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Men's Squad 2024/25

Mills is a v good target man at our level and possibly 1 or 2 above. If he left he would be well sought after by many clubs. I also thought he looked fittest in last few years at the end of the season. We also have 2 excellent wingers. The problem is that the other clubs know this too so cut down the supply. We could do with a faster more mobile striker to swap with or play together and perhaps then drop one of the wingers to accommodate. I hope we are looking at Wingate and Finchleys forward players ....Carvalho and Long but they will probably go to Enfield !
 
Al Cunningham said:
Mills is a v good target man at our level and possibly 1 or 2 above. If he left he would be well sought after by many clubs. I also thought he looked fittest in last few years at the end of the season. We also have 2 excellent wingers. The problem is that the other clubs know this too so cut down the supply. We could do with a faster more mobile striker to swap with or play together and perhaps then drop one of the wingers to accommodate. I hope we are looking at Wingate and Finchleys forward players ....Carvalho and Long but they will probably go to Enfield !
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Eddie D'Sane has to be worth a look, too. Scored a lot of goals in a very poor side.

Davide Rodari, the Hastings top scorer, is also south London(ish) based, as well. Plenty of options - I just suspect we won't be the only ones sniffing round them!
 
As well as the confirmation that Hayrettin’s staying for another season, we’re adding a morning training session on top of the two evening sessions, and terms have already been agreed with a ‘few’ new players.

 
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Pink Panther said:
Bit of a wildcard for me. A winger formerly with Croydon Athletic, Lancing and Merstham as far as I can tell:

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Was in the year below me at school and had no idea he played football until he popped up at Lingfield back in 2018.

Has done well in rising the leagues, but unfortunately see this as a very underwhelming signing. I hope he makes me eat my words, but I predict 15 games from him and back to the Ryman South.
 
From the Merstham website:

“Lorenzo joined Merstham last season from Lancing and his direct style and powerful shooting soon made him a fan favourite, though injuries disrupted much of his campaign. He was voted Clubman of the Year for his enthusiasm and efforts on and off the pitch. Prior to his time as a Lancer, Lorenzo played for Oxford City, Carshalton Athletic and Lingfield.”

I’m all for looking to bring in players from the step below, let’s hope he’s more of a Jayden Clarke than a Cem Tumkaya.
 
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From our own club's website:

Welcome to the Hill | Lorenzo Lewis

Lorenzo Lewis becomes the 1st new face through the door at Champion Hill as we prepare for the 24/25 season. The attacker signs having spent the...
dulwichhamletfc.co.uk

Spending the last two full seasons at Merstham at least demonstrates a willingness to settle in and develop at one club, when you consider how frequently so many players switch clubs these days. He would originally have been a Peter Adeniyi signing. Football Web Pages stats show he played 35 of 38 league games this season, with 8 goals.
 
Naive question but… how does player recruitment work here? I mean, there’s no scouting department right? And no real time to go and watch others play live (because same kick offs)….? I know match highlights are available but hardly ideal. So how does a player get chosen? Is it agents pitching players and their highlights packages…?
 
I’m fairly certain we have an ad hoc opposition scout. Most clubs at NLS certainly do, a friend of mine fulfils that role for Tonbridge, although at NLS you’ll also have Wyscout to review footage of games.

In terms of recruitment, I’m purely speculating but I would have thought we do have a part-time scouting department, scouts who attend games on a freelance basis rather than for a particular club and cover certain parts of the country.

I’d also assume Hak/Terry will have plenty of contacts who are scouting for clubs at various levels; who will feedback on players who have been released/have been scouted but not deemed right for their club etc and if they think they could do a job at our level they’d flag them.

Then there’s players who have previously played for Hak/Terry/trusted contacts. Players they’ve seen play against us this/last season and so on.

From that pool you’d set out a list of primary and secondary choices for the positions you’re recruiting for. And then finally you take fliers on trialists and scout them in person in pre-season friendlies.

As an aside, funny story. I sat next to a scout from Northampton when we played Havant in the NLS in March 2023. He was there to scout their left back. It’d taken him 3.5hrs to get here due to traffic. The LB got sent off after 15 minutes. I think he’s at Wealdstone now (the LB, not the scout).
 
Interesting discussion on scouting.

I've really enjoyed going around random Essex based games this year in the Isthmians and Essex Senior and did the (free) FA stage 1 course to see if I could turn that hobby into a freelance volunteer scout. Currently looking into the stage 2 course.
 
Terry Harris touched on the subject of scouting and recruitment when he spoke at the supporters forum 12 months ago. He and Hakan are both very experienced, they have contacts at all the London professional clubs who keep them informed on all academy players likely to become available, either released or as potential loanees, as well as watching midweek daytime games themselves. They know people who can scout opposition teams and potential new recruits. They've both assisted John Still at various clubs, who's been a multiple winner of championships and promotions at Maidstone, Barnet, Dagenham, Luton and probably a couple more besides since the 1980s. I think he's director of football at Southend now, and Hak recently mentioned him attending a couple of Hamlet games in one of his interviews.
 
jbjl said:
Interesting discussion on scouting.

I've really enjoyed going around random Essex based games this year in the Isthmians and Essex Senior and did the (free) FA stage 1 course to see if I could turn that hobby into a freelance volunteer scout. Currently looking into the stage 2 course.
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That's really interesting. Out of interest, how many players at that level stood out to you per game roughly? Have you messaged the club if you saw anyone of interest? I'd imagine it's in DHFC's interest to have as wider a scouting network as poss.
 
I watch a lot of Step Five, and occasionally Six, in Surrey and Hampshire, though due to promotion it will be Step Four next year.

Unless you get a team packed full of players from a higher level (Farnham Town and Croydon Athletic last season, where many of their players are likely to be known to Hamlet) it's quite rare to be so taken by a player you think they could jump straight into Step Three. However I have mentioned the odd South London based youngster I think it might be worth keeping an eye on to club officials.

A few years ago I saw a 17 year old play one of his first matches for Christchurch. I was dating an Aldershot employee at the time and told her to get Shots on to him. Bournemouth snaffled him instead, he was part of the Luton side which won promotion to the Premier. The Step Five player I saw who most obviously was going places was Charlie Austin at Poole. Word was well and truly out about him by then though. Half the crowd were scouts.
 
Moroccan Sunset said:
That's really interesting. Out of interest, how many players at that level stood out to you per game roughly? Have you messaged the club if you saw anyone of interest? I'd imagine it's in DHFC's interest to have as wider a scouting network as poss.
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Probably one every two or three games I see i think an Essex Senior looks to have a shot of a couple steps up.

Purely by chance (ticking off grounds not yet visited) recently ended up seeing three Redbridge games in a month and their young left winger Soumen Nandi always caused issues. Mates brother in law is Redbridge's manager and he said he found him a year ago for Southend Manor and he's only been playing football a couple of years as he wasnt allowed to play football before. Great narrative.
 
Worth noting the set up at Hamlet counts against Step Five players stepping up. Hamlet are clear, they are looking to go up next season. They are in the market for players ready to step up immediately from Step Five to a strong Step Three side, a big step up, not to develop players for six months in a lesser team. A club with that sort of set up will get more joy in Step Five. The players I see are usually youngsters filed under let them develop somewhere else and keep an eye on them.

One of the Epsom& Ewell forwards is a potentially interesting prospect but is nowhere near Step Three now, he's still learning the game but ticks the right boxes if it all comes together. Likewise a defender at Fleet Town, he's currently too slight as he's young and still physically developing. Chelsea were rumoured to be looking at him mind. Any move to Hamlet now would probably damage their careers, they need to be playing not sitting on a bench.

Palace Francis looked a real prospect at Walton couple of years ago but a move to Bromley didn't work out and he's trying to rebuild his career at Kingstonian next season. Not seen him for a couple of seasons but he's still young enough to have a chance, if he recaptures his old form. He'd be worth a look next season, though given the money flying around there for next season he's probably under contract.
 
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Roger D said:
Palace Francis looked a real prospect at Walton couple of years ago but a move to Bromley didn't work out and he's trying to rebuild his career at Kingstonian next season. Not seen him for a couple of seasons but he's still young enough to have a chance, if he recaptures his old form. He'd be worth a look next season, though given the money flying around there for next season he's probably under contract.
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Saw Francis at AFC Croydon last season a couple times coming off the bench, didn't really impress. Didn't stay long, but he wasn't getting much game time.
 
There's plenty of whispers flying suggesting all wasn't well behind the scenes there, which probably wouldn't help a player with battered confidence levels. Palace is back with Scott Harris at Kingstonian next season. Hopefully that will be what he needs to get back to where he was performance wise two years ago.

A classic example of a player being damaged by a move too far up the pyramid too young it would seem, from the outside looking in.
 
Moroccan Sunset said:
Over 100 games for Dartford. Right back, I believe.
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Yes, he's been at Dartford for the last 5 seasons and sounds like he can cover several positions in defence and midfield. Originally an Arsenal junior, he got as far as being allocated a first team squad number, then had brief spells at Bristol City and Cheltenham with a few league appearances at each before slipping into non-league.
 
Like it that we're doing our business early. I'm sure that's always the aim every year but still, good stuff.

Always wondered - at this level do some players have agents (might be a daft ask), and do they sometimes make initial contact clubs locally themselves to gauge interest? Given not wanting to uproot from homes etc?
 
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