It's been a long time since I've watched an FA Sunday Cup tie. Back to 1993/94, when Ranelagh Sports won the competition, with a side that included a number of Dulwich Hamlet players.
Even longer since I'd seen a tie at Champion Hill. I was still at primary school when I saw 2-7-9 lose to Evergreen in the 1976 semi final! I've recently done some research in the Southwark Local History Library, looking through the microfiche archives of the 'South London Press' on 2-7-9 in the Sunday Cup, for a chap called Ian Wharton, from Keighley, who is slowly compiling a book on the history of this little known & often ignored national competition.
Today, a week later than the rest of the round, I am at Dulwich Hamlet for a preliminary round tie between Baldon Sports, of the London & Kent Border League, and London Maccabi Lions; who play in the Maccabi Southern League. The reason this tie has been delayed is that the previous weekend was Jewish New Year, so they got dispensation to delay for a week. Hence the late booking of Champion Hill, with the original venue of Greenwich Borough not available today. It's a 12 o'clock kick off as Maccabi have some religious bash or other to get to, so they're hoping for a quick getaway at the final whistle.
So their plans are not helped when kick off is delayed on two counts. A player from a previous letting, apparentlly AFC Parkside versus Nacional de Londres, some sort of cup game involving the sportsmans League, which kicked off at 10.00am is lying on the pitch injured. An ambulance car is on site, followed eventually by an actual ambulance. This game is eventually abandoned, I have no idea if the 3-0 scoreline would have stood, but I would guess so, as 71 minutes had been played. I'm sure it could have been brought to a premature halt earlier than it was, but the match referee for the FA Sunday Cup tie was late, and this-the game I was here for- belatedly began at half past twelve.
Baldon didn't take a gate, and gave away an excellent 24 page programme free, which the half dozen or so hoppers there would have been more than happy to part a couple of quid with. I snaffled a couple from the pile left unattended on the side, I was tempted to grab more, but didn't want to deprive anyone of copies. At half time there were still a few left, so happy that everyone who could have wanted one did, I purloined half a dozen more. Looking down the Baldon line-up they were dominated totally by the Dolby family. The current chairman Graham Dolby first played for the club in 1975, a year after they were formed, & his father George Dolby went on to be manager. In the starting eleven was Jason, Dean, Ryan, Adam (the captain) & Marc Dolby, who edited the programme; with another, George, on the bench! I don't think I've seen so many of the same family in a team before.
After the injury drama I took my seat in the stand for a quiet game...if only! Not just the football. I had to listen to the farce of the post-match buffet! Anne Bowes, who does the tea bar thought she was going to do it, Until Hamlet sponsor Ennio Gonnella turned up and said he was. I'm not sure exactly what happened but they both got the hump, buggered off and nobody did a buffet!
There were a few hoppers present, I didn't recognise some of them, but one was Eddie Smith, who would be going to the same ice hockey match that evening as me, Streatham Redskins away to Haringey Greyhounds.
I must admit to knowing not too much about Senior Sunday football, but I do know that the top division of the London & Kent Border is a decent standard, so I am expecting a good game. What I was not expecting is what actually unfolded!
It started off funnily enough, when the players lined up for the hand shakes, and stood as if it was the FA Cup Final. Not something they do in their ordinary Sunday League matches, I would guess, as a Baldon player was so amused by it all he started belting out the national anthem at full voice!
These were two contrasting sides, 'personality' wise. Maccabi were gentlemen, almost from the 'after you Claude' brigade, apologetic if they mistimed a tackle. Whereas Baldon were rough, tough and up for it Sarf Lunnon wideboys! As well as that though they were half decent footballers, and they took the lead around the half hour mark. Ryan Dolby played the ball through to his brother Marc whose shot went in off the post. somewhat unusually just before half time, with no apparent sign of injury Baldon brought on another keeper & changed over their goalies. But there was no more action, of note. This was the 'calm before the storm'! Roll on the second half...
From kick off Baldon had a hopeful punt at goal direct from the centre circle that came to nothing, but it was the Lions who had the ball in the back of the net and equalised. I then saw something that is becoming a dying art, namely a contested drop ball! Remember those?
Yhen came the first red card of the afternoon, it was,unsurprisngly as there were so many of them, the Dolby family who were involved. Adam greedily had a shot at goal, rather than setting up a waiting team mate, and his brother Jason called him a 'fucking cunt', which earned him a second yellow, & thus a red.
The resulting one man advantage was a shot in the arm for Maccabi, and they took the lead ten minutes later through Michael Pearson, for his second of the match. This followed Baldon having hit the woodwork at the other end. The South Londoners pressed forward for the rest of the half, and their pressure finally showed fruit in the dying seconds when Adam Dolby equalised with a header at the far-post from a free kick. Literally seconds later the referee blew for full time, and thus another half hour of football, with the ball barely leaving the centre circle.
Sitting up by the boardroom was an official from the London FA. He was saying that it would be a good idea to introduce sin bins, which might help to cool down some teams like Baldon, who 'never learn' & are always a bit ill-disciplined. How prophetic his words were as extra time commenced!
Both Ryan Dolby and Adam Dolby ended up with 'early baths' for foul and abusive language, challenging the officials, swearing and calling them cheats & worse. not just them, but the dugout, and people in the stand. It's been a long time since I've heard someone scream 'fucking monkey' at a black referee. Shameful! It all made a mockery of Baldon Sports having the 'Let's Kick Racisim Out of Football' emblem on the cover of the superb 24 page programme. And as for having the word RESPECT on it as well...you're having a bubble!
Not content with being down to eight men Jack Merral joined them for a very late challenge, & rightly so! the first actual 'proper' red card, as in one that was for a footballing error, rather than self-inflicted dissent. Down to seven some confusion followed, as some thought the game was going to be abandoned, but you need to have LESS THAN seven players left for this to have, not just seven, so after brief consultation with his assistants referee Michael Barnes continued.
The Baldon seven went for broke and went all out for attack, while Maccabi, despite their vastly superior numbers, didn't wuite know what to do. They pussyfooted about, rather than going for the jugular, but their numbers told in the end, and Michael Pearson found himself in plenty of space to hit the winner into the bottom corner, for his hat-trick.
The whistle finally went, with Baldon bitterly moaning about the piss poor officials, not realising it was they themselves that brought their own downfall. Which was a pity really, because if they had just stuck to the football they would undoubtedly have been in the next round of the competition.
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