Call for Campbell as on-loan Kristian dons the gloves for Chipstead

Having joined Chipstead on loan, fullback Kristian Campbell got some unusual match practice with the Chips last weekend,

Campbell has been getting vital match practice during his loan spell but his performance last Saturday may provide useful back up elsewhere on the field!

At home to Hythe Town in the Ryman League Division One, the Chips found themselves in something of a predicament when they were robbed of regular shot stopper Milan Stojsavljevic, injured during the prematch warmup. With no replacement available, defender Campbell valiantly offered to take on the task of keeping goal.

Though Kristian had some experience between the sticks from his junior playing days, the omens must have looked bad for a Chips side coming into the game on the back of three straight defeats and being dragged inexorably down into the relegation zone. Add to that the opposition, a Hythe Town side recovering from a dire start to the season and coming into the match on the back of a run of eight wins in nine outings.

Yet against the odds the Chips went ahead through former Dulwich Hamlet Striker Sol Pinnock, Campbell keeping Hythe Town at bay until the 76th minute when Alfie May levelled for the visitors. Still a hard-won point seemed to be the unlikely reward for the Chips until the Kent side mounted a late smash and grab raid to clinch the points thanks to Craig Thompson’s winner two minutes from time.

Kristian’s performance will certainly remind Dulwich fans of the likes of Lewis Gonsalves who took over from Phil Wilson at half time in a 6-0 win at Cray Wanderers and Kalvin Morath-Gibbs who put in a sterling display between the sticks after an early red card for Wilson when Dulwich went down 1-0 to now-defunct Ashford Town in 2010