In an entertaining game, U18s lose on penalties in First Qualifying Round to Cray Wanderers.

Dulwich are out of this year's FA Youth Cup after losing on penalties to Cray Wanderers last Friday night. In a game of plenty of excitement and goalmouth action, the night somehow ended in a 0-0 draw, with Hamlet's Ruebuan Zamorano the only player not to score in the resulting penalty shootout.

Eight of the Hamlet starting line-up began the previous round against Rusthall, including the lively from three from that night, Benjamin Wetshi, who had netted a treble, Kofi Broni, and Bailee Cain. The game was being played at Glebe, who coincidentally would face the victors of this game in the Second Qualifying Round.

Following a minute's silence to mark the death of Her Majesty, the game started with the "hosts" almost ahead inside the first couple of minutes, with Lucas Vazquez nodding over from a corner. Wetshi showed his immense talent moments later, dipping his own shot just over the crossbar, but it would be Cray who continued to dominate the early proceedings.

Before the game even reached the 15 minute mark, Reggie Rye had fired wide, Alfie Murphy struck a post, keeper Kacper Orlowski had parried another header over, and Michael Ihiedi had clipped an effort beyond the Hamlet custodian and wide of the far post.

As is often the case with youth games, the match was being played at lightning speed, with Wetshi only denied a goal from a brilliant double piece of defending, with further chances being spurned at the other end through Ihiedi and Murphy. Kofi Broni had been quieter than the previous round against Rusthall, but he was next to see a shot blocked at the edge of the area, before the goalkeepers took centre stage in the dying stages of the half.

First, Orlowski thwarted Murphy when he went through one-on-one, making himself big to smother his shot, before Thomas King was called into action at the other end, making a similar stop to keep Broni at bay. Before the whistle went, Murphy continued to be frustrated by Orlowski, and supporters were stunned that the game was goalless at the break.

With the Hamlet now attacking downhill, the better of the chances would now come their way in the second half, with Wetshi the first to go close, hitting the side netting from a tight angle. Hamlet substitute Ruebuan Zamorano took the place of Broni in attack, and he was next to carve out a half-chance, shooting over following a outstanding surge down the left wing by the brilliant Amal Mujuzi.

As the game reached the final quarter, Orlowski had a more routine save to deny Rocco Batman from distance, but it would be backs against the wall for the Wands for the final fifteen minutes. A free-kick from Brajan Kacprzak was nodded just wide of the near post by Shyheim Foster, Cain flicked another effort just past the post, Zamorano was also inches away from finding the bottom corner with a drive, and as the game ticked into the ninetieth minute, Wetshi produced a carbon copy of the Ihiedi miss from the first half, as he went through on King, prodded the ball beyond him, but saw his effort trickle the wrong side of the Cray post, and with that went the final major opportunity.

So to penalties the game would go, with the Hamlet taking first, and after Trevay Anderson and Endri Curraj both scored their sides' opening spotkick, Zamorano crashed his effort against the crossbar with our second. Despite converted penalties from Chadd Yassin-Sheriff, Wetshi and Cain, Cray had seen all theirs scored by Batman, Renaldae Browne and Murphy, meaning that Rye had the chance to win it with the tenth penalty taken. He went to Orlowski's left, just beyond the reach of the Hamlet goalkeeper, to spark wild celebrations from players and staff alike, and they will now return to Glebe within the next fortnight.

The Hamlet can undoubtedly hold their heads up high, and will no doubt feel they could have won the game in normal time, especially in the last fifteen minutes, but this exciting group of first year scholars will now have to wait another year to see if they can reach Round One.

Cray Wanderers Line-Up: 1 Thomas King, 2 Ronnie Wickes, 3 David Membu, 5 Luke Frost (c), 6 Lucas Vazquez (14 Damlola Soyemi-Oloade 90+4'), 7 Samuel Williams (12 Rocco Batman 62'), 8 Endri Curraj, 10 Alfie Murphy, 11 Abdullah Amr Radi (16 Renaldae Browne 77'), 18 Michael Ihiedi, 22 Reggie Rye

Unused Substitutes: 15 Leonard Rye, 17 Reggie Dempsey

Dulwich Hamlet Line-Up: 1 Kacper Orlowski, 2 Shyheim Foster, 3 Amal Mujuzi, 4 Brasan Kacprzak, 5 Temi Ade-Ojo, 6 Chadd Yassin-Sheriff (c), 7 Ebrahima Camara Jarju, 8 Tayian Satih (15 Trevay Anderson 74'), 9 Bailee Cain, 10 Kofi Broni (17 Ruebuan Zamorano 54'), 11 Benjamin Wetshi

Unused Substitutes: 12 Jack Watts, 14 Wisdom Okoroji, 16 Tyrese Simpson-Knight, 18 Nader Mortada, 20 Asad Mohamed

Yellow Card: Ruebuan Zamorano 59'

Dulwich Penalty Takers: Anderson - scored, Zamorano - missed, Yassin-Sheriff - scored, Wetshi - scored, Cain - scored
Cray Penalty Takers: Curraj - scored, Batman - scored, Browne - scored, Murphy - scored, R.Rye - scored

Referee: James Black