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DULWICH HAMLET 2 - 0 WHYTELEAFE
Saturday 20th August 2011
Ryman League Division 1 South

MATCH PHOTOS

This season opener was always going to be tricky for Whyteleafe. Dulwich Hamlet came within a whisker of winning the play-offs last year having had an extraordinary tail end to the season. The home side would be confident and had every reason to be.

The match started in unexpected torrential rain which made the pitch very greasy and the football played at a high tempo. Whyteleafe had a half chance in the opening minutes winning a central free-kick just outside the Dulwich box. Dan Frith placed the ball toward the top left where Hamlet keeper, James Tedder appeared to a have left a gap but the shot was just wide.

Neither side settled dow particularly quickly but Dulwich made a breakthrough midway through the first half. Breaking down the left Frankie Sawyer cut inside his marker and accurately fired home beating Michael Lidbury at the near post.

Up until the goal the two teams had looked reasonably well matched with much of the football played in the middle of the park. But with Whyteleafe playing a 4-3-3 formation gaps were appearing that the home side were able to exploit and they always looked the more dangerous going forward.

On 40 minutes Kalvin Morath-Gibbs shot powerfully but straight at Lidbury who couldn't hang on to the ball which was finally cleared away from a corners. Leafe best chance of the half (and arguably of the match) fell on the stroke of half-time when Fabian Batchelor met a free-kick and shot on goal but the ball deflected away to the relief of the home supporters.

The rain had given way to warm sunshine for the second half and Dulwich had settled into a rhythm which Whyteleafe could not match.

On 54 minutes Sawyer almost doubled his tally but shot wide without troubling Lidbury and on the hour Sanchez Ming saw his long speculative shot go over. But a minute lead Dulwich earned their second goal when Nyren Clunis was left unmarked on the left and he shot perfectly into the top left corner.

Hamlet's could have had two more goals in a dominant spell were it not for the inaccuracy of Charles Ofusu-Hene's shooting. Twice he was left unchallenged to run into the box but on both occasions he shot well wide with only Lidbury to beat.

Whyteleafe tried to forge openings but realistically there were never really in it after the second goal and will hope for points from easier opposition as the season progresses.

Whyteleafe: Lidbury, Huell, Frith, Fleming, Aldous, Ingram, Brown (Brockhurst), Snadden, Gnamore (Garrick), Batchelor, Agyei (Henry-Brown). Unused subs: Taylor, Smith.

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