On a rather warm bank holiday Monday (yes they do exist from time to time) I visited Champion Hill, East Dulwich, for Dulwich Hamlet Vs Tooting & Mitcham United in a Bostick Premier local derby.
And most of the 1,866 crowd in attendance were anticipating a home win as on paper the hosts were certainly the stronger of the two sides. But derby games often throw up some surprises and this one began no differently.
This is because on five minutes the visitors burst into the box and we’re thwarted by what looked like a good tackle to deny them, however the referee thought otherwise and pointed to the spot. Billy Dunn stepped up to dispatch the spot kick and the visitors had an early lead in the contest.
The closest the visitors came to a goal in the first quarter of the game came in the 20th minute when they curled a free kick a foot over the visitors goal but midway through the half missed a terrific chance when after a break out of defence saw an effort sail inches over the bar.
The visitors began to ramp up the tempo thereafter and five minutes before half time saw a corner hacked clear from inside the six yard box as Tooting held firm before another corner three minutes later was headed towards Tooting’s goal but was cleared away from the goal line.
The visitors did see a rare effort blocked right on half time but the hosts had dominated the majority of the opening half but found themselves a goal behind still as the whistle went for the half time break.
And the early exchanges of the second half continued to see the hosts dominated and saw them go close twice as it looked like it would be one of those days in front of goal.
And in the 57th minute it almost got worse for Hamlet when a rare Tooting attack saw the ball flashed across the six yard box with no one coming in at the back post otherwise it would of been two for the visitors.
But just before the hour mark Dulwich finally found the breakthrough as skipper Kenny Beaney drilled home a low free kick from twenty yards and give the hosts the least they deserved.
And moments after the goal Hamlet so nearly edged in front but saw an effort hit the inside of the post and they continued to dominate and with eleven minutes remaining struck the inside of the other post unbelievably with most of the crowd convinced it had gone in, it really was that close.
But the home crowd didn’t have to wait long for their side to find a second and take the lead when with ten minutes remaining Beaney netted his second of the contest, drilling home first time after the ball had been laid into his path, and send the large home support into raptures.
And moments after the goal Hamlet poked inches wide in pursuit of what would be a clinching third and with two minutes left saw a glancing header hit the frame of the goal, the third time the hosts had hit it today, meaning the lead was still only one goal.
It proved enough though and meant Dulwich took the honours in South London’s very own ‘El Classico’. A good entertaining game and a deserved win for the home side played in a decent atmosphere.
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