MATCH REPORT: Snodland Town 0-0 Fisher

Snodland Town 0-0 Fisher
Saturday 10 January
SCEFL Premier Division

Attn: 230

Fisher picked up a point from a goalless draw at Snodland Town with both sides feeling they had good chances to force the win in an open second half. With the sides level on points going into the game, it was of little surprise that they largely blunted each other out, with the two defences coming out on top.
Fisher were forced into one change from last week’s draw at Kennington, with Nasereldene Crespo coming in for the suspended Tyron Mbuenimo, but they also changed shape, with Michael Sarpong dropping into a three man defence with Jack Gibbons and Alex Kozak playing the wing back roles.
Both sides started hesitantly, testing out the surface as much as each other, although Snodland created the first chance when ex England International Teddy Sheringham’s son Charlie, slid in to skew his shot from former Fish Manny Shoderu’s cross, just wide of the post, under vital pressure from Sarpong’s challenge. Fisher’s first opportunity came from a fine counter attack on the quarter of an hour mark, as Lorenzo Duncan released Rafael Garcia down the right and he centred low to find Tom Jones arriving at the edge of the box, but taking his shot first time it just rose wide of the apex of the goal frame, with the keeper looking beaten. Jones also went close when his free-kick was whipped in just past the bottom of the near-post from 25-yards out after a hand ball from a Snodland defender had afforded the chance. The half ended with Isaac Ogunseri saving Nathaniel Olawole’s free header from 15-yards out and former Brentford and Wycombe player Sam Wood, slicing a volley past the post from outside the box.
The second half saw Fisher revert to a back four to combat the considerable slope, with Sarpong moving into midfield and Duncan dropping into left back. The half was only seconds old when Ogunseri was called into action to gather unmarked Wood’s header and then tip a near post effort round the post from a free kick out wide with a little less certainty. Alex Kozak, now playing higher as winger on the right was picked out by Festos Kamara in Fisher’s first sortie forward and his powerful shot, having cut in onto his left, was beaten away by Nathan Boamah in the Snodland goal. Kozak went close again after swapping passes with Jones as his shot from eighteen yards flew over the bar. There then followed a strong spell of Snodland pressure that brought out the best in Ogunseri, as firstly he got down low to his left to hold Vaughan’s drilled volley from Wood’s deep cross and then push Bethel Gboda’s well hit effort around the post. The big stopper’s best was still to come though as he made two outstanding one on one saves, spreading himself to deny both Shoderu and Gboda as they raced through the high Fisher back line within five minutes of each other, with Fisher starting to struggle to defend the slope.
With ten minutes remaining though, Snodland seemed to run out of ideas, as the game opened up, giving Fisher chances to nick the points. A quick break saw Jones hurry right back Hudson into an error and advance to the edge of the box before cutting inside and curling a precise shot across Boamah which despite hitting the inside of the far post bounced out and was hacked away to safety.
Another late chance fell to substitute Ekow Amaquandoh, after Mata had robbed the Snodland left back of possession and crossed low into the box, but despite Amaquandoh doing all he could with his back to goal, his shot on the turn was blocked on the goal line with optimistic shouts for handball waved away and seeing both sides forced to settle for a point.
Fisher now have a four game hiatus from league action as they play four Cup games in ten days during a spell of fixtures that will shape their season.