Dan Thompson hoping Dulwich Hamlet move will be a place to settle
New striker Dan Thompson is hoping he can park his journeyman tag by putting down roots at Dulwich – for a while at least.
The 25-year-old has not found it easy to settle in one place, having switched clubs 20 times in the past eight seasons.
That has been down to a combination of reasons, but his latest move from Braintree Town in December was down to the arrival of a new manager with fresh ideas following a relegation.
He lost form in a struggling side and needed to move on, and now hopes this latest change of scene will prove more long-term than his spells at other clubs – a list which includes Hampton & Richmond, Hayes & Yeading, Bognor Regis, Burgess Hill Town and Tonbridge Angels.
The Wandsworth-born targetman had trials at Crystal Palace and QPR and earned a one-year scholarship at Portsmouth, which led to a League Cup appearance in the 2012-13 season.
“One hundred per cent I’d like to have a settled spell here,” Thompson told the South London Press.
“I’m only 25 but I’ve played for a lot of clubs, so my main aim this season is to settle, enjoy my football and see where we go from there.
“I would like to help out at Dulwich next year as well, but haven’t yet spoken to the gaffer about his plans. If they want me, and we’re still up in this division, I’ll be staying.
“If you play well consistently, you never know who is watching, so I don’t rule out other moves again in future, but it is the last thing on my mind right now.”
Thompson is playing regularly at Champion Hill says fans have yet to see him hit top form.
“It’s been a happy move so far, to an extent, but I haven’t scored enough,” he admitted.
“My game isn’t just about goals, it’s also about hold-up play, physicality and work-rate. I got an assist in Saturday’s win over Welling United, and thought I did well. Overall, I’m happy with my form, but I’ve only got one in seven appearances and know I can do better.
“In one or two games, I’ve come up short and the gaffer knows that, and points it out to me. He expects more from me.
“But he has seen me many times over the years and brought me in because he knows what I can offer. I’m not a 20 goals a season player, but good for 10-15 and he’s happy with my overall contribution, I think.
“I’m not one of those players who suffers a dip in confidence when I’m not scoring, as long as I feel I’m contributing. If that side of it goes badly, that’s when I might suffer a dip. But you still want to be scoring, because that’s what strikers are supposed to do.”
Thompson hopes he can return to the National League again – where the pitches are better, the standard is high and the preparation sometimes involves overnight stays.
“I left Braintree without any bitterness because I understand a new manager [Danny Searle] has his own plans and wants to play a certain way. But it wasn’t an easy environment at Braintree, partly because of finances. We got promoted last season via the play-offs, but maybe weren’t quite ready for a step up to the Conference [National League].
“I know I can play at a higher level level again, but I just want to play with a smile on my face and Dulwich looks ideal for me.
“I’ve known the gaffer [Gavin Rose] and many of the players for a while, having played against them several times in the past. It’s a great bunch of players and was an easy decision to come here.”
A upturn in results might also speed up the settling in process for Thompson.
It helped that Hamlet ended a dismal run by grabbing a first win in eight games – a 2-1 home success at the expense of Welling. A Champion Hill crowd of 2,353 made it the fourth most attended non league fixture of the day, behind only Wrexham, Chesterfield and Hartlepool.
“Hopefully we can all kick on after Saturday’s win and get a run going,” Thompson said. “We may have left it a bit late to make a charge for the play-offs but you never know.
“One thing the match showed is that we have a great fan-base and can generate a great atmosphere. I thrive on the pressure of big crowds – it makes me feel I’m at the right club.”
Dulwich are at home to Hemel Hempstead on Saturday.
PICTURES BY KEITH GILLARD
Dulwich are AT HOME to Hemel Hempstead tomorrow.