Dulwich Hamlet Match Preview
Following two wins at Twerton Park in the past week, City will be hoping to return to winning ways on their travels when they head to south London on Saturday to face Dulwich Hamlet.
The Hamlet have made a rather inconsistent start to the season, presently lying in eighth position, with eighteen points from their ten matches. The majority of their points total have been won away from Champion Hill where they have only won against Hungerford and Hampton & Richmond.
The latter visited a fortnight ago and the 4-3 win for Hamlet was described by its website as “the most exhilarating game seen at Champion Hill for many a year.” City supporters will be hoping for similar entertainment on Saturday but with the result favouring the visitors this time!
This indifferent home form was also evident in the FA Cup when Ryman League Bedfont Sports shocked their higher level opponents with a 1-0 victory back in the 2nd Qualifying Round.
Although City had visited Champion Hill in the days when Fisher Athletic shared the ground, we have only been facing Dulwich in the League since 2018. The 2-0 away victory in January 2019 was followed up with another by 3-2 at the end of that year, courtesy of goals from Noah Chilvers, Sam Pearson and Tom Smith. Tom will certainly be looking forward to the match as he has scored five of the eleven City goals scored against these opponents!
The terracing on three sides of the Champion Hill ground is rather limited with flat standing areas in front while cover is at a premium. However the high Tommy Jover main stand is a posher affair and even has a gable on top with a clock. The seats below offer an excellent view of the pitch with no obstructing pillars.
There are plenty of places to eat and drink in the surrounding neighbourhood while supporters will not go short of refreshments inside the ground.
The average attendance this season at Champion Hill is over 2000 with two crowds exceeding 3000. The attendance for the Hampton fixture of 3045 was the third highest non-league crowd of the day. So City supporters are advised to arrive early as there can be long queues at the turnstiles.
Tickets can be bought in advance from the Dulwich website.
The 118 mile trip from Bath will take around 3 hours but unfortunately there was insufficient interest for a Supporters Club to run.
The train journey from Bath Spa will take around the same time involving changes at Paddington and London Bridge and a five minute walk to the ground from East Dulwich station.
Whichever means of travel you use to get to the match, have a safe journey and hopefully the reward of three more points for the City!
And finally, click here for an alternative preview of the match from a Dulwich point of view.
