Dulwich Hamlet 4, Bromley 2
The crappest of Crap Match Reports for a game that I wasn’t really at.
There’s honesty that you wouldn’t find whilst reading Her Majesty’s Popular Prints.
But I was kinda there at Transpontine del Curva for the incredibly early kick off for the incredibly early pre-season friendly against Le Bomlei, as we use to say back in the day.
In fact I was even at Champion Hill at 11:55am - five minutes to spare before the pink ‘n’ blue boys kicked off their relaxed pre-season routine.
£10 on the door, a nod and a wink to Top Boy Griff and whaddya know: the football season is upon us once again.
All before the final ball is kicked in the season closer of Euro 2016 as well.
Funny old game.
But I was in need of a financial top up first across the road at Sainsbury’s. I can smooth talk Top Boy Griff, but you’ve got to pay to play etc.
BEEP.
Card rejected.
Eh?
BEEP BEEP.
Your card is crap.
BEEP BEEP BEEP.
Just do one - we ‘aint giving you any wonga today.
Oh dear.
And so I was stranded and penniless in leafy Dulwich. Which is never a good situation in which to be in.
I weighed up the options: STORMING the gates of Transpontine del Curva, or waiting for half time and doing the @OneEyeGrey thing of nipping in for 45 minutes on a freebie.
The class warrior within settled on politeness.
I passed a rather pleasant first half sitting alone in Dog Kennel Park. Some local kids cycled past and shouted out: WINO!
And then just as the ref was blowing for the start of the second half, I sneaked in through the big blue gate.
“HELLO!”
…said dear old Bill.
I explained my financial foolishness.
“Aww, you should have just banged on the gate like back in the old days and we would have let you in.”
And that kinda summed up the 45 minutes of football that then followed.
This was like being down the Dulwich sometime around 1998.
The crowd of 300-ish wouldn’t exactly lead to a hipster hard on over at Grauniad Towers. The sloganeering and banners were replaced with more traditional South London banter.
I rather enjoyed it to be honest.
I kept half an eye on the football, but that was never really what Saturday afternoon was all about.
A Brixton Buzz editorial meet took place [FUCK ‘EM], and then I had the pleasure of a decent catch up with Mishi, relieved of his 50/50 duties for the day.
It seemed that I saw the better half of football.
The Frenchies had a complete face lift at half time. Dulwich dominated, with the final scoreline of 4-2 seeming just about right.
But things will change as the pre-seasoners step up the pace.
Expect crowds of 750-ish for the first league match of the season in late August; by the times the clocks go forward and we will enter the silly season of 2,000+.
But it’s all good; it’s all about building both in the community, and financially.
I did at least one of these things on Saturday afternoon.
Edgar Kail in my heart…