Match Report | Lewes 1 Dulwich Hamlet 1

• FA Cup
• Lewes FC

The Hamlet took another large away crowd to Lewes last Sunday for their First Round FA Cup clash against a team who were in the Championship last season.

On the afternoon both of the club’s players and fans came together to campaign for equal pay in the FA CUP.

A bonfire night atmosphere was created as the teams came on to the pitch flanked by members of the Lewes Bonfire Society who held flaming torches to the back drop of firecrackers and smoke.

After the starting whistle blew, the ball was played dead and no other players touched it for 21 seconds to represent the year 1921, when FA banned women from playing football in England—a ban that wasn’t lifted until 1971 when the first Women’s FA Cup was held.

Lewes had the better chances in the first half with the ball spending little time in the Lewes half but the Hamlet came out fighting after half time.

The deadlock was broken in the 54th minute after a 30 yard screamer from Phoebe Leitch evaded Lewes keeper Ella Hunkin and hit the top corner of the net.

Heartbreak hit Dulwich in the 84th minute as Lewes equalised through a goal from Olivia Carpenter which set both teams on course for a penalty shootout.

Fans from both team gathered in the South Stand to watch both teams score their first three spot kicks.

Both teams then missed a goal before it went to 5-5 and Ella Hunkin saved a penalty from Erin Corrigan and Lewes’ Syndey Schreimaier converted her kick to win the game.

Lewes go on the play AFC Sudbury in the Second Round at home.

Our next game is at Champion Hill on Sunday 10th November in the Women's National League SE. Tickets can be bought here

REPORT | Dulwich Hamlet vs Farnham Town

A double on her debut for Iesha Swaby in a five-goal first half from Dulwich Hamlet made sure we saw off Farnham Town with a 5-0 win and made it through to the semi-finals of the Isthmian Cup.

Our opponents were only formed in March this year and play in the South East Counties Surrey Premier Division, where they’ve won all eight of their opening games so it was tough to know what to expect going into the fixture.

The uncertainty led to a quiet first ten minutes, where both teams looked to settle into the game and test the quality of their opposition.

Swaby, who just signed from Billericay Town, just ten minutes into her debut fires us ahead. She picked up the ball in the penalty area and coolly tucked it into the bottom corner.

Building on from the opener, captain Asia Harbour-Brown gave us a two-goal cushion in the twenty-first minute from a corner, the original ball in eventually fell to our captain who slotted home.

Just five minutes later, Angie Dunbar-Bonnie got in the action, their goalkeeper seemed to grab hold of the ball before spilling it in front of Angie, but she still had a lot of work to do. She skilfully went round a defender on the goal-line before tapping the ball in.

What had been an already incredible first half just got better when Anna Jowle scored in the twenty-ninth minute, she capitalised on another goalkeeper error and gave us our fourth before the half-hour mark.

Swaby made it a memorable debut as she got her second thirty-eight minutes in, from outside the box she pulled off a stunner, a lovely curling shot which ended up in the top corner.

Dulwich went into the break with a 5-0 lead, after what was a brilliant first-half display.

The hard work done in the first 45 minutes, we kept on applying the pressure but couldn’t add any more goals after the break which gave us a 5-0 win at Champion Hill with an attendance on a Wednesday night in the cup of 190 people.

Tash Stephens, Tia Searle, Lucy Monkman, Morgan Searle and Eleanor Hutchings all came on as the Hamlet made five changes to make sure we’re fresh for QPR on Sunday.

We face QPR in the league at the SkyEx Community Stadium on the 27th October at 2pm, as we look to build a strong start to the season!

INTERVIEW | Ryan Dempsey | Farnham Town | 23/10/24

Ryan reacts to our victory over Farnham Town as we advanced to the next stage of the 24/25 Isthmian Women's Cup. Take a watch here.

REPORT | Dulwich Hamlet vs Actonians

• Match Report
• Women's National League SE
• Actonians LFC

Our Women’s side were finally back at Champion Hill as they took on second-placed Actonians, who were unbeaten in their opening six games and were only behind league-leaders Norwich City on goal-difference going into this fixture.

From the get-go, Dulwich started brightly with an early chance falling to captain Asia Harbour-Brown, she found herself deep into the Actonians penalty box but as she was about to shoot, the defender dispossessed her.

The Hamlet built on their brilliant start as just five minutes later, Jodie Lodge put us ahead. It looked like she was going for a cross, but the ball found itself in the back of the net. Head Coach Ryan Dempsey jokingly said he’s convinced it was a shot.

Moments later Lodge managed a goal-line clearance to deny the visitors from a corner in the nineteenth minute.

Just before the break, the Hamlet had one more big chance, this time Natasha Stephens flicked it on to Angie Dunbar-Bonnie, who drove down the wing before firing the ball into the box, it fell to Lily Price, who from 25-yards-out fired over.

After 45 minutes at home, Dulwich Hamlet lead Actonians 1-0 and it was well deserved.

The second half was underway, and Saskia Reeves Priestley was called into action, as she came sprinting out of her goal to deny Actonians, before ten minutes after getting a good hand on another shot to keep us ahead.

In the seventy-first minute we scored through Stephens, who poached a spillage from their goalkeeper to double our advantage.

Three changes happened as Tia Searle, Eleanor Hutchings and Pheobe Leitch replaced Lucy Monkman, Anna Jowle and Natalie Taylor.

The Hamlet came close again through Dunbar-Bonnie, a shot from Stephens was saved by the keeper which fell to Angie who fired over, and just before the end Stephens looked like she could’ve made it three for Dulwich, however she slipped just before her shot.

It was a clinical, defensively strong and all-round faultless display as Dulwich Hamlet beat Actonians 2-0 to provide the visitors with their first loss of the season and move just two points behind them.

Player of the Match went to Lodge, who scored and provided a goal-line clearance in the first half, and for a great defensive performance, so she’s well worthy of the award.

Next up for Dulwich Hamlet is a trip to Hampshire to play Fleet Town at The Easy As HGV Stadium in the Women’s FA Cup Third Qualifying Round, which will take place on the 13th October. 

We return to Champion Hill on Wednesday 23rd October when we host Farnham Town in the Isthmian Women's Cup. Get your tickets here.