SCEFL Premier Division

Tunbridge Wells 0 - 2 Fisher
Saturday 26 July 2025 - 15:00

Tunbridge Wells 0-2 Fisher
Saturday 26th July
SCEFL Premier Division

Attn: 263
Scorers: Chibueze Ecehm (78 mins), Kelvin Bakare (79 mins)

Fisher opened their league season with a deserved 2-0 win at Tunbridge Wells, thanks to two goals in as many minutes late in the second half. Despite league debuts for Chibueze Echem and Tom Jones it was a familiar looking stating eleven that took to the pitch and it was to be the strength in depth of the squad that was the decisive factor in the game, as Fisher’s substitutions paved the way to victory against their tiring hosts.
A difficult surface, as ever at the Culverden, made it difficult for both sides, especially as much of preseason had been played out on artificial surfaces and the game was light on clear cut chances with both defences well on top. Fisher fashioned the best chance of the half when Kesna Clarke turned on a loose ball in the box and fired low and hard, but the Wells keeper was well placed to save. Some silky footwork from Charles Yiadom Konadu saw him beat two defenders and create space to shoot, but his effort rose high over the bar.
With both sides playing with a high back line, balls over the top for the forwards to chase were the order of the day and both keepers had to rush from their areas to clear on several occasions, just getting there before the forwards pounced. A late delivery into the Fisher box at the end of the half saw Sam Amedu’s punch clear recycled and only a brave block from Don Macaulay kept the ball out of the Fisher net as it was rifled back goalwards. The half time whistle came with the game still deadlocked with both sides seeming to want a touch too many in attacking positions, with the pitch as much as a defender’s action often making the chance vanish.
Kicking up hill in the second spell, Fisher found the better rhythm of the two sides and started to exert more pressure on the Wells goal, forcing a number of corners. It was Tunbridge Wells though who came closest to opening the scoring when a quick break saw a lofted through ball latched onto by new signing Lucas Murrain, but the former Crowborough forward saw his chipped effort come back off the top of the post and bounce away for Ed Sata to clear.
Fisher rung the changes with further debuts for Nas Crespo, Kelvin Bakare and Lorenzo Duncan around the hour mark and it was these changes that were to be the pivotal moment in the game. Crespo’s work in retrieving the ball alongside the hard working Tom Jones in midfield kept Fisher driving forward and the eager running of Bakare, Kesna Clark and Chibueze Echem upfront was starting to wear down the Wells back line. The game then went through a scrappy spell with repeated breaks in play as Tunbridge Wells players went down with cramps as Fisher’s superior fitness told.
With twelve minutes left to play, Fisher made the breakthrough, as fine work down the right from Crespo and Duncan drew several Tunbridge defenders out wide and allowed them to slip the ball inside the area for Chibueze Echem to cut in, shrugging off his marker and delicately place the ball wide of the keeper to see it curl low into the far corner. Virtually from the restart Fisher released Clarke down the right and he outpaced his marker before cutting back a low cross that found Kelvin Bakare nipping ahead of the defender and he controlled with his first touch and then rifled a unstoppable effort into the net with his second, from twelve yards out, to put Fisher firmly in control.
Tunbridge Wells tried to regroup and a snapshot at the near post after good work down the left flew high over the bar, before Clarke almost added a third for Fisher, when a good press won possession and his low shot was clawed into the keeper’s grasp as it looked to be heading inside the post. Some controlled football in added time, with Conor Darwish and Don Macaulay first to everything at the heart of the Fisher back line, enabled the side to see the game ot with little alarm and claim the first three points on offer this season.

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