Madi and May earn opening day point at Ebbsfleet

The Hamlet began their competitive season on Sunday down in sunny Kent at newly-formed Ebbsfleet United, and left the Kuflink Stadium with a share of the points, as they came back from 2-0 down to ensure they would not leave defeated.

The home side had been rebranded in the summer as Ebbsfleet United Women, having previously played under the guise of Kent Football United, and had been relegated from Division One South East of the FA Women's National League at the end of last season.

The visitors lined up with several debutants in the starting eleven, including centre-back Erin Corrigan, wing-back Mya Lewis-Powell, and striker Rebecca May, who had previously played for the club in the AFC Phoenix days.

Manager Ryan Dempsey opted for three centre-backs against the Fleet, starting with Rhea Gall, Ceylon Andi Hickman and Corrigan in the back three, and had Lewis-Powell and Madi Parsonson providing the width at wing-back. The three in midfield was full of experience, comprising of captain Brit Saylor, Rosie Stone and Lucy Monkman, and in front of them, a new strike partnership of last season's top scorer Sophie Manzi and the returning May, who had looked prolific during pre-season. Saskia Reeves-Priestley was between the posts in goal for the Hamlet.

The hosts began on the front foot and looked the more likely to score early on, with the visitors rarely getting out of their own half, often stringing some nice passes together in the defensive third but unable to get up the pitch. The first close call came through Fleet forward Amy Russ, who picked up a loose ball at the edge of the area, and flashed a rasping drive just wide of Reeves-Priestley's far post. Soon after, Fleet winger Olivia Jestin received a wayward pass from Reeves-Priestley, and after playing a one-two with Lydia Wills, burst into the area and fired a shot goalwards. Although Saskia took the sting out of it, the ball continued to bounce towards goal, with our number one showing tremendous agility to fling herself onto the goal line and claw the ball away from harm.

It felt that the goal was coming for the home side and it duly arrived in the 17th minute. An inswinging corner from Russ caught Reeves-Priestley out, flying over the keepers' head and into the far corner. On the run of play it was a deserved goal. The Fleet then looked to extend their advantage when Lati Adaja made a great run between Gall and Hickman, but her shot was tame and straight at Reeves-Priestley.

After eventually weathering the storm, Dulwich were soon millimetres away from levelling through Monkman. Building an attack down the right wing, the impressive Lewis-Powell sent in an inviting cross towards the head of May. The striker couldn't find the flick towards goal required but behind her arrived Monkman, who sent a first time shot crashing off the crossbar and bouncing to safety. This sparked a period of Hamlet pressure on the Fleet goal, with Saylor attempting a lob which just cleared the bar, and then May creating a similar chance which had Shanly scrambling and bounced wide of her far post.

However it was the home side who could have moved further ahead on the stroke of half time, with substitute Hannah Cleary just missing the far corner with a rising shot, and then Russ forcing Reeves-Priestley into a low save, but her goal remained the difference at the interval.

The second goal arrived for the Fleet in sloppy circumstances in the 63rd minute, as a free kick from the right wing by captain Dan Carlton was palmed away by the goalkeeper, only for Gall to put the ball back into the six-yard box, where defender Ellie Perkins was on hand to head the ball into the back of the net via the crossbar.

Heads could have dropped at this stage but what followed was a display of true grit and determination from the Hamlet, and they quickly found a way back into the game through an unlikely source. Just four minutes after that second goal, half-time sub Ella Wales-Bonner released Lewis-Powell down the right, with the youngster showing her pace once again to drive down the wing. She then produced a beautiful cross towards the six-yard box, which was met on the bounce by the opposite wing-back Parsonson to finish high into the roof of the net and cap a wonderful attacking move. Just one goal in the whole of last season for Madi, but this could be a regular sight at Hamlet games this year.

From this moment the game opened up and Russ should have re-established the two goal cushion from her side but when played in, couldn't direct a shot into the far corner, and it would prove a costly miss. As the game ticked into the final 10 minutes, Corrigan brought the ball out of the left side of defence and picked out the run of Wales-Bonner in a pocket of space between midfield and defence. She in turn then slipped in Manzi on the left side of the penalty area, and the striker placed the ball across the box for May to prod home from a few yards out to open her account for the season. Fans will be hopeful this is the first of many for the Manzi-May partnership.

It could have been even better for the visitors as a couple of minutes later, Manzi led a break out of her own half and played in the instrumental Wales-Bonner, but despite being well-placed, she could not beat Shanly and the danger was cleared. However, a draw was an outstanding result from where the game was after 63 minutes, and optimism is definitely there for a successful season ahead.

Ebbsfleet United Line-Up: 1 Rebecca Shanly, 2 Ami Burnham, 5 Ellie Perkins, 6 Olivia Jestin, 7 Maddie Reynolds, 8 Chloe Francis, 9 Amy Russ, 10 Megan Wood, 11 Lydia Wills, 12 Latifat Adaja (14 Hannah Cleary 33' (12 Latifat Adaja 89')) 27 Dan Carlton (c)

Unused Substitutions: 3 Millie Waud, 13 Ash Naismith, 15 Georgia Young, 16 Charley MacNeil, 17 Jasmine Young

Goalscorers: Amy Russ 33', Ellie Perkins 63'

Dulwich Hamlet Line-Up: 1 Saskia Reeves-Priestley, 2 Madi Parsonson, 5 Rosie Stone (6 Anna Jowle 67'), 8 Brit Saylor (c), 9 Sophie Manzi, 11 Rebecca May, 13 Ceylon Andi Hickman, 14 Lucy Monkman (16 Ella Wales-Bonner 46'), 15 Erin Corrigan, 18 Mya Lewis-Powell (7 Saskia Philp 75'), 22 Rhea Gall

Unused Substitutes: 10 Hannah Baptiste, 12 Anna Stones

Goalscorers: Madi Parsonson 66', Rebecca May 81'

Referee: Martin Cook
Assistant Referees: Vince Kennedy & Hamish Louie
Attendance: 185