Dulwich HamletSport

Folkes red card key as Dulwich Hamlet bank £9k from winning FA Cup tie

Dulwich Hamlet 3
Ferguson 35 Green 44 Akinyemi 87
Tonbridge Angels 1
Miles 53
BY MAX HALL AT KNK STADIUM

That Dulwich are in the hat and have banked £9,000 in FA prize money was as much thanks to a horror show from visiting right-back James Folkes as to anything they produced.

Gavin Rose’s men stood their ground in the face of a positive start from a Tonbridge side who may be lower division opponents but started the day only five places below them in the non-league pyramid.

The hosts eventually began to find their passing rhythm and only a loose first touch by Jay May from a Nyren Clunis cross denied Hamlet in the 21st minute.

But Hamlet keeper Preston Edwards had to stick out a leg to thwart Tommy Whitnell 10 minutes later, following a delightful, defence-splitting back-heel from Alex Read.

It all started to unravel for Angels when manager Steve McKimm switched his full-backs, presumably in a bid to stop Dulwich attacking down Folkes’ flank. Instead of holding position on the left of his back four, the Angels number two was drifting around the penalty spot in the 34th minute, affording time for Hamlet right wing-back Sanchez Ming to hang in a cross that May saw scrambled around the left-hand post by Tonbridge keeper Jonathan Henly and centre-back Sonny Miles.

The respite proved a brief one as Nathan Ferguson leapt head and shoulders above his markers to power home an unstoppable header from the resultant Ming corner.

That self-inflicted wound prompted McKimm to restore Folkes to the right-back position, but things didn’t get any better for the errant full-back.

May was having an eventful outing too, and gave his keeper a scare when he flicked the ball towards his own goal line in the 41st minute as Edwards came to claim a Joe Turner cross that had been flicked on by Craig Stone, the ball eventually being hacked clear.

Three minutes later pandemonium broke out at the other end. Diving in to win a loose ball in the Tonbridge area there was contact between May and Folkes which prompted the latter to theatrically hurl himself to the ground. Unimpressed, referee Dean Skipper waved play on as May’s shot was charged down and Nathan Green rammed home the rebound.

Folkes’ agonised writhing halted as the player railed abuse at the official, saw red and then had to be restrained from another coming-together with the official.

That should have been that, particularly with half-time substitute Iffy Allen sending a lob over the onrushing Henly and the bar and Clunis drawing a block from the visiting keeper immediately after the interval.

But Dulwich stepped off the gas and paid the price, despite the loud warnings of Edwards to his defenders.

“We went out with a little bit of the wrong mindset,” said the Dulwich keeper afterwards. “We thought: ‘we’re 2-0 up, they’re down to 10 men and the game’s done’.”

Bellowing at his defenders for conceding a corner in the 53rd minute, Edwards’ fears were realised as Turner’s flag-kick found Stone, who played it to Miles for the centre-back to spin and fire home.

Dulwich had a strong penalty shout in the 74th minute when Allen’s heel appeared to be clipped as three defenders surrounded him but Angels continued to threaten, substitute Jared Small crossing inches in front of the sliding Turner and Miles seeing a shot charged down as he attempted a carbon copy of his earlier strike.

Hamlet finally sealed their place in the next round three minutes from time, as Clunis streaked down the right on a rapid break. His cross was poor but ricocheted kindly off the feet of Small for Dipo Akinyemi to score, 11 minutes after coming off the bench.

Hamlet loudly appealed for another penalty deep into added time as Akinyemi went down after contact with Small but it was finally all over bar the shouting, of which there was plenty after the final whistle, Miles having to be restrained by his manager from confronting a particularly verbal critic on the sidelines.

Dulwich Hamlet (3-1-4-2): Edwards, Ming, Taylor, Chambers, Kargbo (Allen 46), Clunis, Ferguson, Vose (Carew 76), Green, May (Akinyemi 76), Tomlin. Not used: Abrahams, Kamara, Cook, Rich-Baghelou.

Photographs by Keith Gillard

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