Dulwich Hamlet 0-2 Hythe Town - I know we can compete with the best teams in the league, says Porter

DULWICH HAMLET  0-2  HYTHE TOWN
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 30^th October 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Champion Hill Stadium

HYTHE TOWN boss Scott Porter says his side took no prisoners after they became the first club to win a league game at Dulwich Hamlet this season to climb into third-place in the Ryman League Division One South table with 20 points after eleven games.

Hythe Town, who collected five bookings, won their third-successive game to move two points behind leaders Maidstone United, courtesy of a header from hard-working lone target-man Craig Thompson and a stunning 30-yard volley from central midfielder Nick Barnes during the second half of a hard-fought encounter against fourth-placed Dulwich Hamlet.

“It is always going to be tough coming to a place like this and we knew we had to stop them playing before we could play ourselves and earn the right to play,” Porter, 33, said afterwards.

“We’ve done that in the last five or six games, which since we’ve been bottom of the League against Tooting we’ve turned a massive corner.

“I know we can compete with the best teams in the league on our day and we’ve done it today.

“We’ve limited them to a few chances and we’ve created an awful lot of chances ourselves.

“We’re starting to get back to the team we were to get into the Ryman League. We take no prisoners.  We try to spoil teams, spoil the game for teams.

“It’s capped off a great night for us, but it’s a performance and a result that I’ve always believed in, like I did on Saturday (beating leaders Crawley Down Gatwick away 1-0) that my players can produce this.

“Hopefully they’re starting to believe it themselves. It’s going to bring confidence. We’ve got a lot of quality in the side and it showed tonight.  I’m a pleased man tonight.”

Porter said he was grateful to Canterbury City boss Simon Austin for allowing Tom Parkinson to form a solid defensive partnership alongside Pat Kingwell due to Craig Cloke missing the game through a one-match suspension following his red-card in their 4-3 defeat away to Whitstable Town in the League Cup two weeks ago today.

Porter explained: “We brought Tom in as cover for tonight.  Obviously we’ve still got his resignation. I spoke to Austo (Simon Austin) at Canterbury and it was good for him to help us out.  Pat Kingwell is suspended for Saturday so obviously we did try to get somebody in for Saturday (when we play at home to Whitstable) and we still might do that, we’ll see what we can do to partner Clokey (Craig Cloke).

“Tom done a great job.  He’s got a great attitude and I’m grateful for that and grateful for Canterbury City to do that but Tom’s been fantastic tonight – so has everybody!”

Dulwich Hamlet, who lost their 100% home record to ten-man Faversham Town at the weekend after Jamie Maxted’s screamer helped Ray Turner’s side to claim a well-deserved 1-1 draw, started the game on the front foot and enjoyed plenty of early possession without threatening American Dean Ruddy in the Hythe Town goal.

In fact it was Hythe Town who created the game’s opening chance, inside the opening eleven minutes.

Jake Hobbs’ whipped in a free-kick from 30-yards, which was half cleared by the home defence and the loose ball was picked up by Taser Hassan, who cut inside before clipping a right-footed shot from 25-yards straight at keeper Phil Wilson.

Hobbs, who was plucked from Kent League side Beckenham Town during the summer, sent a delicate right-footed free-kick up and over a three-man Dulwich wall from 25-yards, but the ball bounced wide of the left-hand post.

But Dulwich Hamlet supporters were calling for goal-line technology to be used in the Ryman League after Hythe Town received the benefit of the doubt in a controversial 20^th minute incident.

Winger Nyren Clunis cut the ball back to pint-sized Erhun Oztumer, who had time and space to sweep a right-footed shot towards the near post.  Ruddy should have claimed the ball but inexplicably spilt the ball in mid-flight air and the ball sailed towards the goal-line, but Ruddy instinctively spun to scoop the ball off the line and assistant referee Mr Roger Wells kept his flag down much to the annoyance of the fans behind the goal who claimed that the ball did indeed cross the goalline.

The pundits in the Match-of-the-Day studio would have spent a long time going over whether the ball crossed the line or not – but you don’t have cameras in the Ryman League.

When asked whether he thought the ball crossed the line, Porter replied, “I didn’t see it.  I’m a long way away.  The linesman was there.  They’re (the match officials) there to make the decisions and that’s what they’ve done.

“Dean should’ve saved the first one but he done great to pull it out but he pulled off another great save in the second half.  Dean’s coming into his own at the minute – so has everyone else.”

The solid Hythe back-four kept Dulwich Hamlet at bay and left-back Ryan James was forced into unleashing an angled left-footed half-volley from 30-yards, which deflected off Parkinson to sail past the far post.

Porter was pleased to go into the break on level terms.

He said: “If we can get in at nil-nil at half-time, see how they’re planned out and set ourselves out again second half.  We’re always going to create chances and we have done for weeks’ now.  As long as we earn the right to do that.  We proved that tonight. The chances that we have been making is phenomenal. We could have put four or five past Crawley Down Gatwick on Saturday so I knew we could do it and we’re starting to keep clean sheets as well.”

Hythe Town’s best chance, however, arrived in the 52^nd minute and Porter expected his skipper Dave Cook to score.

Full credit must go to tireless Thompson, who battled his way through the Dulwich defence to lay the ball inside to Ronnie Dolan, who slipped the ball through to Cook, who despite being under pressure from Luke Hickie, dragged his right-footed shot wide of the left-hand post from sixteen-yards.

Porter added: “He’s snapped at it. He’s disappointed because you normally put your mortgage on Dave scoring from there but he’s snapped at it, but we kept going.”

Dulwich Hamlet did get in behind the Hythe defence when right-back Kershaney Samuels clipped the ball up field to release Clunis down the right and he cut the ball across the face of goal but left-back James ghosted into the penalty area before driving his left-footed shot from an acute angle back where it came from and out for a throw.

But Porter praised Thompson for his work-rate and his 66^th minute headed finish to grab Hythe Town the lead.

Hobbs chose not to swing in a corner from the left but he opted to cut the ball back to Hassan, who had time and space to float a left-footed cross towards the near post and Thompson tip-toed away from his marker to plant his header into the left-hand corner from four-yards.

Porter said: “You didn’t see where the goal was going to come for either side really because it fizzled out really. It was more a battle than anything.

“Thommo’s worked his socks off tonight. It’s a great bit of individual movement in a way. That’s what centre forwards are all about. It’s a great goal!

“That’s what you get from Thommo!  He can give you 70-75 minutes then he blows out, but we know that. He was phenomenal tonight up there on his own. He caused problems on his own all night and they couldn’t deal with him at times and he got his rewards at the end.”

Ruddy made his second save of the game to keep their lead intact when substitute Daniel Carr could have opened his goalscoring account for the first team.

James clipped a delicious ball over the top of Parkinson to release Carr through on goal and after cutting inside the yellow-booted striker was denied by Ruddy, who blocked his driven shot with his feet at the near post.

Porter said: “It keeps you in the game. You don’t want to concede straight away after you’ve scored because that’s when you’re most vulnerable and that’s football for you! But he’s kept us in the game there, like he did in the first half.  That’s what he’s there for but he’s done well tonight Dean so it was important that we didn’t concede straight after we scored.”

Hythe Town created a couple of chances when they could have made the game safe.

Hobbs’ swung in a free-kick towards the far post and the ball bounced off Hassan and substitute Brendon Cass (who had replaced Thompson) hooked the ball across the face of goal and Cook couldn’t apply the touch to steer the ball, instead the ball flashed just wide of the far post.

A penetrating run from Hassan saw him reach the left by-line before cutting the ball back to Cook, who rolled the ball across the penalty area and Dolan side-footed the ball agonisingly past the foot of the right-hand post.

Porter added: “You want to have a little cushion. We kept pushing. That’s the thing.  We still kept pushing for the next one.  It’s a great move and he’s put it just wide.”

But Hythe Town wrapped up the victory in the 86^th minute, courtesy of Barnes’ second goal of the season.

Left-back, John Walker, pumped a free-kick into Dulwich’s final third and the ball was cleared out to Barnes, who cracked a stunning right-footed volley from 30-yards, which bounced into the left-hand corner.

Porter said: “Barnsey’s come up with what he’s should have been doing for most of the season – he’s had chance after chance and he scored the hardest one! What a great strike!

“He’s been immense. He’s carried a knock to the calf right up until half-time. We didn’t think he was going to come out second half but he wanted to carry on.  That’s a goal to win any game!  I thought we deserved it. Anyone watching this game, we deserved that. We limited their chances. It was a great performance from everyone.”

Porter admitted he was pleased that his side kept their third clean sheet of the season tonight.

“Yes, very pleasing.  We’ve come to Dulwich, they’ve not lost at home all season and they’re a force in the league and are one of the favourites.  The way they play, the crowd they’ve got, it’s a great result and I’m proud of my players but I believe in my players and I believe that they can do that week in week out against any side if we’re on top of our game.

“You have to come to these places and play 8’s and nine’s out of ten and we’ve done that in abundance and a lot more.

“We’re good off the pitch. We’ve got a great dressing room and it showed that tonight and I’m a proud man tonight.”

Dulwich Hamlet secretary, Martin Eede visited the referee’s room ten minutes after the game but the home club’s physio confirmed that Gavin Rose’s side didn’t pick up any injuries against a physically strong Hythe Town side.

Speaking about his side picking up five yellow cards tonight, Porter said: “At the end of the day you’d take that because that’s the way we play, we try and stop people playing.  If you’re going to go down a bit easy as they do and the ref goes along with it you’re not going to come away with anything, but I’d take five yellow cards and a 2-0 win every day of the week!”

Dulwich Hamlet: Phil Wilson, Kershaney Samuels, Ryan James, Luke Hickie, Peter Adeniyi, Lewis Gonsalves, Nyren Clunis (Richmond Ayoola 87), Junior Kadi (Lamar Hurley 75), Frankie Sawyer (Daniel Carr 75), Erhun Oztumer, Ellis Green.
Subs: Dominic Weston, Tyler Myers

Booked: Luke Hickie 58, Junior Kadi 68, Kershaney Samuels 85

Hythe Town: Dean Ruddy, Nick Reeves, John Walker, Pat Kingwell, Tom Parkinson, Ronnie Dolan, Dave Cook, Nick Barnes, Jake Hobbs, Craig Thompson (Brendon Cass 73), Taser Hassan (James Dryden 89).
Subs: George Savage, Lloyd Blackman, Tom Elliott

Goals: Craig Thompson 66, Nick Barnes 86

Booked: Dave Cook 19, Tom Parkinson 32, Nick Reeves 54, Craig Thompson 56, Nick Barnes 61

Attendance: 330
Referee: Mr Tony Goddard (Dagenham, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Roger Wells (Coulsdon, Surrey) & Mr Aivars Lukauskis (London SE1)