Dulwich Hamlet vs Cray Wanderers – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 11th October, 3 pm – Match Preview
Cray Wanderers return to league action after a break for cup ties on Saturday 11th October as the Wands head to Dulwich Hamlet as 5th hosts 4th in the Isthmian Premier League table. Kick off 3 pm.
The match sees a quick rendezvous for the two sides with the rare occurrence of back to back league games against the same side after Hamlet and the Wands met as recently as 30th September.
That particular game was something of a match classic laden with attacking place which Cray won 4-2 to move above Dulwich in the table with nineteen points from ten games played. The Wands breezed into a three goal half time lead with Alex Hernandez, Lateef Adaja and Tom Bonner scoring. Danny Mills pulled a goal back for Dulwich twelve minutes from time but in the 89th minute Josh Williams made it 4-1 before a late consolation from Sol Baugh for Hamlet.
Since then both teams will be looking to get back on track after FA Trophy defeats last weekend. Cray went out after a 0-4 defeat at Bishop’s Stortford in a tie which for 75 minutes was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests but the Hertfordshire side were clinical with their finishing whereas Cray couldn’t find the net.
Dulwich who started the season with four straight wins are currently in a run of one win in the last seven were beaten at home (0-1) by Isthmian South-Central Hendon so both will be looking to get back to winning ways. Dulwich have sixteen points from nine games played.
On Tuesday night, a Wands team with a handful of first team and a sprinkling of U23’s/U18s players were beaten in a nine goal thriller by an AFC Wimbledon Academy side in the London Senior Cup meaning it will be league matches all the way now until the end of the season.
The match (subject to team selection of course) sees a milestone for the Wands for Frankie Raymond who on 99 appearances stands on the brink of a century against one of his former clubs.
Dulwich continue to attract big crowds at home and on an international break weekend could well do so on Saturday and being London’s centrally based club should be a good day out for Wands fans travelling into SE22.
So far at home Dulwich have beaten Dartford (4-0), Canvey Island (2-0) and Welling United (3-1) and were beaten by Brentwood Town (1-2). Away from home Hamlet won at Wingate & Finchley (1-0), Ramsgate (2-0), drew at Cheshunt and were beaten at Whitehawk and Cray Wanderers. They were beaten at home in the FA Cup (1QR) and FA Trophy (3QR) by Whitstable Town and Hendon respectively.
If the previous league game is anything to go by this should be another entertaining match in front of a four figure crowd and will be tough test for Cray who are unbeaten in the league away from home with games to end October at Chatham Town and at home to St Albans City and Dartford.
DIRECTIONS TO DULWICH HAMLET FC & ADMISSION
Dulwich Hamlet FC
Champion HIll Stadium
Edgar Kail Way
East Dulwich
LONDON SE22 8BD
Matchday Admission: £13 adults, £5.50 concessions, U13s free accompanied by paying adult on the gate or online at
https://app.fanbaseclub.com/Fan/Tickets/SelectType?fixtureId=15023
Match Programme: Printed: £3
Playing Surface: Grass
Car Directions:
Sat Nav Code: SE22 8SD
Champion Hill is the most centrally located ground in London. Please note Dulwich Hamlet attract big crowds so may be busy so best to arrive as early as you can to save any congestion on the turnstiles.
From the Cray’s – Get on Sidcup By-Pass/A20 in Sidcup from the High Street and
Sevenoaks Way/A224. After 1.1 miles take the 1st Exit onto the A20 Slip Road to C
London/Lewisham/Bromley/Chislehurst/A20 for 0.3 miles. Then merge onto Sidcup-By-Pass A20 for 1.3 miles and then follow the A20 for 3 miles. At the roundabout take the 1st Exit onto S Circular Road/Westhorne Avenue/A205 for 2.3 miles.
Then turn left onto Catford Road/S Circular Rd/A205 for 1 mile. Then turn right onto
Brockley Rise/B218 for half a mile and then turn left onto Honor Oak Park/B238. After 0.6 miles take a slight right onto Forest Hill Road/B238 and after 0.9 miles continue onto Peckham Rye/B219. After 0.2 miles turn left onto E Dulwich Road/A2214 and after 0.4 miles at the roundabout take the 2nd exit onto Grove Vale/A2216. Follow the A2216 for 0.4 miles and then turn left onto Edgar Kail Way, go through one roundabout and the ground will be on the left. Journey time should take give or take midweek traffic about 37 minutes.
By car: Simply type in the postcode ‘SE22 8BD’ into your SatNav device. There is some limited car parking at the ground, and there is some on-street parking in the locality, within a five minute radius, but please check for any local parking restrictions. You can also pay for parking at Sainsbury’s via this website Horizon Spaces.
By train: The nearest stations are East Dulwich, which is a five minute walk; or
Denmark Hill; which is a ten minute stroll, or a short bus ride. There are two trains an hour from London Bridge on Bank Holiday Monday which leave at 01 & 31 past the hour and takes 14 minutes. Returns are at 23 & 53 past the hour.
If going from St Mary Cray to Denmark Hill there are trains at 15, 45 and 53 past the hour and returns at 28, 52 and 58 past the hour. Please check www.nationalrail.co.uk for more details.
From East Dulwich station: Turn left, past the pizza shop and then Morley’s. Go through the park at the bottom of the hill and you will see the ground.
From Denmark Hill station: Turn left, this is Champion Park. You will see a bus stop
opposite the Salvation Army Training College. Any bus from here passes the ground, three stops away. Or walk past the bus stop, turn right and up the slight incline on the main road. Over the lights at the top of Dog Kennel Hill, and the ground will be on your right, halfway down the hill, turning into Edgar Kail Way.
By bus: Routes 40, 42, 484, 185, 176 & P13 all pass the ground, either stopping on
Dog Kennel Hill, or turning into Edgar Kail Way, to Sainsbury’s. The 37 bus stops
nearby. Alight at Goose Green. And the 68 & 468 are also close to Denmark Hill, alight by the Fox on the Hill pub & then walk along Champion Hill, toward the ground. All bus times can be checked at www.tfl.gov.uk
Places to Drink!
There’s lots. If you’re on a budget then the local Wetherspoons, the ‘Fox on the Hill’
(149 Denmark Hill), is a ten minute stroll, and you’ll see plenty of Hamlet fans in there pre & post-match. Turn right out of East Dulwich station there’s the ‘Cherry Tree’, walk past that toward Goose Green & the ‘East Dulwich Tavern’ is on the corner, at the start of Lordship Lane, again both popular with supporters.
The Fox on the Hill – 149 Denmark Hill, Camberwell, London SE5 8EH
The Cherry Tree – 31-33 Grove Vale, London SE22 8EQ
The East Dulwich Tavern – 1 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8EW
The Palmerston – 91 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8EP
The Lordship – 211 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8HA
The Herne Tavern – 2 Forest Hill Road, London SE22 0RR
The Actress – 90 Crystal Palace Road, SE22 9EY
The Great Exhibition – 193 Crystal Palace Road, London SE22 9EP
There’s also a big Sainsbury’s next door to the ground, & they also have a Starbucks on site, if you just fancy a quick coffee.
The quite large area of Dulwich is part of the London Borough of Southwark and built around the College of God’s Gift, a charity set up in the 17th century which forms part of the Dulwich Estate. East Dulwich where the club is in between Peckham and Camberwell and is in a very busy part of London lying so close to Central London and forms a large fan base particularly amongst students and City workers and has been successfully gentrified in recent years. The main shopping area is around Lordship Lane which can get very busy especially on Saturday’s.
