From the local press last week

Everything from the news stands in the last seven days

Back on Tuesday the midweek edition of the 'South London Press' headlined it's Non-League column with our much welcomed win over AFC Hornchurch:

Dulwich back on the right track

Dulwich Hamlet continued their mini resurgence under Gavin Rose with a 2-0 victory over struggling Hornchurch at Champion Hill.
Xavier Vidal had given the hosts an early lead, and that was doubled just six minutes into the second half by teenager Shawn McCoulsky in only his second start for the Ryman Premier Division club. The latter's goal represents a personal triumph for Rose for his faith in the youngster. He promoted him to first-team duties only last week following the release of several senior players when he decided they weren't cutting the mustard after a winless run.
The South Londoners are now third, one point ahead of Wingate & Finchley, whom they host at Champion Hill tonight.

On Thursday the weekly 'Southwark News' covered both matches, with the headline referring to the game against the Essex side:

HAMLET WIN BUT DON'T WOW

A lacklustre performance from Dulwich Hamlet still proved enough to bag the win against Essex's AFC Hornchurch at Champion Hill on Saturday.
A powerful shot from Xavier Vidal put Hamlet ahead after just twelve minutes, scudding past Hornchurch's Sam Mott and into the back of the net.
Shawn McCoulsky added the second six minutes into the second half, his first goal for Dulwich.
The win provided a much needed confidence boost after the previous Saturday's poor performance, where a 3-0 loss at home against Worthing-who play in a league below Dulwich-had put an inceremonious end to the Hamlet's FA Cup dreams. Dulwich followed that up with a 3-0 midweek win over VCD Athletic but despite Saturday's scoreline the match could have gone either way.
Besides Vidal's early goal, there was little to stoke the 708-strong crowd's excitement in the first half.
Neither team looked much like scoring. The play mirrored the dull, grey afternoon weather at Champion Hill. The second half was busier with McCoulsky's goal coming early on when he caught the Urchin's on the break and beat a defender, before coolly slotting it past the keeper.
Hornchurch's heads didn't then go down despite trailing 2-0, but they were unable to convert long spells of possession into much-needed goals.
Dulwich also had chances, with a thumping free-kick from Ashley Carew in the 65 minute forcing a dramatic dive from the Hornchurch keeper to cover his bottom-left corner. The referee, Craig Green, was also subjected to a stream of colourful language from the Dulwich stands following some truly bizarre free-kick and corner decisions as the game went on. Though none proved pivotal to the final outcome.
On Tuesday night all the goal action was in the second half as Hamlet played out an exciting 3-3 draw against Wingate & Finchley at Champion Hill.
David Knight gave the visitors the lead only for goals from Vidal and Ibrahim Mansaray to give Hamlet the edge.
Knight levelled things up again but when Vidal scored his second with six minutes remaining Dulwich appeared to have taken the points, only for Sogbanmu to equalised once more two minutes later.

There was also a piece on our goalkeeper Phil Wilson:

Wilson playing through the pain barrier

Keeper Phil Wilson is playing through the pain barrier for Hamlet after his groin injury flared up again at the weekend.
The Dulwich number one missed sections of last season with the same injury, and it has reoccured this campaign.
Speaking before Hamlet's Tuesday night game against Wingate & Finchley manager Gavin Rose said: "We need to see how he is. We are hoping he can play on Tuesdaty and then he can rest as we don't have a game at the weekend. We are just playing it by ear and seeing how he gets on but hopefully with that rest he can recover properly." A familiar face has come into the club as backup in the shape of Oshane Brown. He is a young keeper who donned the Dulwich jersey, with mixed results, last season. Rose added: "Oshane Brown, who played for us last season, has come back and he is going to be our number tow keeper now. He is very talented and we would not have any problems in putting him in."
Other reinforecements at Champion Hill have come in the shape of left-back Fraser Shaw, an ex-West Ham scholar, who has joined the club from Billericay town.
Malachi Robinson has also signed up and made his first start for the club in the weekend victory over Hornchurch.
Speaking about that 2-0 win Rose told the News: "It's good to win. We need to get on a good run of wins if we can. There has not been much good form in the league apart from the top two sides. I think most other teams in the league won't be happy with their form and we can't blame Maidstone or Margate for that, as we have all been losing to teams that we would not be losing too."
He added: "As managers and coaches we also look at the way we play and simply at the moment we don't have enough players who believe in what we are trying to do, and we need to continue working on that. Having said that we are third in the league without playing well so when that belief comes things can only improve really. We also have had a lot of young players come in, due to our injury situation, and they have been a credit to the club when they have got games."

And on Friday, with no game on Saturday, the weekend copy of the 'South London Press' concentrated on one of our young stars, Xavier Vidal:

XAV HAS FOUND HANGOVER CURE

Dulwich Hamlet boss Gavin Rose believes midfielder Xavier Vidal is getting back to his best after the young star notched a brace in Tuesday's 3-3 thriller with Wingate & Finchley.
vidal's delightful lob kissed the crossbar on it's way in after 53 minutes to make it 1-1 at Champion Hill in the Ryman Premier Division clash. His second-getting beyond the back line to poke home Ahley' Carew's scooped pass over the defence past visiting keeper Jack Metcalfe in the 84th minute-put the South Londoners 3-2 up. But then poor defending let Wingate & Finchley grab a late equaliser in the third-versus-fourth encounter.
The 19-year-old's double made it four for the season and it was also his third in two games, having hit the opener in the 2-0 victory over Hornchurch last weekend.
Vidal has caught the eye of several professional clubs over the last couple of years but was deemed surplus to requirements by huddersfield town after a trial there last season. He spent a lot of the first few matches of this season on the bench but has forced his way back into the starting line-up.
Rose feels the knockback dented the teenager's confidence last aseason but hopes he is seeing the playmaker near his best again. "He has played a lot of games but he is stil lyoung," said Rose. "He had a bit of a hangover after being turned down by huddersfield. He was pitting his wits against Championship players then was given the opinion that he wasn't good enough to be taken on. It has taken time for him to recover from that but he is looking strong again. He has put in a lot of work this season. He is starting to grow into the player we want him to be. His goals were the result of great timing and movement."
Ibrahim Mansaray struck the other goal for Dulwich just before the hour, after he blocked a clearance and bent the ball past Melcalfe into the corner to put them 2-1 up. All six goals came in a pulsating second half, but Rose felt his side threw the three points away with some sloppy defending.
For Wingate & Finchley's first equaliser by David Knight, the ball was allowed to travel all the way across the six yard box for the striekr to stab in at the far post for his brace. Knight had earlier given the visitors the lead from the penalty spot after jordan Hibbert had halted his run through on goal with a trip. For Wingate's second equaliser to make it 3-3 four minutes from time, failure to mark or clear enabled Ola Sogbanmu to head past Oshane Browne. Ashley Carew could have dranw first blood shortly before the penalty incident, but his free-kick rebounded back off the crossbar.
The result meant Dulwich were uanble to capitalise on Maidstone United droppnig points after their 1-0 defeat to Margate in a top-two clash.
"For all three goals our defence was guilty of a lpase in concentration," Rose said. "There was too much of a gap between our players. I am disappointed in the manner in which we conceded. We were defending to keep the points at the end but there was minimal effort to stop it going in from the free-kick. The back four should have done more. They were one of the best teams we have played this season but we can defend a lot better. I would have been good to capitalise more on the top two playing each other but we have only made up one point on one of them.£
Despite dropping points, Rose was pleased with the character shown by his side to come from behind once and react to being pegged back to 2-2.
"When the adrenaline id pumped and they are really at it you can never write them off but we've got to get pumped up all the time, and that's what we are working on," he said. "going forward, it was one of our best performances in the last few weeks."
Frazer Shaw made an eye-catching Dulwich debut at left-back. He has come from West Ham United's academy via Billericay town ans is the latest signing of the supporters' 12th-man scheme.
"He has a lot of potential and is still only 18," Rose said. "It was a very good debut. He is a very competent player. He used the ball well and didn't look like getting beaten".
Dulwich have this weekend off due to original opponents East Thurrock United still being in the FA Cup, so are next in action on Tuesday, when Bury Town visit Champion Hill. It is the first time this season the south Londoners have had a whole week's break between matches.
"It is good to have the format we've had this season of Saturday-midweek because it means more games are played when the pitches are in the best condition and there won't be so much of a backlog when games get postponed in the winter," he said. "But there is less time for organisation and recovery in training. Our fitness is high though, but it is good to have longer between games this week to work with the new lads."