Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United
Isthmian League Division One South action, Saturday, March 24, 2007
(Photos ©urban75)
Games don't come any bigger for Dulwich Hamlet than a tussle with table toppers Maidstone United, so fresh from our Starbucks protest, we hot footed it down to the Champion Hill stadium in Dulwich to cheer on the local boys.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-01.jpg)
Number one Maidstone fan!
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-02.jpg)
Thanks to a deal which saw Dulwich Hamlet flogging off a big chunk of their former stadium's land to Sainsburys, the ground has excellent facilities, including this bar.
Initially, the club didn't like punters watching the game from the bar and pulled down the shutters during the game, but the bar now stays open through the match.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-03.jpg)
Hamlet loyal!
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-05.jpg)
Dulwich play in a rather jaunty pink and navy blue strip.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-04.jpg)
Old school cardboard signs for announcing substitutions.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-06.jpg)
Action from the game.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-07.jpg)
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-08.jpg)
View showing the main stand, bar and training block.
Around the 1930s, Dulwich were one of the biggest amateur teams in the country, attracting crowds of up to 20,000.
The capacity is now just 3,000 and the attendance today was 611, a figure buoyed by Maidstone's vocal support.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-11.jpg)
The linesman Wayne Ingram keeled over towards the end of the game - it looked quite serious at first.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-13.jpg)
The linesman was escorted and the game suspended while he had treatment.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-14.jpg)
The pitch took on a rather surreal air while we were waiting for the linesman to return, with balls flying all over the place.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-15.jpg)
We went off for a cup of tea, courtesy of Dulwich's rather basic facilities. The best was can say about the tea was that it was hot.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-17.jpg)
It was end to stuff for the last ten minutes, with chances at both goals.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-18.jpg)
Dulwich looked the strongest by the end and were unlucky not to snatch a last minute goal.
Despite the final score being 0-0, it was an exciting game.
![Dulwich Hamlet FC versus Maidstone United, Isthmian League Division One South, Saturday, March 24, 2007](images/dulwich-hamlet-20.jpg)
Plaque outside the ground celebrating Dulwich's greatest ever player, Edgar Kail, who scored over 400 goals for the club in the 1920s and 30s.
Match report (Dulwich site)
Match report (Maidstone Utd site)
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