Dulwich Hamlet 1-1 Faversham Town - It was important to carry on our unbeaten run, says Ray Turner

DULWICH HAMLET  1-1  FAVERSHAM TOWN
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 27^th October 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Champion Hill Stadium

FAVERSHAM TOWN manager Ray Turner says his side claimed a fantastic point after ending fifth-placed Dulwich Hamlet’s 100% home record in the league after playing the final 34 minutes with ten-men.

The Lilywhites leapfrogged over their Kent rivals Maidstone United and Herne Bay into second-place in the Ryman League Division One South table, with 20 points from 12 games, level on points with Crawley Down Gatwick, who have a game in hand.

Gavin Rose’s side went into this game one place below Faversham in the table and with four wins out of four in the league at home. 

The south Londoners took the lead early in the second half when striker Frankie Sawyer finished off an impressive twelve man move.

But left-back Jamie Maxted ensured Faversham extended their impressive unbeaten run to eight games with a 30-yard left-footed screamer ten minutes after having central defender James Peacock sent off for picking up two yellow cards.

“It’s a fantastic point for the team,” said Turner after the game.

“We’ve gone the whole month unbeaten.  We’ve had eight games this month and our last league defeat was 1^st September against Walton & Hersham so once again full credit to the players, they’ve all contributed.

“We’ve found ourselves behind again and down to ten men.  That’s not the first time we’ve come back from situations and we’ve done it again and we’ve got a well-deserved point at a place which is very difficult to get points historically.  You can see from their record they’re very good at home so we’re delighted but it’s just got to be a springboard again to go on another run.”

Faversham Town created the game’s first chance with only 104 seconds on the clock.  Luke Harvey, who scored four goals in their 5-3 win at Worthing in midweek, used his strength to shield the ball and won himself a free-kick.  Wayne Wilson’s resulting right-footed free-kick looped off Dulwich Hamlet winger Nyren Clunis and Harvey jumped and looped his header over from six-yards.

Faversham Town created another goalscoring opportunity in the fifteenth-minute when Danny Lawrence released Harvey down the inside right channel and despite Josh Turner sliding in to make a challenge, the hardworking lone target-man still managed to get his shot away, a low angled right-footed drive which forced Dulwich Hamlet keeper Phil Wilson into making a low save to his right to palm to safety.

Despite the home side comfortably winning the corner count 14-3, the home side failed to trouble Simon Overland through this method.

But Overland was twice called into action within 84 seconds as Dulwich Hamlet went for goal from distance.

Ellis Green, who played for Maidstone United last season, cut the ball back to Junior Kadi, who unleashed a low right-footed drive from 30-yards, which zipped off the greasy surface and Overland got down smartly to his right to turn around his post.

Sawyer then teed up a chance for an unmarked Green, who drilled a right-footed drive towards goal from 25-yards, which Overland tipped over with his outstretched right-hand underneath the crossbar.

“I thought Simon dealt with corners very well.  He flicked one (shot) over the bar and most of the time we restricted them to long-range efforts.  It was important that we got them playing in front of us and we did that quite well first half,” said a satisfied Turner.

“Obviously the game plan changed when we went a goal down and down to ten men.”

Dulwich Hamlet full-back Luke Hickie then whipped in a cross from the left and Sawyer blasted his shot wide of the near post from an acute angle.

Faversham linked up well outside the Hamlet penalty area with Harvey, Lawrence, Darren Marsden and Botterill, before Marsden played Botterill in behind the Dulwich defence and his low left-footed angled drive from inside the box forced Wilson into diving low to his left to parry.

Intelligent play from Faversham right-back Aaron Lacy, meanwhile, left Dulwich Hamlet’s defence red-faced inside first half stoppage time.

Set-up to face a trademark long throw from the former Hythe Town defender, Lacy threw the ball short to Harvey outside the penalty area and Harvey cut in to the box to beat a couple of defenders and drilled a low shot from an acute angle which forced Wilson to stick out his right leg at his near post to turn the shot around the post.

Turner was full of praise for Harvey, who was given a warm round of applause from the travelling fans when he was withdrawn with five minutes to go.

“Well his performance in midweek has given him a big boost,” said Turner.  “He scored four against Worthing and maybe even had a couple more but he was fantastic on Tuesday night and they couldn’t deal with Luke.

“Although he was up there on his own and getting support from midfield today, he still worked both the centre halves and he’s worked the whole back line and he’s got his shots in.  He’s looked dangerous and he’s given everything for the cause today and you could tell he was exhausted at the end.”

Turner said he was pleased with his side’s solid display, which kept Dulwich Hamlet’s talented players quiet in front of goal. Tommy Sampson’s midweek scouting trip to Whitstable Town certainly paid dividends.

“The key for me, recently we’ve found ourselves going behind very early in games.  It’s always difficult when you’re chasing.  I didn’t want to come here particularly and chase the game because I think they’ve got players that can exploit that so it was very key we set up in a way that was very solid and I think it was very evident in the first 20 minutes, half-an-hour that we were very compact and we were very hard to break down.

“I think they struggled to create any clear cut opportunities against us and obviously we were going to look at the game as the game wore on in the last twenty minutes.”

The Faversham boss signalled out Erhun Oztumer, who despite being the smallest player on the pitch, pulled the strings in behind the forward line.

Turner said: “They’ve got some very good ball players, haven’t they?  He’s got a low centre of gravity, it was virtually impossible to take the ball off him. He did pull the strings in there but he’s a good player, he’s going to!”

But Dulwich Hamlet opened the scoring with a quality well-worked team goal – 12 passes were counted before Sawyer scored his fourth goal of the season, inside the opening three minutes.

The home side sprayed the ball all around the pitch before pass ten saw Peter Adeniyi pass to Green, who burst ten-yards through the middle towards the edge of the box before playing a fine reverse pass that played in Sawyer, who cut in and powered a right-footed shot from eighteen-yards, which all Overland could do was let slip through his outstretched fingers on its way to the top right-hand corner.

Turner refused to blame Overland, but in all honesty the move was worthy of a goal.

He said: “I’m not sure I can put it down to Simon.  I think it was a good strike.

“I think the move started, the problems were caused when we allowed Peter Adeniyi to come out of the back and we didn’t engage him early enough and he dragged a couple of our players out and it created a few holes.

“Sawyer can do that!  He was always going to cut in and we didn’t come out for the shot quickly enough. We needed to close that down a bit quicker but I didn’t apportion any blame on Simon. I thought it was a good strike!”

Faversham went close when Lacy played the ball up from right-back into Lawrence’s feet and his right-footed curler from 25-yards sailed past the far post.

But Faversham appeared to be facing an struggle in the 56^th minute when Peacock collected his second yellow card from referee Oliver Jackson.

Turner said he had no complaints to have lost his central defender for going off the floor and putting in a two-footed tackle on Green.

He said: “No complaints! I thought they were two yellows. I thought it was a sending off so I’ve got no complaints there. We had to adjust. You can’t go to ground in the modern game if you don’t make contact with the ball cleanly then you’re asking for problems.

“I think it’s testament to the group, the spirit has been fantastic for some time now.  They’ve also been used to coming back from situations in the last few weeks so physiologically that was a boost that we knew we could come back into a game.

“I thought we were very positive with ten-men. I went with two up top when we went down to ten men and we tried to force the game and we got our rewards for that.”

Oztumer, who picked up a diagonal 30-yard pass from left-back Ryan James, showed quick feet again before playing Green in behind the Faversham defence but Overland came to his side’s rescue by using his feet to deny Green sweeping home a right-footed shot.

Botterill drew a foul from Kershaney Samuels (which earnt the Dulwich Hamlet substitute their only booking) and Wilson sent his right-footed free-kick over the four man wall and dipping down towards goal but keeper Wilson got across his goal and fell to his knees to catch the ball beside his right-hand post.

But three former Herne Bay players were instrumental with Faversham Town’s deserved 66^th minute leveller.

Marsden, who has recently arrived from Folkestone Invicta, fed Harvey who sprayed the ball out wide to advancing Maxted, who wasn’t picked up by the home defence and the left-back took a touch before cracking a left-footed screamer, which sailed across Wilson and nestled into the top far corner of the net to score from 30-yards.

“They’re good players, they’re Faversham Town players now!” quipped Turner.

“He’s got a fantastic left-foot. It was evident as soon as he took it out of his feet it was a clean strike straight into the far corner. What a hit!”

Botterill then played a diagonal pass to Maxted, who went for goal further out, but this time he couldn’t emulate his effort ten minutes earlier, because his left-footed curler sailed wide of the far post.

Maxted showed his defensive qualities when he picked up a loose ball and broke away for 30-yards before playing a diagonal ball over the top to substitute Adrian Stone, but the striker lacked composure and lashed his right-footed shot horribly wide from 30-yards.

Turner explained why he was in a positive frame of mind despite his side’s numerical disadvantage.

“I’m always positive. The changes were positive and we tried to get the goal back, that was the key.

“I felt we kept pushing for the winner because I think any time you become defensive in your mind-set I think you’re asking for problems against sides like this so we kept going, we kept going for the winner.

“There’s a few disappointed that we haven’t gone on (and won it) but to take the first points off them at home is a good achievement.”

Dulwich Hamlet almost snatched victory 65 seconds into stoppage time when Clunis played the ball from right to left and Green cut inside and curled his right-footed shot around Overland’s despairing dive high to his left but the ball also curled around the top of the far post.

Confidence is high going into next Saturday’s showdown against Maidstone United at Salters Lane.

“It’s important, I think mentally, to carry on our unbeaten run and extend that for as long as we possibly can,” added Turner.

“We’ve got a massive game next Saturday for the whole football club with Maidstone coming at the beginning of November.  We’ve just got to attack that game with the same mentality.”

When asked whether Faversham could go on and clinch the title or a play-off place, Turner replied, “I think it’s really early for that to make any statements.  I think there’s a lot of sides still have games in hand to be played and there’s still a lot of settling down in the league.”

Dulwich Hamlet: Phil Wilson, Luke Hickie, Ryan James, Peter Adeniyi, Josh Turner (Kershaney Samuels 20), Lewis Gonsalves, Nyren Clunis, Junior Kadi (Gavin Rose 86), Frankie Sawyer, Erhun Oztumer (Dominic Weston 86), Ellis Green.
Subs: Calaum Martin, Lamar Hurley

Goal: Frankie Sawyer 48

Booked:  Kershaney Samuels 60

Faversham Town: Simon Overland, Aaron Lacy, Jamie Maxted, James Peacock, Matthew Bourne, Aidan Sherlock (Ashley Brown 60), Danny Lawrence (Adrian Stone 60), Wayne Wilson, Darren Marsden, Luke Harvey (Renford Tenyue 85), Dave Botterill.
Subs: Toby Ashmore, Dan Ellis

Goal: Jamie Maxted 66

Booked: James Peacock 20

Sent Off: James Peacock 56

Attendance: 352
Referee: Mr Oliver Jackson (Sittingbourne)
Assistants: Mr John Nazari (Clapham Junction, London SW12) & Mr Alperen Nayir (Wimbledon, London SW19)