MATCH REPORT: Cannons Wood 1-5 Fisher

Cannons Wood 1-5 Fisher
Wednesday 2 July
Pre Season Friendly

Attn: 40
Scorers: Flavio Jumo (10 min), Festos Kamara (52 min pen, 78 min) Alfawaz Dada (56 min) Omari Williams ( 65 min)

Fisher started their pre-season programme in fine form with a 5-1 victory over Step Six side Cannons Wood, at the Bobby Moore Hub, in Dagenham. A raft of new faces were on show, as Fisher played two elevens, each getting forty five minutes, as they looked to get match minutes into all of the squad.
The first half side contained more of the familiar faces, with skipper Jack Gibbons, Connor Darwish, Don Macaulay, Flavio Jumo and Kesna Clarke all starting the game having featured in the play off final seven weeks ago. Fisher quickly found their stride and made all the early running, so it was no surprise when on ten minutes they took the lead, as Flavio Jumo slammed home from just inside the penalty area, getting onto a loose ball after the hosts blocked several attempts on goal. A combination of good saves, determined defending, wasteful finishing and some good fortune saw Cannons Wood keep the score down to just one, despite Fisher looking in total control. A fine double save by the home keeper from Kesna Clarke’s fierce shot and the impressive debutant Tom Jones follow up effort further denied Fisher and a fine mazy run from Jack Gibbons set up former Glebe winger Kelvin Bakare, but his effort was saved at the near post.
With the second goal not coming, the hosts remained in the game, and late in the half almost pulled themselves level, drawing a good save from trialist goalkeeper Enos Duah, who threw himself to his left to keep out a fierce long range effort. The lively Bakare then forced a good block from Cannons Wood’s goalkeeper, after breaking free inside the box, before the half time whistle blew with Fisher just the one goal to the good.
Despite nine half time substitutions Fisher quickly got themselves back into their stride in the second-half, with some good forward running and eager pressing again keeping Cannons Wood pegged into their own half. Just seven minutes after the restart Fisher doubled their lead when a good through ball allowed Festos Kamara to run into the box, where he was sandwiched between two defenders and brought down, before the former Tunbridge Wells forward picked himself up to take the resulting penalty kick, confidently sending the keeper the wrong way to find the net. The pace of Kamara and fellow substitute Alfawaz Dada, coupled with the dancing feet of Jacob Katonia were causing the hosts many problems and when Katonia and Kamara combined down the left a low cross allowed former Phoenix Sports winger, Dada to sweep home at the back post for a third.
Fisher were looking likely to score on every attack and Kamara was only denied by the post when his low shot squirmed through the keepers hands, but they did not have to wait long for the fourth goal as another flowing move saw Kamara set up former Southend United youth player the Omari Williams to control and convert from eight yards out to make it four nil. Despite being four down, the host continued to battle well and produced their best spell of the game to force a fine save from second half keeper Cemal Osman and then found a consolation goal after a long ball forward split the Fisher defence, allowing the Cannons Wood forward to run through and convert a one on one chance.
Fisher were able to restore their four goal cushion though, when a fine passage of play sent Jacob Katonia free down the left and his cross was outrageously flicked in with the outside of his boot by Kamara for his second and Fisher’s fifth. Both sides then had chances for further late goals, but when the final whistle came it remained 5-1 to Fisher.
A pleasing start to the pre-season campaign, which will ramp up with the visits Redhill to St Pauls on Saturday, as Fisher prepare for the start of the league season at the end of the month.