MATCH REPORT: Redhill 0-1 Fisher

Redhill 0-1 Fisher
Saturday 23 August
FA Vase First Qualifying Round

Attn: 150
Scorer: Don Macaulay (14 min)

Photo Credit: Dave Anderson – full album

Fisher overcame a tough draw to advance the second qualifying round of the FA Vase competition after Don Macaulay’s fourteenth minute header was enough to earn them a narrow victory over Combined Counties League side Redhill.
Injuries and work commitments saw some forced changes to the Fisher line up as Ed Sata, Courtney Barrington and Lorenzo Duncan came into the starting eleven with Fisher opting to play with wing backs supporting a back three. A very difficult playing surface met both sides, with the hard bumpy pitch making ball control difficult, causing a number of stoppages for injuries as players hit the ground. The irony of having to have expensive FIFA testing of their own state-of-the-art artificial pitch, yet having to turn out on grass surfaces such as this, that need no checks or certification, not for the first time this season, was not lost on the two dozen travelling supporters.
With accurate passing along the ground a lottery, both sides opted for balls over the top, trying to get runners in behind the defenders on the turn. The games first chance came on eleven minutes when Michael Sarpong slipped a neat ball into the path of Courtney Barrington whose clever footwork took him past two defenders, but his shot skewed past the far post. Fisher did not have to wait long for the opening goal however as three minutes later they forced a corner on the right and Barrington’s good delivery found Don Macaulay peeling off from his marker to powerfully send his header across the goal and into the top corner of the net. The Fisher forwards were finding it hard to escape the clutches of the muscular Redhill defence, and on the half hour mark Clarke almost turned his man only to be hauled to the ground as he set off a goal, with the referee of judging the presence of a covering defender as reason to spare the Redhill player a red card.
Redhill thought they had drawn level shortly before half time when a quick break down the right saw a low cross driven home at the back post, but Fishers well managed back line had stepped up in unison to make sure that final touch was from an offside position. There was still time in the half for Duncan to force a fine save from the keeper and Sarpong to pick up a yellow card for delaying the restart.
The second half started with Fisher replacing Conor Darwish with Adejola Lahan after the young defender picked up what seemed to be a broken nose from a flaying arm. Fisher started the half well looking to double their lead and put the tie to bed. Despite creating chance after chance they were denied by excellent goalkeeping and wasteful finishing with Clarke denied by a fine save and then also firing over the bar after Barrington’s great run and shot was pushed into his path, Duncan fizzing a long range effort just over the bar and then seeing a spectacular overhead kick well saved and Sata sending an effort wide of the post when the ball found him free on the left of the penalty area. Fisher were almost made to pay for not taking their chances as Redhill worked a chance after a run down the right and low cross found in a free player at the back post but with the goal at his mercy he scooped it over the bar.
Stephan Richard Kingson came on as a late substitute for Lorenzo Duncan, who fell victim to an awkward fall on the rock hard surface, but within a minute found himself cautioned, when running onto fellow substitute Eden Deh’s through ball and rounding the keeper after not hearing the whistle for offside. The soft booking was compounded three minutes later when in closing the centre half trying to clear, his tackle was deemed too robust, despite clearly getting the ball first and saw him issued a second yellow and an early shower. However, determined late defending saw Fisher home and safely into the second qualifying round where they will meet Sutton Common Rovers.