Sevenoaks Town 0-2 Dulwich Hamlet - Lady luck deserted us, admits disappointed Jones

Tuesday 01st September 2009

SEVENOAKS TOWN 0-2 DULWICH HAMLET
FA Cup (Sponsored by E.ON) Preliminary Round Replay
Tuesday 1st September 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Greatness Park

“We’re all ruing missed opportunities if the truth be told,” was how Sevenoaks Town manager Simon Jones summed up his side’s FA Cup exit at the hands of a young Dulwich Hamlet side at a chilly Greatness Park tonight.

Dulwich Hamlet booked their trip to Southern League side VT in the first qualifying round on Saturday week, as Osa Obamwonyi and substitute Lamin Ojo took their chances.

Both goalkeepers excelled during a lively first half, but Kent League Sevenoaks switched off on the stroke of half-time and were made to pay when central defender Obamwonyi fired across Sean Funnell to dent the home side’s spirits.

There was plenty of huff and puff during the second half, but not many clear cut chances, and substitute Ojo sent Dulwich Hamlet through when he had a slice of lady luck.

“First half I thought there was only one team playing football,” a disappointed Jones told www.kentishfootball.co.uk in his office afterwards.

“We were carving them open at will. Their goalkeeper’s pulled off one, maybe two, really good saves and we were causing them many problems and then the sucker punch right before half-time, which is unbelievable.

“It was just one moment when we didn’t pick up the second ball. I’ve got to give credit to them, the guy’s reacted well, was faster than us, and he’s put it into the net.

“They’ve survived, weathered the storm and grabbed a goal to their advantage as well.”

With Steffan Cox lively down the right flank, it was Dulwich Hamlet who created the first chance of an entertaining first half.

Set-piece taker, Gerry Gonnella cut a corner back to Sanchez Ming and the former Welling United winger unleashed a low left-footed drive from 22-yards, which brought a fine low parry out of the diving Sean Funnell.

Sevenoaks almost scored in the 13th minute, thanks to Obamwonyi, who was relieved to see his goalkeeper Kieron Thorp make a diving save to prevent his back pass from flying into the corner after Lee Demaertelaere’s ball over the top was intended for striker Bill Shinners.

Sevenoaks’ highly-rated pair, Joe Creasey and Guy Smith, who are both expected to sign contracts for their home-town club this week, played their part just three minutes later.

Creasey delivered a free-kick from the left flank and this was met by a powerful header from Smith, which was superbly tipped over by Thorp.

Ming really should have found the net for the south Londoners when he pounced on a poor back pass from Toby Webb, only to see his attempted right-footed lob clear the crossbar.

However, the impressive Cox, who didn’t appear after the interval, brought Funnell’s second fine save of the half in the 25th minute.

The right-winger twisted and turned the Sevenoaks defence before smashing a low left-footed angled drive, which the goalkeeper did well to save at the foot of his near post.

After Webb was penalised for a fierce sliding tackle on Dulwich skipper Luke Hickie, Gonnella’s right-footed free-kick from 30-yards went over both the two-man wall and also the Sevenoaks crossbar.

But had Sevenoaks broke the deadlock with their best chance of the half in the 38th minute, then the outcome may have been a lot different.

Creasey whipped in an excellent cross from the left and all that the unmarked Smith could do was to plant his header agonisingly over the crossbar, holding his head in his hands as he knew that he missed his side’s best chance to create a giant killing.

The home side were made to pay for that glaring miss, as Dulwich Hamlet took the lead with 44:36 on the clock.

Gonnella whipped in a free-kick from the left and Obamwonyi reacted to the loose ball inside the penalty area at the near post and the tall defender turned to drive a left-footed shot across Funnell to find the far corner from eight-yards.

With Sevenoaks so close to the half-time interval, the opening goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of them and the second half was too flat for Jones' liking.

However, early in the second half Creasey should have capitalised on a poor back pass, but instead of finding the back of the net at the boardroom end of the ground, the ball trickled agonisingly past the foot off the post, via a deflection.

Dulwich, meanwhile, upped the tempo during the second half, enjoying plenty of possession, but rarely troubled Funnell in the Sevenoaks goal.

Sevenoaks went within inches to levelling when following a flick from debutant Romayle Wade, Creasey let fly with a right-footed piledriver, which sailed agonisingly over the top of the post.

But Dulwich Hamlet got the job done in the 76th minute when former Dartford midfielder Junior Kadi - who was playing at right-back - released substitute Alex Tiesse and his centre from the right was cleared by Webb, only for the ball to cruelly ricochet off Ojo to end Sevenoaks four-match FA Cup run.

Creasey had a goal ruled out for offside just three minutes later as the striker latched onto Smith’s through ball and Dulwich almost grabbed a flattering third inside stoppage time but Gonnella’s driven shot was blocked by Funnell’s legs at the near post, following Kadi’s low centre.

Jones, meanwhile, was disappointed with his side’s second half performance.

“We started well and I thought we had some good chances,” he said. “We (created) one or two half chances but to be honest with you, what happened was some of the decisions we made, I made on the sidelines changing the shape, changing the personnel, didn’t necessarily drive us further forward so it’s no disrespect to the players because I thought they performed admirably.

“Dulwich knuckled down, they’ve used their experience, they somehow wrangled a goal just before half-time to just settle their nerves to be honest.

“Had we scored from that header earlier on, it would’ve been a totally different game. It might have put them on the back foot and rocked them a little bit more but credit to them, they stuck to their guns, grabbed a goal and the second goal, how unfortunate - Toby Webb clears it, it hits their guy and goes in!”

Sevenoaks travel to Sussex County League side Hassocks in the first qualifying round of the FA Vase on Saturday, and Jones, who is without influential Smith for three games through suspension said, “Tonight’s one of our fun games because the league is priority, the league cup is second priority, the Vase third and the FA Cup is fourth. That’s how we normally look at it.

“The FA Cup is hopefully something for the spectators to get into, something for the players to relax and play some positive football and to bring funds into the club.

“I know it’s been said before and it sounds like sour grapes, but we weren’t going to win the FA Cup. It’s nice to progress as far as possible. We like to have a run to get the money that goes with it, but now we focus on the Vase but that’s something where we can have a good crack at it.”

Reflecting on tonight’s FA Cup exit, Jones added, “Tonight we matched them blow for blow and lady luck deserted us, that’s the only way I can look at it."

Jones admitted that he was disappointed not to win in front of the club’s largest crowd of the season so far.

“I’m just disappointed that we didn’t repay their faith by getting the result and kicking on,” Jones added.

Sevenoaks Town: Sean Funnell, Toby Webb, Michael Cook, Dean Montgomery (John Alegbe 81), Adrian Griffiths, Lee Demaertalaere, Matt Foreman (Romayle Wade 59), Guy Smith, Joe Creasey, Bill Shinners (Billy Simpson 89), Chris Walker.
Subs: Joe Minter, Danny Ward, Kyrone Josephs, Michael Mullane.

Booked: Guy Smith 47, Chris Walker 83, Lee Demaertelaere 86

Dulwich Hamlet: Kieron Thorp, Junior Kadi, Kalvin Morath-Gibbs, Gerry Gonnella, Femi Ismak, Osa Obamwonyi, Sanchez Ming (Gavin Rose 80), Alim Sesay, Jamie Cheeseman (Alex Tiesse 74), Luke Hickie, Steffan Cox (Lamin Ojo 46).
Subs: Tim Roberts, Jay Roberts, Ryan James, Dominic Weston.

Goals: Osa Obamwonyi 45, Lamin Ojo 76

Attendance: 167
Referee: Mr Andrew Parker (Stanford-le-Hope, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Rob Baker (Maidstone) & Mr Chris Myatt (Dartford)