The returning ‘Pepper Army’ support saw Dulwich Hamlet Women narrowly lose against Norwich City in their first-ever game in the fourth-tier on Sunday.
Following a historic promotion to the National League last season, the Hamlet put in an encouraging display despite being handed a tricky opening fixture against last season’s runners-up.
Errors ultimately cost the South London side, who lost 3-2 after initially taking the lead in front of an 814-capacity crowd.
Dulwich Hamlet are one of England’s most famous non-league sides, a storied club known for their activist support and large following.
The women’s team are much younger, having formed in a merger with Clapham-based AFC Phoenix in 2019.
Behind them are the vociferous Pepper Army, a section of supporters who occupy the terraced ‘Toilets Opposite’ stand at their Champion Hill ground.
Summing up the Pepper Army’s ethos, fan Beka Torlay of East Dulwich said: “It’s one part shenanigans, one part support, and it’s a little bit political too.
“Being openly supportive of a women’s football team for one, but also being openly supportive of trans people and trans players.
“For example, we’ve had friendly matches with TRUK (Trans Radio UK) United FC before.”
Adam Turner-Heffer, who lives in Peckham, said: “What this has grown into and become is a much more dedicated, condensed version of fans who come to the men’s games.
“It feels like an opportunity to grow a different kind of football, one that’s a bit more positive. It’s much more affordable, and it’s a more inclusive supporter group.
“Those values for Dulwich go over to both sides but a lot of men’s football has got a bit toxic and a bit ruined by money, so it’s cool to feel like we’re at the ground level building upwards with something new and exciting.”
The Pepper Army followed The Hamlet home and away last season culminating in a trip to East Sussex in May where a 5-1 win over Saltdean United sealed promotion.
They then followed them back up the A23 to London where the team and fans celebrated on East Dulwich’s streets, occupying Goose Green roundabout.
Torlay said: “The atmosphere was absolutely electric.
“The after party was legendary, it was a lovely time had by all.”
Champion Hill is adorned with insignia referencing Spanish civil war international brigades, Manic Street Preachers lyrics, and the South London enclave’s similarity to Tuscany.
The latter is a joking reference to a resident comparing the views from Champion Hill to the Italian region when opposing the new stadium’s construction in the 1980s.
The local terrain is a common motif with fans regularly breaking into the ‘Hills!’ song (a trifling 57 mentions of the word, according to the DHFC songbook).
The club even incorporated it into their kit design this season, and several players got matching ‘hills’ tattoos after last season’s triumph.
The team have come a long way in the five years since coach Ryan Dempsey arrived, replacing former boss Farouk Menia who passed away in 2019.
After twice topping the league in Covid-curtailed seasons, they were asked to apply to the FA for promotion in 2021 but were denied in favour of rivals Queen’s Park Rangers.
QPR were promoted as a reward for their infrastructure development and record in cup games, leaving Dulwich Hamlet wondering why the actual league table wasn’t the criteria used.
Dempsey said: “Depending on who you ask, whether you ask a QPR fan or a Dulwich fan, we feel we were harshly done by in terms of the application, we felt we deserved to go up.”
Until this season they remained in the London and South East Regional Women’s Football League (L&SERWFL, or ‘Laserwaffle’ to fans).
But nothing was going to deny them last season, and their success attracted a new fan in US great Megan Rapinoe.
Hamlet were nervy early in this game, playing out from the back through goalkeeper Saskia Reeves-Priestley but rarely developing passing sequences beyond the halfway line.
There was no obvious gap in quality between the sides though, and Dulwich took the lead after 23 minutes when Lucy Monkman tapped in from Norwich goalkeeper Sarah Quantrill’s parry.
The Pepper Army responded with ‘Monki’ (to the tune of ‘La Bamba’), a reference to Monkman’s career as a well-known radio 1 DJ.
Their lead lasted just two minutes before Norwich scored a scrappy equaliser, Shannon Shaw eventually nodding the ball in on the goal line.
The score remained 1-1 until half-time, with the referee’s perceived lack of control on the game prompting the Army to speculate aloud on her party-political affiliations.
Turner-Heffer said: “The terraces will decide if a chant works.
“We have a massive WhatsApp group where a lot of ideas are shared but sometimes people will come up with stuff on the stands and either it will stick, or it won’t.”
Torlay said: “It’s an ongoing creative process! A writer’s room with so many people in it. The catchier, the better.”
The chant ‘Corrigan is an American’ (think ‘America’ from West Side Story) references Wisconsin-born defender Erin Corrigan, who was last season’s player of the year.
She said: “I came to a home game a few months before I actually joined and I thought ‘oh my gosh’, the atmosphere on Sundays you just can’t find anywhere else, so I feel so lucky that I coincidentally stumbled upon this club in south east London.”
It was bad news for Dulwich in the second half with Morgan Searle giving away a penalty from which Norwich’s Hope Strauss sent Reeves-Priestley the wrong way.
Norwich striker Ellie Smith looked to have finished the game as a contest on 85 minutes when she rolled the ball home after Dulwich again gave away possession.
Home captain Asia Harbour Brown looped in a header from a corner at the beginning of the five minutes of injury time, but no equaliser came.
In many ways, it was the closest thing to an ideal defeat for The Hamlet.
They were in the game until the last kick, playing against arguably the league’s best team, and undone by errors rather than outclassed tactically.
Dempsey said: “It was three individual mistakes we made for their goals.
“I can’t remember Saskia having to make too many saves and we created three or four really good opportunities that, moving forward, hopefully we capitalise on.”
Monkman, their most assured player on the ball, said: “We can’t afford to make as many mistakes as we probably could have last season, I think that is the main difference.”
On the fans, she said: “The Pepper Army are our twelfth man.
“We can’t thank them enough, for bringing the energy and building a community along with the club.”
Defender Corrigan said: “They’re the best fans in the English football pyramid with their creativity, their consistency, how loud they are, and all their songs.
“I know individually if I do something good or if I make a mistake, I can lean on them for support. It’s a huge advantage.”
Dempsey was positive about Dulwich’s long term prospects: “Hopefully we continue to grow and develop and over the next two to three years challenge for promotion.”
Their supporters have similar ambitions.
Turner-Heffer said: “Within our wider group there are a couple of people who are on fan trust board level and those of us who aren’t will spread the word as much as possible, make fliers, tell people about it through word of mouth, whatever.
“It’s growing and growing and growing.”
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