Dulwich Hamlet (2) 2 Akinyemi 3, 10
Tonbridge (1) 1 Allen 70
Attendance: 1,434
Entrance: £4 Senior
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 94/5,968
Match Report
Dulwich Hamlet certainly opened the game like a side that had reached the point of desperation in their quest for a play-off spot, a poor run of form leaving them outside of the top five, but although their counter-attacks were swift, Tonbridge were very much the architects of their own downfall.
This was a must win for Dulwich, whilst a point would be welcome for their visitors, and a big crowd (but not quite as large as expected) assembled with high expectation with a very healthy, boisterous contingent from Tonbridge ready to go verse for verse with their south London counterparts.
Just three minutes had elapsed when a Tonbridge attack broke down with a poor Luke Emblem pass that left James Folkes stranded upfield. Jordan Hibbert ran into the space offered by Folkes' absence before crossing into the path of Dipo Akinyemi, who only needed a tap-in to open the scoring.
After ten minutes, Tonbridge gave themselves the proverbial mountain to climb when they once again cheaply conceded possession. Jack Dixon sent Nyren Clunis away down the right, the midfielder stood up the perfect cross for Akinyemi, whose header was brilliantly saved by Anthony Di Bernardo but the 18-year-old loanee from Stevenage had another tap-in to double Hamlet's advantage.
It was very frustrating, Tonbridge had as much of the opening exchanges, but really poor retention of the ball had cost them dear.
Tonbridge's luck worsened after 20 minutes when captain Jeromme Sobers went down with a strain and was unable to continue, being replaced by Laurence Ball.
It took Tonbridge almost to the half-hour mark to have a meaningful shot on target, a Luke Allen free kick that was comfortably caught by Preston Edwards.
The visitors desperately needed to get a foothold in the game before half-time and right on the stroke of 45 minutes, Nathan Elder steered a header wide and in the time-added Tom Parkinson's header was touched over by Edwards.
Tonbridge survived a scare after 10 minutes of the second half when some great tracking back from Blewden denied Akinyemi after Di Bernardo had made a good parrying save.
The Kent side's tale of woe in their central defensive position was compounded after the hour when Sonny Miles' shoulder once again dislocated and after a long time on the ground behind the goal he was eventually stretchered away and onwards to hospital.
The route back into the game was so nearly found after 66 minutes when Jack Parter stood up a cross for Elder to bury but the striker's header struck a post and Miles' replacement, Charlie Webster, saw his follow-up shot saved on the line from Edwards.
Hope was restored after 70 minutes when a Folkes pass allowed Webster to pull the ball back from the bye-line to Allen who buried his chance from 10 yards.
Di Bernardo kept the game alive for the Angels when he made two great saves, a plunging save low to his right and another from Clunis.
Into the last ten minutes and two chances went begging, if it hadn't been previously confirmed, proved it wasn't Elder's day. He had a tough ride from Ethan Pinnock all afternoon. He steered another good heading chance wide and a couple of minutes later a shooting opportunity also failed to find the target.
Dulwich successfully saw out time, in fact they had the final opportunities.
So it was that the hipsters returned to the Village with hope renewed and their tummy's full of gourmet burgers and sausages washed down with cask conditioned ale. Good luck to them, they are a friendly bunch who we might just lock horns with once more in April.
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