After suffering their sixth straight away league defeat with a 4-3 Ryman League Premier Division loss at Hitchin Town in midweek that took their total winless away run in all competitions to eight games, United dropped back into the bottom three after crashing to this latest defeat against Dulwich Hamlet who moved up to third in the table.
However, it was a brave effort by caretaker manager Gary Phillips? patched up side - he didn?t even have enough fit players to name three substitutes - in front of a disappointingly poor Buckingham Road crowd of 366 after chairman Bill Carroll?s appeal for supporters to get behind the struggling club.
The visitors took the lead in the 16th minute when keeper Phillips rushed out to block Dave McEwen?s effort but with the big stopper out of his goal the prolific Dave Stevens pounced to blast home past the covering defenders.
United dug in and had their best spell in the last five minutes of the first half, during which time Ollie Stanbridge and Kieran Gallagher both went close.
The in the 45th minute the hosts got their reward when Ian King?s superb cross found Neil Selby who headed home for his sixth goal of the season to send the sides in level at half time.
It was 2-1 United eight minutes after the restart with a somewhat fortuitous goal when King?s mis-hit long range effort saw Selby stick out his right leg from an offside position to divert the ball past Dulwich keeper Les Cleevely.
The visitors nearly responded immediately when Dean Holness? vicious 20 yarder smacked against a post and rebounded to safety before Francis Duku glanced a free header wide.
In the 75th minute it was 2-2 when the ironically named Daniel Carroll (not believed to be related to the under fire United chairman) sidefooted home a cross from the left amid fierce protests for offside from Phillips.
The in stoppage time (mostly for an earlier injury to Gallagher which saw him stretchered off to hospital with a nasty gash in his leg), the Ducks hopes of holding out for a draw were dashed when a through ball caught the hosts? defence napping and Peter Garland (the slowest - and fattest - man on the pitch) strolled on to beat Phillips at the second attempt and send the Ducks crashing to defeat.
David Figg
