MATCH REPORT: Fisher 2-2 Fleet Town (Fisher win 8-7 on pens)

Fisher 2-2 Fleet Town (Fisher win 8-7 on pens)
Saturday 6th December
FA Vase Third Round

Matchball Sponsor: Millwall Community Trust

Photo Credit: Dave Anderson – Full Album here

Attn: 269
Scorers: Kesna Clarke (5 mins), Lorenzo Duncan (73 min)
Succesful Pens: Don Macaulay, Lorenzo Duncan, Festos Kamara, Adejola Lahan, Michael Sarpong, Conor Darwish, David Mata, Tyron Mbuenimo

Fisher survived a late Fleet Town comeback and a tense and dramatic penalty shoot-out to make it through to the fourth round of the Isuzu FA Vase.
The early exchanges saw Fleet show they would be a physical and powerful side, playing a similar direct game to the other five Combined Counties League outfits Fisher have met, and beaten in various competitions so far this season. However, despite being penned in their own half for the first five minutes Fisher scored with their first attack of note, as Festos Kamara was set free down the right after a good exchange of short passing with Jack Gibbons and Nas Crespo, and his low cross was trapped by Kesna Clarke who despite having his back to goal spun and shot in one movement to fire the ball low into the far corner to give Fisher the perfect platform. Fleet continued to utilise a long ball approach with Fisher playing the more attractive football, but neither side could create much in the way of chances as the half wore on. A quick release from Ogunseri after claiming a cross set Jack Gibbons away down the right and his through ball was just nicked away from finding Clarke’s run by an defenders outstretched leg, However the half struggled for fluency not helped by several breaks for injuries, with Adejola Lahan felled by a heavy challenge leading to bookings for Macaulay and two Fleet players in the resulting pushing and shoving. Gibbons then clashed heads with Rumble leading to a long delay as the Fleet defender was patched up and substituted. The half ended with Kanara rifling an effort just wide of the post.
Fisher continued to probe at the star of the second spell, but the Fleet forward line was starting to look mor of a theta with dead balls and long throws starting to be sent into the Fisher box with more frequency. Ogunseri was required to save well at his near post to preserve Fisher’s slender lead. Lorenzo Duncan came on for Garcia and his presence gave Fisher a boost of energy and with twenty minutes to go provided the second goal. Kamara was again the architect with his pace down the right giving him space to send over a tantalising low cross that Clarke, Duncan or Lawson arriving in the six yard box could all have turned home but it was Duncan who got the touch to double the lead. Redhill refused to give in though and out of little quickly halved the deficit as substitute Hadif Darwysh nipped in at the near post to glance a header into the roof of the net from what has looked a less than dangerous cross. This resulted in Fleet throwing the kitchen sink, washing machine and fridge and numerous other appliances at the Fish as they looked to level, but a resilient defensive display seemed to be holding them at bay. Space at the other saw Kamara almost break through before an offside flag halted his progress, or should have done, as he was booked for still sending the ball into the net and substitute David Mata saw a good block from the keeper after he wriggled some space in the box to get a shot away. A late Fleet cross cane back off the bar as Fisher seemed to have done enough as the game moved into the eighth minute of added time, before one last ball into the Fisher box saw the ball bounce off Lahan into the path of Darwysh to fire home his second and send the game to penalties. Both sides scored their first, with Macaulay on target for the Fish before Ogunseri saved well to his right to give Fisher an advantage but they couldn’t hold that as Gibbons then saw his shot blocked by a suspiciously close keeper. Duncan, Kamara, Sarpong, Lahan and Darwish all converted for Fisher with the home crowd keen to point out the keeper straying off his line for all of them, but Fleet were inch perfect with their efforts as well to go 7-6 up as David Mata stepped up, only to see his kick saved. However, with Fleet celebrating the referee stood firm and ordered a retake as the keeper had not headed his advice to stay on his line and Mata made no mistake from the second chance. The next Fleet kick stuck the bar and bounced down onto the line and away leaving Tyron Mbuenimo to step up with a chance to win it for Fisher. He calmly sent the keeper the wrong way and struck the ball home to cue wild celebrations in the Dockers End stand and see Fisher into the last 32 of the Vase.