Match Report | Bexhill United 1 Dulwich Hamlet 6

Dulwich produced a clinical second half performance to reach the Third Round of the London & South East Regional Women's League Cup against Bexhill United.

Holding just a 1-0 lead on the hour mark, Ryan Dempsey made four substitutions, and three of them would find the back of the net as we eventually ended as 6-1 victors in some of the wettest and windiest conditions we are likely to encounter.

Chief destructor was Sophie Manzi, scoring a 28 minute hat-trick, her sixth for the club, to go alongside further strikes from Saskia Philp, Lily Price and Brit Saylor in what, for the most part, was a dominant performance.

The pack was shuffled from the Fulham win a week earlier, with Manzi, Rebecca May, Price and Saylor dropping to the bench in favour of Philp, Lucy Monkman, Hannah Baptiste and Ella Wales-Bonner, whilst Abby Delves replaced the departed Ellie Milbourn. They came up against a side who had won their previous three outings, but had also lost 17-0 during October.

The Hamlet dominated from the outset, with Monkman and Philp making consistently probing runs, the latter testing Keila Tucker at her near post in the opening 90 seconds, before Wales-Bonner went on one of her trademark runs, placing her chance wide. On seven minutes, Madi Parsonson was well picked out on the far side of the box by Wales-Bonner, but had her shot punched over by Tucker. From the resulting corner, Erin Corrigan was denied a first Hamlet goal by a clearance off the line as the Hamlet provided one-way traffic.

Philp thought she had given us the lead in the 14th minute when she was played in by Delves, but after lobbing Tucker, she could only watch on as Molly Kemp came back to once again clear from the goalline. After seeing another couple of chances go begging through Monkman, Philp made show she would not be denied again, when she sent a thumping header into the bottom corner from a Parsonson set-piece in the 22nd minute to give us a deserved lead.

The rest of the half would follow the same pattern in the less-than-pleasant conditions, with Monkman again testing Tucker, Philp shooting high from the edge of the box and Baptiste making a clever run to arrive in the penalty area only to flick wide the best of our chances. The only opportunity of note for the hostesses in the first half came from a free kick in the 30th minute, which saw Michelle Compton shift the ball to Lucy Knight, who powered her shot over the bar.

With no protection from the elements, the second half kicked off less than ten minutes after the first half had ended, and the early exchanges saw us continue to remain dominant in possession, without the end product, Saskia Reeves-Priestley a virtual bystander trying to stay warm at the other end. That would change in the 61st minute with the arrival of Manzi, May, Price and Saylor into the game, with Manzi earning a corner with her first four touches of the ball. Touch number five saw her head home that Parsonson delivery, a brilliant run in front of her marker to glance into the far corner to put us truly in control. Just 62 seconds had passed between her arrival into the game and scoring.

Players were suddenly treated to a few misleading minutes of sunshine, Parsonson trying to add a goal to her two assists but firing over from wide. The third goal would arrive in the 72nd minute though, as Price picked up a goal kick to volley a pass forward to Manzi. Swivelling in the 'D', the striker unleashed a ferocious shot which flashed over the head of Tucker into the roof of the net. Less than 90 seconds after the restart, Manzi would turn provider, knocking a pass into the path of Price, who produced an exquisite chip into the far corner for her third Hamlet goal, all of them of the highest quality.

The home side would get their moment in front of goal though, when with thirteen minutes remaining, Compton was able to volley a cross towards the far post that Delves hesitated over clearing, with that uncertainty allowing Knight to pounce and score past the hapless Reeves-Priestley. The Hamlet responded in the only way they've known how to in recent times, with yet another goal, and it was another Parsonson set piece that did the damage, as her inswinger bobbled off a defender for Saylor to instinctively volley home, becoming the fourth player after Manzi, Philp and Monkman to reach double figures for the side, half of which have come this season.

As the heavens opened once again, and with a real vengeance, there was enough time remaining for Manzi to secure her second treble of the season. Manzi played a pass to May on her left, and after taking a few steps toward the box, she in turn released Baptiste with a great through-ball. With her first touch, the Guyanese international slide the ball across the six-yard box, and there was Manzi to tap home from a couple of yards. All that was left to be done was to get back into the warmth of the dressing room and coach!

Bexhill United Line-Up: 1 Keila Tucker, 2 Molly Kemp, 3 Josephine Honnor, 4 Michelle Compton (c), 9 Magdalena Trybula (8 Jessica Anderson 80'), 10 Ann-Marie Pier, 11 Christy Haragan, 12 Lucy Knight (14 Sophie Curtis 87'), 14 Sophie Curtis (7 Jessica Mitchell 69'), 15 Laura Swarbrooke, 17 Katie Lax (6 Hollie Kemp 35' (5 Michaela Bryant 78'))

Unused Substitute: 16 Georgia Payne

Goalscorer: Lucy Knight 77'

Dulwich Hamlet Line-Up: 1 Saskia Reeves-Priestley, 2 Madi Parsonson, 4 Chana Hinds (c), 5 Rosie Stone (8 Brit Saylor 61'), 7 Saskia Philp (9 Sophie Manzi 61'), 10 Hannah Baptiste (21 Lily Price 61'), 13 Ceylon Hickman, 14 Lucy Monkman (11 Rebecca May 61'), 15 Erin Corrigan (10 Hannah Baptiste 80'), 16 Ella Wales-Bonner, 19 Abby Delves

Goalscorers: Saskia Philp 22', Sophie Manzi 62', 72'. 88', Lily Price 74', Brit Saylor 79'

Referee: Stephen Weller

Match Report | Dulwich Hamlet 4 Fulham FC 2

Five games played. Four wins. One draw. 21 goals scored. Three conceded. Three clean sheets. First Round of the FA Cup reached. First team to take points off Worthing this season.

All these are statistics for what has been a stunning month for the women's first team, and on Sunday, they could add the following to that impressive list: score four against the league's meanest defence.

For the 450 in attendance at Champion Hill, they were treated to an afternoon of high drama and excitement, the threat of a Fulham comeback, but ultimately the joy that a hard-fought win brings.

They were boosted before the game by the return of Ceylon Hickman from holiday, as well as Rosie Stone being available to play from the start, and Ellie Milbourn was also given a start on her final Hamlet appearance before moving to Bristol. The team also had a new fan in attendance; men's manager Paul Barnes watching for the first time with his dog Pepper, fresh from three points on the road the previous day.

Managers will always say they want a fast start to a game, but no one could scarcely believe the start the Hamlet would make here. Indeed fans were still finding their seats when in the opening seconds of the game, a long ball infield from Madi Parsonson was poked on first time by Sophie Manzi to her strike partner Rebecca May, with the forward able to prod the ball past the onrushing Edie Kelly and into the far corner. 28 seconds on the clock and the home side found themselves ahead.

Therein followed five minutes or so where the Hamlet had their tails up and looked to press home the early advantage, Madi Parsonson in particular finding joy down the Hamlet left. The Cottagers came into the game off the back of five successive wins, sat third in the league and had beaten a side at the level above in Maidenhead United the previous week, and so would always be a threat. This was proven in the 13th minute when Brit Saylor uncharacteristically lost possession in her own half, with the ball eventually played through to Ede Buchele, who simply had to place the ball past Saskia Reeves-Priestley to equalise. Fortunately for the Hamlet, she managed to strike the outside of the post and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

From here, the visitors dominated possession, with Lily Price having to make an outstanding block on the edge of her penalty area to deny Lilly Lambird, before Saskia was called into action to make a very smart save diving to her right to thwart Fulham top scorer Helen Ogle after she latched onto a long pass from Georgia Heasman. In the 24th minute, Buchele was able to run off her marker and find space for a shot from outside the area, but it was comfortable for Reeves-Priestley this time.

The hosts began to get a foothold in the game once again, with Stone, Saylor and Price exerting more dominance in midfield, without the Hamlet creating chances. At least not until we added our second goal in clinical manner on the half-hour mark. A wayward pass from Lambird gifted the ball to Manzi, who after playing a one-two with Saylor, produced a perfectly-weighted through ball to May, who beat the offside trap, and once again drew the keeper before rolling the ball into the bottom corner. May once again proving how ice cold she is in front of goal.

Fulham responded by making a change, but again the Hamlet midfield and defence continuously shut out any sniff of an attack with relative ease, with Chana Hinds exemplifying this with a brilliant piece of recovery work on a Fulham counter-attack that saw her win the ball on the edge of the box off the dangerous Ogle. We could have extended our lead five minutes before the break when Erin Corrigan carried the ball from defence, played it wide for Parsonson, who fed Manzi infield. A deflected pass took the ball perfectly into the path of May, and she spotted the run of Milbourn to her right, and played her in. It would have been a perfect way to cap her time at the club with a goal, but Kelly spoiled the party by making a save with her legs to deny Milbourn's low drive.

Kelly would soon be in the thick of the action again, but for the wrong reasons from a Fulham point of view. Corrigan sent a free kick from just inside her half into the Fulham box, and with keeper and defenders hesitating, May got to the ball first, and was felled by Kelly. Penalty duly awarded and no complaints from the Fulham players. Despite May being on a brace, Manzi is the club's designated penalty taker, and had been reminded of that following the one she allowed Hannah Baptiste to take, and miss, in the FA Cup earlier in the month. This time she stepped up, and put it to Kelly's right to make it 3-0. There was still time in injury time for Ogle to spurn a huge chance to reduce arrears, seeing a shot saved by the boot of Saskia. Unbeknownst until afterwards, it would be a huge save in the context of the game.

Fulham needed a fast start to the second half to hold hopes of a comeback, but it was the Hamlet who passed up a big chance to score again in the 49th minute, as Saylor won an aerial duel, with Manzi collecting the loose ball. Once again she was instinctively aware of the run May was making ahead of her, but with the chance to complete her hat trick there, May saw Kelly palm away her effort, with Price then heading over the second phase of the attack.

Ogle and Buchele were kept at bay by Saskia and Ceylon respectively, with the Hamlet seemingly comfortable against the continuous waves of Fulham attacks, with Parsonson also going close at the other end in a rare Hamlet attack. However, on the hour mark, the comeback door was suddenly ajar as a Lambird corner was headed in by Annie Thomas, the flicker of hope burning a little brighter. The flame grew just four minutes later too, when Tia Foreman put a free kick into the top corner to reduce arrears further, and leave more than a few people around the ground feeling nervous.

The perfect remedy for that would, of course, be to score another goal, and that's precisely what the Hamlet did in the 67th minute, with two of the club's stalwarts combining. Stone clipped a free kick into the box, and there was Captain Fantastic Saylor on the end of it to nod in her fourth goal of the campaign, and swing the momentum back in our favour.

Over the next 15 minutes or so, we quashed, snuffed out, doused, repelled and absorbed every attack Fulham had to offer in a quite brilliant piece of defensive play, the closest the visitors coming was through Buchele hitting the post for the second time in the afternoon, whilst Corrigan produced one of the great tackles of the season for good measure as well.

Milbourn was replaced and received huge embraces from staff and players alike on the bench, acknowledging the end of her Hamlet career, and her side continued to do their business on the pitch, not allowing their visitors any proper chances of late drama in this game, closing the door for good on them being an attacking threat, although there was still time for Hinds to show off that impressive recovery pace once again to make a last-ditch tackle in the penalty area. Another win then, arguably the best of the season, and although we remain in eighth place in the table, we are now just three points off Fulham in third.

Dulwich Hamlet Line-Up: 1 Saskia Reeves-Priestley, 2 Madi Parsonson, 4 Chana Hinds, 5 Rosie Stone, 8 Brit Saylor (c), 9 Sophie Manzi, 11 Rebecca May (14 Lucy Monkman 82'), 13 Ceylon Hickman, 15 Erin Corrigan, 17 Ellie Milbourn (19 Abby Delves 75'), 21 Lily Price (16 Ella Wales-Bonner)

Unused Substitutes: 7 Saskia Philp, 10 Hannah Baptiste

Goalscorers: Rebecca May 1', 30', Sophie Manzi (pen) 45', Brit Saylor 67'

Yellow Cards: Madi Parsonson 45+4', Brit Saylor 51'

Fulham Line-Up: 1 Edie Kelly, 5 Mary Southgate (c), 7 Helen Ogle, 8 Becky Stormer, 10 Lilly Lambird (18 Georgia Heasman 70'), 14 Tia Foreman, 15 Sophie Modak (4 Annie Thomas 33'), 17 Loïs Konan (2 Emily Bird 89'), 18 Georgia Heasman (21 Ilana Harris-Walters 66'), 19 Ede Buchele, 27 Megalie Mendes (3 Tessa Allen 46')

Unused Substitute: 13 Holly Cowan

Goalscorers: Annie Thomas 60', Tia Foreman 64'

Yellow Card: Loïs Konan 45+3'

Referee: Lanray Alapafujah
Attendance: 450 (+11 dogs)

Match Report | Dulwich Hamlet 3 Winchester City Flyers 0

A slice of history was created in SE22 on Sunday as the Hamlet women's side reached the First Round of the Women's FA Cup for the first time in our short history.

Rebecca May got the ball rolling early on with a typical poacher's finish in the penalty area, but Player of the Match Lily Price took centre stage for the rest of the afternoon, scoring two stunning goals to see off Winchester City Flyers.

Both the Hamlet and Winchester came into this game with big motivation, as both sides aimed to reach the First Round proper for the first time in their respective histories. The early moments of the game showed the nerves of the sides as passes were mishit and the football was very pragmatic during the early stages.

However, it did not take the Hamlet long to turn up the heat as, in the 7th minute, a Lily Price corner was met by Hannah Baptise with a looping header, which was cleared on the line, only for May to slot the effort home giving the Hamlet an early advantage in the cup tie. The early goal did wonders for the Hamlet side as they continued to attack high up the pitch in numbers, leaving the Flyers with early defensive work to do. Faye Wooley for Winchester remained firm in the heart of the defence with several defensive clearances to ward off the Hamlet onslaught.

The next big chance for the Hamlet came in typical fashion for the side this season, as a long ball from Chana Hinds put Abby Delves in great space down the left. She delivered a lofted ball into the box which was met by Sophie Manzi with great precision, but her header was equalled by a great save by Emily Paines.

Despite the resistance from Winchester, it was not long until the Hamlet doubled their advantage. Intricate play between Delves and Price in the 42nd minute gave the Hamlet plenty of space on the edge of the box to have a shot on goal, and Price did just that which her effort sailing above the keepers' head and into the back of the net. A great way to score her first goal for the club since arriving from Crystal Palace in the summer. Paines had a great game during the half and was very unfortunate not to keep that effort out.

After the half time interval Winchester came out the stronger side with efforts from Shayne Prasad and Kelly Rutledge finding the target but nothing to really test the Hamlet defence. Manzi had a great game without scoring as she dropped into pockets of space to bring the Hamlet attackers into play.

With twenty minutes remaining, this work by Manzi worked wonders as she played a beautiful through ball into the path of May who had the onrushing Paines to battle with. The keeper made a great save, but a clearance from a defender deflected off May and, unfortunately for the visitors, landed to Price again on the edge of the box. She calmly lobbed the ball over the keeper and defender to make it 3-0 to the Hamlet, her effort kissing the crossbar on its way in.

The third Hamlet goal left the Winchester players in despair as their cup run was all but certain to end ,which meant the remaining minutes of the game petered out until the final whistle, which signalled history being made for the Hamlet. They will travel to league rivals Aylesford in Round One.

Dulwich Hamlet Line-Up: 1 Saskia Reeves-Priestley, 2 Madi Parsonson, 4 Chana Hinds, 8 Brit Saylor (c), 9 Sophie Manzi (14 Lucy Monkman 72'), 10 Hannah Baptiste (5 Rosie Stone 63'), 11 Rebecca May, 15 Erin Corrigan, 19 Abby Delves, 20 Minnie Cruttwell (7 Saskia Philp 69'), 21 Lily Price

Unused Substitute: 17 Ellie Milbourn

Goalscorers: Rebecca May 7', Lily Price 42', 70'

Winchester City Flyers Line-Up: 1 Emily Paines, 2 Noella Rodricks, 5 Hannah Chalk (c), 6 Faye Wooley, 7 Lydia Moulding, 8 Kelly Rutledge (10 Gracie Hodan 65'), 9 Shayne Prasad, 11 Libby Wilkinson (15 Alice Firth 73'), 16 Lia Francis, 17 Sharna Capel Watson, 22 Becky Harris (19 Claudia Watson 65')

Referee: Josh Reid
Attendance: 204

Match Report | Dulwich Hamlet 0 Worthing FC Women 0

We reach the second of four straight home fixtures for the pink and blue. After racking up 14 goals in their last two games, Dulwich came to today’s fixture expecting a trickier time. Second place Worthing are an excellent side, without a single loss this season. When they get to define the flavour of the game, they are incredibly hard to defend against, as Dulwich found out to their detriment in a 4-2 away loss in August. Worthing sauntered into Champion Hill planning to extend their six-game winning streak; instead, a defiant Dulwich handed them their first dropped points of the season.

Worthing started aggressively, forcing Chana Hinds to defend a sneaky attack in the opening minutes. Centre-forward Sophie Manzi had ideas of her own, trying out the left flank, but was taken down, earning a free kick; the talented Izzy Franklin tried a direct attack but her service went straight into Worthing keeper’s Lauren Dolbear’s arms. Dulwich wanted an early lead to give them some security against an unrelenting Worthing attack. Manzi, Erin Corrigan and Rebecca May all tried their luck as the game started to unfold; Corrigan’s attempt was stopped at the post, and May was offside. For twenty minutes the two sides tested each other’s weaknesses; Worthing parked a free kick behind the Dulwich goal, and Ellie Milbourn hit the roof of the net with a doozy of a cross.

As Hinds dismantled an attacker in the Dulwich box and Ceylon Hickman tidied up the loose ends, Dulwich sought to establish some stability in midfield and limit Worthing’s options. A soaring cross from Madi Parsonson set up a link with Ella Wales-Bonner, but Worthing intercepted it. The creative and ambitious Parsonson still wanted a goal though. A finely placed cross into the box could simply have used a well placed head to finish it; later in the half, Worthing’s Katie Young and Hayley Bridge had to team up on the right to contain her and swerve her off course. Worthing tried tipping the scales with a scything corner that Saskia Reeves-Priestley had to punch clear. As the half progressed, Dulwich and Worthing were closely matched. Hard work on Worthing’s right-back side thwarted roving attacks from the host side, but Dulwich also had it locked down well at the back, with Ceylon Hickman and the dependable Hinds patrolling the box with cool precision, and keen-sighted Reeves-Priestley seeing off any real danger.

Dulwich had a choice to make at half time - divert more firepower up front to get some chances finished, or double down on defence? Perhaps a spine-tingling Worthing chance made their minds up for them: Rebecca Bell fired a shot across the bows at 53 minutes, and with Reeves-Priestley momentarily out of position, Dulwich could have conceded a frustrating goal; luckily Bell’s aim was imprecise, and her shot rolled past the post.

An emboldened Worthing brought all their focus to the Dulwich half, and the Hamlet midfield had to rally to back up Hinds, who was firefighting hard at the back. As subs on both sides freshened the game, it started to get chippy, with the visitors claiming a couple of hotly contested free kicks. There was pressure in midfield as Wales-Bonner tried to push the action up the field, while a heroic tackle from Erin Corrigan kept Worthing out of the box in another dangerous moment. With the minutes ticking down, the heat ramped up; while

Rosie Stone was walked off for observation after an injury to her foot, Worthing’s Ella Newman gave Parsonson an unnecessary shove. Bafflingly the call went to Worthing, but the free kick fizzled out at the 18 yard line.

With Dulwich defending hard to avoid a late concession, Izzy Franklin, subbed off earlier, returned to the field to bolster the back. Worthing fought to the last to create space in Dulwich’s half, but the pink ’n’ blue had their number, closing in on them and blocking off their options. After 90 minutes of the two sides locking horns, Chana Hinds had the last touch of the game, knocking the ball off the field along with Worthing’s hopes of an easy 3 points or, indeed, any goals at all. The 0-0 finish was a matter of satisfaction for the visibly elated Hamlet, while some irritation was reported from the visiting camp…

[b]What worked:[/b]

[b]Playing it safe at the back[/b]

Dulwich had an ugly time at Worthing’s hands last time, and had no intention of getting flattened at home. Worthing are a strong and dominant team, and the Hamlet steered their energy toward denying their attack and tiring them out. Hickman and Hinds put in a serious and composed shift at the back; their diligent defending, aided by an organised midfield performance, kept Fortress Tuscany closed despite the frustrated visitors’ most determined efforts. In the end, the two teams were incredibly evenly matched, with not a hair between them. With neither side willing to give an inch, the 0-0 draw was far below Worthing’s expectations, and breaking the visitors’ winning streak was no small achievement for Dulwich.

[b]Thwarting Worthing’s attackers[/b]

Worthing have a determined and devious frontline, and Dulwich came prepared. Worthing paid particular attention to the left flank and kept trying to battle their way around and through, but couldn’t find a gap to get through.

[b]Madi Parsonson[/b]

Simply, she’s a thrilling player. Although her efforts didn’t notch the scoreboard today, her unpredictability in attack, her ability to draw jagged, dangerous lines through midfield and her box-to-box attention to detail make her one of the Hamlet’s sharpest weapons. She kept Worthing firmly on their toes and her creativity drew Worthing numbers up the field and off the attack on the Dulwich half.

[b]What didn’t work:[/b]

[b]….Playing it safe at the back[/b]

Dulwich’s defence was excellent, but with most of their energy focused on stopping Worthing infiltrating the box, there was little left for an attack. Dulwich’s forwards had plenty of ideas in the first half, but the resources weren’t there to help them get it done. Parsonson’s creativity could have yielded some success but she really needed someone to clear a path for her to work in. Particularly in the second half, Dulwich eschewed any high pressing, and with nobody around them to set up surprises and distractions, their attackers were limited in what they could create, with the handful of really solid chances anticipated easily by Dolbear.

Manager Ryan Dempsey recalled, “We sat too deep and weren't brave enough in possession; we gave possession away too easily which allowed Worthing to keep the pressure up. But they only created one opportunity in the second half. We're always disappointed when we don't win a game, we created good opportunities in the first half and could have made more clear-cut opportunities with better decision-making.”

[b]The view from the bench:[/b]

Talking after the game, Dempsey maintained a loss was never an option - “I was confident we could frustrate them and cause problems for them. We denied them space to get in behind, which is one of their strengths. We worked incredibly hard to close spaces and not allow their creative players too much space. Worthing has some very good players that love to run behind. Players who want to make forward runs can cause problems all the time. They rotate quite well to try to create space for their forward players to run into; we held our structure well which didn't allow them that. It was a hard-earned point.”

He also has high hopes for the next game, a momentous FA Cup fixture against Winchester City Flyers, and one of the team’s most high-stakes games in their history. “The FA Cup is the biggest cup competition in the world so to play in it is an honour and privilege. We didn't have the best showing last season so we want to get as far as we can this season. It's great to get a home draw and hopefully draw a big crowd. It's a big game for the Club, and a great opportunity to get into the first round proper.”

Dulwich Hamlet Line-Up: 1 Saskia Reeves-Priestley, 2 Madi Parsonson, 4 Chana Hinds, 5 Rosie Stone (6 Izzy Franklin 87'), 6 Izzy Franklin (21 Lily Price 63'), 9 Sophie Manzi (c), 11 Rebecca May (7 Saskia Philp 69'), 13 Ceylon Hickman, 15 Erin Corrigan, 16 Ella Wales-Bonner, 17 Ellie Milbourn (20 Minnie Cruttwell 64')

Yellow Cards: Rosie Stone 26', Sophie Manzi 75', Madi Parsonson 82'

Worthing Line-Up: 13 Lauren Dollar, 2 Ellie Russell, 3 Katie Young, 7 Chloe Lelliott (8 Charlie Carter 78'), 9 Sophie Humphrey, 10 Gemma Worsfold (c) (18 Emily Linscer 61'), 11 Hayley Bridge, 12 Georgia Tibble (4 Niamh Andersson 69'), 15 Ella Newman, 17 Rachel Palmer, 19 Chloe Winchester (14 Rebecca Bell 32')

Unused Substitution: 16 Kelly Newton

Yellow Cards: Ella Newman 82', Charlie Carter 85', Sophie Humphrey 90+5'

Referee: Mark Sullivan
Attendance: 293 (+7 dogs)