Brickies battle ahead as Dulwich Hamlet welcome Sittingbourne to Champion Hill...

With the summit tantalisingly within their grasp, Dulwich Hamlet stand at base camp in their quest to claim the Division One South title. Yet each time the peak seems to loom ahead of them, the swirling clouds obscure their view once more. So it was in midweek as a lacklustre performance in stark contrast to Saturday’s scintillating Ram-raid on the Kent coast saw them slip a little further behind Maidstone in the hunt for the prize though a late Folkestone equaliser did mitigate the damage. However, from here on in the path gets rockier and rockier with games against all six of the other top seven clubs on the agenda starting with the visit of Sittingbourne to Champion Hill this afternoon.

The Brickies have surprised a few of the Isthmian cognoscenti down the seasons, regularly challenging for the playoffs despite their oft-parsimonious state off the field. However towards the end of last term it seemed that the coffers had run dry and Sittingbourne might be no more. Quality talent on the field was lost as dreams of mammon tempting the Brickies’ best and brightest to pastures new. Yet new finance was found, long time Ramsgate supremo Jim Ward was brought in as manager and the rebuilding began. It was not an auspicious start as, opening day victory against new boys Three Bridges apart; the Brickies struggled to make headway in the league. Things changed with the return of striker Ryan Golding, Dulwich his victims back in late September as a double sent the Hamlet spinning to defeat. Somehow though Dulwich will look back on that evening, eyes tinged with regret after opportunities wasted, chances blown and a lead, courtesy of Erhun Oztumer’s spot kick, surrendered.

That win perked up the Brickies’ campaign and having sat back in second to last spot prior to the victory just five games later they had leapt up to the heady heights of fifth spot. They continued to hover around the promotion peripheries, fluctuating from playoff berth to a whisker away to back again. January might have seen Ward pick up the Manager of the Month gong had it not been for a certain Mr Rose of SE22, narrow defeat on the “plastic” pitch of Maidstone on New Year’s Day was followed by a triumvirate of wins, most satisfying of all perhaps a single goal win at fellow promotion chasers Leatherhead who had spirited away former manager Richard Brady in less than savoury circumstances along with talismanic striker Tom Bradbrook. Then again, with Golding in such fine form the Brickies fans no longer cared for their former hero and the reborn sharpshooter was at it again with a hat trick in a 5-0 away routs of a sorry Walton and Hersham.

February brought much less joy, a single win away to Hythe the only bright light in a dark month, but last Saturday with Golding hitting the goal trail again Sittingbourne put Three Bridges to the sword in a 5-2 win at Bourne Park. In doing so, the striker wrote himself a new chapter in the history of the club Ryan Golding breaking legendary club idol Dave Arter’s 20-year-old goal scoring record. Golding’s hat trick in game took his tally to 23 league goals for the season, one more than Arter’s return in 1992/93. It also made him the outright top scorer in Ryman League Division One South, putting ahead of the likes of Hythe’s Dave Cook, Maidstone’s Stuart King and our own Daniel Carr and in pole position for the Isthmian League’s Golden Boot.

Having already had a taste of his prowess, Dulwich will need to keep the prolific Golding in check but that is not to say that the Brickies are a one man show rather a team that has rallied well when the chips are down. Midfielder Joe Taylor has chipped in with vital goals to keep the meter ticking over whilst the tricky Hicham Akhazzan will always pose a threat with his array of darting penalty box raids. However the visitors will be without experienced centre half Anthony John, suspended after a recent red card.

Dulwich will be hoping Kevin James will be pushing the ain barrier after missing key defeats away to Eastbourne and Merstham, his influence sorely missed in the midfield engine room. Meanwhile Daniel Carr is expected to return from his Liverpool trial to take is place in attack and new signing Connor French, recently plucked from Walton and Hersham looks set to make his debut in pink and blue today.

This afternoon’s game kicks off at 3.00 pm at Champion Hill Stadium, Edgar Kail Way, East Dulwich, London SE22 8BD.

Before the game why not enjoy a drink or snack in the ground cosy clubhouse with live sport on the big screens, conveniently situated just a short walk from the turnstiles?

ADMISSION PRICES

• £9 for Adults
• £4 for Concessions (Seniors - 60+, Under 16s, Unemployed (UB40) & Full Time Students with valid ID)
• Under 12s FREE accompanied by a paying adult.

Correct change would be appreciated in order to speed admission. Many thanks!

Programmes: £1.50