Match Report: Fisher 4-2 Canterbury City

Fisher 4-2 Canterbury City
Saturday 1st October 2022
SCEFL Premier Division

Fisher Goalscorers: Jacob Katonia (33 mins and 65 mins), Cedric Nganga (38 mins),
Nickal David Luzolo (67 mins)
Attn: 124

Photo credit: Dave Anderson: https://www.flickr.com/photos/brockleylion/

Fisher finally got their first league win of the season at the seventh attempt after an exciting 4-2 victory over Canterbury City at St Paul’s.
Yet again manger Ajay Ashanike was forced into changes through injuries, with Michael Sarpong missing out to a groin strain replaced by the returning Alli Abdullahi. There was the welcome sight of Darnelle Bailey-King on the bench as well as he recovers from his injury issues.
Fisher started the game strongly, moving the ball quickly and making good use of Jacob Katonia and Cedric Nganga on either flank. Osemen Ufisoh playing as an advanced midfielder also saw plenty of the ball and an early drive into deep into the Canterbury half saw him just delay the through ball resulting in the flag going up as Eni Amgbaduba bore down on goal. Amgbaduba and Darnell Bromfield also had early efforts comfortably saved by the visiting keeper.
Fisher looked totally dominant at this stage, but the vital goal would not come. Sam Fitzgerald saw a back post header cleared off the line by a combination of defender and goalkeeper with some claims for both a handball by the defender or the possibility that the ball had crossed away waved away by the officials – the handball may have been the stronger of the two claims. Usifoh then saw a route to goal open-up in front of him as he carried the ball forward, but his shot lacked conviction and saw him lay prostrate of the ground as the injury crisis worsened with requiring a stretcher to leave the field having seemed to have finally torn his troubling hamstring. Manny Shodoeru replaced the stricken midfielder.
Finally, Fisher got the goal their enterprising start deserved as just past the half hour mark Darnell Bromfield swept over a tempting cross which Jacob Katonia emphatically met to plant his header out of the reach of the keeper. Scorer turned provider five mutes later as receiving the ball wide left, Katonia burst into the box and skipped past several tackles before pulling the ball back from the by line for Cedric Nganga to sweep home and double Fisher’s lead.
Two nil seemed going into the break seemed a fair reflection of Fisher’s performance so far, although a third seemed never far away as Amgbaduba had a shot saved and Katonia fired home after the flag was raised when well offside.
The second spell should have seen Fisher in cruise control, but in fact the opening ten minutes saw them tucked under a duvet and fast asleep as Canterbury suddenly levelled the game in an extraordinary opening ten minutes of the half. A fairly innocuous attack saw Canterbury win a free kick and whilst the intimal kick hit the wall, Fisher failed to clear and the ball fell towards Nico cotton who rifled home a volley from the left side of the area to pull a goal back. This should have woken Fisher up and within two minutes they had a chance to get their two goal cushion back as Amgbaduba’s shot hit the hand of a Canterbury player resulting in a spot kick, but Shoderu’s effort cannoned back off the cross bar. Canterbury, buoyed by the escape went straight up the other end and with the defence backing off Tyrell Mitford saw a chance to shoot and his low effort crept inside the post to unbelievably level up a game Fisher had been in total control off at the break.
Fisher needed to reignite the energy they had shown in the first half and Nickal-David Luzolo was sent on for a tiring Amgbaduba, but the real spark came from skipper Luke Thomas whose marauding runs down the right flank pushed Fisher forward. On sixty five minutes from ne of his forays forward he sent over a teasing cross which the keeper bravely tipped away from the feet of Luzolo but Jacob Katonia was on hand to slide home the rebound and restore Fisher’s lead with his sixth goal in six games this season. Two minutes later Fisher had another as Thomas again swept over a delicious cross to serve the ball on plate for Nickal-David Luzolo to tuck the ball home from close range.
This time Fisher were in no mood to surrender the lead and could easily have added to their tally as Darnelle Bailey-King in a cameo subs role and Thomas continue to send over a series of dangerous crosses, not for the first time giving a visiting left back a tricky afternoon.
The final whistle indicated Fisher’s first three point haul of the campaign, in an entertaining affair. Credit too to referee Hamish Louie who stepped into the middle at the last minute, after the originally appointed referee got caught up in A2 traffic chaos enroute from Margate, allowing the game to flow and managing the players with an accomplished manner.