Hamlet v Carshalton Athletic (Isthmian League) Boxing Day 2024 (3pm k.o.)

[Pink Panther]

Match preview from club website:

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dulwichhamletfc.co.uk

Ramsay and Scott probably not fit enough, but Ross Marshall may return.

 

[Pink Panther]

A few team changes today:

 

[Paula_G]

Sounds like they were needed. Lot of rearguard action if Carshalton Twitter is to be believed but holding firm in defence.

 

[FHW]

It wasn't pretty but felt like a big 3 points. Dulwich were fairly poor going forward but Carshalton created surprisingly little despite having a lot of the ball.

 

[Al Cunningham]

A much needed win. Not particularly attractive football but the change of style and formation was needed. Basically flooding the middle of the pitch from back to front and just having M Marshall and Hudson out wide. A back 3 and Wanadio and Jeffrey playing narrow near Mills up front gave Carshalton a real problem to break us down after our early goal. The opposite from what happened against Dover and CVPM when they just passed and ran through us at will. A great shift put in by all the players and special mention to Kresh who was superb today all over the pitch and scored a crucial goal. Also thought R Marshall had a v good game before he went off. Totally commited in every challenge.

 

[Paula_G]

Down in Cornwall and working this afternoon, so ended up having to wade in the toxic Twitter swamp and follow the CAFC feed. If that was to be believed almost all the attacking “threat” (not that it actually felt like one even there) came from the visitors. Looking at Carshalton’s record this season it seems that they rely on a tight defence but don’t really go all out on the scoring front. If apparently winning “ugly” is the way to come out on top in the scrum for a playoff spot then so be it.

 

[Pink Panther]

This was just the sort of performance and result we needed after 7 games without a win, and against visitors unbeaten in 10. I didn't think there was much between the sides overall. Carshalton played the prettier football, but I felt we could easily have been more than one goal ahead by the break.

The only goal came after 10 minutes when we forced successive corners. We might have had a penalty from the first one with Ross Marshall clearly wrestled to the ground while the ball was in flight, an infringement obvious from 80 yards away, but you rarely see those given. Kresh bagged the goal from the second delivery with a perfectly timed glancing header that flashed past the keeper at the near post.

Carshalton unsurprisingly pressed harder in the second half, but rarely offered more than high crosses into the box or relatively harmless shots from distance. After saving us from total humiliation 5 days ago, Barnes had a relatively quiet afternoon in keeping his first clean sheet for the club at the 12th attempt.

Apparently a bug within the squad was partly responsible for shuffling the pack with today's team selection. Ross Marshall partnered JBW at centre back with Wynter and Hudson at full back, which morphed into a back three when we attacked, with Hudson pushing up on the left and Mark Marshall providing the width on the right. JBW limped off early in the second half, which possibly benefitted us with Chambers coming off the bench and using his extra height to deal with the many high crosses launched into our box thereafter. Ross also departed with around 20 minutes to go, having been superb for the first three quarters of the game, with Wynts moving inside and SBJ coming on at right back.

Incredibly we're now just 3 points shy of the top 5 in 11th place, whereas defeat plus a win for Hastings would have left us only 4 points above the trap door.

 

[Multigums]

This was just the sort of performance and result we needed after 7 games without a win, and against visitors unbeaten in 10. I didn't think there was much between the sides overall. Carshalton played the prettier football, but I felt we could easily have been more than one goal ahead by the break.

The only goal came after 10 minutes when we forced successive corners. We might have had a penalty from the first one with Ross Marshall clearly wrestled to the ground while the ball was in flight, an infringement obvious from 80 yards away, but you rarely see those given. Kresh bagged the goal from the second delivery with a perfectly timed glancing header that flashed past the keeper at the near post.

Carshalton unsurprisingly pressed harder in the second half, but rarely offered more than high crosses into the box or relatively harmless shots from distance. After saving us from total humiliation 5 days ago, Barnes had a relatively quiet afternoon in keeping his first clean sheet for the club at the 12th attempt.

Apparently a bug within the squad was partly responsible for shuffling the pack with today's team selection. Ross Marshall partnered JBW at centre back with Wynter and Hudson at full back, which morphed into a back three when we attacked, with Hudson pushing up on the left and Mark Marshall providing the width on the right. JBW limped off early in the second half, which possibly benefitted us with Chambers coming off the bench and using his extra height to deal with the many high crosses launched into our box thereafter. Ross also departed with around 20 minutes to go, having been superb for the first three quarters of the game, with Wynts moving inside and SBJ coming on at right back.

Incredibly we're now just 3 points shy of the top 5 in 11th place, whereas defeat plus a win for Hastings would have left us only 4 points above the trap door.

Not to be too glass half empty but we have played two more games and have negative goal difference.

 

[Multigums]

Much better with new defensive structure and performance of players within it. Felt a bit sorry for the ball at times maybe the extra air miles it received will compensate. A win is a win -next up a visit to two lower placed sides.

 

[Ian Kaye]

A much needed, ugly win, that puts us within 3 points of the play offs. With our next three games against teams who are at the wrong end of the table we need to put a run together, otherwise it’s gonna be a long hard second half of the season.

 

[Pink Panther]

Not to be too glass half empty but we have played two more games and have negative goal difference.

I was more intending to illustrate how tight the division is, climbing 6 places with a single result, rather than suggesting we're serious contenders.

There are still 10 teams above us, so even if we have a much improved second half of the season, it's inevitable that one or two others will too. Right now I'm just relieved to end the winless run and get 3 more points towards whatever total will guarantee there's no risk of slipping into trouble at the wrong end.

The current bottom 5 teams have all changed their manager within the last 6 weeks or so, and Hendon are in a tailspin below us after theirs jumped ship for Hemel Hempstead, taking a couple of their best players with him. I think it was important for Hak to stop the rot before there was any risk of feeling we needed to think about making a change, along with all the uncertainty that would bring.

The result and performance were reminiscent of Hak's very first game two seasons ago, when he inherited a team with 1 point and 28 goals conceded in the previous 10 games, and achieved a 1-0 home win against a very decent St Albans side that eventually lost that season's National South play-off final. The change in formation and gameplan also demonstrated Hak still has the ability to find effective solutions, despite limited selection options.

Apparently Carshalton are the seventh team this season (including ourselves) who have instantly lost their next game after climbing into the top 5 of this division.

Hak's post-match summary.



Louis Ramsay's plague of injuries shows no sign of ending. Fractured foot this time, which suggests at least a month or two before he's likely to be available again.

 

[AveryDave]

If the points needed to get into the playoffs runs to recent form, we can probably afford to lose a maximum of five games across the rest of the season - less with some draws mixed in.

Nothing’s impossible until it’s not possible, but with current form, injuries and lack of squad depth (as in, no youth or reserve teams to call upon), and plenty of games to come against teams that have bettered us this season, not possible could come sooner rather than later.

 

[Pink Panther]

If the points needed to get into the playoffs runs to recent form, we can probably afford to lose a maximum of five games across the rest of the season - less with some draws mixed in.

Nothing’s impossible until it’s not possible, but with current form, injuries and lack of squad depth (as in, no youth or reserve teams to call upon), and plenty of games to come against teams that have bettered us this season, not possible could come sooner rather than later.

I think that's a realistic assessment, and we may well be back to earth with a bump as soon as tomorrow afternoon. Whitehawk haven't played since last Saturday and are unbeaten in 4 matches since reappointing their former manager Shaun Saunders, who guided them to promotion two seasons ago before departing last summer.

Our lads left everything on the pitch yesterday, so there are sure to be some aching bodies today, and they face a quick turnaround. Hak said he took Ross Marshall off because he was "blowing" after 70 minutes without having played since the Dover game, so hopefully he can manage another shift even if it's not 90 minutes, and JBW was said to have a "dead leg". (I overheard JBW answering a supporter who asked how he was after the game and he sounded optimistic it wasn't too serious, although tomorrow might be tough with two more games in the following 7 days.) Chambers was immense after coming off the bench, considering he was ill, so hopefully he and some of those who missed yesterday will be a little stronger.

 

[liamdhfc]

If the points needed to get into the playoffs runs to recent form, we can probably afford to lose a maximum of five games across the rest of the season - less with some draws mixed in.

Nothing’s impossible until it’s not possible, but with current form, injuries and lack of squad depth (as in, no youth or reserve teams to call upon), and plenty of games to come against teams that have bettered us this season, not possible could come sooner rather than later.

Whilst I agree to a certain extent, having a reserve and youth team rarely gives you squad depth. Generally, it just gives you bodies and a hope that one or two might be good enough if thrown in to the first team.

 

[AveryDave]

Whilst I agree to a certain extent, having a reserve and youth team rarely gives you squad depth. Generally, it just gives you bodies and a hope that one or two might be good enough if thrown in to the first team.

Other teams in our League might disagree on the youth team front - Dover and Dartford among them off the top of my head. And who knows if we’re missing out on the next Clunis or Pinnock?

The reserve team is a bit different - but instead of having to drop recovering players straight into the first team, surely it would be beneficial to have a different, less pressured route to get them back up to fitness? More than a few players seem to have been rushed back this season, only to break down again.

 

[Roger D]

A good scouting network would probably be a cheaper / quicker way of finding the next Pinnock, Clunis etc..How many good players have moved on from Fisher in recent seasons?

I'm sure the club will look to invest in a better structure below first team level once the future of the ground is sorted. Until that point, sadly, the focus needs to be elsewhere.

 

[Pink Panther]

In fairness, Hak & Terry have been more proactive in finding younger players from lower levels. Lorenzo Lewis was our first summer signing from Merstham this year, and we've just picked up Emmanuel Robe from Chipstead. I still think lack of game time is an issue for these sorts of players. The year Gavin and Junior left we'd just set up a "B" team with the intention of playing one or two friendlies a month, using academy and squad players plus any triallists. This model sounds less onerous than running a formal development team, and served Brentford well during their rise to the Premier League, but it disappeared along with the academy when the team management changed.

When I was tracking player recruitment throughout our division in the summer, I recall Dartford announced 7 recent former youth team players as part of their first team squad, although I haven't paid enough attention to see how much game time they're getting. Dover also have quite a few home grown players in the ranks, including top scorer George Nikaj, who turned down more money from Folkestone in the summer.

Our own development chain seemed to falter once we were promoted to the Isthmian Premier Division in 2013, and pretty much completely broke down after we reached National South. The leap from youth to men's football at those levels appeared too challenging, or maybe our young players just weren't quite good enough to bridge the gap? When we won Isthmian D1S in 2012-13 we often had up to 6 academy products in the 16 man matchday squad. Nyren Clunis and Kershaney Samuels were regular starters after Christmas, with Junior Kadi plus 4 current youth teamers often making up the bench, but we never came close to that again

 

[AveryDave]

A good scouting network would probably be a cheaper / quicker way of finding the next Pinnock, Clunis etc..How many good players have moved on from Fisher in recent seasons?

I'm sure the club will look to invest in a better structure below first team level once the future of the ground is sorted. Until that point, sadly, the focus needs to be elsewhere.

Not knocking anything Fisher do as it’s clearly working for them, but not sure Hayrettin has the opportunity to try 40+ players by Christmas in the same way they have. It will be interesting to see how Robe does, joining from the same level.

Remember something being said at one of the recent Fans Forums that one of the reasons the club hadn’t reintroduced any other teams yet was a lack of appropriate training facilities, but I’m sure you’re right on the new ground as well, and understandably so. Doesn’t mean it’s not a disadvantage for the manager, though.

 

[editor]

Max pics!

In photos: Dulwich hamlet bag all three points against a strong Carshalton team, Thurs 26th Dec 2024

Dulwich Hamlet overcame a strong Carshalton United team on Boxing Day, with Kreshnic Krasniqi’s ten minute goal earning the pink and blues all three points. Buzz photographer Max was there to…

www.brixtonbuzz.com

 

[Paula_G]

The leap from youth to men's football at those levels appeared too challenging, or maybe our young players just weren't quite good enough to bridge the gap?

I actually felt that the priorities of the Aspire Academy started to change around this time with the better players being sold on to professional clubs rather than being developed for the first team. Personally I’m not sure about the point of a reserve team in the current pyramid set up. There doesn’t seem to be a competitive league that the club could enter, a league that benefit both the team and the player. Just comparing this with Clapton CFC where the men’s section also has a development team but they play in Sunday football. I cannot see that providing any benefit at all for Dulwich.

 

[Roger D]

Not knocking anything Fisher do as it’s clearly working for them, but not sure Hayrettin has the opportunity to try 40+ players by Christmas in the same way they have. It will be interesting to see how Robe does, joining from the same level.

Remember something being said at one of the recent Fans Forums that one of the reasons the club hadn’t reintroduced any other teams yet was a lack of appropriate training facilities, but I’m sure you’re right on the new ground as well, and understandably so. Doesn’t mean it’s not a disadvantage for the manager, though.

I'm not talking about trying 40 players by Christmas. I'm talking about the fact players have gone from Fisher in recent seasons to do well at our level, both step two and three, without Hamlet spotting them. They won't all work, that's a given, we weren't even at the races.

As an aside a very reliable Fisher source tells me Paul Barnes had a couple of lads their who have gone on to do very well lined up.