TEAM TALK: Sean Bonnett-Johnson

Team you support and your childhood footballing hero?

Arsenal and childhood football hero was definitely Ian Wright. With France's Thierry Henry a close second.

When did you join Hamlet?

I joined from Concord Rangers in September 2023 - so this is my third season here at Champion Hill.

How did your move to Dulwich Hamlet happen?

One of my old team mates, goalkeeper R’avan Constable, recommended me to the old management team. The rest, as they say, is history.

Where do you play and can you play anywhere else?

My best position is in midfield but I've been plying my tradeat RB lately. In my heyday I'ddo a job on the left wing. To be honest, I'll play anywhere apart from centre-back.

What other clubs have you played for previously?

Dundee, Wealdstone, Braintree, could go on for a while but I don’t know if we’d have enough space...

Any trophies in the cabinet?

Scottish Championship, Surrey County Cup, Essex Cup twice and the Isthmian Leaue Cup. I'm still looking for

a first promotion in England...

Who would you consider the best player you've ever played alongside and why?

I've probably played with more talented footballers than him, but I’d say former Jamaican international Micah

Hyde. His leadership, intensity and attention to detail was second to none at Billericay.

Best moment in football?

Has to be Arsenal winning the league after going unbeaten. Manchester United almost ruined my childhood, so to do something they’ve never done was something special

Tell us about the best goal you've ever scored?

I’m not a man of many goals, but I'd probably go back to one I scored away against Worthing a few years ago. I ran from the halfway line, did a few chops on the edge of the box then finished top left in the bins.

Favourite moment since joining Dulwich?

It was bittersweet as we weren’t doing too well last season, but seeing the relief and happiness on the faces of so many people once we confirmed our status in this league, which meant people kept their jobs. Hopefully we see smiles again this year, but for different reasons...

Hopes for this season?

To play and contribute in as many games as possible and help us to gain promotion.

Favourite other sport?

Has to be basketball.

If you could change one rule in football, what would it be?

Get rid of VAR – it stinks!

ALMOST FAMOUS... | A look back on our past.

WITH TWO MONTHS OF THE 1921/22 SEASON LEFT, HAMLET REMAINED IN CONTENTION FOR MULTIPLE TROPHIES... 

The end of the 1921/22 season proved to be something of a disaster for Dulwich Hamlet. On March 11th they met holders Bishop Auckland in the FA Amateur Cup semi-final.

Many of the Hamlet side had been playing when Dulwich had comfortably defeated the ‘Two Blues’ 5-1 in the Third Round en route to winning the competition themselves back in 1920. Thus, Dulwich approached the match at Fulham’s Craven Cottage with confidence.

The clash drew over 22,000 spectators and generated £1,371 in revenue. Hamlet enjoyed the better of the contest but it ended in a 1-1 draw - star forward Edgar Kail securing a replay with a deserved 85th minute equaliser, opportunistically finishing after Benny Potts in Auckland’s goal dropped a cross.

The press agreed that Dulwich had been the better side, some even reporting that they should have won with something to spare. Of the match receipts approximately £370 went in entertainment tax, Fulham took 10%, the players claimed railway travel (third class only) with the remainder split between the Football Association and the competing clubs.

Hamlet made the long journey north to Darlington for the replay, hoping to banish the memory of a 2-1 1909 semi-final exit there against Eston United - a team of ironstone miners. A North London final at White Hart Lane was the prize. But despite only having nine men on the pitch by the time that the final whistle blew, Bishop Auckland won comfortably by three clear goals.

Dulwich were missing goalkeeper and captain Bert Coleman who had been injured in the game at Fulham. Reserve Claude Longhurst replaced him and whilst some reports stated that he played well, others blamed him for two of the goals that the south Londoners conceded.

Hamlet erred in attempting to play football on a poor pitch, whilst the 'Two Blues' adopted a more rudimentary long ball approach. A crowd of 10,000 saw Bishop Auckland take an early lead when Bobby Burrows 'netted the ball at close quarters'. A disputed penalty, awarded against Evans, was then tucked away by Auckland's left-back Jack Taylor to make it 2-0.

He 'gave Longhurst no chance with a lightning ground shot'. The game now became faster and more exciting with the 'Two Blues' reduced to ten men when outsideleft Stephen Freak was forced to depart through injury. Just before half-time, Hamlet’s hopes of a comeback faded when Sid Nicol saw his penalty splendidly saved by Potts.

Midway through a strenuously fought second-half Burrows took a pass from Syd Binks and scored his second to extend Auckland’s lead further. The holders four-man front line continued to maintain an aggressive approach tactically whilst Dulwich worked hard to break through - wingers Hunt and Gooch were both excellent and inside forward Bill Davis was more active centrally - but their efforts were spoiled by bad shooting.

Gooch and Kail saw fine shots skim the bar whilst Potts steered another strong shot over the bar for a corner. In a vigorous contest, several Hamlet players were walking wounded come the final whistle with Davis receiving some particularly brutal treatment. With fifteen minutes to go he was hacked down by Tommy Maddison who was sent off for the challenge. But the three goal deficit proved insurmountable and Dulwich were out.

Bishop Auckland went on to meet fellow Northern League side South Bank in the Final. A crowd of 22,500 saw them retain the trophy on April Fool's Day at Middlesbrough’s Ayresome Park. Billy Cook gave Bishop's an early lead, but a brace from Eddie Peacock looked set to see the Teesiders win the Cup. That was until George Mullen equalised with just four minutes left.

In a thrilling finale, there was still time for South Bank to win it, but Jack Thompson saw his last minute penalty agonisingly saved by Potts. In extra-time, the ‘Bankers’ fell apart. It was one way traffic and two goals from Binks and another from Teddy Nattrass made the final score 5-2 and sealed a fifth Amateur Cup Back in London, March had ended with a weak Hamlet side putting in their worst display for a long time against Metrogas in the Surrey Senior Cup semi-final.

With Longhurst still deputising in goal, they crashed out 3-0 at Nunhead’s Brown’s Ground. The London Charity Cup semi-final at home to Barking on April 29th was also lost - this time Dulwich were edged out 4-3. One newspaper headlined its match report ‘London Riot’ and reading between the lines, it appears that some Hamlet fans attacked Barking fans as they exited the ground with six injured and one hospitalised.

Curiously Barking denied there had been any problems whilst we have yet to discover a similar Hamlet denial from scouring contemporary accounts. Given ‘Pa’ Wilson’s propensity to write to the press if he felt that Dulwich Hamlet had been disparaged in some way, the apparent silence seems to speak volumes.

To compound matters, Hamlet then blew an Isthmian League championship that had appeared to be theirs to lose. Needing six points from a winnable last four matches, they missed out. On the final day of the season, Hamlet lost 5-0 at mid-table Oxford City whilst eventual champions Ilford jumped above them by two points after defeating what was effectively a second-string Wycombe Wanderers XI 9-1.

With thanks to Roger Deason and the Dulwich Hamlet FC History Group

An EDI update from Danny Mills

Striker and EDI Officer Danny Mills provided an update on our EDI strategy following our recent EDI survey in our Bank Holiday match programmes.

Good afternoon, Hamlet fans and welcome back to Champion Hill for another campaign where we are full of optimism for a positive season across all our teams. Following on from last season there has been a lot of changes throughout the club with new management teams for both the Men’s and Women’s side. I would like to welcome the new managers, staff and new players that have joined the club and wish them all the best for the upcoming season.

It has been a positive start for the men’s team this season with three wins from the first three games which we hope will continue into this weekend against Canvey Island. The Women’s team had a tough staff against a good Luton side last weekend and we know they will want to bounce back quickly.

Since being appointed as EDI officer over three years ago, I have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure our great club continues to be an inclusive environment where all feel welcome. In the off season I sat down with our community group so that we could plan for the upcoming season and have put together a plan for how we can continue to grow. Following on from the fan engagement survey that we put out last season there were some key highlights that we will be focusing on over the next few years particularly around accessibility and our continued efforts to diversify our fanbase. This year’s priority will be to develop a new strategy informed by the survey and the ambitions of the club. I am very much looking forward to working with our key stakeholders to put something together that reflects Dulwich Hamlet FC!

Since my last column we have been reminded that unfortunately this work is needed more than ever. In the Women’s Euros, England defender Jess Carter revealed she was scared to play in the Euros final because of fears of racial abuse. The England defender had suffered a torrid time after being targeted by racial abuse online, which forced her off social media throughout the tournament.

The Premier League opener between Liverpool and Bournemouth was stopped in the 28th minute after an allegation of a racist comment aimed at Antoine Semenyo; a 47-year-old man was ejected from Anfield. Semenyo was also subjected to racist abuse on Instagram on the same night. The 25-year-old shared some of the abuse on his story, with the caption: "when will it stop?".

Discrimination has no place in sport. Tackling it requires:

• Speaking up
• Standing together
• And creating a culture where everyone can take part, be themselves, and thrive

Promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in sport is not just about doing the right thing—it's about unlocking the full potential of individuals and teams, building stronger communities, and ensuring sport remains a positive and powerful force for everyone.

IN OUR HOUSE WE ARE ALL EQUAL!

UP THE HAMLET!

MILLSY

TEAM TALK: Geofrey Okonkwo

NAME: GEOFREY OKONKWO

SHIRT: NO. 6

POSITION: CENTRE-BACK

Team you support and your childhood footballing hero?

Arsenal and Thierry Henry

How did you join Hamlet?

I joined this season after one conversation with 'The Gaffa' earlier in the summer. It’s a club that’s close to home, which means a lot and the thought of being part of a side that restores the pride and respect Dulwich used to have was an exciting challenge.

Where do you play?

In the middle of the back line – I'm happy to play either side. I used to be a striker growing up. But those days are long gone. In my mind, I believe I could still put in a shift as a 'target man' if ever required!

What other clubs have
you played for previously? 

Chelmsford City, Whitehawk, Cray Wanderers, VCD, Grays Athletic, amongst others...

Any trophies in the cabinet? 

2023/24 Step 4 Playoff Final win with Bowers & Pitsea. I was their Player of the Year that season having been both that and Young Player of the Year at Grays back in 2022.

Who would you consider the best player you've ever played alongside and why? 

Joe Taylor and Bradley Pritchard at Cray Wanderers. Joe's goalscoring record speaks for itself. It was always a battle against him in training and that has made me a better player. Bradley played in the EFL with Charlton and Leyton Orient. He’s become the manager at Lewes for this season and it doesn’t surprise me – a great football brain.

Best moment in football? 

Playing football in Brazil with Adriano. I went there a couple years ago for a friends football tournament. He didn’t speak much English, but he was really friendly and down to earth. I have a signed shirt from him! As far as playing goes, definitely winning promotion with Bowers in 2024. We were underdogs from the start to the end so it was nice to prove everyone wrong. It was also my first Senior winners medal. 

Best goal you've ever scored? 

There's not many to choose from, so I’d say my Playoff Final penalty for Bowers in '24

Favourite moment at Hamlet?

The trip to Germany. It really brought all the boys together and we gelled quickly. I think it’s a big part of the reason we’ve started the season so well, even though we are a new team. Seeing all the fans in their numbers makes you realise it's a special club 

Hopes and ambitions for the season ahead?

Get into the playoffs. People won’t expect much after where the club finished last season, but I think we’ve already shown that we’re capable of beating any team. 

Favourite other sports?

NFL, NBA Basketball and Athletics. I can happily spend hours watching all three.

If you could change one rule in football, what would it be?

Stop the clock whenever the ball goes out of play like in Basketball or Rugby. In most games ‘Injury Time’ seems a random guess and more importantly, it would reduce time wasting and make the game more entertaining.