Hamlet Moment vs Sitting Bull

I am looking for a London non league side to take an interest in. Unfortunately most of the East London sides seem a bit too depressing. I am happy to go along to Ilford or Redbridge but it doesn't really light my fire. I hadn't been to see Leyton since the club that played at the Hare and Hounds was known as Leyton-Wingate and I have now missed the opportunity to see the most recent inhabitants of the other Leyton Stadium. Non league football south of the river seems to be a little less moribund and Dulwich Hamlet have always interested me. Maybe it's the history but more likely I just like the name and the unusual kit.

I had paid a slightly drunken visit to Champion Hill (I like that name too) in December for their London Senior Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon  and enjoyed it so much that I decided to return promptly for some Isthmian action. I was also curious about how Sittingbourne would react to the news that their players would no longer be paid.

Sittingbourne started well as if to prove a point and their direct approach threatened to overwhelm the Hamlet's more considered passing. However the turning point in the game was a debatable offside decision that left Dulwich's young striker Paul McCallum free on the edge of the six yard box with just the keeper to beat. Although he managed to blast his first effort straight at the keeper he scuffed in the rebound much to Sittingbourne's anger. I was positioned behind the play but the decision did look wrong. Unfortunately it seemed that all Sittingbourne's understandable frustration was channelled teenager like into a torrent of 'this is so unfair' type moaning. Before half time McCallum added another. Also contested as being offside my feeling was this one was a much better decision from the linesman.

McCallum was the player a lot of people had come to see as local rag reports state that shed loads of Premier league scouts have their eye on him and indeed I entered the ground behind a chap purporting to scout for Chelsea. McCallum seemed a little nervous in the first half and also determined to show he wasn't a greedy sod as most of his play consisted of nice little lay offs. For me he really showed his worth with his hat trick goal where he pounced on a loose ball at a corner and blasted home into the roof of the net. His speed of thought and movement was just at another level to everyone else. Possibly not Premier League just yet though.

The scecond half was a bit of a non event as Sittingbourne were understandably deflated. There was an impressive turnout from Sittingbourne as around 30 Brickies fans kept up a great level of singing all afternoon. Although from a (reasonably) neutral point of view I think the Dulwich fans might have been more inclined to chuck their change into the collecting tin at the end if they and their ground hadn't called shit a number of time in the second half. The lads doing the collecting might have refrained from telling 10 year old kids to fuck off as well. Oh well, I hope they pull through anyway. As for Dulwich, I think I'll be back. After all, I now have a nice pink and blue scarf.