1949
Saturday, 11 March 1950
Isthmian League
Attendance: 9,000
 
Dulwich Hamlet
?
2 - 3
Wimbledon
Vic Bird, Charlie Smith, Jack Wallis

Harry Stannard was selected for the Isthmian League against the Royal Navy, Charlie Smith returning at centre-forward. The reserves, affected by this and more recent call-ups to the first team, were further weakened by the selection of Alec Fuce for the Isthmian League for their match against the Athenian League and Billy Cousins as travelling reserve. Almost unbeaten previously, they fell from the top of the table, only managing to pick up three points from their final seven games and ending up five points behind eventual winners Leytonstone.

In the first minute Charlie Smith chased a ball down the middle but keeper Freeman beat him to it and smashed the ball forward, setting up a spell of Dulwich pressure. Two free-kicks in succession were bundled away by the Dons’ defence, but Hamlet took the lead in the twelfth minute when Dacey received the ball thirty yards out, settled forward and lobbed in a ball that Jim Haycock misjudged and could only watch sail into the net. Wimbledon’s chief tactic was to hit the wings and aim crosses in at their tall centre-forward, and it was Smith who got the equaliser, heading in Harry Bull’s corner. A few minutes later he could have added another, but under close attention of two defenders he sliced his first-time effort. The home attack was more stylish but was unable to overcome the solidity of the full-backs.

Vic Bird and Bull forced the pace at the start of the second half, forcing Hamlet’s half-backs into defensive duties and freeing up space in the centre for Wimbledon to attack. The beneficiary was Jack Wallis, taking the ball off Phebey and sending in a low, hard shot that went right underneath Freeman and into the net. The lead was short-lived, Davies running in two minutes later and heading in an attempted clearance from Pat Field. Both sides pushed forward in search of the winner and Ron Head at one end and Davies at the other both shot against the crossbar. Eight minutes from the end Bird forced Bull’s corner in and the visiting defence held firm under a final onslaught from Dulwich.