Dulwich Hamlet 3, East Thurrock United 0

To Curva del Transpontine! …on Saturday afternoon to Meet the Fockers. Or even the Thurrock. Or perhaps the new owners of Dulwich Hamlet Football Club?

Either way, it was to be a LIQUID pink ‘n’ blue experience that had promised much, fizzled slightly during the foreplay but came good, so to speak, when it was time to SWING those BIG scarves and show your unlimited appreciation for the pink ‘n’ blue.

As for the new owners down at Dulwich?

Heard the one about the property developer that bought a plot of prime London land the size of a football pitch (IT REALLY IS THE SIZE OF A FOOBALL PITCH) but… has no plans to develop it?

Something in the water doesn’t compute, Comrades, as Prince pre-emptied some thirty seasons ago.

But bollocks to all of the off-the pitch crap. Just show me some CHUFFING liquid pink ‘n’ blue.

Um…

This was actually a bit of a brute of a game for the Dulwich. Thurrock may be a bottom three side, but they weren’t backwards at putting their bottoms forward.

Or something.

The first half was a physical challenge for the pink ‘n’ blue boys. The passing game just couldn’t get flowing. If you wanted to re-develop Champion Hill and plonk some yuppie flats in place of the pitch, the toughest challenge would be to remove East Thurrock and the occupation of the centre circle.

Erhum Otzumer had other ideas. The five foot two pink ‘n’ blue wonder sees modern interweb GIF opportunities where other plodding midfielders simply see another pass. A little dance around the edge of the area and then WOH.

What the CHUFF was that?

…only the goal of the season (so far) down at the Dulwich. I’ve since set the GIF to auto-repeat and watched it until I go blind as a substitute for a sexual pecadillo.

You needed to see that goal in the flesh. Fine work then fella and little friend who have found a *shhh* gap in the stand opposite the Car Wash End to peer in on the pink ‘n’ blue for free.

The Rabble went a little Wu-Tang come the close of the first half - the potty-mouthed pink ‘n’ blue jesters. Staten Island came to SE22. I can’t wait for the return leg of the Hamlet / hip hop cultural exchange.

South London sunlight and song defined the second half. What I’m LOVING about The Rabble 2014 is that factions are starting to occur. Not nasty factions that lead to negative crap, but the crowd down at the Dulwich is actually getting so large that there is more than once central singing spot.

One section of the Car Wash End starts off with a Transpontine classic, only to find that the opposite end have taken it in a different direction. The singing-in-the-round take of Big Up Rabble Man could hold its own at any primary school singing concert. I might just have to give it a go.

listen to ‘Further Songs of Transpontine Struggle #dhfc’ on Audioboo

I was stuck in the self-defined Dinosaurs Land for much of the second half. Our average age was slightly less than the current level of debt that the club is in. If it all goes completely tits up then we could probably cobble our pensions together.

A game of Name That Tune broke out amongst the Dinosaurs as the new blood of The Rabble continued to impress with the growing Transpontine Songbook. Was that really Chaka Khan being worked into a new Champion Hill classic?

Two more goals followed for the Dulwich, leading to another three points and a joint top of the table close as the swinging scarves went into overdrive.

What could possibly go wrong?

I made the decision not to dissect in great detail the post-match public meeting called by the Football Committee. Why bang out 1,000 words when you can simply press record and then share some of the facts?

But a few thoughts…

Dulwich were in the pink ‘n’ blue shit.

Over £100k worth of debts (that were never really explained…) almost led to the club not finishing this season.

Hadley Property (mmm…) has very kindly paid off these debts, as well as keeping the electricity meter ticking over.

Plus there’s a little more…

£5.75m [WOH!] has been paid by the property developer for the freehold of this prime South London plot of land. Yer man from Hadely declared that he has no intention to move Dulwich away from Champion Hill.

Eh?

It was all rather confusing, and a little bit of a hasty hit and miss meeting. The MONTER thread over on the mighty urban75 is probably the best place to dive in if you want more background and far better analysis.

Tell It Like It Is, etc.

I remain cynical of Hadley, but am willing to see what the property developer has to offer. The LIQUID pink ‘n’ blue of Saturday afternoon certainly wouldn’t have been possible without the backing of a property company.

Strange days down at Dulwich.

Forward ever, backwards NEVER!