Chips 1 - 0 Chumps

Hi.

Nothing like starting with a hello. Its an attempt to be chipper given the news that Chatham again drew and blank, and were turned over by a lowly Chipstead side who'd only registered one 3-pointer in their previous thirteen home games.

I'm trying to find positives in a season that's swiftly trajectorising itself towards doom. We were looking mediocre until recently, but now, results suggest we're just plain old poor.

I didn't go. I await Rochester Valiant's report with some trepidation. Again, we've failed to score. Lee Barnett may have gone chasing the cash, singing Dizzee Rascal's Money Talks as he whistled his way to Thamesmead, but one man doesn't make a team, and his seven goals in 21 appearances wasn't the form of the superstar he was last year. I hope dearly that Cassie at least got some service today, but I can't help thinking that again, the problem is a lack of decent crosses into the box. He's an onion bag picker outer of the highest order, and we just don't let him have a chance.

Next Saturday sees Eastbourne visit, a side who've won just once on the road this term. We must lay our hoodoo to rest, and arrest the slide. Still, could be worse. We could be Merstham, who were amongst the early pace setters, but have won just once in the last eight games. Fortunately, those urchins at Sittingbourne lost out to a 94th minute winner at Croydon, and drop down the table with us, one place. We're now 10th, which is fortunate because results going very awry today would have seen us drop six places to 15th. Worryingly, everyone has games in hand.

I have full faith in Don Logan and Co to get this club to the next level. They promised a rollercoaster, and we have it. Its just broken down, and we fans feel like the idiots you see stuck upside down at Thorpe Park. The blood's going to my head now and I feel sick. Time for Don to oil the runners. We've got ambition off the pitch, proved in the ambitious planning application to improve corporate facilities at the TOSC. The club's exciting new community venture is something to treasure. We need to get known in the local community as a viable, affordable family friendly alternative to the BSE infected tripe that is professional football at Priestfield. But we need to get the results flowing on the pitch. We've got the most capable side I've seen in the five years I've been going, and they seem demotivated. AOB's legendary team talks need to re-emerge. The man needs a resurgence himself. We need to show him how much we appreciate all the hard work he's put in. He could be the best thing to happen to this club in many a year, and he needs our support.

See you all next Saturday.

Red backstreet boozers 0 - 2 Pink gastropubs

Dulwich Hamlet were today's visitors the the theater of slapstick comedy, and came away two nil winners thanks to a penalty in each half.

To be fair, they deserved there win, as Chatham were limited in options up front, three Brad Potter headers from corners the only scares for Hamlet's 80s keeper.

Chatham's front line was missing the departed Lee Barnett. It turns out the pay cut was a step too far for the big man; perhaps it was the catalyst for a scant goodbye for a player who appeared to have peaked last season. Barnett has joined R1N title chasers Thamesmead Town, where he will join Rikki Cable and Andy Constable up front. Certainly, he had class last season, but has not had the cutting edge that made him stand apart last year. I don't like to speculate, but I think he saw the chance for the door and ran through it - unlike too many defences this season.

Back to the action though, and Chatham seemed demoralised. The final ball not there, the indecision in attack, too many stray passes. Too many changes perhaps, Denness managing a full 90 minutes a plus, the substitution at half time of an increasingly frustrated Cass and to my mind the best player in the red and black in the first half, Ray Powell, frankly bizarre changes if not brought about by injury. I do worry about how the season and all its hope is petering out. We need to get winning, we need to get confidence.

The most positive part of this game today? The fact that we've stopped our nine game win-lose hoodoo. Its two defeats on the bounce today. Let's show some of the famous bouncebackability next week at Chipstead - hopefully we'll still have Cassie to lead the line. His replacement today though, a young lad with ginger hair and white socks, looked like he had potential. But we need to get Cassie showing the love so to speak. Feed him and he'll grow.

Money talks...

Its been well publicised this week that we've cut the playing budget, the sort of thing that had to be expected given just one home game in six weeks.

And its announced today, that at least one player, yet to be named, has taken this as his cue to leave. Frankly, it smacks of an excuse to get out. We're underachieving this year, that's for sure. The win-lose run now extends to nine games. But we're a turn of form away from a play off spot, and bettering last season's quarter century high.

I'm not going to speculate on who it is that thinks the money talks. If they genuinely think they'll get more elsewhere, then fair play to them. Even if they are wrong. There's no one at the club at the moment who'd walk into another first team, with perhaps the exception of the ever improving Richard Avery.

I'll save my scathe for when the news of the money slave is released...

Anyway, tomorrow is Dulwich at home, and a return to the stadium by Mark Green to launch the community scheme, in our newly named Fitness First Stand. It occurred to me earlier, that the acronym for the said stand is hilarious. FFS!