Geordie Al's Groundhopper Scrapbook: Dulwich Hamlet 2-0 Needham Market, Saturday 7th October 2017

Sunday 8 October 2017

Dulwich Hamlet 2-0 Needham Market, Saturday 7th October 2017

Dulwich Hamlet 2-0 Needham Market, att. 2,419

‘Some cats are eaters, not lovers.’

Welcome to ...

Brilliant. A month back into my new season and a second international break. Still, the chance of a rest from watching my team (Barnsley) and as it’s ‘non-league day’ I’m off to my local side, Dulwich Hamlet. And actually, it was my girlfriend’s idea, but, after lunch at Miss Tapas (the finest eaterie in Peckham), she chickened out. The inconsistent weather had given her the perfect excuse.

These people aren't walking...it's the queue!

I cycled the 10 mins to the Champion Hill ground and parked up by Sainsbury (it has its uses). The queue for the stadium stretched around the corner and over a zebra crossing, but Hamlet had opened another turnstyle further around the ground and the queue shrunk fast. Dulwich enjoy healthy crowds, average well over 1,000, but today was a bumper 2,419. I don’t know what constitutes ‘profits’ but I hope Dulwich reap some of what they sow and ‘charidee’ doesn’t milk all of it, as advertised. DHFC are too nice by half.

I didn't have any change...so a tenner they got.

Once in, programme bought, it was time for a beer. The main stand, on the right, has a great social club, with views of the pitch. The bar was 7 or 8 deep and the temperature was tropic. I was off to the other bar, in the corner of the stadium. No-one will even know about it. I was wrong. I joined a queue which stretched beyond the goal. Still, I was able to chat to a Swedish female, who’d adopted Hamlet as her local team and wondered how long I’d supported them. ‘Errr…..’

The view from the beer queue.

It took me 40 minutes to get to the front of the beer queue. At least I could still see snippets of the action, but my theory was Hamlet were waiting for me to get my beer before scoring. As I reached the beer hut, the cheer went up. 1-0. With the teams at opposite ends of the Bostick Premier, I feared that would signal a deluge. And yet, as I exited the beer hut with 2 cans of IPA in my bag, I looked up in time to see the Hamlet keeper make a diving save at the far end and the crowd at this end celebrate like mad, presumably a pen missed.

The club shop.

I leave the crowd behind the goal to join the terrace opposite the Main Stand, under cover. It was emptier than most areas earlier, but now it’s heaving, or as heaving as 3 steps can be. To think, this stadium once held 20,000 (albeit under a different footprint). What I’d give for a bigger terrace, I thought, as I viewed the match from behind two lines of people at pitch level. Still, I was able to see the Dulwich centre forward race onto a throughball to slip it under the keeper. 2-0 and half time.

(A Barnsley supporting friend later pointed out that the goalscorer was previously one of ours; Barnsley junior to the 7th tier in one fell swoop - about right. We haven't developed a decent centre forward since David Hirst, 30 odd years ago).

A busy crowd at Champions Hill.

Much of the home support behind the goal moved to the opposite (Dog Kennel Hill) end, and as others re-located, I was able to pinch a spot at the top of the terrace, somewhere near the halfway line. Perfect. Shame then that the less said about the second half, the better. In summary, Hamlet put the ‘dul’ into ‘Dulwich’ by kicking it backwards and square, while Needham were happy to get men behind the ball and limit the damage. At least I had another can of Fruit Box to drink, and a pee at Sainsbury’s to enjoy. It has its uses.