Chatham Town 0 Dulwich Hamlet 2
By David Pritchard
Lee Barnett has left Chatham Town following the club’s decision to cut the squad’s wage budget.
The striker, a former youth player at Queens Park Rangers, joined in the middle of last season and went on to finish the club’s top scorer. His form in front of goal has been hampered by a series of injuries this season, limiting his influence.
The squad were informed of the club’s decision to cut wages earlier this month. Barnett was the only departure, with rumours linking him with a move to Ryman North high-fliers Thamesmead Town.
Chats boss Alex O’Brien was disappointed to see one of his strikers leave, but relieved the rest of the players remained committed.
He said: “With the pay cuts Lee turned round and said Chatham Town wasn’t for him anymore and he wanted to try something else. The week of the Whitstable game [assistant manager] Lew Watts and I addressed the boys and said ‘we’re not going to stand in your way’. Lee was the only one, so it’s fantastic the rest of the squad wanted to stay and give it a go and at least try to finish what we’ve started.”
The post-Barnett era began with a disappointing defeat on Saturday. Not for the first time this season O’Brien was left wondering how his side had taken nothing from a game in which they had created more than their opponents.
Brendon Cass was joined up front by Ray Powell, with Rob Denness given a free role. The Chats made the first decent chance when Michael Scott crossed from the right, but Powell blazed wide.
Jim Lyons forced a good save but Dulwich went into the break ahead courtesy of a penalty. Ben Payne brought down Sanchez Ming and Junior Kadi sent Dean Ruddy the wrong way.
Cass and Powell were hauled off at half-time, replacing them with Justin Ascheri and Jack Pullen, a teenager recruited for a month from Dartford’s youth set-up. The second half followed a similar pattern to the first – Chatham pressure giving way to a Kadi penalty, this time after a foul by Ashley Probets.
It was hardly the ideal way for the club to launch their Community Scheme, overseen by MP Jonathan Shaw.
O’Brien’s attention now switches to Saturday’s trip to Chipstead, where he is desperately hoping his side have more of a cutting edge.
He said: “We need to go on a run of three or four games. Good teams take their chances, it’s got so frustrating because there have been games where hand on heart we should’ve won. I’m sure whether it’s next week or the last day of the season someone will be on the end of a 5-0 from Chatham, because we create so many chances.”
POSTED: 08/02/2010 16:09:04
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