Sunday 17 October 2021

Dulwich Hamlet returned to league play this week, with a game against a familiar foe. Dulwich lost 3-2 to Ashford Town back in May, a tough team with a habit of racking up back-to-back wins. They showed up this weekend planning to extend their 6 game league streak and +29 (!) goal difference, and likely feeling cocky after a dizzying FA Cup 25-0 win against Highworth Town. But Dulwich Hamlet showed up ready to puncture any over-confidence, and held the league leaders to a gritty 1-1 draw, ending their winning streak.

Ashford pressed right from the jump, looking for an early chance to take the lead, but Dulwich had the same idea, scouting out routes into the Ashford box. Ashford’s enthusiasm wasn’t matched by accuracy in the opening minutes; a long pass from outside the box could have been a serious threat if it had been on target, and captain Alissa Down’s attempt on goal sailed wide. Dulwich initially struggled to find their rhythm too, needing to show more purpose with their passing and hold possession.

Ashford organised themselves and started to push back against the Hamlet defence: Dulwich responded with Mia North. The keeper, who has made a name for herself at Dulwich this year with ambitious and sometimes miraculous saves, went into superhero mode. Two attempts demanded her attention almost back-to-back, and in the fifteenth minute a nasty three-way collision paused the game for five minutes, with North needing treatment on the pitch.

In the 20th, Down skied a free kick, and Dulwich seized the moment and the momentum. Sarah Walters’ free kick couldn’t find a finisher, but captain Brit Saylor recaptured and took a second run at goal. Ashford defender Ellen Clarabut shut that down, as well as a canny attempt from Sarah Milner. A few minutes later, North's injury had her on the ground again, awakening the fear that she might have to be subbed out, with no spare keeper in tow. She stayed in the game, flinging herself at a shot from Ashley Cheatley – out of reach for her, but out of reach for Cheatley too, bypassing the far post.

With halftime approaching, the frustration was showing on both sides. Could Dulwich break the deadlock? Ashford were relentless in pursuit, Dulwich needing to shore up their defence to protect North and make inroads at the other end. Lucy Monkman tried to get after her marker and took a yellow for yanking at her sleeve. An Ashford player thwacked the ball against Milner’s ankles and the ref awarded a bizarre free kick against Dulwich. Alissa Down was on target this time – but so was Mia North. Crime doesn’t pay.

But tenacity does – and in the 45th, a well-placed Asia Harbour Brown caught a ricochet and smashed the ball into the back of the net. Ashford fought frantically to equalise, and North demonstrated the indifference to self-preservation typical of the goalkeeping profession, diving headfirst at the feet of an incoming threat. An absolutely whomping tackle from Sarah Walters in the top corner derailed Cheatley’s last chance and Dulwich returned to the locker room 1-0 up.

Both teams returned from the break newly organised. The pink-and-blue took a more focused defensive approach, with keen-sighted Chana Hinds rounding up incoming Ashford players, seeing them off in midfield and keeping the back yard clear. Ashford, with eyes on the prize, pressed but couldn’t pierce Dulwich’s locked-down backline. A window of opportunity opened up for them, with a fumbled ball at the goal mouth, but North looked disaster in the eye and flattened it.

Unlike the tennis match of the first half, Dulwich were able to hold their ground in midfield for a spell. A few attempts snuck through at either end, but neither team could claim the element of surprise, until a lucky rebound unravelled the Hamlet’s lead – in the 67th minute, Ashford’s Anya Kinnane was perfectly placed to catch the ball off the post and head it home to equalise.

Joining the game, Sas Philp spanked a hopeful shot past the far post to try and reclaim the lead. The game turned chippier, with a hard collision taking Monkman down, and a baffling free kick later awarded to Ashford, despite zero visible contact from Dulwich. The free kick rolled pleasingly into North’s arms. Crime still doesn’t pay.

Neither team seemed willing to hunker down – the vibe was victory or death. While Hannah Baptiste’s terrific marking kept the midfield in check (taking a succession of nasty fouls for her trouble, seemingly invisible to the ref as she hit the ground once, twice and a third time), Philp got a stunning run on a ball into the box. From up in the press box it looked like a dead cert, but broke Hamlet hearts as it rolled past the near post. The crowd howled as a Dulwich shot hit the exact corner of the post and rocketed toward the stratosphere.

With all chances gone and opponents deadlocked, the time was up, handing Dulwich and Ashford a point each in a hard-fought draw. With creditable tenacity from both teams, Ashford kept pushing for a way through, but Dulwich’s focused and effective defending denied them satisfaction and sent them home minus one winning streak.

Dulwich meet Whyteleafe at home on Sun 24 October.

Attendance: 277

Dulwich Hamlet:
1 Mia North; 4 Chana Hinds; 5 Rosie Stone; 6 Sarah Walters; 8 Brittany Saylor; 9 Sophie Manzi; 14 Lucy Monkman; 16 Ella Wales-Bonner; 17 Sarah Walters; 18 Asia Harbour Brown; 21 Jazmine Lacrette

Subs: 
7 Saskia Philp; 11 Zoe Elmore; 15 Hannah Baptiste; 19 Jordan Williamson; 22 Jo Gibson

Ashford Town:
Kalani Peart; Anya Kinnane; Lavana Neufville; Alissa Down (capt); Jade Johnson; Chloe Farrell; Charlotte Baker; Ashley Cheatley; Ellen Clarabut; Rozalia Sitarz; Sophie Shults

Subs: 
Frances Cotter; Elle Butcher; Jordanne Hoesli-Atkins

Referee: Addison Tweed
Assistant referees: Abdul Karim and Dean McDonald

Photo: Liam Asman