Dial Square narrowly miss out on promotion after coming up short at final hurdle 

We Go Again: Agony for the club by Arsenal supporters for Arsenal supporters as narrowly missing out on promotion 

Casuals too strong for Dial Square in grand finale

Dial narrowly missed out on promotion after coming up short at the final hurdle against Wimbledon Casuals last week (Thursday, May 8)

It was make or break for Steve Brown's side, who travelled to Quintin Hogg Memorial Sports Ground needing just a point to move above AFC Walcountians in the Surrey Premier County Football League table to secure a fourth successive promotion.

But two late goals in each half, without reply, from the three-time champions meant Dial were pipped to the post on goal difference on the final day of the season.

Buoyed by their 4-1 win over Worcester Park six days earlier, Dial had managed to regain their mojo after a mixed bag of results throughout April.

Despite being without influential captain Will Neville (injured) and James Vass, Brown was pleased to welcome back experienced shot-stopper Andy Rider and Callum Abraham-Barlow to help shore up the backline.

After an uneventful opening 15 minutes, it was the hosts that came close to opening the scoring when Rider was called into action to thwart Liam Marshall in the 17th-minute.

Ethan Williams then went close for the champions when his shot clipped off the top of the crossbar six minutes later, as the southwest Londoners posed more of a threat in front of goal.

However, Dial weren't without their chances, with Noel Fortune and Aidan Phillips both firing straight at Adam Lee after some neat footwork on the edge of the box.

True to form, though, it was Casuals who broke the deadlock when Marshall was allowed to turn in the box, before striking the ball past Rider and off the post in 37-minute.

Dial sought to hit back through Jordan Carter and Harry Rice down the flanks, but it was the hosts who came up trumps again when Al Harlington was upended in the box, gifting the opportunity for Jimmy Dolman to score from the penalty spot a minute before half-time.

Dial needed to pull something out of the bag in the second half, which saw Matt Bunyan pushed up top to provide a much-needed aerial threat.

But the hosts continued to press Dial in the final third, with Williams firing against the bar and Marshall connecting with the post after a surging run and cross into the box from Cory Mears within 10 minutes of the restart.

The introduction of Balai Antonio Dembele provided Dial with more potency in the final third, but Brown's side were unable to create any clear-cut chance, as Casuals' backline held firm.

With Dial pressing hard to find a way through, the hosts were able to exploit large gaps in midfield, which paved the way for Mears to run half the length of the pitch, before sliding the ball past Rider to make it 3-0 in the 83rd-minute.

And there was no let-up for Dial, when David Green was unmarked in the box, before coolly placing the ball past Rider for Casuals' fourth in the third-minute of stoppage time.

DIAL SQUARE: Rider, Rogers, Abraham-Barlow, Phillips, C.Marshall, Bunyan, Carter (Dembele), Fortune (Cenzano). Rice, Lawrence (Doran), Aziz (Rose-Davies). Unused sub: Vassell

We would like to extend our thanks to our fans for their support throughout the 2024/25 season, some of whom travelled a long way to cheer on The Dial, rain or shine.