Club News

Match Report: Fisher 5-3 Sutton Common Rovers

Fisher 5-3 Sutton Common Rovers
Tuesday 2nd July
Pre Season Friendly

Matchball Sponsor: Millwall Community Trust

Attn: 104
Scorers: Armani-Jordan Martin (5 mins), Nathan Tshola (27 mins), Tolu Junaid (46 mins), Alvin Reji (64 mins, 74 mins)

Fisher opened their pre-season programme with a pleasing 5-3 victory over Isthmian League side Sutton Common Rovers. An entertaining game saw many new faces in the Fisher line up, with only Billy Brown, Nathan Tshola and returnee Jack Gibbons having donned the black and white stripes previously. However, the new look squad quickly gelled and there were some impressive performances from the new intake and trialists in a very entertaining game.
Fisher raced into an early lead when Armani-Jordan Martin, picked the ball up in the Rovers’ penalty area and neatly made space for himself to curl a shot into the far corner of the net, as Fisher’s energetic pressing caused the visitors problems as the looked to play out from the back.
Whilst the early action was all in Fisher’s attacking third, they were pegged back when from the visitors first corner on the quarter of an hour mark, an unmarked Rovers player was able to head home from close range. However, ten minutes later Fisher restored the lead, as again their determined pressing won the ball deep in the Rovers half and working it quickly through several players, they set up Nathan Tshola to slip the ball into the empty net at the back post.
Both sides moved the ball around well in a game that at times seemed paced more like a cup tie than a pre-season run out, with a high tempo in the middle of the pitch. Fisher looked set to take their lead into the half time break when a neat attacking move broke down and a lightning counter attack set a visiting forward away on the left and he rifled home a low shot as he reached the edge of the area for an equaliser on the stroke of the 45th minute.
Fisher rung the changes at half time bringing on five outfield substitutes, but it didn’t seem to affect their flow as within a minute of the restart they had reclaimed the lead. Good work on the right flank and along the byline saw a low cross turned in at close range by Tolu Junaid.
Fisher looked very effective going forward, with manager Ajay Ashanike again unearthing some exciting young wingers giving pace to the attack and continued to create several more chances. Midway through the half Fisher extended their lead as Alvin Reji powered home a shot from outside the box after a powerful drive forward with the ball. Ten minutes later he added a second and Fisher’s fifth, volleying home another good cross from the right.
Sutton Common rallied again late on and a well struck free kick over the wall flew in at the near post to pull back a goal, but Fisher had built too much of a lead and a good first work out ended in a 5-3 win for the Fish. With the supporters glad to be back at live football, the Fish were everything the last two weeks of television football watching the national team hasn’t been, quick, eager to attack and on the front foot throughout.
Manager Ajay Ashanike will have been pleased with the performance of many of the trialists and will welcome back a few more familiar faces for Saturday’s encounter with former landlords Dulwich Hamlet in an early kick off at St Paul’s.

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