DULWICH YOUNGSTERS IN JOHN ULLMAN CUP FINAL (SUNDAY 16TH MAY - KO 6.00 PM)

15.05.10

One last shot at the silverware for Dulwich Hamlet this coming Sunday as Ian Neal's Youth Team attempt to prevent Chatham Town from completing an unprecedented clean sweep of Kent Youth competitions when they go head to head at the Bayliss Avenue home of Thamesmead Town in the final of the John Ullman Memorial Cup. Please note that kickoff is at 6.00pm!

The Dulwich youngsters earned their place in the final last Sunday when a single goal was enough to see off their freescoring counterparts from Gavin Rose's ASPIRE Academy, who suffered a rare shut out as the defence squeezed the life out of an attack that had breached the Chatham rearguard five times in the Kent Youth League Challenge Cup final earlier that week. Meanwhile Chatham had already booked their place in the John Ullman final a few days earlier as their rubbed out a Tonbridge challenge, winning up four goals to nothing less than 24 hours after an gruelling, for player and supporters alike, Challenge Cup final when they wiped out a four goal Hamlet lead in normal time before coming from behind once more in extra time to lift the cup 6-5! Having already lifted the Kent FA Under 18 County Cup, Chatham clinched the Kent Youth League Central Division title last Thursday with a 2-0 victory to claim a treble of trophies in an outstanding season. Now all that stands between them and a unique four timer are the young warriors of Dulwich Hamlet. Form three ranks and sing Men of Harlech!

Though Chatham emerged victorious by 4-2 when these two sides clashed in the League Cup second round at the end of October last year, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since that goal strew day at Maidstone, Tom Pedrotti and Dean Grant the scorers then. However, barring a evening best forgotten at Hayes & Yeading in the Isthmian Youth Cup, Ian's Dulwich squad comes into this game on a fine run of form that has lifted them from mid-table mediocrity into fourth place in the North Division of the Kent Youth League, just a point shy of the runners up spot and Thamesmead Town with both sides having two games left to play. Indeed, they may well have overleapt the Kent side had they not gone down by the odd goal at Bayliss Avenue in their last league defeat back at the end of March. Since then the youngsters have been unbeaten in their last six league games with only Cray Wanderers depriving them of maximum points during their late canter towards the upper reaches of the table. In that time they also dispatched Dartford and Dulwich (Central) to claim their spot in this final, both victories achieved without conceding a goal.

Though not as prolific in front of goal as their Academy counterparts Ian's youngsters have built their reputation on a solid defence where skipper Olly Bell has been an inspirational leader weighing in with the odd vital goal most important the late opener helped snap the back of a dogged Dartford XI. Grabbing the second that night was Daniel Craig who along with leading scorer Pedrotti has been among the prime source of goals for the Hamlet youngsters.

Getting to Thamesmead by public transport: The nearest train station is Abbey Wood, 2 miles away from Bayliss. From the train station a 244 (bus stop C) will take you to the roundabout at Carlyle Road. Alight here from whence it is a 10-minute walk along Crossways where Bayliss Avenue is the fourth turning on your right. There are four buses that stop outside Bayliss Avenue - 177 (from Peckham via New Cross), 229, 401 and 473.