Dulwich Hamlet 0-1 Kingstonian
LEE STRIKE LIGHTS UP THE DULLNESS

Kingstonian's first visit to Champion Hill since the league winning season of 1997/1998 saw the visitors move back into the play-off places for the first time since the early days of the season. A game which neither side really dominated was ultimately settled by one moment of brilliance from K's midfielder Martyn Lee. That he did nothing else in the fifty minutes that he was on the field now matters not a jot.

With Scott Corbett absent on fatherly duties, and Lee still suffering from his recent bout of gastroenteritis, it was a slightly unusual line-up on a cold and rainy day in Dulwich. Paul Wetherall lined up in front of Stuart Booth on the right of midfield, with Mazin Ahmad moving across to the left.

Yet it was the defence which caused brows to furrow in the opening moments of the match, as well as goalkeeper Jonty Venter. A seemingly innocuous ball forward from Alex O'Brien saw him come off his line, but in grabbing for the ball he succeeded only in spilling it into the path of ex-K Jean-Surge Musungu. Thankfully for Venter he could do nothing with his unexpected opportunity.

Sol Pinnock fired over for Dulwich, and James Rose did the same with his head for K's. Billy Warner then picked up the ball on the left for the home side, and ran at Booth. He easily beat him, then beat him again, and then fired the ball across goal. Neither offence nor defence could get a touch and K's gladly watched the ball fly past the far post.

Ahmad went close with a free-kick from the edge of the box after a foul on Rose, but Paul Seuke tipped over comfortably. But it was the other side of the field where most of the action was. Warner certainly had the beating of Booth, and the K's man picked up a yellow card on the half hour for a foul when he'd again been easily beaten. The free-kick came to nothing, but the same couldn't be said of the next opportunity for Hamlet.

Photo: kingstonian.net

A fine run from Phil Williams was brought to a halt with a foul from Richard Taylor, but the referee played a good advantage which allowed the ball to run through for Pinnock. His low shot was well saved by Venter, but the ball fell to Musungu. His shot was also well saved by Venter, as was the subsequent follow-up from Pinnock. The keeper finally grasped the ball to his chest to look out on carnage - three people were down clutching various bits of their bodies and everybody then got a good rest for a few minutes while some patching up was done.

The home side did manage to get the ball into the net before the break, but an offside flag stopped cheers in throats. Warner again beat Booth out on the left and cut in for a shot. Venter saved but once again couldn't hold on and the ball bounced out to Kenny Beaney who nodded home from close-in. The flag went up as soon as the ball reached the Hamlet number 8 to signify that he had become active and the goal was correctly ruled out.

Martyn Lee was introduced just before the break, in place of Tommy Moorehouse who had picked up a hamstring pull. This meant something of a re-shuffle, with the substitute lining up on the left, allowing Ahmad to move to his more accustomed role on the right.

The change around certainly looked to have helped K's in the attacking department, as they crafted the majority of the chances after the break. First Julian Sills saw his header comfortably saved by Seuke after a free-kick in from Lee, then Rose headed over from a long Taylor throw. The same player then wasted a good chance when a good run from Ahmad saw him play Rose in, only for a combination of the horrible pitch and pressure from O'Brien to put him off - the shot spooning well over.

The introduction of Kenny Ojukwa for Tony Reid sparked some more life into K's. Almost immediately he set off on a fine run down the left wing, but when he finally managed to pull the ball back there was nobody in the right place to add the finishing touch.

As the game wore on and the darkness descended it seemed more and more likely that the points would be shared. But suddenly the floodlights were belatedly switched on and the ball found Lee on the left. With nobody in support he ambled forwards a few strides, looked up some thirty yards from goal and sent a left-footed rocket of a shot into the top left-hand corner of Seuke's net. It was the ultimate bolt from the blue and deserved to have been seen by many more than the 328 in attendance at Champion Hill. The player himself seemed decidedly under-whelmed by the strike, just about managing to raise a hand to the celebrating masses.

Photo: kingstonian.net

Jon Coke was introduced to bring some stability to proceedings, and just a few minutes later the final whistle sent K's arms aloft. This certainly wasn't the best performance of the season, but grinding out one-nil wins when playing below par is exactly what is required at this stage of the season. And goals like that are welcome at any time.