Dulwich Hamlet 2-1 Folkestone Invicta - I thought we were poor, admits Folkestone boss Neil Cugley

DULWICH HAMLET  2-1  FOLKESTONE INVICTA
Ryman League Division One South Play-Off Semi-Final
Tuesday 1^st May 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Champion Hill Stadium

FOLKESTONE INVICTA boss Neil Cugley admitted too many of his  players put in poor performances as they slumped to a deserved defeat to Dulwich Hamlet in the Ryman League Division One South Play-Off Semi-Final.

Dulwich Hamlet will travel to runners-up Bognor Regis Town for Sunday’s play-off final to see which club will earn promotion into the Ryman Premier League.

While this game at Champion Hill was a tight uninspiring affair, Bognor Regis Town won an epic against Godalming Town – 5-3 on penalties after the game finished all-square at 4-4 after 120 minutes of enthralling football at Nyewood Lane.

Dulwich Hamlet, who lost last year’s play-off final to Leatherhead after beating Bognor Regis Town in the semi-finals, progressed tonight thanks to two goals from striker Ray Powell, who was making only his tenth appearance of the season for Gavin Rose’s side and his first since last September.

Stuart King converted his only chance to score his 27^th goal of the season in the final five minutes but it was too little too late for a poor Folkestone Invicta side.

“I thought in patches first half, I thought we were the better side before they scored,” said a bitterly disappointed Cugley afterwards.

“We knew they were a good side. They started popping it about a bit. We never really hurt them. 

“I thought we were poor up front and didn’t really cause them any problems.

“Regrets?  Maybe sticking Frankie Chappell up there a bit earlier.  As soon as he went up there we scored and started putting it about and maybe a little bit basic but sometimes you’ve got to and as soon as we did that I thought we were in with a chance, but a bit too late.”

The opening twenty minutes started at a frenetic pace and no-one had time to put their foot on the ball and pass it.

But Dulwich Hamlet’s holding midfielder, Peter Adeniyi, did an excellent job to protect their back four as the home side kept King and James Everitt – who have scored 49 goals between them before tonight – quiet.

Cugley said: “To be fair to their centre halves and their lad (Adeniyi) in the centre of midfield, the holding player was outstanding and they eat everything up and we couldn’t get any quality to them (King and James Everitt).  I didn’t think either of them caused them enough problems.”

Cugley added: “I’m just disappointed we haven’t caused them any problems.  I’m disappointed that you come to a game, if you lose 3-2, going for it and playing well.

“I thought we just had so many players playing poorly for us.  Smithy, Marsden, Burchell was terrible.  Kingy didn’t come along until the end.  James Everitt has had a great season was poor.  It’s half your side really having a poor game  you’re not going to win when you’re having so many people playing poorly on the night but they’ve not let me down all year.

“We’ve said before, we’ve achieved what we wanted to achieve, to get in the play-offs, but to play not too well is disappointing.”

Folkestone Invicta just couldn’t deal with the talented right-winger Nyren Clunis, whose first effort on goal curled wide of the far post, before an impressive run straight down the middle of the pitch resulted in the number seven scuffing a right-footed drive which ended up nearer to the corner flag than the goal.

Folkestone Invicta created their first chance in the tenth minute when Darren Smith swept a right-footed volley, which picked out James Everitt unmarked at the far post but his header from 12-yards bounced into Phil Wilson’s gloves.

A good, slick move involving Darren Marsden and Smith outside the Dulwich Hamlet penalty area saw King turn on the edge of the box and he swept the ball across to Chappell, whose right-footed shot deflected wide of the near post.

But Folkestone Invicta’s best chance to break the stalemate came in the 21^st minute.

Smith drove the ball into the penalty area which fell at Chappell’s feet and he laid the ball off to wing-back Josh Burchell, who had time and space to whip in an excellent cross from the left and Liam Dickson hooked a left-footed shot just past the far post.

Dulwich Hamlet keeper Wilson, who wasn’t tested in the first half, came off his line to smother at King’s feet after James Everitt played in his strike-partner.

But the home faithful were celebrating when Dulwich Hamlet took the lead in the 29^th minute.

Folkestone right-back, Micheal Everitt collected a yellow card for a challenge which brought down Kevin James some 25-yards from goal just outside the left-hand corner of the Folkestone penalty area.

It proved to be a costly error from the skipper who was starting a game for Folkestone for the 436^th time as James got off the ground and drilled a fierce right-footed free-kick, which forced goalkeeper Jack Delo in beating the ball down at his near post but the first person to react was Powell, who stabbed a right-footed shot over the line from one-yard out.

Cugley was quick to praise James for his brilliant free-kick, which left Delo in trouble.

He said:  “Give credit to (Kevin) James.  Yes, Jack should’ve held it or not got dragged to the far stick.  That’s a player who’s played at a higher standard, who’s switched onto the situation.  You wouldn’t get that often at our level. He’s saw Jack was going far (post) so he’s driven it in there and Jack’s in a little bit of two minds.  He should’ve done better with it but to be fair Jack’s had a good season.”

Dulwich Hamlet midfielder, Dean Carpenter, unleashed a speculative left-footed drive from 30-yards, which bounced once and past the keeper’s left-hand post.

The home side went close again five minutes before the break when Omar Lawson released Clunis down the right and he played the ball inside to Carpenter and Folkestone initially cleared but the impressive Clunis cut inside and drilled a right-footed shot on the angle over from fourteen-yards.

Folkestone’s vocal supporters were still awaiting their first shot on target just before the break when Marsden cut the ball back to Roland Edge, who clipped his cross in from the right and Chappell rose to loop a header over the crossbar from ten-yards.

Cugley wasn’t impressed with the first half, saying, “I just felt we should’ve caused them a lot more problems.  I would’ve liked to see it end-to-end with both sides causing problems and made it a better game really.”

Cugley revealed what he said to his players during the half-time interval.

“I said at half-time don’t go home, don’t go away disappointed that you haven’t given everything,” he said.

“If you lose, you lose, and I just felt there’s four or five there who have had their quietest game of the season. 

“You have to give Dulwich some credit.  They’re a good side so sometimes it’s easier to play against some poorer sides obviously but there the games that you want to stand out. I thought Roland Edge was absolutely exceptional for us in midfield. He looked like the only one in there and at his age he shouldn’t be the one standing out. You’re looking at the other lads to be standing out a bit more.”

Folkestone were playing too much long-ball football, which was comfortably dealt with by a Dulwich Hamlet defence that were well-marshalled by the Fridge, Francis Duku.

Dulwich Hamlet keeper Wilson was finally called into action in the 56^th minute when Burchell cut the ball back to Dickson, whose left-footed drive from 22-yards forced Wilson into making a save low to his right.

Cugley was rather concerned that his side’s best chances fell to defensive minded players.

He said: “Funny enough our set-pieces were superb tonight, the quality in.  Dickson had sort of three chances, Edge’s had two, so I’m not saying there good chances.  Maybe they fell to the wrong people but they had to fall to someone else really. We were dangerous at free-kicks and corners.”

Folkestone began to improve after the hour-mark when Smith delivered a free-kick from the left channel and the ball was knocked down onto Dickson’s right foot and his volley deflected over the crossbar.

And from Smith’s resulting corner, Chappell’s downward header was blocked by Wilson and both number six’s Lewis Gonsalves and Dickson were both booked by referee Mr Darren Blunden for their part in the resulting goalmouth melee.

Dulwich Hamlet were playing some trademark good football and they squandered an excellent chance to increase their lead.

Clunis cut the ball back to Kelvin Morath-Gibbs, who played the ball inside to midfield enforcer Adeniyi and the former Dartford midfielder picked out Carpenter lurking at the far post but he lost composure and cracked a left-footed volley over.

Morath-Gibbs was then released down the right and he floated over the cross and Adeniyi ghosted in and powered a header, which deflected wide of the post.

But the Kent side were facing a mountain to climb when Powell doubled Dulwich Hamlet’s lead with ten minutes remaining.

Two substitutes combined as Junior Kadi released Frankie Sawyer down the right and the wide attacker whipped in an excellent cross into the danger area and Powell came ghosting in towards the far post and he smashed a left-footed shot into the roof of the net from four-yards.

Cugley added: “They’re a good side. Their second goal was a good goal, a well worked goal.”

It was only after Powell was substituted to a heroes ovation from the home faithful that Folkestone Invicta started to realise what was happening to them and they pulled a goal back with only five minutes left.

Folkestone Invicta were so poor on the night, their goal, it could be argued, was flattering.

King unleashed a left-footed shot on the turn, which went across Wilson and the ball clipped the foot of the far post before nestling into the bottom far corner.

Cugley admitted he was disappointed with King’s contribution.

He said: “Again, he didn’t come alive until the end, until the goal.

“I think it’s disappointing when you come back to 2-1 with ten minutes to go you obviously wished you had a bit longer because I think a lot longer we would’ve got back into the game.

“The front two have done alright for me but in the bigger games we need somebody up there to cause them problems and maybe we have to look to get a centre forward to play with those two.

“We have scored a lot of goals (82 in 40 league games), which is good, but today it was a bit patchy really.”

That goal lifted the side in amber and black and they threw bodies forward in a desperate attempt to salvage something at the death.

Substitute Richard Atkins’ overhead kick sailed wide of the far post after Burchell’s shot was blocked inside the Dulwich Hamlet penalty area.

Delo came up for two last-gasp Burchell corners, but Edge hooked a far post left-footed volley over and Dickson sent his right-footed volley wide with the last kick of the game and Dulwich Hamlet deservedly sealed their passage into Sunday’s winner-takes-all final.

A regretful Cugley summed up the mood after the final whistle.

“At half-time I just felt don’t go on the coach tonight that you’ve not contributed to the game and really I thought too many people didn’t contribute to the game.”

Dulwich Hamlet: Phil Wilson, Kelvin Morath-Gibbs, Ahmed Deen, Peter Adeniyi, Francis Duku, Lewis Gonsalves, Nyren Clunis (Frankie Sawyer 73), Dean Carpenter, Ray Powell (Gerry Gonnella 83), Kevin James, Omar Lawson (Junior Kadi 79).
Subs: Sol Pinnock, Aaron Snelling

Goals: Ray Powell 29, 80

Booked: Lewis Gonsalves 64, Phil Wilson 90

Folkestone Invicta: Jack Delo, Micheal Everitt, Josh Burchell, Liam Friend, Frankie Chappell, Liam Dickson, Darren Smith (Richard Atkins 87), Darren Marsden, James Everitt, Stuart King, Roland Edge.
Subs: Damian Abel, Roy Guiver, Roddy Hayward

Goal: Stuart King 85

Booked: Micheal Everitt 28, Liam Dickson 64

Attendance: 632
Referee:  Mr Darren Blunden (Dartford)
Assistants: Mr Corin Readett (Virginia Water, Surrey) & Mr Michael Hayden (Epsom, Surrey)
Fourth Official: Mr Peter Lavelle (Totton, Hampshire)