Leatherhead 0-1 Dulwich Hamlet

A late, late winner from Anthony Acheampong maintained Dulwich’s slim hopes of catching leaders Billericay Town.

The victory leaves Dulwich just a single point behind the title favourites who have one game in hand, which they will use up when they entertain Needham Market tonight (Thursday).
At worst, this hard-fought win guarantees Dulwich a top three finish and a home match in the play-off semi-finals on Thursday 3rd May.

Gavin Rose made a couple of changes from the side that had beaten Thurrock last Saturday, with Sanchez Ming and Mark Weatherstone replacing Quade Taylor and Nyren Clunis.

Despite the dramatic finale, it was a fairly dour affair, with the bobbly pitch negating the attempts of two evenly-matched teams to play much football. It was not a night for dwelling on the ball in defence and in consequence there was far more long ball seen than in a typical Hamlet match. But both defences were strong and uncompromising and the game had a 0-0 look about it from very early on.

Indeed, it was not until the 18th minute that either side fashioned a decent chance, but Mark Weatherstone’s header from Ashley Carew’s free-kick went sailing over the bar. The Tanners did not threaten until seven minutes before half-time when a clever pass put D’Sean Theobald through in the inside-right channel, but his shot across Amadou Tangara went outside the far post. Minutes later, Leatherhead’s Dan Gallagher headed well wide at the back post from a free-kick. Home ‘keeper Manny Agboola was called into serious action for the first time on the stroke of half-time, diving low to his left to push away a 25-yard free-kick from Ashley Carew.

There was a brief scare for Hamlet fans early in the second-half when Amadou Tangara let slip a high corner to the back post, but the ‘keeper recovered and managed to grab the ball before the home side’s forwards could pounce on his error. At the other end, Dulwich went close twice just after the hour mark. First, Agboola blocked well at the feet of Rickie Hayles when Mark Weatherstone nodded down a free-kick to his fellow defender, then Reise Allassani glanced a header wide of the far post from Ashley Carew’s cross. Later Mark Weatherstone glanced a header wide in similar fashion. In between these efforts there was a glimpse of goal for Leatherhead, but strong Hamlet defending blocked successive shots from Theobald and Jack Midson.

There were three bookings (the only ones of the game) in the space of six minutes as the contest entered its closing stages and became increasingly tense, then Junior Kadi was ordered from the dug-out for comments to one of the assistant referees. Both sets of fans were probably resigned to a 0-0 draw, but Gavin Rose was still looking for a win and in the 88th minute he sent on Anthony Acheampong and moved Rickie Hayles up front. The substitution was to prove decisive. In the fourth and penultimate minute of stoppage time, we forced only our third corner of the night and Ashley Carew’s flag-kick into the goalmouth picked out Anthony Acheampong whose downward header squeezed through the bodies of friend and foe alike and into the back of the net. Acheampong could not have chosen a better time to score his first League goal for the Club!

Team: Amadou Tangara; Sanchez Ming, Michael Chambers, Ibrahim Kargbo, Rickie Hayles, Mark Weatherstone, Nathan Ferguson (Anthony Acheampong, 88 mins), Ashley Carew, Reise Allassani (Dipo Akinyemi , 73 mins), Gavin Tomlin (Nyren Clunis, 61 mins), Nathan Green.