Maidstone United 2 Dulwich Hamlet 3

The long stroll to Bourne Park does not bore well for the itinerant traveller, rolling through grey industrial sheds purveying their wares to the weekend DIY-er.

Then, perchance, past an oddly incongruous ancient structure there looms the vast concrete edifice of Central Park once home to Sittingbourne FC in their halcyon days when an ambitious chairman had dreams of elevation to heights of football gloriana.

Beyond, in the shadow of monument to footballing folly, there rests the rough and ready Bourne Park, a true Fans' Stadium, pieced together perhaps from the contents of these anodyne sheds that line the route to this arena.

Today the tenants are in, once mighty Maidstone, likewise humbled by a former, rapacious chairman but rebuild by the hands of loyal fans and decamped to industrial wastelands whilst they await the arrival of their new home back in Kent's county town.

With both sides well-placed among the promotion pack and coming into the game on the back of famous knock-out victories away to Premier Division clubs, Chelmsford City and AFC Wimbledon respectively, hopes were high for a true clash of the titans.

The fans were not to be disappointed as despite a bobbly pitch and the efforts of a swirling wind to disrupt proceedings, the goals flowed. Sixteen games into the season and already those Hamlet fans that have attended every competitive game have witnessed the staggering total of 79 goals.

These two combatants had achieved those cup victories in their own inimitable style, the Dulwich philosophy of attack until one can attack no more, then attack again in stark contrast to the solid mindset that had paved the way for a defensive bedrock upon which the expensive forwards of Chelmsford had foundered.

However this was little evidence of a defensive attitude in the Stones' early endeavours as one-time Dulwich youth teamer, Nathan Paul, showed his pace as an overlapping wingback providing a deadly cross from the right only for Jason Turley to provide the clearing header as Simon Austin threatened.

Paul was again the catalyst with a ball in behind the Dulwich defence but from a difficult angle Jason Barton failed to test Chris Lewington as the ball was stabbed in to the side netting.

Moments later, Chris Dickson put a cross shot wide but controversially Hamlet were denied a penalty a minute by the home town referee as Eniola Oluwa held off the challenge of Paul only to have his legs taken from him by the same player as he shaped to shoot on the edge of the six yard box.

Swiftly clicking into gear and coming to grips with the uneven, scraggily grassed terrain, Dulwich started to gain the upper hand and it took a brave block from stopper Pat Mullin to deny Dickson as hammered a powerful shot goalwards.

On the quarter hour, domination earned its reward as the Hamlet claimed the afternoon's opening goal.

A corner won by Justyn Roberts was played short to Nicolas Plumain, the ball delivered into the heart of the danger area.

Dickson juggled but could not make space for himself. The ball dropped to Roberts, a first strike blocked by the hand of a defender.

No whistle from the prevaricating man in black but it mattered not a jot for the rebound fell back at the feet of the defensive colossus, the ball stabbed goalwards as he fell and Mullin powerless to keep the shot from trickling into the bottom corner of his net.

Good football stifled by the elements, the environment and a puzzling array of stoppages for apparent infringements conspired to put the kibosh on entertainment.

Kenny Beaney went to his knees after bursting into the box but naught. Then out of the blue an equaliser for the Stones.

A hefty punt out of defence from Lee Shearer seemed destined for No Man's Land but Lynden Rowland had other ideas.

Chasing the ball with Turley in pursuit he let it bounce before hitting a terrific first time volley on the angle that had Lewington frozen to his near post as the ball flashed past him into the opposite corner.

Riled by this, Hamlet hit back.

Released down the right channel Dickson showed his strength to muscle his way to the back line but a pull back had been anticipated by Mullin and he pounced on the low cross as Dickson's fellow strikers lay in wait.

A couple later and Plumain would dart into the box only for a meticulously timed tackle from Mario McNish to whip from his toes and behind for a corner, from whence Plumain would deliver a tempting cross into the area.

The danger cleared momentarily Phil Williams recovered, whipping a ball in that swirled upon the ether but that Beaney was unable to reach and provide the killer touch.

Stones came close again, a curious free-kick delivered deep to the back of the box for Ryan Royston to meet but plop a header into the side netting before Nick Barnes exchanged passes with Sam Tydeman until to rocket a shot wide of the mark.

As half-time drew ever closer and fans' minds drifted to a warming Bovril, Hamlet regained their lead though it was not without controversy.

Convinced, erroneously, that Plumain had allowed the ball to run out of play, a momentary lapse of concentration proved fatal.

Unfazed Plumain slipped a pass into Williams, who ghosted through the diaphanous attempts to thwart his run before neatly curling a pearler of a finish beyond the clutches of Mullin.

A few words from the management and the Stones came out hitting the right notes only for Hamlet's rhythm section to play a drum solo upon the hapless defence.

A brace of early Stones' free kicks had to be dealt with, messily but dealt with.

Shawn Beveney almost made his mark as Royston surrendered the ball to him, the Guyanese international denied by the feet of Mullin.

Time for the Stones to unveil their secret weapon, not the electric pace of Alex Tiesse of whose debut the home fans would have to wait but Aaron Lacy, a man possessed not only of mullet to rival the Chris Waddle of the 80's but an almighty catapult of a throw-in that would test the Hamlet defence to very limits.

His gifts were soon in even demand as Beveney repeated his party piece as a sweeping move out of defence saw Beveney turn on the gas as the ball was played through, bearing down on Mullin before calmly driving the ball low through the diving keeper to nestle in the far corner of the net.

Dj vu two minutes later, but this time Mullin's effort would prove successful, if painful, the custodian twisting an ankle in a pothole as he dived at the feet of Beveney.

A long break in play ensued, Mullin's recovery not aided by his physio whose novel method of determining the location of the injury by threading on the offending limb has yet to be adopted by the British Medical Council.

Dulwich rhythm interrupted and a hideous bungle from the tyro Dulwich custodian gave Maidstone an unlikely route back into the game.

Austin's cross from the right wing seemed a routine catch for young Lewington but somehow he contrived to let the ball slip through his fingers behind him and like a hungry man pouncing upon a meal, Barnes was on hand to stab the errant ball into the now unguarded net.

Rather than withdraw into their shell and protect their fragile lead, the Hamlet's instant response was offensive, a two-footed salute to the negative game as a left wing attack set up Beveney to feed Oluwa, the quicksilver midfielder making space to rifle in a stunning drive that looked destined for the top corner until Mullin produced an equally breathtaking one-handed save to turn the shot away.

Mullet-topped missile launcher Lacy bombed a throw into the penalty area, Lewington, unfazed by his earlier faux pas, twisting to claw Shearer's goal bound header over the crossbar.

Then a lifeline was thrown in the direction of the hosts, Barnes and Lewis Tozer collided in the area, and much to the chagrin of the Hamlet defender Mr Gosling pointed instantly to the spot.

Tozer's indignation was further compounded as his protestations of innocence brought naught but a caution from the man in black.

Upon Barnes the victim fell the responsibility of dispensing retribution but his nerve failed him, Lewington unruffled like his net as the ball was blasted a goodly distance wide of the mark.

Three minutes later Dickson had the opportunity to put the seal on victory as he went mano-a-mano with Mullin but a shot nestled in the midriff of the spread-eagled keeper.

Seconds later and the Stones still could get no satisfaction as another penalty appeal fell on stony ground, the ball clearly striking the hand of Tozer as he attempted a tackle but then fate has a strange way of evening these things out.

A minute into an interminable bout of stoppage time, Dickson looped in a deep cross to the back post where Williams rose to plant a header just wide. Subscribing to the Einsteinian Theory of Elastic Time, Mr Gosling stretched out stoppage almost to infinity.

Each time the Hamlet attacked but lost the ball, the Stones rolled forward, Hamlet's defence stretched to the bounds but it held firm, victory assured once more.

DHFC: Chris Lewington, Jason Turley, Nicholas Plumain, Cedric Meeko, Justyn Roberts, Lewis Tozer, Eniola Oluwa, Kenny Beaney, Shawn Beveney (Sol Pinnock 80), Chris Dickson (Daniel Jones 90+7), Phil Williams. Subs not used: Jamie Coyle, Matt Dean, David Moore Attendance: 361 Officials: Referee: Mr I Gosling (Sittingbourne) Assistant Referees: Mr G Gooding (Ashford, Kent) and Mr A Marshall (Gillingham, Kent) Goalscoring 0-1 DHFC Justyn Roberts 15th minute 1-1 MUFC Lynden Rowland 27th minute 1-2 DHFC Phil Williams 45th minute 1-3 DHFC Shawn Beveney 53rd minute 2-3 MUFC Nick Barnes 58th minute