Tuesday 3 May
Meadowbank Football Ground, Dorking
Capital Senior Cup

To Dorking for the second time in two days, following the men’s team’s Bank Holiday outing there, as Dulwich Hamlet Women took on the formidable Ashford Town in the Capital Senior Cup Final. Beaten only twice this season, Ashford have been the bane of everyone’s existence all year, and will likely terrorise their new peers in the next league up. For now, it fell to Dulwich to do their best to hold them back, as the two teams faced each other on a balmy Surrey evening in front of a sizeable crowd of visiting fans - the Pepper Army were out in full force and fine song as Dulwich got down to business.

Ashford made their intentions known in the opening minutes, pressing high up. Dulwich had their own plans and looked to create their own momentum: Sophie Manzi whipped the ball through midfield to set the tone and give Madi Parsonson a terrific chance on the right. Backed into the corner, she got round her mark, but there was no-one in the box to carry it safely home. Lucy Monkman had eyes on the ball a minute later but was surrounded by four Ashford sentinels - these old foes know her ability well and had no intention of giving her any room.

Dulwich continued to build the pressure, as Asia Harbour Brown launched an attack on the left. Ashford keeper Sophie Shults powered forward to thwart her but couldn’t take the ball out of play. Dulwich needed to finish it, but couldn’t quite seal the deal. Turning the tables, Ashford threatened Dulwich with an early goal - a ball that should have been cleared in the box rolled hazardously past Hamlet keeper Rebecca Sargent. Ashford rounded for another go, but Harbour Brown, on peak box-to-box form, blocked it expertly a few yards from the goal.

A hard collision between Ashford skipper Alissa Down and two Dulwich players handed the advantage to the pink & blue, and Rosie Stone took the free kick. Her smart delivery into the box gave Dulwich a chance to take the lead but again, the final word eluded them. Ashford hauled the action back down the field and returned fire with a chancey strike in the box from Jade Johnson, skied over the bar - but moments later, they found their target. Brit Saylor’s clever footwork helped her evade her mark in midfield, but Ashford’s Lavana Neufville persevered and stole the ball away to set up Ashley Cheatley, who made the most of a 30th minute opportunity to take Ashford ahead.

Monkman had revenge on her mind, pelting toward the box with no challenger in sight. But she held the ball a fraction too long and missed her window. Raging now, Dulwich swarmed the left flank looking for a way to cut Ashford down to size. Harbour Brown wove her way down the left flank, testing for weaknesses in the Ashford wall, but she couldn’t quite break through.

Dulwich faced more danger in the box, scrambling to clear it out again. Cheatley had a brace in her sights but rushed the job and fumbled her aim; mercifully for Dulwich it barrelled past the far post. Her teammates kept the heat simmering as the whistle approached, chancing their moments where they saw them, but mainly just spoiling Dulwich’s fun. An unconvincing ball found its way into Sargent’s hands and Cheatley went for another go - a stonking run at the box, which Dulwich diverted neatly as sunset fell on the first half.

The second half opened tensely for Dulwich - Rhea Gall went in for a header inside the 6yd box, but came off worst and hit the ground hard. Thankfully, after a cautionary look from the medic, she was up and at ‘em again. Dulwich revisited their mission with urgency, but needed to convert it into laser focus and avoid burning out, with Ashford threatening to run them down. Ever-dependable defender Chana Hinds looked for a way through the midfield as Ashford tried to close her down - she found Manzi, but Manzi had no-one to pass to - a recurring problem for the Hamlet tonight, as shaky transition left them all too frequently with nowhere to land and no way to create or convert opportunities.

Ashford, temporarily hit by bad luck, hit the post, and seconds later Kalani Peart was down after colliding headlong with a Dulwich player. With play quickly resumed, Ashford were straight in with a 64th minute strike, firmly noped by Sargent with a clean save to keep Dulwich’s hopes alive. Harbour Brown saw a chance to tip the balance but had nobody to connect to. Dodging her mark she peeled off a shot on target anyway, but without back-up there was no way to divert or surprise the keeper, and it rolled coolly into Shults’ arms.

Sas Philp provided fresh legs and got straight into the action, snatching control in midfield and sending Asia on a run down the left flank, but Ashford headed her off. The crowd utterly lost its proverbial kaka in the 78th minute as Monkman forced the ball forward in the most promising strike of the game and it zoomed gloriously, magically… left of the post. Football is pain. Undeterred, Dulwich summoned their grit and powered on, a doozy of a header from Chana getting things moving again. Dulwich urgently needed to put a ball away and while their legs looked tired, they didn’t look beaten - anyone that’s followed this team for any stretch of time knows they don’t back down or give up, even when things look bleak.

But Ashford knew they were on the home stretch, and in the 85th, the deadly Cheatley did it again - spanking it in at such speed that Sargent didn’t have time to pick a direction, nabbing her brace and doubling their lead. It was an unstoppable goal and a heartbreaker for this team who delivered fire and grit from the jump.

Dulwich brought the talented Minnie Cruttwell on to work some magic, and kept the searchlights on. Hinds found Philp down the left wing, but Ashford weren’t about to give away their advantage, and denied her passage. Still, with five extra minutes on the clock, Dulwich edged their way up the field, looking for pockets of opportunity to the last. There’s no shame in losing to a team this lethal, but Dulwich kept their heads up and their blood hot as the final whistle closed the game, thanking their fans on the field and in the bar as the orange-clad Ashford lifted the trophy.

Ashford’s physical and psychological stamina has placed them out front this season and given Dulwich a hell of a lot to contend with on multiple occasions. It’s been a difficult and transitional third season for Ryan Dempsey’s squad, but their skill and chemistry are anchored by a never-say-die tenacity that will set them up well for their fourth season, after a well-earned rest and regroup. With nothing but proud words pouring from the travelling supporters afterwards, this team remain the pride of Champion Hill and should know they have every Dulwich supporter behind them.

Attendance: 204

Dulwich Hamlet
1 Rebecca Sargent; 2 Madi Parsonson; 4 Chana Hinds; 5 Rosie Stone; 6 Sarah Walters; 8 Brit Saylor ©; 9 Sophie Manzi; 10 Anna Jowle; 14 Lucy Monkman; 18 Asia Harbour Brown; 32 Rhea Gall

Substitutes:
7 Sas Philp; 12 Anna Stones; 13 Ceylon Hickman; 15 Hannah Baptiste; 20 Minnie Cruttwell

Ashford Women
1 Sophie Shults; 4 Kalani Peart; 6 Anya Kinnane; 7 Lavana Neufville; 8 Hannah Pearson; 9 Ruby Linton; 10 Alissa Down ©; 11 Jade Johnson; 14 Charlotte Baker; 16 Ashley Cheatley; 21 Jordane Hoesli-Atkins

Substitutes:
5 Laura Huse; 7 Alice Frise; 12 Chloe Farrell; 27 Millie Maggioni

Image: Liam Asman