Kentish Football 
Dulwich Hamlet 2-0 Maidstone United - You've got to take your chances, admits Jay Saunders
DULWICH HAMLET 2-0 MAIDSTONE UNITED
Ryman Premier League
Tuesday 17th December 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Champion Hill Stadium
DULWICH HAMLET boss Gavin Rose says he’s not getting carried away after defeating one of their promotion rivals.
The Hamlet leapfrogged over Maidstone United in to fourth-place in the Ryman Premier League table with 44 points from 20 games after quality goals from wingers Nyren Clunis and Jerome Walker inflicted The Stones’ second league defeat of the season, which sees them drop down a place to fifth with 42 points from 20 games.
Dulwich Hamlet’s second largest crowd of the season witnessed an entertaining game, which saw only eight fouls committed – four from each side.
Dulwich Hamlet clinched the Ryman League Division One South title last season, finishing with 89 points from 42 games, a point better off than The Stones, who had to settle for beating Folkestone Invicta and Faversham Town at home in the play-off lottery to seal promotion.
Dulwich Hamlet are now three points behind leaders AFC Hornchurch, as only five points separate the top five clubs in the division.
Rose was naturally delighted with the result but insisted there’s a long way to go in this season’s title race.
He said: “We were playing against a team that’s going to either be at the top of the table at the end of the season or there or there abouts so we know how hard that is.
“It’s December so we’re not going to get too carried away. It’s a good win and we’ll just leave it at that really.
“You don’t see people winning leagues in December or getting play-off positions in December. This is a very competitive league. If you look at the points in the league it shows that it’s very competitive so we’re not getting ahead of ourselves.
“We’re just trying to do the best we can week in, week out and be as competitive as we can and try to play the way we feel is best.”
Maidstone United boss Jay Saunders, meanwhile, was disappointed that his profligate side lost their five-match unbeaten run in the south London rain.
“Disappointed, obviously, we’ve been on a good run,” said Saunders.
“That’s only our second defeat of the season but I just think the first goal for me shouldn’t have happened. I think we’ve let in a sloppy goal and it’s killed us at a crucial time.
“At the other end we’ve created a lot of chances today, not taken them and that’s what it comes down to. You’ve got to take your chances, especially when you come to places like this, against a very good side.”
Maidstone United created the opening chance of the game inside 73 seconds when Fabio Saraiva whipped in a corner from the left, which came out to debutant Jack Parkinson and the central defender swept his shot straight at Dulwich Hamlet keeper Phil Wilson, who made a comfortably save at his near post.
Rory Hill, who was later forced off with a thigh strain, whipped in a second corner from the right and Saraiva’s downward header from ten-yards was blocked by Wilson before being cleared away to safety.
Dulwich Hamlet’s first chance arrived following their only corner of the game in the thirteenth-minute.
Kevin James played the ball short to Erhun Oztumer, who flicked the ball to James who whipped in a cross from the right by-line, which came out to Oztumer, whose initial drive was blocked and midfielder Billy Crook sent his right-footed shot just over the crossbar from 22-yards.
Maidstone United were denied a goal in the 15th minute when the post saved Wilson, who later lost his left-back Ahmed Deen to a sprained ankle.
Saraiva, who was impressive down the right wing during the first half, picked the ball up and stroked a left-footed daisy-cutter, which beat Wilson and agonisingly struck the foot of the near post and Ashley Miller’s rebound struck Dulwich Hamlet right-back Mathieu Boyer and went behind for a corner.
Saunders said: “He hit the post with a great strike and the rebound has come to Ashley Miller and it got blocked.
“That’s what I mean, crucial times in games. At that point it’s 0-0 fifteen minutes in, it’s away from home. You get a goal-up and it gives you a lift.”
Rose added: “A great shot from Fabio Saraiva. A very good shot. He’s got a sweet left foot and you wouldn’t have complained to Phil had that gone in because it was such a sweet shot.”
Man-of-the-match Peter Adeniyi went on a 30-yard run with the ball out of defence before reaching the half-way line before spraying the ball out to Oztumer on the right and the Turkish magician cut inside before stinging Lee Worgan’s gloves with a left-footed drive from 22-yards.
Boyer, Billy Crook and James were all involved with crisp passing before Dulwich Hamlet went close through striker Ian Daly, who flashed his left-footed angled drive past the far post from 25-yards.
Maidstone United went close too on a couple of occasions when Graeme Andrews floated a free-kick up field and midfielder Alex Brown flicked the ball up before cracking a right-footed volley just over the crossbar.
Frannie Collin then released Hill through on goal but after cutting in from the right the winger flashed his right-footed angled drive agonisingly past the foot of the far post.
But Dulwich Hamlet drew first blood by taking the lead in the 34th minute with their trademark slick passing which brought Clunis’ fifth-goal of the season.
James, Boyer, Crook combined before Oztumer fed the ball to James, who floated the ball into the Maidstone United box and Clunis brought the ball under control with his chest, turned to drill a right-footed shot past Worgan into the bottom right-hand corner from 12-yards.
Rose said: “We scored two well-taken goals. The first one from Nyren, a very good run and a good turn and a good finish low down to the keeper’s left so I’m happy with that.”
Saunders added: “I just don’t think they had to work hard for the goal they got!
“It’s a good finish from the lad. I’m not knocking him but it’s a sort of chip into our box, the lad had a chest and then he’s got time to spin and get a finish off and I don’t think in your box he should have that much time certainly to turn and get a shot off and that’s what’s disappointed me the most.
“It kills you at that stage of the game - ten minutes before half-time – after you’ve had a few good chances – it just knocks the stuffing out of you. It’s a cheap goal to give away. It annoys me. It’s a couple of times it’s happened this season and it’s something we need to look at.”
However, Maidstone United should have restored parity within two minutes when Saraiva exchanged a one-two with Collin before bursting into the box and seeing his left-footed drive spilt by Wilson, who gathered at the second attempt.
Maidstone United keeper Worgan made a fine save to his right to parry Daly’s left-footed drive from 25-yards, which must have taken a deflection en-route to goal as the former Tonbridge Angels stopper had originally started to dive the other way.
Rose said: “In the first half we didn’t get a lot of shots off. I’ve criticised the team, sometimes we’re not taking opportunities, maybe trying to over play sometimes but I thought today we tried to take opportunities and take our shots off and stuff like that so it was good.”
Saunders was left in anguish when another decent chance went begging when Brown was put through on goal but Wilson moved swiftly off his line to make a fine block from the midfielder’s dinked effort.
Saunders said: “He’s gone through on a one-on-one, a great opportunity. The keeper’s done well.
“Before that Rory Hill has gone through and it’s gone wide of the goal. They are chances.
“You come to places like this – it’s the same when you go to Bognor – they have a lot of possession of the ball. You have to be solid, you have to work hard and try to keep the ball a bit better. I don’t think we kept the ball as well as we could have tonight and you need to hit them on the break and take your chances when you get them. To be able to create four or five chances in the first half and not take one is disappointing.”
Seventeen-goal Collin was kept at arm’s length during the first half but on the stroke of half time he smashed his right-footed free-kick into the wall from 35-yards and Saraiva lashed his speculative shot high over the bar.
Reflecting on the first half, Rose said: “I was generally happy. I think individually within our dressing room I felt a few boys’ made mistakes and they didn’t put their hand up and obviously that’s a pet hate of mine but we said we want more off the same. (At half-time) we made a few tactical changes and stuff like that.”
Those words almost paid off as Dulwich Hamlet created a couple of early second half chances.
Daly played the ball into Oztumer, who took a touch before curling a left-footed shot around Worgan and just past the far post from 20-yards.
Maidstone United then gave the ball away down their left to Oztumer, who was given the freedom to dance forward before unleashing a swerving left-footed drive from 25-yards, which Worgan dived low to his right to block with his feet.
But Dulwich Hamlet killed the game off with a second goal in the 57th minute.
Irishman Daly, whose previous clubs include Manchester City, St Patricks Athletic and Bromley, released Walker, who skipped past two defenders and he still had a lot of work to do on a 35-yard run, but he kept his composure to slot his right-footed shot across Worgan to score his sixth-goal of the season from 12-yards.
Rose said: “Jerome’s goal, it’s an individual goal. We think he can do that a lot! He’s off the cuff. You don’t know what he’s going to do but equally I think the other team don’t know what he’s going to do sometimes and it helps us.”
Rose added: “I was happy with the way we managed the game but 2-0 up we knew they would come at us and play a little higher and we were happy to play on the break so we knew they would create chances but we knew the further on we could kill it off.”
Saunders said: “I think at that point we’re chasing the game. We’re throwing bodies forward and we’ve had a good bit of possession at the other end.
“I can’t remember if a sloppy ball got cut out and they’ve broke. They are dangerous on the break. They’ve got a lot of pace. They’ve got good players and the fella took his goal well.”
Rose was delighted that his side won the midfield battle with Oztumer his usual impressive self.
He said: “I think it was quite even but we’ve got contrasting styles but equally dominant midfield teams. We did well passing the ball and I thought equally we done well in terms of the way Maidstone’s aggression and they’re very hard to play at times. I thought it was a good battle.”
Saunders, who was without Jerrome Sobers, Steve Watt, Michael Phillips, Orlando Smith and Richard Davies through injury, admitted Dulwich Hamlet were dominant in the middle of the park.
He said: “Dulwich’s movement is very good. Yes, we’ve got a new three man midfield in there today which makes it hard. It was Nathan Campbell’s second half and we put Fabio (Saraiva) back in with Brownie. That’s the way we are at the moment. We’ve got a lot of injuries. Dulwich are a settled side and you can see that.
“It’s a tough place to come here and they’re a good side. You need to take your chances and you need luck and to be fair to them they had a couple of good chances and they took them!”
Dulwich Hamlet turned defence into attack just past the hour mark when Hill’s corner was headed away and was picked up by Adeniyi, who ran the ball out of defence before sweeping the ball out to Oztumer out on the right and the midfielder cut in and drilled a left-footed angled drive against the near post from 15-yards with Worgan beaten.
Rose said: “He done well. He took his time with it. It looked like he was going to pass the ball but at the last minute he had a sneaky shot at the near post. Obviously if that goes in it probably kills the game as a contest.”
Collin cracked a right-footed drive from outside the Dulwich Hamlet penalty area, which forced Wilson to dive to his right to make a smart block after the Dulwich Hamlet keeper had originally given the ball away.
Seconds later Brown was unlucky with a right-footed curler which arrowed just over the Dulwich Hamlet crossbar.
Saunders played Collin as the lone front man and admitted the former Tonbridge Angels striker had one of his quiet nights as he was left in Adeniyi’s pocket.
“It’s hard for him, he’s up there (on his own). We still had chances. At the end he’s had a hell of a chance and put it over the bar. Frannie works hard but I don’t think we kept the ball well enough in key areas. We were sloppy on the ball. It might come from different players today coming in but I’m not sure.”
Rose added: “We know that Frannie Collin is a good player, he scores lots of goals so Peter, Lewis (Gonsalves), the whole back four defended equally to a man. They did well so we’re happy with all of them.”
Dulwich Hamlet handed a debut to former Crystal Palace striker Nathaniel Pinney, 22, who arrived today on a month’s loan from Conference South side Tonbridge Angels, where he scored three goals in a disappointing start to his career at Longmead Stadium.
Dulwich Hamlet’s supporters’ have funded Pinney’s loan move to Champion Hill and when asked how he felt the striker did, Rose replied: “He done ok. He came through our Academy and went on to Crystal Palace and I think he came out of Crystal Palace around about a year and a half ago and went to Carshalton, scored a few goals and went to Tonbridge.
“We know a lot about him. He’s a bit over-weight at the moment and needs to get a bit fitter but that’s something that we will do with him and help him along.
“We know he can score goals. We just need to get him up to match fitness.”
Parkinson, 24, almost scored on his Maidstone United debut after arriving at the club hours before tonight’s game for an undisclosed fee from Skrill (Conference) Premier side Woking on a two-and-a-half year deal as player-coach.
Hill swept in a free-kick from the right channel and central defender Parkinson came up and looped his header narrowly over the bar from ten-yards in the final eighteen minutes.
Saunders is delighted to be in a position to sign Parkinson, who works for the club as Academy coach.
“He’s done well. It was a good debut for him,” said Saunders.
“I thought he done some good things. To be honest he hasn’t played for a couple of weeks with Woking with an ankle problem.
“In an ideal world I probably wouldn’t have put him straight in. He’s not met anyone. I had to put him straight in because of injuries. He’s got a slight niggle but he felt he could get through it and I thought he done alright.
“He’ll get better once he settles in with the boys. Overall, I thought it was a solid debut. He’s a player who’s played regularly in the Conference. There’s a lot of clubs who were interested in him, Conference and Conference South clubs and it was a case he could have gone somewhere but a lot of clubs now are doing morning (training sessions). It is tough for him. He didn’t want to give up his Academy job and it’s an opportunity to come down here. I think he’s done the right thing and he’ll enjoy his time.”
Collin almost got his name on the scoresheet in the final nine minutes when his right-footed shot on the turn sailed just over the crossbar after substitute Jack Harris cut the ball back from the right by-line after the former Tunbridge Wells striker was played in behind the Dulwich Hamlet defence by fellow substitute Charley Robertson.
Maidstone United created the last chance of the night when left-back Tom Mills cracked a left-footed angled drive from 30-yards which Wilson dived to his left to parry towards safety.
Despite beating their promotion challengers, Rose admitted: “To be honest, that wasn’t our best performance. We can play better and have played better.”
Dulwich Hamlet: Phil Wilson, Mathieu Boyer, Ahmed Deen (Ethan Pinnock 29), Billy Crook, Peter Adeniyi, Lewis Gonsalves, Jerome Walker (Ellis Green 66), Kevin James, Ian Daly (Nathaniel Pinney 66), Erhun Oztumer, Nyren Clunis.
Subs: Xavier Vidal, Marc-Anthony Okoye
Goals: Nyren Clunis 34, Jerome Walker 57
Maidstone United: Lee Worgan, Richard Rose, Tom Mills, Nathan Campbell, Graeme Andrews, Alex Brown, Rory Hill (Jack Harris 81), Jack Parkinson, Ashley Miller (Zac Attwood 55), Frannie Collin, Fabio Saraiva (Charley Robertson 71).
Subs: Lee Pleau, Charlie Mitten
Attendance: 817
Referee: Mr Wade Norcott (Harlow, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Andy Mawby (Woking, Surrey) & Mr Steven Scott (Woking, Surrey)
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