DHFC vs Chichester (h) 25/1/25
- Thread starter lwrs79
- Start date
wphillips7
Active Member
Close to a fully fit squad according to the website. Just Ramsey and Paris Sam German out
AveryDave
Well-Known Member
Long story short - it’s not.
Don't Slow Down
Well-Known Member
Second in every department, it just seemed to be one of those days when you wait for the opposition to score.
Chichester picked up most of the second balls, this put us under pressure time and time again.
How Binnom-Williams gets in this team is beyond me, mistake after mistake and each time it puts us on the backfoot and under pressure in our own half.
Gaping holes in the midfield for Chichester to exploit, we pretty much looked bereft of ideas until we went 1-0 down. We equalise within a couple of minutes and mentally shut off again.
Must say Ross Marshall put himself on the line time after time to save us and I really felt for him that his efforts came to nothing.
Grim.......
Chichester picked up most of the second balls, this put us under pressure time and time again.
How Binnom-Williams gets in this team is beyond me, mistake after mistake and each time it puts us on the backfoot and under pressure in our own half.
Gaping holes in the midfield for Chichester to exploit, we pretty much looked bereft of ideas until we went 1-0 down. We equalise within a couple of minutes and mentally shut off again.
Must say Ross Marshall put himself on the line time after time to save us and I really felt for him that his efforts came to nothing.
Grim.......
Last edited:
Ryan Moss No.9
New Member
Appreciate the frustration, and I wasn't there, but Chichester have hit some pretty extraordinary form.
AveryDave
Well-Known Member
This would probably carry a bit more weight if you’d been there.
AveryDave
Well-Known Member
Absolutely agree with this. For all his rolling his foot on the ball, he’s a liability and opposing teams know it.
wphillips7
Active Member
New manager more animated and trying to do things in-game. But we’re so flat. Way off the level we need to be at the moment and relegation a serious prospect. Players look really unfit too.
Multigums
Active Member
Our second half performances would support the last point.
El Matador
Member
Was good to see us trying to play out sometimes rather than kicking everything long and hoping for the best. Going to take a while for the players to adjust to a new style of play. Also the new right back showed some promise.
Chichester clearly the better side which is hardly surprising given the form of both teams. Still painful to lose it deep into injury time.
Chichester clearly the better side which is hardly surprising given the form of both teams. Still painful to lose it deep into injury time.
Pink Panther
Well-Known Member
Chichester have indeed hit a hot streak, and under the circumstances I'd have taken our first point in 5 games to end their 5 match sequence of wins, but we were embarrassingly outclassed by a much smaller club in its first season at this level. I'm told their playing budget is a fraction of ours, and they've retained almost the entire squad that finished 5th in last season's Division 1 SE before winning at Ramsgate and Three Bridges in the play-offs to snatch promotion. It's a bit like Spurs getting completely outplayed at home by Ipswich. (Although obviously Chichester have won rather more games than Ipswich.) A club that appears to have all the advantages getting humbled by a minnow.
Chichester manager Miles Rutherford must be something of an alchemist to achieve the results he has. Tall centre forward Jimmy Wild was a real handful throughout, resembling the Danny Mills of almost a decade ago who scored a hat-trick against us for Whitehawk in an FA Cup tie. They were also a big threat from set pieces, with some great deliveries into the box from corners and free kicks, plus some phenomenal long throws delivered with a high looping trajectory into the area between the penalty spot and goalmouth from anywhere within about 30 yards of the corner flag. I dare say their squad will be pillaged by bigger clubs in the summer, but they're now within 6 points of the top 5 with 15 games to go, so it's not inconceivable they might contest the play-offs again.
As for our own team, the new manager is clearly asking the players to play a different way and it's going to take a few games to get it right. There's much more emphasis on keeping hold of the ball and passing it on the floor. During a goalless first half we must have completed a lot more passes than in a typical 90 minutes under Hak, but we also had a taste of how dull the passing game can be when most of it is in your own half and there's little end product. The only real chance I recall was a stunning 30 yard drive from Ibrahiym following a short free kick, that was bizarrely batted straight back volleyball style by the keeper and eluded other Hamlet players who might have knocked in the rebound.
The second half began ominously when we were almost punished for overplaying on the edge of our own box, although Williams-Bushell was clearly fouled right in front of me by an opponent who knocked him over from behind as he was shielding the ball, but thankfully Barnes blocked the cross with an outstretched leg. The next Chichester attack broke the deadlock when a long ball out of the middle found Wild on the left, and the tall man broke free to lash a shot across Barnes and in off the far post. It only took about 90 seconds to equalise when new man Williams-Bushell, who looked quick and confident at right back, made an overlapping run and crossed low into the box for Porter to convert. We briefly seemed to have a bit of a spring in our step, looking more likely to grab the next goal, but it didn't last. JBW had got what turned out to be the only yellow card of the afternoon for a fractionally late challenge in the first half, and he was very lucky not to get a second one around the hour. Swivelling in an attempt to hook a bouncing ball down the touchline, he was too slow and caught an opponent in the head. The longer the game went on the more it resembled a rearguard action by the home team. Barnes made a vital save, clinging on after several attempts had been blocked by defenders throwing their bodies at shots in the goalmouth, and taking a knock in the process. In the last of 7 minutes of added time, mostly for the knocks to Barnes and the winger brained by JBW, we finally cracked. We were unable to clear yet another delivery into a crowded box before one of their substitutes lashed it into the roof of the net from around 10 yards.
In other results, there were a couple of surprisingly heavy defeats for the top sides. Billericay lost 4-0 at Dartford, and our next opponents Horsham went down 3-0 at Folkestone. Hendon ended their 9 match losing streak with a stoppage time equaliser at Wingate & Finchley. Early leaders Lewes, without a win since November after winning their first 5 games in August, equalised in stoppage time at home to strugglers Bowers & Pitsea. Bognor lost at home to Dover.
I can't say my hopes are very high for the trip to Horsham next weekend, but that's followed by back to back matches against bottom 4 sides, at home to Bowers then away to Hastings. We desperately need to get our act together in time to win at least one of those games, preferably both.
Ryan Moss No.9
New Member
Chichester haven't hit an extraordinary run of form because I wasn't there? Far out.
Multigums
Active Member
Mmm - better in places as it was Vs Billericay tho first half seemed to be long aerial balls to Moore who headed it to no-one as Porter and Wanadio 20 yards from him. Then some decent midfield play punctuated with aimless passes into empty channels. Feels like a group of individuals who haven't played together before. Contrast with Chichester was clear - last fifteen minutes their centre back had ball at his feet and with no challenge was able to ping balls around to attackers. What has Lorenzo done not to start?
Al Cunningham
Brockley Hamlet
I know we are clearly not as good as the team (s) that consistently made the playoffs and got promoted from this league last time but the ability of players in this league has also improved. The teams in the top half of the table all seen to have a number of players who are fast and mobile and take great advantage of the space we offer them.
The front two of Chichester were terrific yesterday and you can see where their striker Jimmy Wild has scored do many goals.
Amazing we still get the crowds at the moment and i see we had twice as many as Barnet , top of the National League and also Dartford at home to Billericay in our league.
The front two of Chichester were terrific yesterday and you can see where their striker Jimmy Wild has scored do many goals.
Amazing we still get the crowds at the moment and i see we had twice as many as Barnet , top of the National League and also Dartford at home to Billericay in our league.
AveryDave
Well-Known Member
Spot on. I think Hayrettin vastly underestimated the quality of the League, and thought a core of 30+ year olds with a higher level of experience with some youngsters added in could get the job done.
You just don’t see teams with visibly unfit or aging ex-EFL players walking their way through games - successful teams are fit, quick, strong and organised. We’ve rarely been two of those things over the last couple of seasons.
Bugpowder Dust
Well-Known Member
One thing that I'd like to see is more vocal leadership on the pitch, especially when we don't have a settled starting XI.
A Kevin James type in the middle of the park catching people who are out of position and urging the team on.
A Kevin James type in the middle of the park catching people who are out of position and urging the team on.
nunhead dweller
New Member
An hour after the game I saw Porter, Luke, Ross M and Michael Chambers in the bar having a drink (not all of them) and looking cheerful. I'm not usually in bar after game so don't know if this happens often. It's great that players can socialise in same place as fans, part of what makes non league special. I don't know if I'm being miserable and unrealistic (this isnt premier league I know) but I wonder l given result, recent run and now being 2 points off relegation zone, whether players socialising in the bar sends right message to fans/ club and that they really care.
