Match Report | Worthing FC 4 Dulwich Hamlet 2

Dulwich are still searching for their first three points of the new season as they suffered a 4-2 defeat to Worthing at Woodside Road on Sunday.

Seemingly heading in to half time with a lead intact, a minute of madness in first half injury time saw them concede twice, with two further goals from the hosts after the break easing them to a second win of the campaign.

The Hamlet arrived in Sussex off the back of a brilliant comeback at Ebbsfleet the previous Sunday in their season opener, but were limited with the players available to manager Ryan Dempsey, with injury continuing to rule out Asia Harbour-Brown, and five others absent. They were dealt a further blow when Ellie Milbourn picked up a knock in the warm-up, meaning only two substitutes available. Chana Hinds, who celebrated her birthday during the week, replaced Rhea Gall in the only change to the side which started against Ebbsfleet.

The sides traded half chances in the first five minutes, before the game settled into one of wonderful passing moves from both teams. In the 18th minute came the first major opportunities, with Katie Young firing an effort wide of the near post for the hosts, before Hamlet's Sophie Manzi almost benefitting from a drop from goalkeeper Lauren Dolbear, but could not adjust her feet in time. However, a minute later, the visitors found themselves leading, and just like at Ebbsfleet last week, the goal would come from an unlikely source.

Madi Parsonson had a free-kick on the left wing, and she sent in a low ball which Manzi couldn't connect with, but arriving at the far post was Hinds, who poked in from a yard out for her first ever Hamlet goal. This goal added extra confidence to the Hamlet performance, with captain Brit Saylor and Eleanor Hutchings dictating the game from the centre of midfield. At the midpoint of the first half, striker Rebecca May drove down the left-wing, played a one-two with Manzi, but her shot was easy for Dolbear.

Worthing's attackers were being kept at arm's length, but there were warning signs for the visitors, with Georgia Tibble volleying over an Ellie Russell knockdown in the penalty area. However, the Hamlet still seemed the more likely to score a second, and just before the break they came very close to doing so. Mya Lewis-Powell picked up possession on the left wing, escaped the attentions of both Young and Russell, and sent in a shot towards the near post which Dolbear did well to keep out. This would be as good as the rest of the afternoon got for the Hamlet.

As the game ticked into stoppage time, a ball down the right wing from Russell caught out Lewis-Powell, with Young charging in behind, and the Worthing number 3 was able to put the ball across the six-yard box for Tibble to arrive and place inside the near post. With this setback fresh in the mind, the Hamlet then shot themselves in the foot in the worst possible manner. From the restart, Parsonson got caught in possession by Hayley Bridge and the ball rolled free for Rebecca Bell 35 yards from goal. Without looking up, the striker went for goal first time, lobbing the ball over Saskia Reeves-Priestley and into the back of the net, to all of a sudden leave the Hamlet trailing at the break.

Things got worse for Ryan Dempsey with Manzi unable to continue in the second half due to a combination of an arm injury and a clash of heads she picked up in the first half, so was replaced on the field by Saskia Philp. Worthing too made a change with Niamh Andersson replacing Chloe Lelliot, and this rejig, combined with a change tactics, would be crucial for the second half.

Reeves-Priestley had already denied Bell a second goal moments into the second half by tipping a rising shot over the bar, but she would be powerless to stop her from adding to her tally in the 51st minute. Hutchings was robbed of possession by the impressive Ella Newman midway in the Worthing half, with the attacker driving forward from deep, and then beating Ceylon Hickman too until she was just outside the area. She spotted Bell to her right, and played a perfectly-weighted pass into the striker, who found the far corner with her shot to extend the lead in excellent fashion.

The visitors had lost home and away to Worthing last season, and the hosts seemed intent on going for the kill in this one, with Bridge volleying wide from close range and then asking Reeves-Priestley to make a diving save after 58 minutes, and four minutes later, they would find a fourth in spectacular manner. Bell turned provider, playing a pass from the left wing into the feet of Andersson, who was able to move towards the edge of the penalty area and unleash a drive which flew beyond Reeves-Priestley and kill off the tie. By this stage, the Hamlet had also lost Hinds from the match, being forced off with blurred vision, with Minnie Cruttwell having to replace her.

From here the number of goals could, and perhaps should, have been even greater for the Mackerels, with the offside flag denying Bell a hat trick, Tibble seeing a shot kept out by a tremendous diving save, and Young heading against the crossbar, with the Hamlet unable to create anything going forward. Newman could also have scored the goal her performance deserved, but after cutting inside of Parsonson in the area, could only shoot straight at Saskia.

Into the final ten minutes, and Bell again came agonisingly close to completing her treble, but saw a chance trickle the wrong side of the far post, before the visitors ended the game with a bit of a flourish. May had just seen a header go over, when the Hamlet earned a penalty in the final minute of the 90, Hutchings being bundled over from behind. This gave Saylor the chance to reduce the deficit, and she did, slotting the ball under Dolbear to make it 4-2. Too little, too late though for the Hamlet, whose attentions will now turn to their first competitive game in six months, when they take on Sutton United at Champion Hill next Sunday, 4th September, with a 2PM kick off time.

Worthing Women Line-Up: 1 Lauren Dollar, 2 Ellie Russell (c), 3 Katie Young, 7 Chloe Lelliot (4 Niamh Andersson 46'), 8 Charlotte Carter, 10 Gemma Worsfold (18 Emily Linscer 69'), 11 Hayley Bridge (20 Molly Thorns 79'), 12 Georgia Tibble (7 Chloe Lelliot 79'), 14 Rebecca Bell, 15 Ella Newman, 17 Rachel Palmer

Unused Substitute: 22 Kelly Newton

Goalscorers: Georgia Tibble 45+1', Rebecca Bell 45+2', 51', Niamh Andersson 62'

Dulwich Hamlet Women Line-Up: 1 Saskia Reeves-Priestley, 2 Madi Parsonson, 4 Chana Hinds (22 Minnie Cruttwell 58'), 6 Eleanor Hutchings, 8 Brit Saylor (c), 9 Sophie Manzi (7 Saskia Philp 46'), 11 Rebecca May, 13 Ceylon Hickman, 14 Lucy Monkman, 15 Erin Corrigan, 18 Mya Lewis-Powell

Unused Substitute: 17 Ellie Milbourn

Goalscorers: Chana Hinds 19', Brit Saylor (pen) 90'

Yellow Card: Lucy Monkman 75'

Referee: Paddy O'Reilly
Assistant Referees: Len Lodge & Paul Barrett