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RIP Mishi, Dulwich Hamlet legend, 20/12/2019

Daily Telegraph Article 12th Febuary 2015

On the historic Dulwich Hamlet V Stonewall game at Champion Hill
11th February 2015

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The idea for this week's game was born from a deeply personal journey of lifelong Hamlet fan Mishi Morath. He “came out” on the terraces at Dulwich’s Champion Hill ground in the late 1990s, and never forgot the acceptance he received here.

“Without sounding melodramatic, if they had rejected me I would have felt as if my life was over and killed myself,” he says. “As it was, there were lots of tears and hugs, and only a few negative comments.”

A few months ago, he pitched the idea of this anti-homophobia exhibition match (Stonewall FC play in the Middlesex County League, a few tiers below Isthmian Premier League side Hamlet) to Hamlet gaffer Gavin Rose. The rest is history, and we were game on to kick homophobia into touch.

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Mishi Morath on
Public Sector Day, Sat 23rd Sept 2017


“Lots of our fans, myself included are proud to be council employees. And we’re also proud to be Dulwich Hamlet supporters. It’s an honour to see my trade union UNISON on the back of our shirts, and this is a small way we as a Club, can say thank you to them. Hopefully it will encourage some of our regulars to bring their mates from work along, if their bosses are based in the town halls.”

Mishi was a proud Southwark Librarian and UNISON (The public services union) steward
 
It's very hard to imagine a Dulwich match without Mishi being there. He will be greatly missed. It's no exaggeration, I think, to say he dedicated his life to the club.

For those that aren't on Twitter I thought I'd just post the below. Dan Walker, the BBC presenter that interviewed Mishi prior to the Carlisle game, has posted the Tweets below and gave him a mention on Football Focus today. Walker, for some reason, seems to get quite a bit of shit, but I think the below are just incredibly nice and empathetic things to do. Huge respect for him.






We were talking about Dan Walker on the way to Hungerford. Seems to be a very genuine bloke. Easy to be cynical these days but he seems a properly straight up fella.
 
Just "Doing what is right"

"Sometimes, well from my personal perspective, I am not always aware of the significance of what we are trying to achieve, and the message we are sending out, not just to our fans and the local community, but throughout the rest of non-league football.
we do get "labelled" lefties, or hipsters; students or just plain weird!. so let them label us!. All I see are Dulwich Hamlet fans united as one, not deliberately being "political", even if some of us are, just "doing what is right". And working with our local community, making all welcome, regardless of race, religion, sexuality, gender or colour is what all football clubs should be naturally striving for. I believe that is what we are doing here at Champion Hill


From Mishi Morath's editorial in the Dulwich Hamlet V Stonewall programme 11 February 2015
 
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I was at Streatham IHC last night and a minutes silence was beautifully observed before the game. I last saw Mishi only a few days before he fell ill again at the ice hockey. He was on top form chatting about Streatham and Dulwich. I'll miss him x
 
So who's going to the funeral?
I intend to be there...

Please be aware the Crematorium is not the largest and the family have requested that Family and Friends will take priority. A list of old and close friends is being established which I am assisting with.
The club statement gives a good guidance of events for the day and I would ask all to read through. I know Mishi was very much loved by many but we do need to respect the family's wishes.
 
Please be aware the Crematorium is not the largest and the family have requested that Family and Friends will take priority. A list of old and close friends is being established which I am assisting with.
The club statement gives a good guidance of events for the day and I would ask all to read through. I know Mishi was very much loved by many but we do need to respect the family's wishes.
Sadly, I've been to that crematorium too many times of late, and it's not unusual to have a crowd outside :(

In accordance with the family’s wishes there is an open invitation to fans and the public to join them on the day to say goodbye to Mishi. However due to the capacity of the crematorium, we would like to manage everyone’s expectations and suggest the following.

Everyone is welcome at Champion Hill to wait for the arrival of the carriage from 2.30pm and to pay their respects at the ground. Following this the clubhouse will remain open for people to stay together and wait for the family and close friends to return from the crematorium.

If you have transport and would like to follow the carriage to the crematorium please feel free to do so, but due to the numbers expected it is highly likely that only family and close friends can be accommodated inside during the service. You may also prefer to go directly to the crematorium, but again if you choose to attend please be prepared to congregate together outside during the service.

After the service we hope to welcome everyone at the wake where there will be further tributes paid and some food will be available, but again please understand that we are expecting more people than it may be practical to cater for.

In keeping with Mishi’s wishes, no black is to be worn. Dulwich Hamlet tops, Dulwich Hamlet coloured clothing or any other football kit is welcomed and encouraged to be worn.
 
And so today we all say goodbye to Mishi Dulwich Morath – and I’ll join old pals in the football club bar around 5.30.

Our farewell will be to a bloke who knew what it was like to love, for Mishi unerringly and without a hint of ever wavering, loved Dulwich Hamlet Football Club.
In an age of analysis of football – assist, VAR, who the next sensation is – Mishi transcended that. I used to badger him that I was never convinced he knew that much about the game. Mishi wasn’t one for discussing the press, or False 9s. That’s because Mishi LOVED football.

He loved the camaraderie. He loved his mates down the club and the huge number he met when “not” groundhopping. He wrote fanzines, often outrageous and usually arguably scandalous. Which, of course, made the read all the better.
The Hamlet is a very inclusive space now. But back in the late 80s, early 90s it was more of an oasis for the left-behind, the slightly odd and the eccentric. Which is probably why I landed there, and would be meeting the likes of Shaun Dooley, Richard Watts and others at silly early times at Liverpool Street Station to get to darkest Essex and weird places a 17-year-old had not heard of – Grays Athletic, Aveley FC. Madness really.

All these meetups, these can of lager opened at 8am bonding sessions, were organised by Mishi. And my god he was fearful character and my god did you make sure you were there on the dot. If not, he’d bellow at you for being a fair-weather supporter – or in my case a Scouse Bastard due to my lifelong love of the Reds.

You went these places and you sung: “Come on Dulwich, Come on Dulwich” and “Edgar Kail in My Heart”. Often, I’d then end up with sixth form school mates around 9pm after a full day “on it” ready to then go Venue. I think to this day my local mates were probably astounded/amazed/dumfounded that I could be out all day at the Hamlet and then all-night dancing.
The sense of justice, of doing the right thing, made Mishi a Force of Nature. Unswervingly honest to the point of occasional coming to blows. But that was Mishi, we probably all wish we had even half of his Truth. Say what you think, no buttering up from Mishi.

I’ll leave others to talk of his amazing turnaround from alcohol to a sobriety life and achieving truly great things in the community and beyond. They are well-documented elsewhere and it is why the football club will be heaving tonight.

Burt the Squirt he used call me.

Mishi, you were a great friend, on occasion we had proper verbal too.

A one off and a Legend.
Love you fella and I’ll raise a glass tonight of lager with the boys, even if Pepsi Max became your drink of choice.
Burty x
 
Mishi was speaking to me after his first heart attack about a friendly he was trying to organise against the Royal Engineers FC to pay for a defibrillator ??
 
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Good to see the Isthmian League retweeting the tribute video. Looks like they've finally forgiven Mishi for locking Nick Robinson in the board room at an away game (Wivenhoe Town?) Their Chairman thought it was hilarious, Nick didn't.

I believe the number of League fines and warnings over the Rabbles behaviour rose markedly after that one.....

Edited to say Amin Haque has a better memory than me. It was Bedford Town away, League Cup I think.
 
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Definitely Bedford away in the League Cup, 1994/95. The match where Hamlet player-manager Frank Murphy downed a pint in one offered by a supporter during a break in play. ("I wouldn't have drunk it if I'd known it was fucking cider" he remarked afterwards.)
 
That's the one. We had our reserve team keeper in goal. He got crocked, their fans celebrated and we pointed out the bloke coming on was our first choice keeper. Happy days

Speaking of Frank. Remember Walton away when Paul Vosper cautioned 15 players, one twice when the worst foul was by them? We ended up shouting our names and addresses asking him to caution us as well. It was mid week. Vosper was woken up by silent phone calls at stupid o clock. We got reported. They were tracked to the call box next to the pub Frank ran. Mishi lived in the same road....

On Saturday we were away. The league swapped the ref for a good experienced one. Our officials cane out pre match and went nuts. We denied all knowledge. At about 2.57 the ref and linesmen ran out. Mishi was leaning against the fence and simply said ," have a good game ref, I can't afford to phone you as well". The ref doubled up laughing. The DHFC officials who had been over interrogating us rapidly ran away.

We probably got the club fined for that TBH.
 
Mishi in March 2014 (edited version)

"If we are brutally honest, and the vast majority of Hamlet fans from a decade ago didn’t go to matches for the love of the game, the excitement, or the atmosphere. Truth be told I was in my late thirties back then…and one of the younger fans. We attended games just because that’s what we did. There was no real anticipation or buzz to the next fixture.

The turning point for me, as a supporter, was the 200/12 season, which finished in two defeats that set the scene for our support that we have today. We reached the Isthmian League Cup final, going down by two goals to nil at Imber Court to Wingate & Finchley, yes we lost but the real joy that night was the unexpected turn out from our fans. Before Gavin arrived on the scene our away following was down to the hardy few,

Where else can you get an ‘old skool working class dinosaur’ of a fan like me, part of the ‘original’ Rabble behind the goal; embracing new-veau ‘beardie weirdies’ & assorted Hamlet fans…including one who brings an array of colour with him to games, including his famed Pink and Blue Voodoo Stick? The songs are a mix of traditional terrace & completely off the wall modern. There’s schoolkids alongside men old enough to be their grandfather, & women who are old enough to be their mother! We are all as one…just singing out hearts out.

And you know what, I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I don’t care. The most important thing for me is that I am loving every minute of it…and I feel like pinching myself to see if it’s all a weird dream or not. It’s not…it is REAL & I am living the dream! And if the ‘price’ to be paid for that is to be labelled ‘hipsters’ and ‘students’ then so be it. For fans like me realise we are so much more than that.

31 March 2014
 
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