Dulwich Hamlet Women 0 - 2 Fulham FC Women

Sunday 7th November 2021

Spirits were high at Champion Hill after Wednesday night’s rollocking 9-0 win over London Seaward, but Fulham presented a tougher challenge. The visitors have only been beaten once this season, and occupy second place in the table, while Dulwich’s fortunes have been a little bumpier lately. Several key Dulwich players are out of action; there’s no shortage of skill in the active roster, with some bright young talent shining this season, but perhaps their collective chemistry needs work. The team that stepped out to meet Fulham were a far more cohesive unit, paying attention to defence and trying to create chances, but the secret sauce was missing, and allowed Fulham to walk away with a frustrating victory.

With captain Brit Saylor out injured, striker Sophie Manzi took the armband. The opening minutes were all about the midfield, with Anna Jowle making her mark in her home debut, challenging her way through the centre and putting pressure on Fulham’s core. The teams felt evenly matched, both trying to convert corners but meeting defensive walls they couldn’t break past. It was even-stevens in the stands too, with a 2021 record crowd of 473 bringing the noise on both sides – Dulwich fans screaming for their favourites (a returning Lucy Monkman got screams of approval from young supporters every time she touched the ball) while Fulham fans brought flags and warlike spirit.

A poised 13th minute save from Fulham’s Edie Kelly warned of the calibre Dulwich were facing – dipping and bouncing the ball tidily off her knee. Undeterred, Dulwich worked to build momentum. Sas Philp charged through midfield to set Monkman up, but Monki found herself without support at the front to carry it through. Monkman’s second try met the same problem – a recurring theme, often finding herself alone and facing three defenders with nobody to distract them.

Fulham’s Ellie Olds had ideas about landing an early blow, beating speedy Chana Hinds into the box, but her aim was wide and her strike soared past the side netting. Monkman and Stone volleyed back and forth to generate something exploitable, but that Fulham backline stunted their hopes. Claiming a foul, Fulham chanced a free kick, with Monkman, Rosie Stone and Hinds in the wall, but it bounced straight off the corner post and over the back.

Fulham tried to break the stalemate, first with a shot from Helen Ogle that Saskia Reeves-Priestley easily closed down, then with a dangerous run from midfield, cleared away by a vigilant Hinds. Ogle regained and tried to finish it, but Reeves-Priestley extinguished her chances with a brilliant save. With the first half fading, the intensity ramped up, culminating in a nasty collision in midfield – Manzi was down with a hard knock to the head, but quickly on her feet again and back in the game. Fulham tried to capitalise on the distraction and sneak one through, and Harriet Crofts saved Dulwich’s bacon, denying the visitors a chance in the box.

One suspects there was a fiery half-time talk in the Fulham dressing room. Though their chances were more focused and dangerous, Dulwich had denied them the chance to convert. The visitors returned with a vengeance, Ogle nabbing the goal she’d been after, and securing a 47th minute lead. Dulwich needed to regroup rapidly, but Fulham had found their fighting feet. Reeves-Priestley delivered a stonking save at 55 minutes, yet moments later the ball was at the feet of Annie Thomas who seized the moment and doubled Fulham’s lead. We longed to see this kind of opportunism from Dulwich, to beat Kelly with the element of surprise in the box if they couldn’t find a more deliberate route round their backline.

Looking to cauterise the wound, Dulwich subbed off Jowle and Philp as soon as they picked up yellow cards, and doubled down on defence. A fine intercept in the box from Sarah Walters stopped Fulham claiming their third, and Crofts and Asia headed off another attempt. They stabilised the game, but could they find the equalisers?

Two huge attempts in the 70s confirmed the fire still in the Hamlet bellies, but Fulham looked more certain of their fortunes, enjoying their lead and batting away the hosts’ attack. As the crowd screamed, a beautiful slice of action from Dulwich carried the ball up the field to Monkman, who barrelled it to Manzi – but she couldn’t drive it home. Fulham kept trying to drive another nail in, but with never-say-die flair, Hinds and Reeves-Priestley denied them any more satisfaction. A killer save from Reeves-Priestley at the 91st, and a skied follow-up from Fulham offered the game’s final dramatic flourishes.

It was a hard result for Dulwich, who defended well throughout but came unstuck in the face of Fulham’s post-break turbo mode and couldn’t match their attack. Fulham are formidable, and Dulwich didn’t make their job easy, but the Hamlet have some of their own figuring out to do, to rediscover their mojo and find their way back up the table where they belong. Their tenacity did serious damage control – and the faith of the 473-strong crowd also deserves a word. An audience of that size, at this level in the women’s game (and indeed in much of the men’s game) tells us something life-affirming about the growth of women’s football in the UK, and the pull of Champion Hill for football fans of all allegiances. Though the score was disappointing, that is not – and it’s something to treat as a foundation as Dulwich regroup and relight their spark.

Dulwich play Whyteleafe away on 14 November, and London Seaward at home on 21 November.

Attendance: 473

Dulwich Hamlet FCW:

1 Saskia Reeves-Priestley; 4 Chana Hinds; 5 Rosie Stone; 6 Sarah Walters; 7 Sas Philp; 9 Sophie Manzi (capt); 10 Anna Jowle; 14 Lucy Monkman; 18 Asia Harbour-Brown; 20 Harriet Crofts; 22 Jo Gibson

Subs:
15 Hannah Baptiste; 19 Jordan Williamson; 21 Jazmine Lacrette

Fulham FCW:

1 Edie Kelly; 3 Tessa Allen; 5 Mary Southgate; 7 Helen Ogle; 8 Becky Stormer; 9 Gemma Taylor; 10 Lilly Lambird;14 Tia Foreman; 20 Kate Foster; 21 Oana Negrea; 23 Ellie Olds

Subs:
2 Emily Bird; 11 Annie Thomas; 13 Emma Marlow; 15 Sophie Modak; 27 Megalie Mendes

Referee: Mick Stevens
Photo: Liam Asman

Dulwich Hamlet 1 - 1 Ashford Town (Middlesex) Women

Sunday 17 October 2021

Dulwich Hamlet returned to league play this week, with a game against a familiar foe. Dulwich lost 3-2 to Ashford Town back in May, a tough team with a habit of racking up back-to-back wins. They showed up this weekend planning to extend their 6 game league streak and +29 (!) goal difference, and likely feeling cocky after a dizzying FA Cup 25-0 win against Highworth Town. But Dulwich Hamlet showed up ready to puncture any over-confidence, and held the league leaders to a gritty 1-1 draw, ending their winning streak.

Ashford pressed right from the jump, looking for an early chance to take the lead, but Dulwich had the same idea, scouting out routes into the Ashford box. Ashford’s enthusiasm wasn’t matched by accuracy in the opening minutes; a long pass from outside the box could have been a serious threat if it had been on target, and captain Alissa Down’s attempt on goal sailed wide. Dulwich initially struggled to find their rhythm too, needing to show more purpose with their passing and hold possession.

Ashford organised themselves and started to push back against the Hamlet defence: Dulwich responded with Mia North. The keeper, who has made a name for herself at Dulwich this year with ambitious and sometimes miraculous saves, went into superhero mode. Two attempts demanded her attention almost back-to-back, and in the fifteenth minute a nasty three-way collision paused the game for five minutes, with North needing treatment on the pitch.

In the 20th, Down skied a free kick, and Dulwich seized the moment and the momentum. Sarah Walters’ free kick couldn’t find a finisher, but captain Brit Saylor recaptured and took a second run at goal. Ashford defender Ellen Clarabut shut that down, as well as a canny attempt from Sarah Milner. A few minutes later, North's injury had her on the ground again, awakening the fear that she might have to be subbed out, with no spare keeper in tow. She stayed in the game, flinging herself at a shot from Ashley Cheatley – out of reach for her, but out of reach for Cheatley too, bypassing the far post.

With halftime approaching, the frustration was showing on both sides. Could Dulwich break the deadlock? Ashford were relentless in pursuit, Dulwich needing to shore up their defence to protect North and make inroads at the other end. Lucy Monkman tried to get after her marker and took a yellow for yanking at her sleeve. An Ashford player thwacked the ball against Milner’s ankles and the ref awarded a bizarre free kick against Dulwich. Alissa Down was on target this time – but so was Mia North. Crime doesn’t pay.

But tenacity does – and in the 45th, a well-placed Asia Harbour Brown caught a ricochet and smashed the ball into the back of the net. Ashford fought frantically to equalise, and North demonstrated the indifference to self-preservation typical of the goalkeeping profession, diving headfirst at the feet of an incoming threat. An absolutely whomping tackle from Sarah Walters in the top corner derailed Cheatley’s last chance and Dulwich returned to the locker room 1-0 up.

Both teams returned from the break newly organised. The pink-and-blue took a more focused defensive approach, with keen-sighted Chana Hinds rounding up incoming Ashford players, seeing them off in midfield and keeping the back yard clear. Ashford, with eyes on the prize, pressed but couldn’t pierce Dulwich’s locked-down backline. A window of opportunity opened up for them, with a fumbled ball at the goal mouth, but North looked disaster in the eye and flattened it.

Unlike the tennis match of the first half, Dulwich were able to hold their ground in midfield for a spell. A few attempts snuck through at either end, but neither team could claim the element of surprise, until a lucky rebound unravelled the Hamlet’s lead – in the 67th minute, Ashford’s Anya Kinnane was perfectly placed to catch the ball off the post and head it home to equalise.

Joining the game, Sas Philp spanked a hopeful shot past the far post to try and reclaim the lead. The game turned chippier, with a hard collision taking Monkman down, and a baffling free kick later awarded to Ashford, despite zero visible contact from Dulwich. The free kick rolled pleasingly into North’s arms. Crime still doesn’t pay.

Neither team seemed willing to hunker down – the vibe was victory or death. While Hannah Baptiste’s terrific marking kept the midfield in check (taking a succession of nasty fouls for her trouble, seemingly invisible to the ref as she hit the ground once, twice and a third time), Philp got a stunning run on a ball into the box. From up in the press box it looked like a dead cert, but broke Hamlet hearts as it rolled past the near post. The crowd howled as a Dulwich shot hit the exact corner of the post and rocketed toward the stratosphere.

With all chances gone and opponents deadlocked, the time was up, handing Dulwich and Ashford a point each in a hard-fought draw. With creditable tenacity from both teams, Ashford kept pushing for a way through, but Dulwich’s focused and effective defending denied them satisfaction and sent them home minus one winning streak.

Dulwich meet Whyteleafe at home on Sun 24 October.

Attendance: 277

Dulwich Hamlet:
1 Mia North; 4 Chana Hinds; 5 Rosie Stone; 6 Sarah Walters; 8 Brittany Saylor; 9 Sophie Manzi; 14 Lucy Monkman; 16 Ella Wales-Bonner; 17 Sarah Walters; 18 Asia Harbour Brown; 21 Jazmine Lacrette

Subs: 
7 Saskia Philp; 11 Zoe Elmore; 15 Hannah Baptiste; 19 Jordan Williamson; 22 Jo Gibson

Ashford Town:
Kalani Peart; Anya Kinnane; Lavana Neufville; Alissa Down (capt); Jade Johnson; Chloe Farrell; Charlotte Baker; Ashley Cheatley; Ellen Clarabut; Rozalia Sitarz; Sophie Shults

Subs: 
Frances Cotter; Elle Butcher; Jordanne Hoesli-Atkins

Referee: Addison Tweed
Assistant referees: Abdul Karim and Dean McDonald

Photo: Liam Asman

Dulwich Hamlet sign Mia North on loan

Dulwich Hamlet are pleased to announce the loan signing of Mia North for the forthcoming season.

The 19-year-old goalkeeper joins on loan from West Ham United Women, of the FA Women’s Super League, where she is part of their academy programme. She was previously at Yeovil Town Ladies, and has also featured with the Wales Under-19 setup.

Mia North said, “I’m 19 now, and I need to be looking to get women’s football experience. Playing in the Under 21s for a couple of years, I need to start looking to go up an age group. The move was pretty easy and I’m really happy to be here.”

“I think communication is definitely one of my biggest traits. I’m very loud on the pitch. I think as well, bravery-wise. I’ll happily throw myself in front of the ball and not care if I’m going to get hurt. Shot stopping ability, distribution as well for sure.”

“My teammates have been really supportive and welcoming. It’s been really easy to settle in. I’ve been here [Dulwich Hamlet] to watch a game and I saw what the crowd was like, it was a really incredible atmosphere. I’m really looking forward to experiencing that myself when the time does come.”

Manager Ryan Dempsey said, “Mia has great experience playing for Yeovil and West Ham, County teams and for Wales at international level.”

“I’m delighted that West Ham have allowed Mia to continue her development with us by gaining valuable experience playing adult football where points are on the line every game.”

“Mia has settled in really well and gave an assured performance on her debut against Crystal Palace DevA [in Sunday’s 5-0 victory]. Mia’s composure on the ball was a big asset and she made an excellent save, tipping the ball onto the bar.

Photo: Liam Asman

Dulwich Hamlet 1-1 Herne Bay

Sunday 3 October 2021

With five minutes left on the clock, Dulwich Hamlet looked certain to qualify for the next round of the Vitality Women's FA Cup. Sophie Manzi's goal had given Dulwich a late lead against Herne Bay and raucous celebrations followed from the 283-strong crowd, who all assumed that would be it. Football however can be a cruel game, and Gemma Shepherd's late equaliser took the game to penalties which Hamlet would go on to lose 3-2.

Credit must go to Herne Bay, whose pre-match preparations were disrupted when their team bus broke down on the M20. With kick off delayed, the Hamlet players were left to warm up on the pitch with no opposition in sight. Once the game got going, it was Dulwich who started brightest, with Saskia Philp heading just over after a nice delivery from Zoe Elmore.

Sophie Manzi is a striker who just loves scoring, and has 7 goals in 7 Cup appearances for Dulwich. She had the ball in the back of the net in the first half, following a lovely ball from Asia Harbour Brown, but the linesman flagged for offside. For the untrained eye, it certainly looked very tight.

Manager Ryan Dempsey made two changes after the break, bringing on Hannah Baptiste and Rosie Stone for Jo Gibson and Elmore. Baptiste was at the centre of Dulwich's driving play in the second half, and had a decent shot deflected wide in the 66th minute. It was Manzi though who gave Dulwich a late lead, following great work by Lucy Monkman from a short corner, to pick out her teammate in the box.

That lead was sadly short-lived, as Herne Bay countered and Gemma Shepherd made a composed finish to equalise. With the score now 1-1, the game was heading to penalties. Goalkeeper Mia North rose to the occasion, and did well to save Herne Bay's second penalty. However, despite Manzi and Monkman scoring their spot kicks for Dulwich, Herne Bay edged the shootout to win it 3-2.

Dulwich are next in action on Sunday 17th October, when they take on Ashford Town (Middlesex) at Champion Hill.

Attendance: 283

Dulwich Hamlet:
1 Mia North; 2 Madi Parsonson, 4 Chana Hinds, 6 Sarah Walters, 18 Asia Harbour Brown; 7 Sas Philp, 11 Zoe Elmore, 14 Lucy Monkman, 16 Ella Wales-Bonner, 22 Jo Gibson; 9 Sophie Manzi.

Subs:
5 Rosie Stone, 13 Ceylon Hickman, 15 Hannah Baptiste, Jazmine Lacrette.

Herne Bay
Jemma Louise Barton, Katie Cooper, Sarah Cooper, Kate Foster, Sophie Gifford, Erin MacLennan, Alice Phillips, Gemma Shepherd, Lillian Tucker, Jasmin West, Lauren Williams.

Subs:
Harriett Chapman, Rosie Hague, Evie Taylor-Ryall.

Photo: Liam Asman