Last weeks papers...

Here's our customary round-up from the local and specialist press

Starting off with the 'Non League Paper' when we were once more the Ryman League feature game, for our top of the table South Coast clash at Bognor Regis Town:

Dulwich opened up a five-point lead at the Ryman League summit as they edged a titanic top-two clash with Bognor at Nyewood Lane.
Harvey Whyte gave the hosts a 32nd-minute lead but Hamlet stormed back to lead 3-1 before the rocks pulled a goal back to ensure a nervous finish.
Dulwich boss Gavin Rose credited the victory to the club’s transfer business in the close season.
He told The NLP: This was a very important win for us. We have been on a good run of late and our momentum is good. We always enjoy coming here-in the past results haven’t always been in our favour but it was today. The signings we made in the summer meant that coming to places like Bognor we were able to compete and draw on the experience. We defended well and worked hard today much like many of our away games this season.”
However, Bognor made the better start in a bright first half. Ollie Pearce’s curling effort from outside the area crashed off the crossbar.
And the Rocks took the lead on 32 minutes when Harvey Whyte latched onto a loose ball and fired a belter of a shot that dipped and swerved as it flew into the net.
Dulwich were only behind for six minutes. Rhys Murrell-Williamson sped down the left, beating his marker before crossing low for Nyren Clunis who made no mistake with a low drive.
The much-travelled Ryan Moss gave Dulwich the lead on 49 minutes when the referee’s assistant ruled that the ball had crossed the line in the midst of a goalmouth scramble.
And Hamlet extended their lead on 67 minutes. Clunis did well to cut inside the box before firing across goal to Murrell-Williamson at the back post who applied the finishing touch.
Bognor pulled a goal back on 77 minutes when Snorre Nilsen slammed home the rebound off the post after Jason Prior’s header was saved by Dulwich keeper Phil Wilson.
That completed the scoring but Bognor boss Jamie Howell was disappointed not to have got something from the game.
He said: “It was a good game of football. Dulwich were impressive but I think we contributed well to the game and I don’t think we disgraced ourselves at all today. I even think we played pretty well in patches. I thought we had done enough to gain a draw despite Dulwich having lots of possession but we had lots of chances to score. We missed our opportunities at crucial times and against teams like today’s you will get punished, as we did today.”

STAR MAN: Rhys Murrell-Williamson (Dulwich Hamlet)
ENTERTAINMENT: ***** (out of five)
Last Tuesday there was another big write-up of the Bognor match in the midweek edition of the ‘South London Press’:

Dulwich Hamlet captain Danny Waldren believes his side’s crucial victory over Bognor Regis Town on Saturday sends out a huge statement about their title credentials.
Gavin Roses’ side triumphed 3-2 in the Ryman Premier top-of the table clash, putting them five points clear. It means Bognor can only go a point clear if they win all their games in hand, rather than seven if they had beaten the South Londoners.
“It massively proves that we are well in the running for the title,” Waldren said. “Other teams still have games in hand but we have the points on the board and other teams definitely know that we are a force to be reckoned with. It is vital to take points off your rivals and we did that. I competed for promotion in the Conference South [now National League south] with Bromley and this squad has the same characteristics. There is huge talent here and we have a number of players who could compete at Conference level and maybe even higher. At my previous clubs [Waldren has played for Croydon Athletic and Bromley] I've never felt such camerarderie between the players. It was fantastic at Bromley but it's even better here. Everyone is fighting their corner and we're all realyl enjoying the ride."
Bognor Regis hit the crossbar in the 27th minute after a bustling start to the clash, and Harvey Whyte gave them the lead five minutes later when he smashed in from 25 yards.
Phil Wilson then made a save that turned out to be key as Hamlet went up the other end and equalised. Rhys Murrell-Williamson broke free on the left and centred for Nyren Clunis to finish on 38 minutes.
The South Londoners went in front less than five minutes into the second half.
Dan Sweeney-who had a fine game and had no signs of sulkiness after Rose revealed he would be fining the attacking midfielder for training with Reading without permission last week- crossed from the left with the outside of his right foot.
Ryan Moss reacted quickest to stab it home for his first goal for the club. The home goalkeeper desperately tried to claw it out but the referee correctly decided that the ball had already crossed the line.
Chances continued to be created at both ends and Dulwich made it three in the 67th minute when Clunis returned the favour for Murrell-Williamson, with the former crossing low from the right for the latter to finish at the far post.
Snorre Nilson netted a rebound 10 minutes later to set up a tense finish and Wilson made two blocks in the final 10 minutes. But Dulwich held on for a huge win.
"The lads were 4-0 down by half-time in this game last season so that must have been in the back of Gavin's mind," Waldren said. "We had to approach it with the right attitude and that's exactly what we did. The conditions were crazy. The grass was really long and there was such a swirling wind that we couldn't even warm up on the pitch. But I love those kind of games-it's proper non-league football to me. They didn't need me to drill into them how important the game was. They know how much it means to the club and the fans."
Hamlet are away to mid-table Harrow Borough this evening, and Waldren warns that the Champion Hill side must be just as switched on.
"We have to make sure we are equally as up for the less-profile games," he said. "If we lose it will make Saturday's great result a bit of a waste. We can't let our hair down and get complacent. But I don't think we have that sort of mentality in the dressing room. We have confidence from our good run, but not over-confidence. Everyone will be 100 per cent focused on their job. Leagues aren't won at this stage of the season but we need to get the results now to put us in a good place when it comes down to the wire."

No headlines in the weekly 'Southwark News' two days later, just the lead piece in a truncated Non-League round up

Dulwich Hamlet opened up a five point gap in the Ryman Premier League last Saturday when they defeated Bognor Regis Town 3-2.
The top of the table clash saw the Pink and Blues come out on top, their seventh win on the bounce in all competitions, thanks to goals from Nyren Clunis, debutante striker Ryan Moss and Rhys Murrell-Williamson.
On Tuesday night Hamlet's lead in the league was cut to three points when they surprisngly lost 1-0 to Harrow Borough.
Whilst Bognor also lost on the same night a 3-0 win secured by Tonbridge Angels against Met Police moved them into second spot in the league.
This weekend Dulwich are in FA Trophy action as Margate come to Champion Hill for a third qualifying round encounter that kicks off at 3pm.
They follow that up with an Alan Turvey Trophy encounter against Faversham Town next Tuesday, a game starts at 7.45pm.

And, finally, for last week...we look at the weekend edition of the 'South London Press', which concentrated on our goalkeepers, in two pieces:

Phil Wilson is excited about Dulwich Hamlet getting to test themselves against higher-level opposition tomorrow.
Gavin Rose's side have a break from Ryman League Premier Division action as they host National League South side Margate in the third qualifying round of the FA Trophy.
The seasiders were promoted from Dulwich's league last season-and beat the South Londoners in the play-off semi-final on the way.
Wilson-who is a PE teacher and head of sixth form at a school in Bexley-feels that as a team who have similar ambitions of going up, tomorrow presents a good chance for Dulwich to assess their quality in comparison to the National League.
"It will be a good indicator, like when we faced Whitehawk [Dulwich lost 4-2 in the FA Cup second qualifying round]," the Hamlet stopper said. "That's the level we want to be at next season so we must make sure we're at least competing with them. It's not long since we played Margate competitively-we've both probably made a lot of changes since then. No one is worried about them. We are looking forward to it and have every right to be quietly confident. We have been in good form but they are a league above so it will be good to see where we are compared to them."
Wilson believes his side are better placed than ever to finally crack their ambitions. But Rose is not allowing that to go to their heads.
"Most people felt we'd be up there anyway but in previous years we have struggled against the top teams, especially Bognor Regis," said Wilson. "But beating them and Canvey Island when they were top were big statements. This year we've shown more resolve, a good team spirit in not being beaten easily and standing strong in difficult away games. Ability-wise it's the best squad I've been involved with here. The camaraderie and team spirit is very similar to our Ryman South title-winning side. We have every aspect that a successful team meeds. Everyone wants to work for each other and no-one wants to let anyone else down. We've got a more experienced squad too. We've always had a small, young side but this team is physically bigger and more mature. Promotion talk is not banned but it's about being realistic. We know we are capable of challenging for the title, but we know that we have no divine right to win it. We have to work hard every week. At this level if you don't work harder than the opposition, they will beat you. We talk about it not being a formality. Everyone knows their individual jobs. That's the biggest key to our success over the last couple of months. A lot of new players have come in that may have been asked to play a different way. It takes time to settle but the attitude is fantastic. We must maintain that."
Wilson feels he is playing as well as he ever has done. That's thanks to Dulwich employing goalkeeping coach Kenny Addai since they were promoted to the Ryman Premier.
"Kenny has been fantastic for me in the last couple of years," he said. "I've not had a goalkeeping coach for large parts of my career. He has looked at my game and improved it. "
The 33-year-old is keen to distance himself from retirement talk just yet. He has more goals to achieve, having lost to Staines Town in the Ryman Premier play-off semi-final with Carshalton Athletic in 2009.
"For the last three years I've hinted at it being my last year," he said. "I'm not saying that this time. I'm really enjoying it-we'll see at the end of the season. My job can dictate what I can do and I can't commit to. My body might have a say in it. I would obviously like to carry on and there will be conversations with the coaches at the end of the year. I would love another crack at National League South if we get promoted this year. I am desperate to escape the Ryman Premier because I have come so close with Dulwich and Carshalton."

The same issue of the 'South London Press' then ran an article which began with Phil talking about his young understudy:

Dulwich Hamlet keeper Phil Wilson is excited about the potential of fellow custodian Oshane Brown and the youngsters in defence who are being expertly guided by more senior players.
Wilson believes 19-year-old Brown has the potential to play at a higher level.
"I do bits with Oshane at some training sessions," Wilson said. "He is aware of what his capabilities are. He has fantastic attributes. His handling is unbelievable. He is a big lad, like me, so we work together with that. I know the difficulties he has as a big guy. We do a lot of work on the sharp footwork and movement to help with agility and developing good habits. Whenever he's had opportunities he has taken them. In his last game [against Erith & Belvedere-a 4-0 cup win] he was outstanding. He has a great attittude and is keen to progress. He is only 19 and not many keepers play first-team fotoball at that age. With Kenny [Addia-goalkeeping coach] and Gav [Rose] at the club with all their contacts, he is in a good place. Gavin would have no problem putting him straight in the team if I wasn't up to scratch."
The experience of senior players is rubbing off on the entire squad, with Wilson's rearguard particularly impressing him.
"It's unfair to say his defence is better than any other that have been here," Wilson said. "Lewis Gonsalves [former Dulwich captain who left in 2014] is one of the best defenders I have ever played with-he deserved a chance in the Football League. But one thing that is key now is having players like Osei Sankofa [ex-Charlton] and Jordan Brown [ex-Barnet]. Their experience at professional level really helps the development of Matt Drage and Ethan Pinnock. Ethan benefited a lot from having Terrell Forbes [who spent last season at Champion Hill] alongside him, talking to him in games and guiding him. Osei is the same with him and it's had a huge impact. Ethan has been unbelievable this season."
Dulwich's good form was halted by a shock 1-0 defeat to mid-table Harrow Borough on Tuesday night.
Rose's side dominated the game but Nyren Clunis, Matt Drage and Danny Waldren were all denied in the first half before Joshua Webb scored for the hosts on 62 minutes.
The underdogs held on despite Clunis and Scannell each going close twice.