Hamlet v Hastings United (Isthmian Premier) Saturday 12th October 2024

[Pink Panther]

The first of 5 consecutive Saturday home games, 4 of them with league points at stake. Given that we're unbeaten at home since April, there's a great opportunity to establish our promotion credentials before we have to travel again. In fact, if we see off Hashtag in the Trophy and get another home draw, it could become 7 consecutive Saturdays at Champion Hill.

It's international weekend, so we could have another bumper crowd after nearly 3,000 saw the Horsham goal bonanza. Be aware the Beckenham Junction service via East Dulwich isn't running, so there's only the half hourly Croydon service running between London Bridge and Tulse Hill.

 

[pinknblue]

Maybe a bit of wishful thinking regarding the date in the header PP?

 

[Pink Panther]

Maybe a bit of wishful thinking regarding the date in the header PP?

D'oh! I don't know how I managed that. Edited now.

 

[Pink Panther]

 

[editor]

I was thinking of coming along to this, but I can't be doing with massive, sold out crowds crammed into Champion Hill any more.

 

[Pink Panther]

I was thinking of coming along to this, but I can't be doing with massive, sold out crowds crammed into Champion Hill any more.

It was always likely to be a 3,000+ crowd for this one, on an international weekend at this time of year. Billericay next weekend is also a fixture that tends to attract big numbers at any time of the season. There should be a bit more space for the Binfield League Cup tie on Tuesday evening!

 

[Pink Panther]

Today's team:

 

[EDC]

2000 getting a good old soaking today.

 

[editor]

2000 getting a good old soaking today.

If only someone had thought of crowdfunding some cover behind the goals ten years ago!

 

[Roger D]

And the rest. Remember the sponsored walk to Hendon to "raise the roof" in the 90's? Probably not to be fair. But the gates were so small we failed. Given a choice of thousands getting soaked or 170, hmm tough call. Why invest in a ground soon to be demolished?

 

[pengedragon]

Yep, got wet. Happens sometimes . Clearly doesn't stop the crowds coming in

More concerned with on the pitch and it was an incredibly dominant first half, well worth the 2 goal lead. We're looking very solid now and 4 points off top. Time to keep pushing on. Big one next week against one of the very few teams above us

 

[editor]

And the rest. Remember the sponsored walk to Hendon to "raise the roof" in the 90's? Probably not to be fair. But the gates were so small we failed. Given a choice of thousands getting soaked or 170, hmm tough call. Why invest in a ground soon to be demolished?

That's what people said nearly a decade ago when I suggested crowdfunding cover behind the goals and got shouted down.

I think it's pretty embarrassing to be pulling in the biggest crowds in the division while offering far less cover than just about every other club in the league. And who knows how much the amplified sound of the Rabble might have affected the players' performance?

 

[EDC]

And the rest. Remember the sponsored walk to Hendon to "raise the roof" in the 90's? Probably not to be fair. But the gates were so small we failed. Given a choice of thousands getting soaked or 170, hmm tough call. Why invest in a ground soon to be demolished?

Soon?

 

[AveryDave]

Why not let the supporters decide? Set a crowdfund goal for cover over the carwash end, for the whole cost - design, consult if needed, build, the lot. Make it clear it might just be for a season or two. Maybe even design it so it could lift and shift into the new stadium. Phase the funding if necessary.

Guess the limited time / resources the club might have available to them need to be fully concentrated on the new stadium - in which case, anyone know any experts at this kind of thing who would want to get involved?

 

[Pink Panther]

I can't say I'm that bothered about cover. It rained for a bit of the first half, then it stopped and the sun came out. I dressed for the showers that were forecast, got a bit wet, then I'd dried out by the second half.

At the moment maybe a quarter of a capacity crowd can be accommodated under cover, but some of those nominally under the roof will still get wet if it's a bit windy. How much more cover would be needed to accommodate, say another 500? So that's still about 2,000 getting wet. It just doesn't feel like a priority to me, given the ground is on borrowed time. As for the acoustics, yes it would be a bonus to have covered ends, but again not a great priority for me in the overall scheme of things.

In the short term I'd rather fund a couple of extra players who might help us win the league, and in the longer term I'd rather spend on making the new ground as good as possible.

 

[AveryDave]

I can't say I'm that bothered about cover. It rained for a bit of the first half, then it stopped and the sun came out. I dressed for the showers that were forecast, got a bit wet, then I'd dried out by the second half.

At the moment maybe a quarter of a capacity crowd can be accommodated under cover, but some of those nominally under the roof will still get wet if it's a bit windy. How much more cover would be needed to accommodate, say another 500? So that's still about 2,000 getting wet. It just doesn't feel like a priority to me, given the ground is on borrowed time. As for the acoustics, yes it would be a bonus to have covered ends, but again not a great priority for me in the overall scheme of things.

In the short term I'd rather fund a couple of extra players who might help us win the league, and in the longer term I'd rather spend on making the new ground as good as possible.

In which case you wouldn’t back it.

Feels like one of those things that’s been going around in circles for years - the club are aware of it but it’s clearly not a priority for them, but equally there’s still clearly support to make it happen.

If enough people are into it, it would be a way of finding that out - and if that group of people wanted to direct funding into the club in that way, then great.

 

[EDC]

Well it’s never going to happen is it? After missing out on a ticket through my own fault I sat in Hop Burns & Black while it pissed down around the time I could have bought a ticket queuing to get in. But with a capacity crowd anyway why should they care.

 

[lwrs79]

On a more positive note .. bloody enjoyed the match. Could’ve been 9-4. To a man everyone played well, hope Riley’s injury isn’t too bad. He said it’s the same hamstring injury as before. Really want a full strength team vs billericay, so we can smash them.

 

[Pink Panther]

A pretty comprehensive win, 3-0 in case anyone hasn't noticed, as the score hasn't actually been mentioned yet! The opening half hour was fairly even and Hastings wasted the best early chance when their right back got free chasing a well weighted through pass, but shot wide with only Horlick to beat. Hamlet took the lead on the half hour with a great counterattacking move. A Hastings attack was snuffed out on the right side of our own box, a clearance picked out Lynch on the halfway line facing his own goal. Our loanee striker spun his marker and showed a clean pair of heels to accelerate away, then slipped the ball outside the last defender to his left for Wanadio to come in off the flank and coolly slot past the keeper. Five minutes later the lead was doubled after a bit of a mix up in the Hastings defence left Wanadio free in space to the left of goal and he somehow forced it into the net after the keeper appeared to save his first effort. Hastings were close to reducing the arrears before half time when a near post cross whipped in from the left was fired against the outside of the post.

Hamlet made a strong start to the second half and hit that same post twice in the same attack, first through a Lynch header, then Wanadio with an angled shot from the rebound. Both teams were having to work for their chances rather than being gifted anything and each side hit the crossbar, Binnom-Williams with a header from a corner, then an absolute screamer from 25 yards at the other end that Horlick may have just got a glove to. A couple of late substitutes combined to put the result beyond doubt with a third goal. Jeffrey did well to keep a crossfield pass in play on the left touchline, knocking the ball past the full back and beating him to it in a foot race, then accelerated inside, danced past another defender and the keeper before firing a shot at the empty net, and although a defender got back to block on the line, Mills followed up to bag the rebound.

A third consecutive clean sheet and a good solid all round display.

 

[Alex W]

Well it’s never going to happen is it? After missing out on a ticket through my own fault I sat in Hop Burns & Black while it pissed down around the time I could have bought a ticket queuing to get in. But with a capacity crowd anyway why should they care.

To be fair to the club, there aren't really any easy choices that would deliver exactly what everyone wants.

A proper modular stand that would completely solve the problem at one end costs about £20k these days (I've checked).

A cheap rinky-dink scaffolding version is a non-starter because most people wouldn't actually want it, it would impact on already poor sightlines, and there are legitimate safety concerns because people would climb it.

There's maybe some solutions in the middle that are affordable and would make an incremental improvement, but they're not going to be the dream fix that everyone would ideally want.

It's a shame the club didn't sort this out 10-20 years ago, but we are where we are, and we have to deal with the situation as we find it.

 

[editor]

A cheap rinky-dink scaffolding version is a non-starter because most people wouldn't actually want it

Sorry, but what empowers you to make this sweeping claim? I've been more than happy to shelter under some really shonky covered stands at other grounds in our division.

 

[Alex W]

Sorry, but what empowers you to make this sweeping claim? I've been more than happy to shelter under some really shonky covered stands at other grounds in our division.

Talking to people.

Why don't you come along to a game, grab some people standing behind the goal, show them a picture of the kind of thing you mean, and ask them if they think standing under it will be better than the status quo?

 

[Al Crane]

I’m not sure how Luke can be credited with the 2nd goal yesterday. He fired a low cross in front of the goal that wasn’t going in without going in off a defender. It’s an own goal surely?!

 

[Pink Panther]

I’m not sure how Luke can be credited with the 2nd goal yesterday. He fired a low cross in front of the goal that wasn’t going in without going in off a defender. It’s an own goal surely?!

I couldn't tell from my position 80 yards away, except it clearly hit someone else on its way into the net. I think the referee is the final arbiter in this instance, unless anyone disputes his verdict, and I don't suppose the defender wants to claim it. If the referee reports it as an own goal and Luke wants it, presumably he'd need to submit some sort of evidence to support his case. I don't think the Isthmian League has a "dubious goals panel" as such!

 

[AveryDave]

I couldn't tell from my position 80 yards away, except it clearly hit someone else on its way into the net. I think the referee is the final arbiter in this instance, unless anyone disputes his verdict, and I don't suppose the defender wants to claim it. If the referee reports it as an own goal and Luke wants it, presumably he'd need to submit some sort of evidence to support his case. I don't think the Isthmian League has a "dubious goals panel" as such!

I got the impression from Ramsay’s goal against Horsham, which probably needed a bit more scrutiny than the eye test on the day, that if the club reports it that way, and it gets picked up by the online live betting sites, it might not be changed.

 

[AveryDave]

.

 

[Al Crane]

I couldn't tell from my position 80 yards away, except it clearly hit someone else on its way into the net. I think the referee is the final arbiter in this instance, unless anyone disputes his verdict, and I don't suppose the defender wants to claim it. If the referee reports it as an own goal and Luke wants it, presumably he'd need to submit some sort of evidence to support his case. I don't think the Isthmian League has a "dubious goals panel" as such!

I imagine George Nikaj of Dover might dispute it towards the end of the season! Looks like a good tussle between Nikaj and Wanadio for this year's top goalscorer.

 

[editor]

Talking to people.

Why don't you come along to a game, grab some people standing behind the goal, show them a picture of the kind of thing you mean, and ask them if they think standing under it will be better than the status quo?

I'm pretty sure that if you said to fans would you rather (a) stand in the pouring rain or (b) be dry under a stand, 'rinky dink' or otherwise, I'm pretty sure they'd go for the latter.

And I'm basing that assumption on the terrace chats I've had at the hundreds of Hamlet games I've attended, home and away.

To be honest, I'm struggling to think of anyone who'd prefer to get soaked at matches, but perhaps you have some special insight into the matter.

 

[johnny clash]

I'm pretty sure that if you said to fans would you rather (a) stand in the pouring rain or (b) be dry under a stand, 'rinky dink' or otherwise, I'm pretty sure they'd go for the latter.

And I'm basing that assumption on the terrace chats I've had at the hundreds of Hamlet games I've attended, home and away.

To be honest, I'm struggling to think of anyone who'd prefer to get soaked at matches, but perhaps you have some special insight into the matter.

I'm pretty sure if you said to fans, would you rather (a) just read some informed views on the game or (b) wade through hundreds of posts on this fucking subject again, they'd choose the former.

Surely there is a dedicated thread for this perennial topic.

Thanks.

 

[Alex W]

I'm pretty sure that if you said to fans would you rather (a) stand in the pouring rain or (b) be dry under a stand, 'rinky dink' or otherwise, I'm pretty sure they'd go for the latter.

And I'm basing that assumption on the terrace chats I've had at the hundreds of Hamlet games I've attended, home and away.

To be honest, I'm struggling to think of anyone who'd prefer to get soaked at matches, but perhaps you have some special insight into the matter.

It rains on, like, one game a season. And everyone on Saturday seemed to muddle through ok with a rain jacket. The lack of cover has far more impact on the atmosphere than people's ability to stay dry.

But perhaps you got a special insight from your couch that I missed by being at the stadium.