PITCHING-IN ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
CRAY VALLEY (PM) 3 DULWICH HAMLET 1 - 5 APRIL 2025 - ATT 420
Goals: CV - Waldren 72, Barrington 84, Mason 90 (og)
DH - Chambers 28

Match Report: Steve Chapman for the NLP

The Millers came from behind to secure three valuable points at a sun drenched Artic Stadium and in doing so completing a double over their South London opponents and cementing their place in the play offs.
After a lacklustre first half the home side dominated the second period and goals from Danny Waldren, Marcel Barrington and an own goal completed the comeback.
The result sees Dulwich Hamlet sit five points above the drop zone with four games of the season remaining. These two sides were two divisions apart last year before the Millers won the isthmian South East and Hamlet were relegated from National League South at Step 2.
Hamlet looked comfortable before the interval and took the lead in the 28th minute with a bullet header from centre back Michael Chambers from an Arj Krasniqi free kick.
Manager Steve McKimm made a triple change on seventy minutes and the introduction of fresh legs inspired the fight back. Waldron equalised in the 72nd minute heading home a Tom Chambers corner at the far post before Barrington cut in from the right to fire home a powerful strike into the top corner 12 minutes later. An unfortunate own goal by Ben Mason in the 90 minute completed the scoring when he converted a low cross from Adam Coombes past Dylan Berry.

Man of the Match - Tom Chambers - Cray Valley (PM)

Millers: Chamberlain, Williams, Oshilaja (c), Bowry, Chambers (Ademiluyi (82), Gayle (Cumberbatch 71), Beere, Waldren, Vigor (Back 62), Aileru (Barrington 70), Parker (Coombes 69)
Cautions: Oshilaja, Chmbers

Hamlet: Berry, Ramsay, Chambers, Mason, Wanadio, Mills (Jeffrey 86), Marshall, Krasniqi, Binom-Williams (c), Bonnett-Johnson (Scott 97), Kaunda (Bremang 96) Subs not used: Williams-Bushell, Adepoju
Cautions: Mills, Bonnett-Johnson

Referee: Christopher Darling
Assistants: Jamaal Horne and Jordan Whitworth

Post Match Interview: Steve McKimm
https://www.crayvalleypmfc.com/videos/post-match-interview--steve-mckimm-delighted-as-millers-win-31-at-home-against-dulwich-hamlet-fc-5425-210048.html

Additional Match Report from Preston Lee-Willott - Cray Valley (PM) supporter
"The Preston Perspective"
"Alas , Poor Dulwich, We knew them well, Horatio!"

Cray Valley PM 3 - 1 Dulwich Hamlet
Att : 420

Come the final whistle, Hamlet were Hammered .......... but they may have cause to rue wilting in the final 20 minutes after those spectating had been treated to a very pure example of the cliche 'game of 2 halves'
On a bright afternoon in south east London there was much pre-match optimism around the bar and club house as the regulars looked at the team sheets and there was some talk of a routine victory against the visitors who were 5th bottom of the table. I personally cautioned against being complacent when I heard such talk , as when we get to this 'business end' of the season, teams fighting for their lives can produce performances that belie a lowly league position, and we'd just watched relegation haunted Luton Town hold promotion chasing Leeds to a draw on the television screens.
Kick-off presented a colourful spectacle in the April sunshine as Dulwich lined up against our boys in green in their colourful and striking red and white shirts that are , as I was reliably informed by visiting supporter modelled on FC Altona 93, a lower league club from Hamburg
The opening exchanges of the first 45 were a trifle cagey from both sides, but initially it was the Millers who settled the better with Denzel Gayle producing a couple of promising forays down the right flank, albeit with a little bad fortune not allowing anyone to really have a chance to really let rip with a shot to try and test the 'keeper.
I also felt we were defending a trifle too casually at times, and some of the passing was a trifle sloppy to the extent a better side may well have managed an intercept and really punished us ; but fortunately that wasn't the case.
Perhaps the stand-out performance of the first 45 was the referee ; I normally try to shy away from being critical of the men in the middle as without them, we'd have no game, but this chap was as one-sided as I've seen all season. I'd like to think we can all accept mistakes can be made, but this performance at times had me baffled. Just before the half hour mark, from one free-kick he'd awarded the visitors in a threatening position, a good delivery allowed Hamlet's Michael Chambers to rise and head home unchallenged for 0-1.
The Millers game really kind of tailed off here, no shortage of effort, but there was a lack of clinical passing and we looked devoid of any serious threat on goal.
Then came for me the pivotal point in the game. Dulwich beat the 'keeper ....... but not the woodwork with a cross-cum-shot. Even then, with us not really firing on all cylinders I did wonder whether the visitors would live to regret not doubling their advantage. For me now, we just had to get to half-time and keep at 0-1 and give the Gaffer a chance to tweak things
To all our relief, even though the Gaffer had made no changes personnel wise during the interval, it was clear things had been 'tweaked' as we were now seeing more forward runs in possession from the likes of Tom Chambers, Barney Williams, and Tom Beere and we were at least now forcing the very tall man in between the Hamlet sticks to make a few saves
Then it was our turn to hit the woodwork, following a great move from Denzel Gayle, but much of our hard work was struggling to get past the very tall centre backs that Dulwich had and we were always likely to be second best getting to aerial balls into the box behind tall competitors like that.
Finally though, just as I was personally beginning to wonder whether it really wasn't going to be our day, a well delivered corner won just after we'd made a raft of substitutions looped over everybody , including the skyscraper defenders to be met just past the far post and tucked into the net by Daniel Waldren, who made no secret of showing his delight to the supporters
The clock showed 72 minutes gone, and as supporters looked at the latest scores , people sensed there was a chance to really consolidate our league position as clubs below and above us were dropping points
The players seemed to sense this also ....... as the urgency and tempo seemed to just go up a notch ....... and on 84 minutes came the proof as one of substitutes Marcel Barrington was on hand with that poacher's instinct to put us 2-1 up
Such now was the mood and flavour of the game i thought my friend's pre-match call of 4-1 quite likely , whereas I'd have scoffed at such a notion at the half time break, and the goal for 3 - 1 duly arrived I thought from Michael Ademiluyi but it has been credited as a Dulwich own goal. During the lengthy time added on due to a head injury to Barney Williams , there were indeed chances for that fourth ...... but it never quite materialised, despite a few almost slapstick phases of football in front of the visitor's goal.
And so the game was finally brought to a conclusion with a 3 - 1 win for the Millers, and with indeed some teams above and below having dropped points , Steve Mckimm's men prevailed and consolidated their place in the push for a promotion play-off berth. It really had been "a game of 2 halves"
Having been in the lead for a substantial part of the match, there were to be no cigars for Hamlet come the final whistle as they'd been well beaten, Meanwhile for The Millers, it's 4th place in the table with 4 games to go !!

Match Photos: Romana at Inspire Socials
https://www.crayvalleypmfc.com/photos/millers-v-dulwich-hamlet-5425-photosromana-at-inspire-socials-1136286.html