MATCH REPORT: Fisher 2-1 West Wickham

Fisher 2-1 West Wickham
Saturday 11th October
GoCardless Kent Senior Trophy First Round

Matchball Sponsor: Millwall Community Trust

Photo Credit: Dave Anderson – Full Album

Attn: 215
Scorers: Tom Jones (74 min, pen), Tyron Mbuenimo (75 min)

Fisher won through to the second round of the Kent Senior Trophy, after coming through a banana skin tie against Southern Amateur League side West Wickham, with a 2-1 victory. However, they almost paid the price for profligate finishing in the first half, that should have seen them go into the break four or five up but instead trailing to a lone strike.
Ravaged by injuries and unavailability, Fisher were forced to name manager Ajay Ashanike and assistant Michael Williams on the bench, with Flavio Jumo, who had returned from holiday in the morning drafted in after turning up to watch! There were first starts for Mirko Jovanovic up top and Sonny Thwaytes Tylee at right wing back as Fisher went with three at the back, with Blake Loyza also boosting the front line.
From the outset Fisher saw the vast majority of the ball, with Thwaytes Tylee able to get forward and send over a number of decent crosses. However, a combination of confident goalkeeping, wasteful finishing and bad luck conspired to deny Fisher an opening goal as a catalogue of chances came and went. Jovanovic skewed an effort when slipped in by clever play from Tom Jones, Loyza didn’t get a good enough connection when finding space in the area and hitting the keeper, Jola Lahan headed wide when free at the back post from a well delivered corner and Jones saw a rasping effort after a strong run glance off the cross bar and away to safety. Lorenzo Duncan then saw a curling effort just fail to bend inside the post with the keeper beaten as Fisher were doing everything bar putting the ball in the back of the net.
However, a minute before the break, on yet another attack, Fisher lost the ball just outside the Wickham area and a quick break saw the Fisher defence retreat rather than engage allowing the ball to be carried deep into their own half and on the edge of the box slipped wide to Johnny White who finished with all the precision Fisher had lacked, drilling the ball low into the far corner.
A furious Ashanike kept the side on the pitch in the half time break and immediately brought on Omari Williams and Rafael Garcia reverting to a four, three, three formation. However, it wasn’t until the introduction of Flavio Jumo that the game changed, with his ability to drive past players and spread play starting to make better openings. Jumo himself almost scored with his first contribution, with a low drive from outside the box only parried by the keeper and Duncan just denied by a defender as he looked to turn home the rebound. Garcia then thought he had got Fisher level when jinking into the box and firing low through a crowd of players only for the ball to cannon off a defender on the line back into the keeper’s hands. It was starting to look like one of those days when nothing would fall, but with fifteen minutes to play two goals in minute turned the game on its head. Firstly, Jumo found Garcia on the left of the penalty area, and he was unceremoniously brought down by the Wickham captain with Tom Jones smashing home the resulting spot kick. A minute later Fisher were in front as Garcia again tormented his marker before slipping the ball inside to Tyron Mbuenimo, who from well outside the corner of the area, nudged the ball wider onto his right and then curled a magnificent shot which kissed the angle of bar and post on its way into the top corner of the net.
Having finally got themselves in front, Fisher never looked likely to relinquish the lead despite some strong challenges coming in, with the opposition full back very lucky to stay on the field after a poor studs-up challenge on Mbuenimo and then tripping Garcia when in full flight, only seeing a talking too despite his earlier yellow.
The final whistle sent Fisher through to the second round draw, but they will know their finishing must improve if they are to make further progress in this or other cup competitions.