MATCH REPORT: Chislehurst Glebe 1-1 Fisher

Chislehurst Glebe 1-1 Fisher
Saturday 30th August
SCEFL Premier Division

Attn: 97
Scorer: Rafael Garcia (45 mins)

Fisher laboured to a one all draw away at Chislehurst Glebe, in a game short on quality, if not lacking in endeavour from both sides. Fisher, adjusting to life without prolific striker Kesna Clark after his midweek move, opted for a three man back line with wing backs playing either side of a four man box midfield, but in truth it was overcomplicated and lacked fluency and when late in the first half they reverted to a flat back four they finally started to play in a more familiar and effective way.
Fisher started the game on the front foot with Lorenzo Duncan at the heart of most of their good work, with his energy and constant pressing. However, the first chance of the game fell to Rafa Garcia after he was threaded through by Charles Yiadom Konadu, but his shot was easily saved by Nathan Edwards in the Chislehurst Glebe goal. Edwards then pulled out a first rate save on his goal line to again deny Garcia after he stabbed a loose ball goalwards from close range. On twenty minutes however Fisher’s good start was all undone as an innocuous ball into the box saw Michael Sarpong adjudged to have pulled a shirt and Jamie Philpot stepped up to take the resulting spot kick, sending Tommy Taylor the wrong way to give Chislehurst Glebe the lead against the run of play.
The goal clearly unsettled Fisher and their play became hurried and scrappy with passes going astray and too many clipped balls into space rather than finding feet. Jack Gibbons continued to push the side forward and on one foray, cut in from the right, but his left footed shot was dragged wide of the near post. Fisher continued to struggle to link up play and on forty minutes manager AJ Ashanike had had enough and orchestrated a quick reshuffle, reverting to a four man back line. The impact was immediate and on the stroke of half time Fisher drew level as Don Macaulay took a quick free kick short to Jack Gibbons who sent over a curling cross that found Rafa Garcia in a pocket of space on the edge of the six yard box to head home off the far post.
The second spell began in scrappy fashion with neither side creating much in the way of chances, although one bright move from Fisher teed up Michael Sarpong for a shot from the edge of the area, but Edwards tipped his low curling effort around the post for a corner. Lorenzo Duncan continued to prove a threat and jinked his way to the byline but his pulled back effort evaded everyone, and Chislehurst Glebe smuggled the ball away. Edwards was the busier of the two keepers, but Taylor had to save well from a Jamie Philpot effort. Fisher did not help themselves by conceding a number of sloppy free kicks in non-threatening situations which broke up play and allowed long deliveries into their box. Fisher brought on fresh legs with Festos Kamara making a debut after missing the early part of the season through injury providing a lively cameo on the right wing and fellow substitute Kelvin Bakare spurned great chance against his former club when tussling to latch through ball and racing clear, but in rounding Edwards he took the ball a little wide and then couldn’t get his shot away with the resulting shot from the edge of the area from the recycled ball charged down amidst some claims for handball.
Both sides looked to win the game late on and substitute Eden Deh saw a fine curling effort just fly over the bar after cutting in from the left and at the other end a fine covering tackle from Conor Darwish denied Philpot as he looked to race clear. However, neither side quite had the guile to unlock the others defence and whilst the game went from end to end in the dying moments, a winning goal looked unlikely without a mistake from either back line, which did not come.
A point on the road is always useful, but Fisher may feel there were three there for the taking with a slightly more composed or creative performance in the final third and will look to put that right against Sutton Athletic on Tuesday night.