East Thurrock 2 Dulwich Hamlet 2 - Saturday 23rd January 2016
- Thread starter Fingers
- Start date
Pink Panther
Well-Known Member
Yes, this was definitely two points dropped in a repeat of teh same fixture last season, which also ended 2-2 after we'd dominated the first half, repeatedly ripped them apart at the back, gone in 1-0 up at half time, then conceded two second half equalisers.
It took Hamlet less than a minute to go in front yesterday as McDonald broke clear of a ragged home defence down the right, and although his cross was well overhit the ball held up on the far side on the heavy surface allowing Hibbert to retrieve it and cross back into the middle for Moss to find the bottom corner of the net with a glancing header. ETU were well and truly on the ropes for the next fifteen minutes or so. Almost from the restart McDonald broke clear again in a repeat of the move that led to the goal, but the linesman belatedly stick his flag up for offside several seconds after he'd receive the ball in response to loud calls for offside from the centre backs; I was right in line with that, and it was a bad call by the official who was lagging several yards behind the play. Shots and crosses rained in on the goalmouth, several desperately blocked by defenders, a header flew just over the bar and another one rebounded from the crossbar. Our opponents, with 22 points from their last eight games and the only team in the division to match our goal aggregate, took around half an hour to even get close to our goal, when a long cross from the right touchline was headed just past the top corner. They should have been left with a mountain to climb by that point, and we discovered last season that they're a dangerous attacking side who don't need a lot of chances to be allowed back into a game, so the slender half time lead looked ominous.
Barely five second half minutes had elapsed before ETU equalised, when an inswinging corner to the far post was headed in by an unmarked player. The play was now much more even, with Hamlet failing to capitalise on their openings until fifteen minutes from time when a defensive lapse let in Clunis to sidestep the keeper and roll his shot into the empty net. I can't help feeling the ridiculously over-the-top celebration that followed, all our outfield players piling on top of each other behind the goal, might have contributed to the fact that we held the lead for barely another minute. Yes, of course it's great to score, but do defenders really need to sprint fifty yards to join in with that? I'd rather see than getting set for the restart in good time and fully focussed on that. If nothing else those celebrations seemed a bit foolish only ninty seconds or so later. There's always plenty of time to go berserk and let off steam at the final whistle if we're still in front then. The second equaliser came when an attack was repelled only for the ball to drop to the home centre forward on the edge of the box to fire a venomous shot in off the far post giving Wilson no chance. Hamlet showed more urgency to press for the win after that, throwing on extra forwards while the home side seemed content to settle for a point, or at least to play more cautiously in the hope of catching us out at the back. We should have had a clear penalty near the end when a defender clattered into Sow just inside the right edge of the box, but the referee unaccountably decided no foul had been committed by a player who launched himself at an opponent without staying on his feet or playing the ball when there was clear contact and the other player was sent flying. Even if Sow made a meal of it (which personally i don't think he did) it was still a foul, yet our man was booked for 'simulation'. I seem to keep repeating myself almost on a weekly basis, but I genuinely don't understand what referees are seeing in incidents like this. They almost seem to want to complicate the issue by discounting the obvious, or attempting to read between the lines.
Only in the train to the game Scutta remarked that we often seem to have to work very hard for our goals, whereas too many of our opponents seem to score from almost their first real spell of pressure. Their second goal was typical of that. We had several similar shots from similar range that were either saved with ease or wide of the target. In this game their keeper, who resembled a medieval executioner with his powerful build, glowering expression, shaven head and beard, barely had to make any real saves other than dealing with crosses and general pressure on his goal. Furthermore we've now kept just one clean sheet in our ten league matches since the end of October. That obviously means we're having to score at least twice to win games, and with the strength and depth of our squad I feel we should be capable of better than that. The likes of Hampton and yesterday's opponents have been reeling off runs of seven wins and a draw from eight games and, whilst that won't last indefinitely, at some point we're going to have to do something similar to wrest back the initiative in the race for the championship. I want to win this league, play-offs isn't really good enough for me this season even if we ultimately win the play-offs, because I believe we're the best side in it.
Team (4-3-3): Wilson - Nelson, Drage, Pinnock, Hibbert - Dixon, Carew, Waldren(c) - Clunis, Moss, McDonald. Subs: Murrell-Williamson (for Pinnock), Sow (for McDonald), Erskine (for Moss), Jarrett, Sankofa (not used) Attendance: 311
editor
hiraethified
Hobbled together match report. Thanks for the contributions everyone!
Dulwich Hamlet thwarted at East Thurrock after disappointing 2-2 draw
Dulwich Hamlet thwarted at East Thurrock after disappointing 2-2 draw
Matboy_Slim
Active Member
Splitters
pitchfork
Well-Known Member
I suppose in the grand schemes of things we have played some of the better teams since just before Christmas (Grays, Ks, Tonbridge, Enfield and E. Thurrock) and amassed 11 points from a possible 15 with three of the games away from home so not a bad return. However if we are to win this league we need close games out and whilst we are still in January and there is room for the odd slip up we need to push on. I can't believe we are top scorers without relying on a striker to score the vast majority of the goals. The Hampton manager was furious after letting that 2 goal lead slip, ripping into his players hopefully the wheels will come off for them!
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
Although they've been slipping back recently Tonbridge just seem to refuse to lose - it seems like every game recently they've fallen behind but then come back for a draw. Whatever the reason for their losing a bit of form they're obviously a very determined team.
clog
she seems to like to nitpick and moan a lot
Pink Panther
Well-Known Member
Yes, to be fair all those teams are in contention for at least a play off place if not the championship itself, and you can add Leiston (whom we played immediately before Grays) who were indebted to a brilliant performance from their goalkeeper to deny us all three points, so it's 12 points from six consecutive matches against other contenders without being beaten. We now have a sequence of matches against the also-rans and strugglers: Lewes, Harrow, Staines, VCD, Farnborough, Wingate, Brentwood before the return match with East Thurrock. Forget the cliche about "we've got to take each game as it comes" - there's a great opportunity to get a lot of points on the board during the next month or so, put pressure on our rivals, some of whom will inevitably be playing each other and taking points off each other, and we need to take full advantage.
Hampton blowing a two goal lead at home to Tonbridge with the equaliser coming in something like the seventh minute of stoppage time, was a nice bonus and we have the chance to go back to the top if we win at Lewes tomorrow night.
editor
hiraethified
Cheers - I've added it to the Buzz report. Sounds like a home game!
StephenMac
Well-Known Member
I'm afraid it was. We were right by it with a clear view and it was actually pretty embarrassing.
Poids
Well-Known Member
I didn't however let this stop me from protesting to the linesman/referee most vociferously that it was a CLEAR PENALTY!!! for a good twenty minutes or so afterwards.
StephenMac
Well-Known Member
Well, no, of course not.
Poids
Well-Known Member
I think what I'm most proud of is the tone of wounded incredulity I managed to inject into my rant.
WillClunas
Well-Known Member
I went absolutely hog-wild on the ref as well, until I was corrected by someone with a better view. Oops.
Pink Panther
Well-Known Member
He certainly exaggerated any contact, whihc must have been minimal, so I can now see why the referee interpreted it as he did. From the opposite side of the goal I just saw the defender have a nibble without getting close to the ball.
However if you watch their second goal at around 0:55 there's a clear foul on Waldren in the build up: their 7 just barges into our man as he jumps to head the ball clear, meaning he doesn't clear it properly. From eighty yards away i thought maybe their bloke had won the header, but on video it's a clear foul.
Similar threads
