In the press last week

Here's the local & non-league media round-up

Apologies for the 'slight' delay..it's been a busy weekend. There was some rare Friday night football, as I visited Tower Hamlets, in the Essex Senior League. Understandably there wasn't any spare time on Saturday, with a 'little' trip to the seaside! Then, yesterday my time was taken up watching a 'double' Hamlet victory at Rutland Walk sportsground, with the Under 18s defeating Hythe Town 5-1 in the morning; & then the Under 15's securing a lone goal one nil win over Phoenix Sports in the afternoon.
So please excuse me for this 'weekly review' appearing on a Monday...

Anyway, we start last week back on the Sunday (15th November) with the Hamlet report from the 'Non League Paper' and our FA Trophy victory:

Dean McDonald and Mitchell Nelson struck to secure Dulwich's place in the next round, but the Ryman Premier leaders were made to work hard for their success by a VCD Athletic side whose spirited performance belied their league position.
Indeed, Vickers made the brighter start and went close to taking an early lead.
Davidson Tejaiye forced Phil Wilson into a sharp stop at his near post and then Richard Graham was inches wide with a raking drive from distance.
But Dulwich gradually settled and after a couple of near misses, went ahead eight minutes before half-time. McDonald received it from skipper Danny Waldren and fired left-footed beyond Rob Budd from 12 yards.
Hamlet retained the upper hand after the interval and Budd was the busier keeper.
He saved well at the feet of Dan Sweeney and had a let off when Waldren fired over the bar when well placed.
On 79 minutes, Budd made a splendid save from Jack Dixon's first time shot following a speedy run by Nyren Clunis and shortly afterwards the keeper thwarted Rhys Murrell-Williamson as the winger burst through on the left.
But Dulwich's pressure eventually told on 85 minutes when Damian Scannell dinked in a free kick from the left and defender Nelson headed home powerfully.
STAR MAN: Jack Dixon (Dulwich Hamlet)
Entertainment: **** (out of five stars)

There were also some more letters continuing the theme of whether the FA Trophy is losing some magic. One was from Hamlet fan Paul Griffin:

One of the major problems seems to be that familiarity breeds contempt.
In many cases clubs in the same league or even the same division are paired together. My club, Dulwich Hamlet, have been drawn against Harrow Borough three times in five seasons! Perhaps the FA could implement some sort of 'pooled' draw with a regional split whereby teams from the Ryman League, the Northern Premier League and the Southern League are not always drawn against each other?

Tuesday's copy of the 'South London Press' also reported that Trophy victory:

Dulwich Hamlet booked their place in the FA Trophy third qualifying round with a 2-0 triumph over fellow Ryman Premier Division side VCD Athletic on Saturday.
The hosts had to work hard for the victory and broke the deadlock at Champion Hill in the 37th minute. Dean McDonald converted from just inside the box after he had been played in by skipper Danny Waldren.
Apart from one or two hairy moments in the second half, Gavin Rose's side were always in control.
Jack Dixon and Daniel Sweeney were both unable to turn a loose ball home from close range.
Phil Wilson had to rectify his own mistake with a save from Mathias Bakare after gifting the ball to the striker, and Ethan Pinnock headed off the line.
But after that, it was fairly comfortable for Hamlet.
Waldron ballooned over when well placed and VCD keeper Rob Budd saved from Dixon at close range.
The South Londoners made the game safe with five minutes to go when Mitchell Nelson climbed highest to head in Damian Scannell's left-wing free-kick.
Dulwich have been drawn at home to National League south side Margate in the third qualifying round. The tie will be played on November 28.

Two days later, on Thursday, the weekly 'Southwark News' headlined with the Trophy draw:

New Hamlet striker Ryan Moss will get an early chance to meet old friends after Dulwich drew his old side Margate in the next round of the FA Trophy.
Dulwich made it through to the third qualifying round of the competition after defeating VCD Athletic 2-0 at Champion Hill last Saturday.
The goals on the day came from Dean McDonald and another ex-Margate player in the shape of Mitchell Nelson.
Moss was signed the day before the VCD game and Hamlet fans hope he will be the man who will bag the goals to secure the Ryman Premier League title.
His record at that level is certainly impressive as in two seasons in the Ryman Premier League with Margate, and before that at Kingstonian, he scored more than 40 goals.
Hamlet boss Gavin Rose told the club website: "Ryan Moss is a signing that will capture the imagination of the supporters. We were very keen to sign him but couldn't have done so without the extra financial support provided by the [fan's funded] 12th Man Scheme."
Whilst Moss joined the squad at Champion Hill his signing has meant that another frontman, Calum Willock, has left the Pink and Blues after scoring sven goals in nineteen appearances.
This Saturday Dulwich return to league action and the table toppers will be on their travels to Bognor Regis Town, who are currently one of Hamlet's main rivals for the sole automatic promotion place.

And, finally, to complete the write-ups from last week, we return to the 'South London Press', for their weekend edition. They concentrated on the Dan Sweeney saga, & the meddling from his agents:

Daniel Sweeney is facing a fine from Dulwich Hamlet after boss Gavin Rose claimed he trained with Reading without permission.
Sweeney has been the subject of speculation since his blistering start at Champion Hill when he netted six times in his first six appearances.
Rose has been resigned to the fact that the 21-year-old would move on to a higher level at some point, but had hoped to persuade the highly coveted attacking midfielder to stay for a while longer.
The former AFC Wimbledon youngster hooked up with Reading last week but was given Dulwich's blessing.Charlton Athletic are also interested in the player.
Rose will not complain to Reading about taking the player because of previous good relationships between the clubs but warned that the ramifications would be against the player, casting doubt over his selection for Dulwich's vital top-of-the-table clash with Bognor Regis tomorrow.
"He didn't get permission from us to go back this week," Rose said. "He is under a great deal of pressure from his agent and we are worried hoe this will affect his progress going forward. The most important thing for us is Dulwich Hamlet Football Club so we have to make a stand and decide whether Dan can perform for us at this time. Daniel is a non-contract player but he should still have got permission. We will turn a blind eye to Reading, because they've made a mistake, so the player will bear the brunt in the form of a fine."
Sweeney is represented by Tony Finnegan- who has helped progress the careers of Yannick Bolasie and Jamie Puncheon in the past-and has made an impressive start to life at Champion Hill.
More positive player-movement news for Rose is the signing of striker Ryan Moss from National League South outfit Margate, who have also been drawn as Dulwich's next opponents in the FA Trophy.
Moss made his debut for Hamlet as a second-half substitute in the 2-0 Trophy win over VCD Athletic last Saturday.
In order to make room for Moss' arrival, veteran striker Calum Willock is on his way out of Champion Hill after seven goals in 19 appearances by the former professional.
Moss scored the opener for Margate in the delayed play-off semi-final last season, which the seasiders went on to win.
"Ryan was prolific for Margate last season," Rose said. "He has a really good record over the last couple of years. We felt he was someone who could help us. He is very quick, can run in behind the defence and has an eye for goal. Calum has had interest from two or three clubs because he did so well for us. He is spoilt for choice and it's great he has so many options because he deserves it. He did a great job for us in a short space of time. He brought us more experience and was a really positive influence in the dressing room. We wish him all the best."
Rose has labelled tomorrow's clash with Bognor Regis Town as his side's most important of the season.
A win for Bognor would put them two points clear of the South Londoners at the top, with two games in hand, whereas victory for the SE22 club would mean their opponents could only go a point clear if they won both of those matches.
"You normally have five or six games a season where you feel the result is a key one," Rose said. "This is probably the first one for us this season. I'm looking forward to seeing how we do because it could give a hint as to where we are in terms of challenging. We are in good form and we are confident of getting a good result. We know what to expect and we know it will be difficult. They set up strongly and we didn't do well there last year. We want to put that right."
Dulwich have no injury concerns ahead of the clash.