The latest newspaper round-up

Here's the last couple of weeks in the local & specialist press

Apologies for the 'double round-up', I was in Hamburg last weekend, so was unable to share what the newspapers have been saying. This articles brings everything bang up to date:

Two Sundays ago we were the main feature game on the Ryman League pages in the 'Non League Paper':

HAMLET TITLE HOPES HIT BY MELVIN'S MARVELS

Dulwich's promotion wobbles continued when relegation-bound Farnborough grabbed the rarest of away points with a display which totally belied their league position.
Hamlet have now taken just one point from their last three games-all against sides in the bottom four.
And they could not have made a worse start to this game, conceding in the fourth minute.
Keeper Phil Wilson failed to reach a long cross from Andrew Jenkinson, and Bogdan Vastsuk netted from close range.
Dulwich gradually fought back, however. Ryan Moss struck the post from 15 yards.
And they equalised in the 18th minute when Nyren Clunis charged down a clearance and slotted the loose ball into an empty net.
Moss later miscued his shot when set free by Dean McDonald's cushion header.
However, Hamlet moved in front in first-half stoppage time with a well-worked goal.
Clunis spread the ball wide to McDonald and the former Farnborough man's cross was met by Ashley Carew's towering far-post header.
The hosts enjoyed the balance of play after the interval, but Boro often looked dangerous on the break, with Wilson making a smart save from George Leacock and later denying Vastsuk when the Estonian Under 21 striker ran clear.
Hamlet skipper Danny Waldren struck the top of the bar on 67 minutes with a thunderous shot from 25 yards, but a minute later Boro' got back on level terms when defender Sam Pearce met a free-kick with a thumping header into the roof of the Hamlet net.
Dulwich pressed strongly during the closing stages as they went for the winner, but could not get past Boro's inspired keeper Melvin Minter again.
First he held a high free-kick from Carew, next he plunged to his left to brilliantly turn away a downward header from Moss.
And finally he made another fine stop when Rhys Murrell-Williamson cut in from the right.
Hamlet manager Gavin Rose was bitterly disappointed with his team's performance, telling the NLP: We started badly, and when we get on top we missed too many decent chances. We've now conceded eight goals in three games against teams in the relegation places and we are clearly missing the injured Ethan Pinnock. The whole team need to get back the form and mentality we showed during our recent unbeaten run."
In contrast, Boro boss Spencer Day hail his young side and insisted they were good value for money for only their second away point of the season.
And he stressed: "We need to take this form forward into tomorrow's home game with another leading side, Billericay."
STAR MAN: Melvin Minter (Farnborough)
ENTERTAINMENT: *** (out of a possible five stars)

On the following Tuesday the midweek copy of the 'South London Press' was a bit more positive about that draw:

Rose encouraged despite dropping two more points

Dulwich Hamlet dropped points against a team in the Ryman League Premier Division relegation zone for the third match in a row as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Farnborough.
But Gavin Rose was much happier with his side’s application and attitude compared with that shown in defeats to VCD Athletic and table-proppers Lewes.
The Champion Hill side were behind inside five minutes in SE22 as Bogdan Vastuk capitalised on an error by Phil Wilson.
Ryan Moss hit the post a few minutes later as Dulwich searched for a route back into the game. Hamlet turned it around when Nyren Clunis charged down a clearance from visiting stopper Melvin Minter on 18 minutes and Ashley Carew headed home Dean McDonald’s cross in first-half stoppage-time.
Danny Waldren’s shot smacked the crossbar midway through the second half, and moments later Farnborough were level when the unmarked Sam Pearce headed in a free-kick.
Financial misdemeanours mean Farnborough will be sent down two divisions to the Combined Counties Premier Division if they finish in the drop zone and so they are desperate to place outside the bottom four so they only drop one level.
“They have to stay up so they had signed a few new players and we were facing totally different personnel,” Rose said. “That includes a striker who played for Aldershot [in the National League] two weeks ago. If they had those players all season they’d be top of the league and they played like a team in that position.
“It was disappointing to concede from two set-pieces but I saw a much better attitude than we had against VCD. The problem is when you drop your intensity and mentality it’s hard to get it back up - you can start overthinking. Their keeper made some good saves and I can’t fault the lads’ efforts.”
Dulwich dropped to third as a result of East Thurrock United winning and could be six points off the top if Hampton & Richmond Borough win their game in hand.
“We can’t talk about winning the league at this stage, only the next match,” Rose said. “We have to rely on other teams dropping points but we have to do our job first.”

two days after that, on the Thursday, our forthcoming charity game on Wednesday 2nd March made the main pages of the 'Southwark News', which we shared with you on the day.

On the sports pages the 'Southwark News' concentrated on our not winning once more:

Dulwich Hamlet hand out points again

Dulwich Hamlet handed out more points to another relegation threatened side last weekend when they could only muster a 2-2 draw against Farnborough at Champion Hill.
In their last three contests, all against sides in the Ryman Premier League relegation zone when playing Dulwich, the Pink and Blues have lost to both Lewes and VCD Athletic before they gained a solitary point on Saturday.
At the weekend Nyren Clunis and Ashley Carew gave Dulwich a half-time lead, but a second half goal from Boro's sam Pearce, in addition to a fourth minute goal from Bogdan Vastsuk, meant the day's shares were spoiled.
Hamlet still sit in third spot in the table but the poor sequence of results against sides they would be expected to defeat looks likely to have cost them the title, and the solitary automatic promotion spot.
Instead Dulwich, who have a dozen league contests remaining, will have to quickly turn their form around to consolidate one of the four play-off spots.
Hampton & Richmond still lead the league table, three points of Hamlet with a game in hand, whilst East Thurrock United are currently their closest rivals.
This weekend Dulwich travel to another side in the relegation zone, in the shape of Brentwood Town, where they will hope to get back to winning ways.
They are also in action at Champion Hill next Tuesday night when they take on London Bari in the quarter-finals of the London County Cup.

And then to the end of last week , with Friday's 'South London Press', with one of their now customary & well-researched player interviews, this time Albert Jarrett:

WIN,LOSE OR JAW

Albert Jarrett suffered a horrible freak injury in September that kept him out for weeks - but hopes that break means he is fresh to fire on all cylinders as the Ryman Premier Division title race enters it’s final few months.
The Dulwich Hamlet winger was heading back to the dressing room after an unsuccessful pre-match fitness test when the incident occurred.
Jarrett said: “I didn’t feel well, I also had a bad stomach. I was trying to get out of someone’s way and lost my footing. I hit my jaw on the way down and fractured it in two places. It all happened so quickly. It was horrible. I spent hours in King’s College Hospital and I was out for eight or nine weeks. But come the end of the season, if it means I have a lot more left in the tank for the run-in then it could turn out to be a positive. I have been finding my feet again, getting sharper and Gavin Rose knows I’m working hard to force my way into the team.”
Rose’s side will need everyone to be up to scratch as Hamlet attempt to reel in new leaders East Thurrock United, who leapfrogged Dulwich and Hampton & Richmond Borough with a win over Metropolitan Police on Tuesday.
The Champion Hill outfit are third and could slip further off the pace if Hampton & Richmond win their game in hand and Tonbridge Angels, who have two games more left to play than Hamlet, also pick up good results. Dulwich would have dropped to fourth if Tonbridge had won on Wednesday night - but they drew 1-1 at Grays.
They haven’t helped their own cause with two defeats and a draw against three teams in the relegation zone in their last three matches. Defeats to VCD Athletic and table-proppers Lewes were followed by a 2-2 draw at home to Farnborough last Saturday. Gavin Rose read the riot act about his players’ attitude after the VCD game.
“The teams at the bottom are fighting for their lives so raise their game even more, especially against us,”?Jarrett said. “We’ve conceded some pretty scrappy goals and not been clinical enough. We’ve conceded at vital times in games and been punished for not scoring at the other end a few moments before. We need a big win - three or four-nil to kickstart us again. The atmosphere is still good regardless of how results have gone. Gavin Rose’s management has been spot on. The wheels haven’t fallen off. We’ve got the talent and depth in the squad to put it right. Gavin has made a big difference with what he said. He was honest with us about what he thinks has happened. Because of the character we’ve got, we’ve taken it on board. It’s not over until it’s over. We can still win the league. We have some tough games and just have to focus on ourselves and hope other teams drop points.”
The former professional actually started out life at Champion Hill in the junior ranks. He joined Dulwich midway through last season from Bromley.
“I’ve known Gavin since I was 17 or 18 and that helped pave the way and open the door for me with my professional career,” he said. “He knows me better than anyone and knows how to get the best out of me. I had a bad time with injuries at Bromley so I needed a change of environment. I fitted in straight away because I know lots of people at the club. This is a family club, we all know each other well on and off the field. We had great camaraderie right from pre-season. A lot of clubs need to build that over time but it was automatic here. I want to contribute to that. If I’m not playing I still want to be an influence in the dressing room. I learned a lot of lessons in the pro game. I made a few mistakes, mostly in my attitude and reaction to not playing as much as I wanted. Now I know better - that I have to work hard and apply myself to earn my spot back. I want to be someone who passes that down to the younger players. I hope I’m here for the longer term. I’ve come full circle after being in the youth teams at Dulwich and I’m in a great place now.”
The chance to earn that big win that Jarrett believes is vital comes tomorrow, away to another relegation candidate in Brentwood Town. But recent results against teams in the same positions means Rose is wary.
“A lot of people take for granted how well the team has actually done to amass the amount of points we have,” Rose said. “We are grateful whenever we get them because I will always maintain that there are no easy games in this league. I hope the players understand that as well.”
Ethan Pinnock is still out with a long-term groin injury that has seen him miss the last few weeks. Some of the squad were suffering from flu this week but Rose is confident they will all be fine for tomorrow.

There was even more about Albert in an adjoining column:

Jarrett: Reputation means nothing-I must be producing

Albert Jarrett knows his footballing pedigree counts for nothing as he battles for a place in Dulwich Hamlet’s first team.
The winger has played at a higher level than anyone else in the squad, with a Premier League appearance for Watford on his CV?as well as two years with Brighton & Hove Albion - one of those in the Championship - as well as an extensive list of other Football League clubs.
But the 31-year-old knows he can’t dine out on that at Champion Hill.
Since returning from his injury, his appearances have been a mixture of starts and cameos from the bench.
“The lower the level you are at, the harder it can be,” Jarrett said. “The Ryman League is not a walk in the park. You have to adapt to a new brand of football, which is not easy. No matter how high up you’ve played, your reputation doesn’t guarantee you being in the team. We have a big squad so I have to accept not playing now and again. I want to support those who are playing and if I come on for 10 minutes, I will give my all in that time. I feel I’ve done well and been exciting to watch, and shown why I’ve played at the level I have. Hard work beats talent. On it’s own, talent isn’t enough. I believe I am one of the best players in the squad based on natural ability, but it’s about showing that all the time on the pitch. If I’m not playing as much, I might speak to Gavin about taking on more of a coaching side. It’s in my blood. I want to help the team go up and compete at the next level. This season has been up and down for me but the club has believed in me and I want to repay them. My main focus is getting Dulwich over that line. Winning the league takes strength in depth. It’s not just the 11 on the pitch that wins the league. Everyone has a part to play.”

With the Brentwood match postponed last Saturday this week the Tuesday copy of the 'South London Press' concentrated on our new signing between the sticks:

Former Millwall stopper to push Phil

Dulwich Hamlet boss Gavin Rose says ex-Millwall keeper Preston Edwards has joined Dulwich Hamlet on loan to help get Phil Wilson back to his best.
Edwards made one appearance as a substitute for the Lions in 2007 and has played 201 league games for Ebbsfleet. But he fell out of favour and has made a handful of appearances for Boreham Wood on loan this season.
Rose intends to throw him straight into the action when London Bari visit in the London County Cup quarter-finals to give Wilson a mental break.
“We’ve brought Preston in because Phil has had a difficult run of form and hasn’t had genuine competition all season, which can make it hard to motivate yourself,” Rose said. “Oshane Brown is a bit young at the moment. Preston has came in to start and if he does well he will keep the shirt. Phil will back him up as he is a consummate professional and will be ready to come back in if needed. Phil has played week in, week out with no rest all season and it is a lot for him to deal with so we are taking him out of the firing line for a little while. He still has a big part to play at this club so this is by no means the beginning of the end for him.”
Rose hinted a few youngsters or fringe players would get a chance against Bari tonight.
“A lot of the guys have been good enough to start but haven’t been because we can only pick 11, so they deserve a chance,” he said.
Dulwich’s Ryman Premier Division game at Brentwood Town on Saturday was postponed when a morning pitch inspection deemed the surface at the Brentwood centre Arena unplayable. The match has been rescheduled for Tuesday April 12.

Yesterday, in the weekly 'Southwark News', there was a news feature on the proposed new ground development, which will ensure the long-term future of our Club.
[url=https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/dulwichhamlet/news/southwark-news-report-on-new-ground-plans-1573507.html] We covered this in another article here.[/url

The sports pages led our coverage with the new goalkeeper:

Ex-Millwall stopper joins Hamlet

Former Millwall keeper Preston Edwards has joined Dulwich Hamlet on loan for the remainder of the season.
Edwards was just nineteen when he left The Den in 2009, despite being offered a one-year deal, when he was the reserve keeper behind Irish international David Forde.
The keeper, who has been playing for Boreham Wood in the Vanerama National League this season, is currently registered as a Ebbsfleet United player but will now turn out at Champion Hill for the remainder of this campaign.
Edwards tweeted: "Excited for the new challenge @DulwichHamletFC #promotion."
The keeper, who will vie with Phil Wilson for the number one jersey, took part in training with his new team mates last weekend and he was surprised when a famous Peckham face also put in a showing.
He added: "Just trained with Rio Ferdinand. It's all gone nuts."
Last weekend Hamlet were due to take on Brentwood Town in a Ryman Premier League fixture but that was postponed after pitch conditions in Essex were deemed unplayable.
With the Pink and Blues sitting out the weekend action they now find themselves six points off top spot following those contests.
After Saturday's games Hamlet's next opposition East Thurrock United headed the table on goal difference from Hampton & Richmond Borough, the latter of whom have a game in hand.
On Tuesday night the Pink & Blues were in London County Cup action, a quarter final contest against London Bari. The game ended 1-0, thanks to a 37 minute effort from Jack Dixon, which was enough to ensure Hamlet made it to the last four of the competition.

And so, finally, to get back up to date, with this mornings writ-ups from the 'South London Press':

DRAGE’S DREAM
Matt Drage’s ideal scenario this season would be for Dulwich Hamlet to win the league and his former club Hampton & Richmond Borough to join them in National League south via the play-offs.
The Champion Hill centre-back joined Gavin Rose’ men just before last season’s March transfer deadline because of a lack of playing time, but still harbours a great affection for the club.
Hampton & Richmond hold a nine-point advantage over fourth-placed Dulwich after beating VCD Athletic on Tuesday.
When asked if he was motivated by the chance to get one over his former employers, Drage said: “Not at all. I’ve got a lot of time for Alan Dowson (Borough manager). I played for him at Kingstonian too and he took me to Hampton. It’s great to see they are doing well. An ideal scenario would be for us to win the league and them to come up through the play-offs. I was playing well after moving from Kingstonian, but I got sent off and was given a four-match ban. When I was available again I didn’t play for a few games. I really wanted pitch time. I had already admired Dulwich for a while. Their style suited me. I thought I might as well go and try to get some more games. I see myself as a ball-playing centre-back. I love the way Barcelona play, for example. Obviously it’s a different level but it’s a style we love to emulate at Dulwich. I still have a lot to do to improve on the defensive side but that is getting better.”
The 23-year-old credits his team-mates for his improvement in SE22. “Players like [ex-Charlton defender] Osei Sankofa massively help me,” he said. “One part of my game I need to improve is my communication-talking to players on the pitch, helping them out with their positioning and having the confidence to tell a player where I want them to be. [Captain] Danny Waldren has helped with that as well. The more I play, the more confident I get.”
Drage still has ambitions to play at a higher level and is confident he can do that with Dulwich. “I’m always trying to push myself,” he said. “I’ve played in the league above already. There is not that much difference between that and where we are. I believe we could reach the National League South and I will push for us to get there-for Dulwich and for myself. We can compete at that level and get even higher. The fanbase is excellent. We’ve got the attirbutes on and off the field to go to the highest level of non-league football.”
If Dulwich are going to achieve that, though, an instant improvement in results is required.
Rose’s side have lost two and drawn one of their last three in the league-and all of those were against teams in the relegation zone. Rose was particularly critical of his players’ attitude after the defeat to VCD Athletic.
Drage insists that the squad has taken his comments on board. “We’ve underachieved with the team we’ve got,” he said. “We shouldn’t be where we are-we should be top by a few points. But we slipped up against teams we should be beating. Gavin Rose talked a bit of cockiness in the dressing room and how we approach matches. Teams around us have games in hand so we really need to kick. We were much better against Farnborough [a 2-2 draw] but it still wasn’t the standard we demand of ourselves.”
Jack Dixon’s spectacular 37th minute half-volley at Champion Hill on Tuesday saw Dulwich progress to the semi-finals of the London Senior Cup with a 1-0 win over London Bari of the Essex Senior League.

There were two more articles around the main one, above. The first was about our keepers, after the new signing:

Wilson accepts a new rival for the gloves

Dulwich Hamlet’s Phil Wilson is ready to battle with new loan signing Preston Edwards for the number one shirt at Champion Hill.
Former Millwall stopper Edwards’ signature was announced on Sunday. Boss Gavin Rose suggested that Wilson needed a mental break because of the number of games he has played and that another keeper would spur him on.
Edwards, 26, made his debut in Tuesday’s 1-0 London Senior Cup win against London Bari. Regular SE22 custodian Wilson admits that having a break is good-but he is not ready to relinquish his top spot without a fight.
“I wouldn’t ever be complacent with my place,” Wilson, 32, said. “I am a non-contract player so I know if I underperform at any point I could not only be left out of the team, but out of the club altogether. So I don’t necessarily need someone to push me on but I will always agree that competition helps-there is no room for complacency. We now have two keepers capable of being number one at this level. Neither of us would consider ourselves second choice. This is the first season I’ve had this many games without getting injured. I’ve made sure I’ve looked after myself more and rested my shoulder properly. My normal amount of games in a season is 42 but I realised this week that I’ve reached that already and there are at least 10 games left. So there is an element of fatigue. Having someone of Preston’s quality to come in is good because I need that break-but I still want to play week in, week out. The club is bigger than me though. Gavin has done what he needs to do for the good of Dulwich Hamlet. The goal is to win the league. That’s got to be everyone’s priority. This will help with that. It’s the squad that gets success, not just the 11 on the pitch. Preston has as much a part to play as I have. I will still be there every training session and every game, regardless of whether or not I am playing. If I am on the bench I will give Preston all my support.

The third piece on the sports pages of today's 'South London Press'
had Gavin talking about his lifelong friend Rio Ferdinand taking part in training:

Rose: I would consider it cheating if Rio played for Dulwich

Dulwich Hamlet boss Gavin Rose has told fans not to read anything into Rio Ferdinand taking part in training last weekend.
The former Manchester United and England defender, who has played in three Champions League finals - collecting one winners’ medal - and won six Premier League titles - took part in Saturday’s session. It was held because Hamlet’s Ryman League Premier Division match at Brentwood Town was postponed. He and Rose grew up on the same estate.
Ferdinand - who went to three World Cups with England and earned 81 caps - tweeted: “Just finished training with the guys at @DulwichHamletFC to say that was a sharp shock to the system would be an understatement..sofa me up!”
But Rose has dismissed any idea of the defender making any appearances for his side in their promotion push.
“It’s fine if Rio trains but we haven’t asked him to help out,” Rose said. “It can help because having such a high calibre player training with them will raise the players’ level. There are no plans whatsoever for him to play. If we signed him I’d consider that cheating - plus we have plenty of defenders who have done really well and deserve their place. We went to the same nursery and our families are very close. He’s just a normal guy, still grounded, and hasn’t forgotten his roots. He is welcome any time but it would be off the cuff because he has a busy schedule.”
Dulwich can take a huge step towards hauling themselves back into title contention when they host second-placed East Thurrock United tomorrow. A win would taken them within three points of their opponents with a game in hand.
Rose insists defeat would not spell the end of Dulwich’s challenge.
“Even if we lost it would be too early for it to write us off because there will still be 11 games to go,” he said. “So much can happen in that time. It’s not like there are only a couple of games left after that. They will be in the play-offs at least, so a win is still important because we may face them if we end up there. It would give us confidence.”
Ethan Pinnock is still out with a groin injury and left-back Jordan Brown is a doubt after sustaining a dead leg in Saturday’s session.