Dulwich Hamlet 3-1 Hendon - There's no limit how good they can become, says Gavin Rose

DULWICH HAMLET  3-1  HENDON
London Senior Cup Sponsored by Coventry Scaffolding First Round
Monday 14^th October 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Champion Hill Stadium

DULWICH HAMLET boss Gavin Rose says his promising crop of youngsters will gain first team experience in this season’s London Senior Cup.

Rose made eleven changes to his side that were knocked out of The FA Cup Third Qualifying Round at Calor (Southern) Premier League leaders Hemel Hempstead Town at the weekend, but all seven substitutes on the bench at Vauxhall Road all started in this First Round tie.

Hendon started with eight players whom started their last Ryman Premier League game - a 4-0 win away to Bury Town on 5 October.

Dulwich Hamlet secured a home tie against Hanwell Town or Harrow Borough in the last sixteen after progressing tonight.

Striker Marcel Henry-Francis gave the hosts an early lead before Hendon clawed themselves back into the game when substitute Anthony Thomas scored his sixth-goal of the season with fifteen minutes remaining.

Henry-Francis’ fourth-goal of the season put Dulwich Hamlet back in the driving seat, before seventeen-year-old substitute Ramell Lake finished Hendon off.

But Hendon finished the game with ten-men after Aaron Morgan, who finished the game at left-back, was red-carded for a lunge on Lake.

“Really good display by the young boys,” said a proud Rose after the game.

“Our oldest player was 23 and that was Billy Crook, who captained us tonight.

“We had a lot of 18-year-olds playing. We had a few youth team players, including Ramell Lake and Brandon Garner, who came on as subs, so it was a good exercise for us.  The only way they’ll learn is to get them playing against senior teams.”

Rose was delighted that his promising youngsters performed well against a strong Hendon outfit.

He said: “Sometimes it’s difficult for players when they’re playing in a cup game that they might not take as priority so I understand that for senior players for Hendon but they played some very good football Hendon.

“The exercise was more important for us, other than the result. We competed and we learnt a lot and that’s because Hendon are an experienced team.

“It could so easily gone the other way. Hendon could have taken a few chances and won the game.

“We’re happy to be in the next round but really more happy with the test they gave us.”

Rose insisted the players that featured tonight remain very much in his plans for the season.

“We wanted to make sure we gave all those players’ an opportunity,” said the former Beckenham Town manager.

“They’re very much a part of what we’re doing here and they need exposure and they need games and they need to learn.  You can see on the bench are quite young and eventually we want them to be a part of our team for the starting eleven but it’s going to take time.”

Dulwich Hamlet created the first chance of the game when their oldest player on the pitch, skipper Billy Crook, released Henry-Francis down the right and his angled drive was saved by Hendon keeper Berkley Laurencin at the near post.

But the Pink & Blues opened the scoring inside the opening six minutes.

Left-back Kristian Campbell clipped a sublime pass to release Henry-Francis through on goal and after cutting into the penalty area drilled a low right-footed drive across Laurencin from fifteen-yards for the ball to nestle inside the bottom far corner.

“Excellent finish,” said Rose.  “That’s what the boy, Marcel can do when he’s playing to his strengths. He’s got excellent pace and strength and he was very direct and didn’t over complicate it and you saw the end product.”

Dulwich Hamlet’s man-of-the-match Xavier Vidal issued Hendon a warning when he cracked a right-footed free-kick towards goal from 35-yards, which forced Laurencin to catch the ball above his head.

Hendon forced their way back into the game and Dulwich Hamlet goalkeeper Oshane Brown stuck out his long left leg at the near post to block Jefferson Louis from scoring with a right-footed shot, which was heading towards the bottom near corner from a tight angle.

Brown then dived to his left to tip away Dave Diedhiou’s curling left-footed shot from 25-yards, before Louis’ right-footed shot on the turn rolled harmlessly wide from just outside the penalty box.

“Oshane is still eligible to play youth team football and the fact that he plays in our first team against a Ryman Premier team will be a shot in the arm for him,” said Rose, who has sent the sixteen-year-old goalkeeper out on loan to Beckenham Town this season.

“He’s going to be a very good goalkeeper if he can keep listening and learning and working hard on his game.

“To be honest we’ve got a few good goalkeepers. We’ve got Sean Bazell (who was an unused substitute for Sittingbourne in their 4-1 FA Cup defeat at Staines Town at the weekend) who will be playing in the reserves on Wednesday. We’ve got one who is currently on loan to Greenwich Borough and we’ve got Oshane.

“We haven’t really identified any of them as number two choice but we’re giving them as much experience as we can.”

Dulwich Hamlet went close when Henry-Francis’ knock-down dropped to Adeyinka Cole, who took a touch before cracking a right-footed drive on the turn, which dipped just over the Hendon crossbar from 25-yards.

Just past the half-way stage, Vidal whipped in a free-kick from the right, which made its way to Crook, whose deflected drive flashed through a crowd of players for Laurencin to make the save.

Hendon called Brown into action again when Tony Taggart’s corner from the left was played short to Carl McCluskey, whose right-footed angled drive from 25-yards flew straight down the keeper’s throat at his near post.

Rose felt his side should have doubled their lead in the 34^th minute.

Vital stroked a stunning right-footed free-kick over the wall from 35-yards and left Laurencin rooted to the spot as the ball agonisingly clipped the outside of the right-hand post and to safety.

“We know he can strike a good ball,” said Rose.  “He’s been around the first team squad for the last year now and scored a few special goals from distance so that was no surprise to us!

“I can’t take any credit away from him though. It was a great strike and he had a decent performance today.”

Poor defending from Hendon’s central defender Rhys Paul gifted the ball to Henry-Francis, who failed to accept the gift and drilled his right-footed shot just past the right-hand post.

When asked his half-time thoughts, Rose replied: “It could have been more but we felt Hendon had a lot of control of the game so we wanted to talk tactically what was going wrong and what we needed to improve on.

“We showed signs of improving at times in the second half. My main concern was the understanding of the game for the young players because results will come but understanding the game is more important.”

Hendon came out with much more purpose during the second half – after all they could have potentially played their landlords Harrow Borough in the next round had they won this game tonight.

But the first chance of the second half fell Hendon’s way in the 56^th minute when central midfielder Kevin Maclaren played a fine diagonal pass to find Dave Diedhio in space on the right and he drilled his right-footed angled drive harmlessly wide of the far post.

A poor pass out of the Hamlet defence by Marc-Anthony Okoye should have been tucked home by Lee O’Leary, but the Hendon midfielder chipped the ball into Brown’s grateful arms.

Rose brought on two youth-team players in the shape of Brandon Garner and Lake after 63 minutes and Garner whipped in a cross from the right but an unmarked Henry-Francis looped his header over the bar from 12-yards.

Louis came within inches of scoring his eighth-goal of the season for Hendon when he stroked his right-footed shot agonisingly wide of the foot of the right-hand post with Brown rooted to the spot.

But Hendon did draw level when O’Leary’s pass cut open Dulwich Hamlet’s two central defenders Tyler Myers and Okoye to put Thomas through on goal and he maintained his composure to sweep his right-footed volley over Brown’s right shoulder and into the roof of the net.

Rose said: “Good finish. A little bit of inexperience from my two centre halves ball watching and Oshane sort of makes the lad’s mind up by coming out and not really having a chance to get anything on it.  If he stays on the goal-line the guy probably has another touch and gives us a chance to get back. It was a good finish from the boy and probably a deserved equaliser.”

But Dulwich Hamlet showed character and bounced back by regaining the lead only 157 seconds after going a goal behind.

Cole and Vidal linked up well on the edge of the Hendon box and the ball was deflected into Henry-Fraser’s path and the unmarked striker (who was played onside by the deflection) slammed his right-footed drive past Laurencin.

Rose said: “There was probably a bit of a deflection when a one-two between Cole and Xavier got intercepted and Marcel’s leashed on it like a forward should do I suppose inside the box when the ball’s bouncing around and slotted it home.”

Dulwich Hamlet increased their lead with six minutes remaining when slight striker Lake cut in from the right and curled a beautiful left-footed shot around Laurencin into the far corner of the net.

“The boy has lots of talent,” confirmed Rose.  “The boys do really well in the Youth Cup with the Academy and he’s come on for the last 20 minutes and he showed a little glimpse of what he can do. He’s still underdeveloped for a boy physically but he’s excellent and he showed that with his goal.”

Hendon created a flurry of late chances when Thomas’ chipped the ball over the top of the Dulwich defence to release McCluskey, but his right-footed shot was caught by Brown.

McCluskey then played a diagonal pass to pick out Thomas, who shot at Brown, before Thomas’s right-footed drive clipped the right-hand post, rebounded off the Dulwich Hamlet keeper and rolled behind for a corner.

Rose was clearly angry with the lunge from Hendon’s versatile midfielder Morgan on Lake just yards in front of the Dulwich Hamlet dug-out, as the manager stormed out of his technical area to remonstrate with the offender.

Once the players calmed down, referee Mr Neil Davies produced a straight red-card to Morgan - and his team-mate Kevin Maclaren picked up a yellow card – as did Dulwich Hamlet right-back Kershaney Samuels - for pushing and shoving in the resulting melee.

Rose criticised Morgan for his challenge and said: “I’m not sure if the boy was a little bit frustrated? I’m not sure what kind of tackle came in but I just thought there was no relevance for that kind of tackle in the game. It was not that sort of game. The tackle could have broken the boys’ leg and that’s my primary concern.”

Rose, meanwhile, explained why it’s important to have a run in the London Senior Cup – which was won by Conference South side Bromley last season.

“It will be to these boys,” he said. “It will be a priority to them. The more games we win the more opportunity they get to guarantee to play in the first team so it is a priority to them and we want to do as well as we can.

“I think with young players, we coach them in the Academy, we know how good they are but sometimes they don’t know how good they are themselves and the only way they can see how good they are is getting opportunities to play games.

“We’re not scared to give them a game because these boys have got all the development in front of them and they can learn. There’s no limit how good they can become. We’ve got the depth with the Academy and there’s no point having that depth if we don’t use it.”

Dulwich Hamlet: Oshane Brown, Kershaney Samuels, Kristian Campbell, Billy Crook (Fabian Reid 85), Marc-Anthony Okoye, Tyler Myers, Abdul Mansaray (Ramell Lake 63), Xavier Vidal, Marcel Henry-Francis, Adeyinka Cole, Cherno Mendy (Brandon Garner 63).
Subs: David Bangurah, Omari Hibbert

Goals: Marcel Henry-Francis 6, 77, Ramell Lake 84

Booked: Kershaney Samuels 90

Hendon: Berkley Laurencin, Chris Seeby, Tony Taggart (Michael Murray 65), James Fisher (Max McCann 85), Rhys Paul (Anthony Thomas 64), Kevin Maclaren, Dave Diedhiou, Lee O’Leary, Jefferson Louis, Carl McCluskey, Aaron Morgan.
Subs: Jack Bennett, Casey Maclaren

Goal: Anthony Thomas 75

Booked: Rhys Paul 33, Kevin Maclaren 90

Sent Off: Aaron Morgan 89

Attendance: 157
Referee: Mr Neil Davies (West Hampstead, London NW2)
Assistants: Mr John Nazari (Battersea, London SW11) & Mr James Hurst (Motspur Park, Surrey)