the final whistle though the applause was reserved solely for a Dulwich side who rose from the despair of an ineffectual first half performance and rallied by the exhortations of their belligerent boss, Craig Edwards, stunned the Crabble crowd with a brace of beautiful goals to snatch an unlikely point in doing so knocking the Whites from the perch at the head of the division.
Hard to avoid that most overworked of clichés but this was that proverbial game of two halves. For 45 minutes Hamlet looked disjointed, ragged pulled apart in all directions by a Dover XI that under the stewardship of Andy Hessenthaler, both on and off the field, looked determined to banish the demons of former squads’ failure to push the Kent club back into the upper echelons of the Non League pyramid. With the evergreen Hessenthaler once more slapping the dubbin on those well-work boots to orchestrate Dover from the engine room of midfield, the Whites looked dominant from the first whistle but they were indebted to a howler from Chuck Martini between the sticks to gift them the lead as early as the fourth minutes. Skipper Steve Aris rolled a gentle back pass to his ‘keeper but a lackadaisical clearance was charged down by Jon Wallis, cannoning into the path of Mark Lovell who had the simplest of tasks of hooking the ball into the now unguarded net.
Three minutes later Dulwich were almost caught napping once more as a corner was drilled low to the edge of the penalty area, Wallis meeting the ball unchallenged but with the shot rising quickly the effort cleared the bar with some margin to spare. The White waves continued to batter the Hamlet rearguard, a missed cross field ball let in the livewire Frannie Collin marauding down the left, the one-time Gillingham man lashing the ball into the centre but this time Martini kept his cool to smother a close range volley from a falling Jimmy Dryden. Unrelenting Dover kept up the pressure, a clumsy challenge surrendering a free kick some 25 yards out, Collin curling a neat effort low around the wall but the woodwork would come to Hamlet’s rescue as the ball struck the base of the upright.
The monotony of the Dover assaults was momentarily broken as Anton Innocent galloped on to a long pass from midfield, only to be halted in his tracks after he had muscled his way past Craig Wilkins as referee Mr O’Brien ruled he had done so illegally.
The tempo eased as Dover took their foot off the gas but though Dulwich gained more territory there was little in their raids to trouble an unemployed Dean Ruddy in the home goal. Once Dover had found their second wind, Hamlet once more found themselves indebted to the woodwork as Collin’s spurt of pace took him past Craig Braham, at left back in place of the injured Ricky Dobson. The tricky winger’s cross, tempting for his forwards, was clawed out of the air by Martini, but Dover were hungrier for the loose ball as pinged around the six yard area before falling to Hessenthaler, a crisp half volley ricocheting away off the angle of post and crossbar. Moments later Dryden sent a rasping drive from distance over the crossbar before bundling the ball into the side netting as a James Rogers’ corner was allowed to drift across the face of goal.
Time for a change, a bit of bite for the toothless Hamlet. Out-of-sorts Phil Williams made way for Stuart Booth, the young substitute barking orders from the generals as he marched out to the trenches of midfield. Steady the ship before the break seemed the gist but then a second goal arrived, magnificently crafted by that nippy winger Collin, the final brush stroke added by Lovell as he swept home at the back stick, a low ball driven across the face of goal from Collin on the right wing.
As the break beckoned Dulwich finally managed a move of quality as Benson Kpaka claimed the ball in the middle of the park, sweeping a pass out to René Regis galloping down the right wing. The St Lucian international swept in a teasing cross into the heart of the six yard box as the Hamlet forwards lingered but Ruddy showed inactivity had not dulled his senses as he dropped to pluck the cross away from Hamlet feet.
The Parental Advisory signs were out on the Hamlet dressing room at half time as Dulwich faced the wrath of Sergeant Major Edwards, they had to react. Up to this point they had been timorous, anxious, cowed and overawed. By contrast Dover had run the show, incisive, instinctive, passing accurate, shooting opportunistic, the massed ranks of home support must had been licking their lips in anticipation of a second half with further feast, what they got was famine and a severe dose of indigestion as the corpse of Hamlet’s hope was brought back to life. Insolent, incisive, Kpaka had only one target in mind as gathered a pass from Shawn Beveney on the rim of the centre circle. The defence seemed to melt away from him and then the goal loomed in the distance. On the edge of the penalty area, he stoked the cannon and lit the fuse with a rasping shot that had Ruddy clawing at the air as it zipped past him. Now it was Dover who seemed nervous, edgy. The goal had reinvigorated the Hamlet and 7 minutes later that determination was rewarded as an equaliser arrived in fine fashion. If Kpaka’s goal had been crafted by individual genius then the equaliser was true reward for team endeavour. With Dover shying away from the tackle Braham was allowed to march through midfield with the ball, slipping a pass into the path of Stanley Muguo cantering down the left wing. A deep swirling cross from Muguo seemed perhaps too deep but with Kpaka unwilling to surrender the ball for a goal kick, the midfield stretched out a leg ahead of James Rogers to turn the ball across the face of goal. With Ruddy stranded at his near post, the goal beckoned for Henry Darko and he made no mistake, nipping in to nod the ball home.
Hamlet’s new found spirit was epitomised in Booth, relishing the battle in midfield, thrice spoken to for his bellicose challenges before a yellow card was flashed in his face not that this stilled the storm for Dover player after Dover player must have still rattled long past the final whistle having been on the end of a Booth tackle.
Game on now. A late challenge missed by Mr O’Brien and suddenly Collin was scampering away with only Martini between him and glory. Fortunately first half accuracy had deserted him as an angled shot on the run bounced a good six yards wide of the far upright. With a quarter of an hour left on the clock all the hard work was almost undone as Martini beat Collin to an opportunistic through ball only to lob his attempted clearance straight to Dryden but any coolness from the striker as the open goal loomed in the distance evaporated as his attempt from 35 yards was more redolent of a Johnny Wilkinson. Still that hard won point was almost thrown away in the dying ember of the game as, from a throw in, Collin escaped the clutches of his markers, galloping to the goal line before drilling the ball low into the six yard box. Shayne Mangodza stretched out a leg to cut out the cross but could only divert the ball goal wards. Thankfully Martini remained alert, despite being wrong footed, an outstretched foot diverting the ball against the upright from whence it was cleared to safety as those home fans that had not already departed for their living rooms howled in agonised disbelief.

Teams:
DAFC: Dean Ruddy; Matt Fish; James Rogers; Matt Bourne; John Keister; Craig Wilkins; Jon Wallis (Capt); Andy Hessenthaler; Jimmy Dryden (Byron Walker 85); Frannie Collin; Mark Lovell (Matt Carruthers 70)
Substitutes not used: Ryan Andrews; Sam Gore; Gavin Wright

DHFC: Chuck Martini; Rene Regis; Craig Braham; Benson Paka; Shayne Mangodza; Steve Aris (Capt); Shawn Beveney; Stanley Muguo; Anton Innocent (Daniel Morris 76); Henry Darko; Phil Williams (Stuart Booth 35)
Substitutes not used: Helder Valdez; Harry Vitalien; Nej Hussein

Goalscoring:
1-0 DAFC: Mark Lovell 4th minute
2-0 DAFC Mark Lovell 40th minute
2-1 DHFC Benson Paka 51st minute
2-2 Henry Darko 58th minute

Attendance: 921

Match Officials:
Referee: Mr John O’Brien
Assistant Referees: Mr Sean Harding & Mr Graham Bryant