Dulwich Hamlet need to pass Havant & Waterlooville test to reach FA Cup first round – as boss Rose reveals one player refusing to tear up contract

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

Dulwich Hamlet are just one game away from the FA Cup first round proper – with Havant & Waterlooville the hurdle they need to overcome tomorrow.

It is an all-National League South tie with the winner banking £18,750 in prize money.

But Hamlet manager Gavin Rose has already talked about how it is the glory – rather than financial gains – which should motivate the Champion Hill outfit.

Dulwich reached the last eight of the FA Trophy in March 2017 before losing 2-0 to Macclesfield Town.

But this is already the furthest that Hamlet have gone in the FA Cup under Rose, who has been boss for more than a decade.

“On Monday night the youth team got to the first round proper of the FA Youth Cup,” said the Dulwich boss. “In 11 of the last 16 seasons they have reached either the first, second or third round. They have always done quite well.

“It is something on the senior side that we would love to improve, to see if we could pull out a big club and build some memories. This is the furthest I have gone in the competition. We always seem to have found ourselves up against higher opposition over the previous years and our run has ended quite early.

“The boys have had two tough games. They did well against Bognor Regis and then we beat Eastbourne, who are in our league and knocked us out last season. We don’t seem to get easy opposition.

“Now we found ourselves up against a team who are very well-fancied in our league and we go away. We’ll give it our best shot and see how we go.

“If you are not going to be a full-time professional then you want to pit your wits against ones who are in the game full time. Sometimes players in non league know that they are not that far off being a professional and want to show what they are all about.”

Dulwich have released defender Yannis Ambrosine.

Rose is also looking to terminate another couple of deals but revealed one player is digging in.

“He has clearly been told he won’t feature for the club because he basically turned up with an injury and didn’t follow the physio’s guidelines about what he needed to do to get back,” said Rose.

“He is not in our plans but it’s very clear he wants to sit on his money – we’ll make him train and that’s him for the season, unless he decides to leave.

“It’s not ideal but what that player doesn’t realise is that when he tries to get a contract next season then he’ll have no stats to work off, so this season won’t really have existed for him.

“He’s in a better position if he goes out and plays some football. We’ve already budgeted to have the lad – it’s going to be his loss.”

Rose is weighing up some loan exits from his squad and that could open the door to more incomings.

“There are a few lads who haven’t been able to get in the team or make the bench in the last few weeks,” he said. “We’ve had enquiries and if we take them up it could mean we’ll bring one or two in.”

Dulwich had a crowd of 2,906 for Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Weymouth on Non League Day – with only Notts County and Yeovil Town managing more.

“It was fantastic,” said Rose. “Not just in terms of numbers but it was a vociferous crowd.

“This season we have had a lower attendance. That doesn’t mean to say we are complaining, because it is still good, but it has been 1,600 or 1,700. It was great to have that extra 1,000 in there. You definitely felt it as a player and manager. You could feel the difference and both teams rose to the occasion.

“We created the better chances but Weymouth, along with Wealdstone, are the best team we have faced this season. We could have nicked it.”

PICTURE BY KEITH GILLARD