Supporters to take on the players!

Following the final whistle on Saturday 25th April at the final Dulwich Hamlet First Team game of the season the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters' Team take on a Club Staff & Players XI in a fun friendly on the main Champion Hill pitch, in a fixture instigated by the First Team manager Craig Edwards.

It was actually, by coincidence, around twenty years ago, that a similar fixture in May 1989 led to the establishing of the current Supporters' Team.

The 'war of words' between Edwards & our 'Gaffer' Mick O'Shaughnessy has already begun, and hotted up on the terraces at Kingstonian this afternoon, as they squared up to each other!



This follows on from heated exchanges on the back pages of the 'Southwark News' the week before:

ULTIMATE GRUDGE MATCH SET FOR FINAL GAME

The grudge match to end all encounters will take place on the final day of the season at Champion Hill when the first team squad and staff take on the Dulwich Hamlet supporter's side, writes John Prendegast..
The first eleven will take on Fleet Town in their final league encounter at 3pm on April 25, and will then form the bench for the game against the supporters which will be played afterwards.
The starting eleven for the club will include manager Craig Edwards, assistant Paul Downes and team physio Bridget Higgs, as well as youth team coach Ian Neal.
The remainder of the team will be made up of youth team players and first team squad members, who will play in positions dictated by a lottery system.
The Dulwich manager felt it was a perfect way to thank the fans for their support, and demonstrates the special bond between players, staff and supporters in the non-league game.
He said: "The bond is better between players, supporters and staff in the non-league set up and the reltionship is certainly more personal than in the professional game. That can be seen by the fact that Daryl Plummer and Stanley Muguo turned out for a charity game the supporters were involved in last year. "
The entire first team also attended a recent supporters' team clash against Millwall, in recognition of the fact that the fans often travel far and wide to follow them.
Hamlet gaffer Craig Edwards added: " It will be fun and a great laugh, but in football they say that every manager is three games away from the sack. After April 25 Mick O'Shaughnessy will be just two games away."
Edwards is currently putting himself through rehab to be fit for the game, having picked up an ankle injury, but he stated that his full focus was to be ready for that encounter.
However Michael O'Shaughnessy, manager of the supporters' team, has decided to show him no sympathy. He said: " We will be putting little targets on the ankles of Craig Edwards, and I will tell my players that is where to kick him. I have also not forgotten his assistant Paul Downes, whom the supporters also owe one to following his dismal defensive display when he played for us earlier in the year."

The game is eagerly awaited by all, and if anyone would like to take part, even if you've never turned out for "The Rabblers" before then just drop Mick an email at mospurley@hotmail.com
& he'll hopefully put you in the squad.