The Nomads’ Final
The re-arranged game between Kingstonian and Dulwich Hamlet took place controversially on the Thursday evening at Fetcham Grove where the normal Thursday occupants are Slimmer’s World. However, the protestations from this group were pretty lightweight and only one poster was seized.
Fortunately, the game got off on time in bright daylight with the floodlights fully on! Early forays into the box by Daniel Ajakaiye and Connor Hunte failed to produce anything positive except to show that both of them had the beating of Dulwich’s Michael Chambers, but neither really tried it again, leaving Chambers a rather lucky man. On 20 minutes Connor Hunte burst down the middle, shaking off a couple of defenders before unleashing a shot which went screaming just over the bar. At this point it was all Ks and Ajakaiye burst into the box, but his final pass to Greg Cundle was wayward when he would have had a tap in at the far post.
Connor Hunte was proving a handful for the Dulwich defence and another run through the middle saw Hunte’s shot deflected over the bar. With half-time looming, a near suicidal back pass was headed off the line by the goalkeeper with the ball breaking to Toby Ajala, who shot from the same distance and angle as when he scored against Leiston, but this time was off-target.
I think it would be fair to say that Ks dominated the first half with some good direct running, but the second half, although workmanlike, never lived up to the highs of the first period.
Dulwich Hamlet came out for the second half with one thought, to close down Ks as soon as they were on the ball – and it worked. On 49 minutes, Ks ex-player, Michael Onovwigun, missed an open goal, but from the resulting corner, Anthony Acheampong, headed home unmarked. Ks huffed and puffed, and on 85 minutes, Connor Hunte went on another of his runs from deep inside his own half, got to the Dulwich penalty area and lost the ball at his own feet. Two long range shots, by Gogonas deep into time added on had the goalkeeper fumbling, but Dulwich Hamlet held on for what I would describe as a competent win.
Match report by Bob Reed.
