Match Report: Fisher 3-1 Welling Town
Fisher 3-1 Welling Town
Saturday 26 November 2022
SCEFL Premier Division
Scorers: Cedric Nganga (44 mins), Michael Sarpong (49 mins), Billy Brown (80 Mins)
Attn: 209
Photo Credit: Dave Anderson
Fisher picked up a vital three points following a well earned 3-1 victory over fellow strugglers Welling Town at St Paul’s to give them back to back league wins for the first time this season.
Fisher were forced into one change to the starting line up from last weeks victory over K Sports with Cedric Nganga returning to the side after injury replacing the suspended Manny Shoderu. Nganga was quick to stamp his class on the game when the game’s first chance arrived on ten minutes. Having cleverly switched passes with Billy Brown, Nganga burst into the box and shimmied past a defender but with all the hard work done he put too much on bis shot and it flew over the bar when all that was required was a side footed slot into the far corner.
Fisher’s pace up front was troubling the Welling back line and Darnelle Bailey-King escaped down the right on several occasions with Luke With failing to get the final touch and Billy Brown was unlucky not to spring the back line to get onto a through ball having been adjudged to have moved just too earlier by the assistant referee. Brown was a constant threat with his industrious work and as the half wore on he became the victim of several poor challenges with the referee deciding to take no action other than awarding repeated free kicks.
Shortly before half time the visitors had their best chance, which started by a fumble by their own keeper which Luke with could not quite hook home before the ball struck his hand. From the quickly taken restart Welling moved up field and a well-placed through ball sent their striker through on goal. Justice Owusu dd just enough in coming out to force the forward to poke his shot just wide of the upright.
Having escaped going a goal down Fisher then took the lead with a sublime goal. Bailey-King’s run down the right saw a well delivered cross which a defender nodded off out of the path of With, but found Nganga at the back of the area. Despite the ball bouncing behind him he took the shot first time swivelling to crash the ball into the far corner past an unsurprisingly motionless keeper for an unstoppable goal of real quality.
The half time lead was no more than Fisher deserved for a very good attacking display and the side came out for the second spell in the same manner. Within four minutes of the restart they had doubled the advantage. Some head tennis from a corner finally saw Michael Sarpong hook home from close range with the defender on the line only able to help the ball into the net.
Fisher looked in complete control with German Petrov and Joseph Adewunmi’s understanding in each other as a centre back pairing getting stronger by the game. With Nganga looking a constant threat on the left a third goal looked sure to come, but when he was felled in a heavy tackle and forced off. Fisher switched off and gifted Welling a goal as a harmless cross form a free kick wide on the left drifted into the net with Owusu getting his angles and position all wrong. In the aftermath of the goal there were cautions for Sarpong and a Welling player as the grappled get the ball out of the net and before play restarted a red card for manager Ajay Ashanike after words were exchanged on the bench.
Fortunately, Fisher settled and soon had their two goal cushion back as substitute Isaac Thompson nicked a through ball off the feet of the advancing Welling keeper and whilst a defender miraculously manged to get back to hook the ball away from Thompson it fell to Billy Brown who nudged it into an open net for a well-deserved goal for the effort he had put in all game.
The remaining ten minutes were not football’s finest hour as having shown leniency all game the referee started to punish fouls with a flurry of cards as the player’s made pointless misdemeanours. A Welling midfielder received his marching orders for a post foul altercation with Fisher skipper Luke Thomas and then with the referee going into World Cup mode and adding eight minutes off extra time Lewis Duberry, who had been excellent throughout, reacted badly to being wiped out as he broke looking to add a fourth and also saw red.
There was still time for Owusu to save well from a Welling free kick but with the two goal advantage Fisher were home and dry with the points secured.