What could be better than a North v South London derby between two good footballing sides played in front of two sets of passionate, noisy and vociferous supporter groups?
Enfield Town welcome Dulwich Hamlet to Donkey Lane on Tuesday evening in an eagerly anticipated Ryman Premier Division game.,
Hamlet are having another brilliant season under the guidance of highly respected manger Gavin Rose and his assistant Junior Kadi. The South Londoner side are currently in third place in the table having lost only their sixth league game of the season on Saturday when they went down 1-0 at Hampton and Richmond Borough.
Enfield Town come into the game on the back of arguably the best result since the club were formed in 2001. The 0-3 win at league leader's Maidstone United in front of 2,202 people on Saturday will long be remembered by the Town fans who made the trip. The Cold End, being a Town fan, hasn't been able to get to many games recently so I'm really looking forward to Tuesday evening. Town's new signings of Claudio Vilcu and Bobby 'Dazzler' Devayne (three goals in two games) have already become firm favourites amongst the Town faithful.
Here is some information on their current squad/team -
Phil Wilson is the first choice keeper who has lots of experience having started his career at Oxford United and also represented Stevenage Borough, Maidenhead United, Sutton United and Carshalton Athletic. He has played over 100 times for the club. He is backed up by youngster Oshane Brown who has been getting some rave reviews for his performances when he has played for the team. He has made 11 appearances this season. Brown is only 17 years old and has also played for Mertsham in the Ryman League when he was only 16 years old. He certainly has a big future in the game.
24 year old right full back/midfielder Michael Abnett started his career with Crystal Palace before spells with Dover Athletic, Havant and Waterlooville, Whyteleafe and Sutton United as well as Vikingur in Iceland. Full Back Frazer Shaw signed from Billericay Town in September and is one of the player's funded by the Hamlet supporter's '12th man' group which raises money for the club via donations, events, raffles and competitions. He started as a scholar with the Arsenal academy before playing for the youth and development squad with West Ham United.
Goal-scoring attacking midfielder Jack Dixon joined the club in November having made a host of impressive performances for Lewes. He played in the Sussex County League as a 16 year old for Rye United before joining Hastings United where he was an influential player in their famous FA Cup run of 2012/13.
Southwark born Terrell Forbes signed for the Hamlet in the summer and brings with him a host of experience to the team. He started as a youth team player with West Ham United in 1999 and was a part of their FA Youth Cup winning side of that year which also included ex Towner and current manager of Division One South side Burnham Ramblers Bertie Brayley along with the lesser known player's Joe Cole and Michael Carrick. Forbes moved to Queens Park Rangers in 2001 and made 114 appearances for the West London side and helped them to promotion in 2004 from Division Two to The Championship (renamed in 2004/05) as runner's up to Plymouth Argyle. He then went on to play for Grimsby Town, Oldham Athletic, Yeovil Town, Leyton Orient, Chesterfield and Aldershot Town. Following The Shots relegation from the football league in 2013 he moved into non-league football with Dover Athletic for the 2013/14 season helping the South coast club to promotion to non-league's top division via the Conference South play-offs. In total Forbes has 452 appearances for football league sides.
Ethan Pinnock is one of the many members of Hamlet's successful youth team who has made the step up to first team football at Champion Hill. He made his senior debut in August 2010 and has been a regular fixture in the starting line-up since. Winger Nyren Clunis is another who stepped up from the youth team making his debut in November 2009. He has always impressed The Cold End whenever I've seen him play and always chips in with some important goals during the season.
Midfielder/Defender Ashley Carew is another summer signing when he joined after spending 2013/14 with Dover Athletic where he made only a handful of appearances and spent some time on loan with Whitehawk. He started in football at Gillingham in 2003 where he didn't make any first team appearances dropping down into the non-league game with Welling United, Bromley, Sutton United, Beckenham Town and Fisher Athletic before moving up the football league with Barnet who were then members of League Two. He spent two seasons at Underhill before dropping down to represent Eastleigh, Bromley (2nd spell) , Ebbsfleet United, Cambridge United, Carshalton Athletic and Ebbsfleet United (2nd spell) before joining Dover Athletic.
Striker Harry Ottaway is another former Dover Athletic player in the ranks. He started his career with Sutton United in 2007 and has also represented Leatherhead and Mertsham.
19 year old Xavier Vidal is another from the Hamlet youth team academy production line and his progress is being monitored by many football league scouts. He recently had a trial period Championship side Birmingham City. His goal at Donkey Lane last season was amazing and it's surely only a matter of time before he makes the step up the football pyramid. As with all the young players who have moved from Champion Hill recently I'm sure Gavin Rose will advise him about the right time and right club to move to.
Winger Luke Wanadio is a recent signing from Hampton and Richmond Borough. He has also played for Kingstonian, Thurrock and East Thurrock United
30 year old Albert Jarrett started his career with Hamlet way back in 2002 after spending time with the Arsenal academy. He was picked up by Wimbledon in 2003 after some impressing FA Youth Cup performances. He then went on to represent Brighton & HA, Stevenage Borough, Swindon Town, Watford, Boston United, MK Dons, Gillingham, Barnet, Lincoln City, Aldershot Town, Lewes, Bromley, Sutton United before rejoining Champion Hill in November 2014. He is a full Sierra Leone international having played six times for his country.
Kevin James, 35, is another highly experienced player who joined Gavin Rose's side in 2010 and has since racked up over 150 appearances. The midfielder/forward started out at Charlton Athletic in 1998 and also played for Gillingham, Nottingham Forest, Boston United, Walsall, Yeovil Town, Grimsby Town and Swindon Town before representing Welling United, Woking, Crawley Town and Chelmsford City.
Micahel Kamara is another ex Dover player at Champion Hill having joined in the summer. The defender has also played for Carshalton Athletic.
Right back Kerhaney Samuels is another product from the club's youth section. He made a few appearances for Guildford City last season and has made over 20 appearances this season.
Midfielder Jordan Hibbert started his career in the Chelsea youth system in 2002 before joining Barnsley and then Queens Park Rangers where he didn't make a first team apperance. He then spent some time with Portugesse club Farense and Swedish club AFC United before playing for Farnborough, Thamesmead Town and the Met Police before joining Dulwich for the start of the 2014/15 season.
It's certainly an occasion to look forward. With Bradley Quinton's impressive young squad and Dulwich's record of player's progressing it's highly likely you'll see a number of players who may be plying their trade for football league clubs in the near future. If the game is just 10% as good as last season's game between the two sides at The Queen Elizabeth II Stadium it'll be a feast of football. Here are the higlights of that game -
If you fancy a bet on the game the best odds available are 8/5 for a home win, 27/10 for a draw and 11/8 for an away win.
Kick off is at 7.45pm. Entrance is a bargain £10 for Adults, £6 for concessions & 16-21 year olds and just £1 for under 16s.
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