The Blues are red hot.
Eleven goals in three games have catapulted us up the league into 4th position after the first quarter of the season. We are in the middle of an extended run of home games in October. Players are returning from injury. The reasons for optimism abound.
Enter Dulwich Hamlet, recently relegated from the National League South, who will be looking to kickstart their own league campaign and take three points back with them on Tuesday night.
Our Opponents
Dulwich Hamlet will need little introduction to many of our fans. Based in South London, they have been in the National League South since 2018 after their promotion from what was then the Bostik League Premier.
Their return to Step 3 has brought with them the biggest crowds in the division this year, with over 2,300 fans making their way down to Champion Hill on matchdays. Managed by ex-Barnet player Hakin Hayrettin, they have had a mixed start to their campaign, picking up eleven points from their first eleven games, good enough for 16th place in the league.
It has largely been their away form that has let them down thus far, as they have not managed to win away from home in the league yet this season, and will be looking to leave the Maurice Rebak Stadium with all three points on Tuesday.
Head To Head
Our most recent encounter was in the 3rd round of the London Senior Cup last season, where we ran out 5-1 victors thanks to four second half goals from Siggers, Cotter, Yeboah and Long. It added to the lead that we had taken before the break courtesy of Dylan Kearney. The tie was notable not only for the scoreline, but also because Hamlet finished the game with 9 players, though much of the damage had been done by the time the red cards were handed out.
If we go back to our league meetings from 2017-18, we took four points from the meetings that season, following a 0-0 draw with a 2-1 victory thanks to a goal from Afolabi Obafemi and a late Rickie Hayles OG to seal the win. The team that night featured current squad member Luke Ifil and current boss Ahmet Rifat in the side.
Last Time Out
It’s tough to forget the Blues’ 6-2 victory over Canvey Island on Saturday, and as referenced above, the Blues come into this game in a rich vein of form.
Hamlet were held 1-1 away from home on Saturday at Whitehawk, thanks to a late equaliser from their hosts. Before that, they ran out 3-2 victors over Kingstonian thanks to 20 frantic and effective minutes to start the second half, where they scored all three of their goals.
Players To Watch
George Wilkinson has made a fast start to life in Blue following his loan move from Dover Athletic. He started both of Dover’s games against Dulwich last season in the NLS from the bench, and will be looking to use his experience against this side when he meets them in the league wearing a Wingate and Finchley shirt.
His teammate last season at Dover was Luke Wanadio, who is Hamlet’s top goalscorer this season with 6 goals in all competitions. The ex-Dover men will looking to get one up for their new sides this time around.
The game is set up perfectly, and clashes between these two sides never fail to disappoint, as evidenced by the viral goalline scramble clip from the last league meeting in 2017/2018 that has once again surfaced.
Food and drink will be available as usual, so don’t miss out on another huge league game in October at the Maurice Rebak!
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