Gary – It’s the same ball killing us every time. Fisher 3 – 4 Hollands and Blair
On yet another frustrating afternoon at St Paul’s Fisher went down 3-4 to Hollands and Blair, depsite controlling the majority of the game and hitting the woodwork numerous times. Gary Abbott was left exasperated at full time, knowing that going forwards his side are causing problems for anyone they come up against.
“We have caused teams so many problems going forward, it’s great football and exciting to watch which is exactly what myself and Isa want. Today we’ve gone out and hit the post 5 times, the bar twice, had 3 saved off the line, so that just shows what we’ve got going forward. The team I’ve put together is young, exciting, pacey and very good going forward. They are all good kids, but as we know it’s the defensive side again that’s letting us down and to sort that out I know we need to get experience in at the back, a no nonsense centre half who wins headers, talks a lot and is a bit nasty.”
After a 10 minute delay to getting the game underway following some transport difficulty for our visitors it was that man Trey Williams who once again got the scoring underway for the Fish after 16 minutes, with a good shot taking a deflection off a defender to guide it past the Blair keeper. Two quick goals from Blair’s top scorer James McDonald on 32 and 40 left Fisher down as the break approached. Midfield dynamo Spencer Forte levelled things up two minutes before the break to send the teams in level, and Abbo sees him making a big contribution as he beds into the heart of the team.
“It was good to see Spencer get his 1st goal for the club. He is a massive player for us, his pace going forward, his work rate, taking players on and if he can just build the confidence to release the ball a bit quicker sometimes and pick other players around him that make good runs for him then he’ll do so well. It’s the same story for Joel Mensah as well, a great young man who isn’t far off delivering on his ability.”
The second period saw the Fish take control, with that attacking movement paying off as Williams added his second with 49 played. “I must mention Trey Williams, the way he drops in and gets at players is brilliant, and another 2 goals from him today. I said if we can keep him he will score 25 plus goals for us, but we must chip in with goals all over the park.”
With the score at 3-2 the home side were dominant, with Hollands and Blair just managing to stop the Fish extending their lead through a combination of some great last ditch defending, a sharp goalkeeper and a big wedge of luck as the ball came back off the frame of the goal time after time. Those missed opportunities came back to haunt the Fish, as they have on too many occasions this season, with two direct breaks seeing the game slip away as Lois Valancia and James McDonald, claiming his hat-trick, gave the visitors a win which never looked within their grasp. Abbo was left questioning the defence once again, and walked away reflecting on what could have been.
“I’ve said it before but I’m so disappointed with the goals we are giving away. It’s one direct ball that is killing us every time. That’s information on the pitch that is not good enough, one man needs to attack, one drop off and the two full backs tuck in, it’s that simple, but it’s not happening. We should be celebrating tonight. Once again I’ve got to finish with praise for our supporters. The fans were brilliant again, even when they went 4-3 up they were still singing. All I can ask is they keep singing and we will turn it around.”
Fisher 3 – 4 Hollands and Blair
Fisher goals – Trey Williams 16′ & 49′, Spencer Forte 43′
Hollands and Blair goals – James McDonald 32′, 40′, 80′, Lois Valancia 60′
Fisher Starting XI – R. Wadman, Izukanne, Graham, Thompson-Martley, Eweka, Hussein (c), Forte, Mensah, Menga, Williams, McLeod-Bentley
Fisher Substitutes – J. Wadman, Adesina, Wason, Miller, Jabbie
Attendance – 104
Photograph © David Anderson. There are more match images on Dave’s Flickr page.