Dulwich manager wants to build on strong start to the new season

Gavin Rose is pleased with the manner in which Dulwich Hamlet have started the League this season but believes there is more to come from his side.

Speaking after Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Concord Rangers, Rose felt it was a game of two halves and a performance that gives him an idea of what still needs to be worked on at the training ground.

“I thought it was a bad first half. I thought that we started all right actually, in terms of our approach play, and we looked like we were going to score a goal until we conceded,” he says.

“[Joel] Nouble, who is someone I wanted to sign in the summer and who's a local boy as well, I thought caused us problems. He's a big, strong boy who can run with the ball well and [Aaron] Barnes got a bit too close to him and held him. Then we know they're good on set piece deliveries.”

“I felt that we were disjointed in our play, we weren't playing to the system and the pattern we'd asked them to play in in the first half and I think because we'd lost the goal, and then the second goal, panic started to set in a little bit and we became desperate.”

Hamlet held in there and Danny Mills’ goal just before the half-time whistle totally changed the mood of the game. “It was quite fortunate that we scored the goal before half time, because I think it just gave us a chance to calm down and at half time we tried to settle them down and say, ‘Look, let's just play to the shape we've set out to play’ and believe that that's enough for us to get back in the game.”

“I felt that we had a lot more pressure and control in the second half, we were more consistent in our play and we opened them up a few times and with a better end product, I felt like we probably could've won the game.”

Mills added a second after the break, to officially open his competitive account for the club with a well-taken brace of headers. The new striker had impressed during Dulwich’s pre-season and his two goals will be a sign of encouragement for the team.

“Danny's first one was probably one he'd expect to score and the second one was a good header - but I felt there were more opportunities in open play that we probably could've scored and won the game,” Rose said.

Regardless, the comeback from two goals down was evidence of Dulwich’s tenacity so far this season. “I think at this stage of the season you're looking for little things and little signs as to where we need to improve or also work out what's actually good, and we're definitely starting to show signs of resilience,” he said. “We're not the sort of team that wants to lose and go down without a fight, which is fantastic. Obviously our patterns are starting to come out a little bit in terms of our passing movements and also our threat on goal, which is good.”

This is the first week of the season in which Dulwich have had no Tuesday night game. With this in mind, Rose organised a behind-closed-doors friendly against the Palma Foundation to give some of the other members of his squad a run-out. The game finished 1-0 to Dulwich, with Ade Yusuff scoring the only goal of the game.

From Rose’s point of view, it’s important to keep the whole squad fresh and match-fit for the long season ahead.

“We've got 10 points out of 15 and I'd say if you got two points a game throughout the year on average, you'd give yourself a hell of a chance of being successful,” Rose said. “That's normally league-winning form, to be honest with you, so we're doing well and we're in amongst the pack.”

“I think Wealdstone are leading the pack, and I'd say they've been the best team we've played as well out of the five, but if we can stay in and around that we're doing fantastic and then hope to continue kicking on and improving.”

Dulwich travel to Eastbourne Borough this Saturday for a 3pm kick off and are back at Champion Hill to face Slough Town on Bank Holiday Monday at 3pm.

Tickets for the Slough game can be purchased here.

Photo: Ollie Jarman