Fisher picked up an unexpected but well deserved point when they visited unbeaten SCEFL leaders Phoenix Sports on Saturday.
The opening 20 minutes saw the Fish put Phoenix under continuous pressure, winning four corners as the hosts struggled to deal with the pace of the Fish front line. Max Rothwell and Alfie Roche linked up well before Rothwell set up Femi Akinwande who chipped the ball past the on-rushing Steve Phillips in the Phoenix goal, before tucking home the opener from short range in the 23rd minute. Shortly after the goal the hosts stand in number five, James Brown, required treatment for an injury which saw him forced out of the game (which he only started following a late change to the teamsheet).
The Fish continued to probe the patched-up Phoenix back-line. Nine minutes later, Akinwande worked his way into a dangerous position and unleashed an effort which stung the hands on Phillips, before rolling slowly over the line to double Fisher’s lead, despite the best efforts of Phillips who tried to claw the ball away. There were a few vocal protests from the Phoenix bench, but the assistant appeared to have got the decision correct.
One minute later, with the travelling fans in high spirits, Phoenix found a lifeline as Chris Hill fired home a powerful effort, which rebounded off the stanchion in the goal and into the arms of Fish shot stopper Justin Lee who grabbed it thinking it may have come off the post. Lee was booked along with Phoenix forward Ricky Freeman as the pair came together in the aftermath, with Freeman trying to get hold of the ball.
Minutes later the game descended into chaos as Freeman picked up his second booking of the afternoon, again for colliding with Justin Lee, which saw the target man sent off. As Freeman headed for a pre-half-time shower, tensions boiled over when he passed the dugouts, and quickly both dugouts and pretty much every player on the field came together.
After a lengthy break, the referee regained control of the situation, handed out a couple of bookings for the worst offenders and the game resumed. The score remained at 2-1 going in to the break, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath.
In the second half, Phoenix went out in hunt of an equaliser, and were noticeable hungry to retain their unbeaten status. Both sides continued to create chances but it was the hosts who looked more dangerous. Fisher will be disappointed by their ball retention in this period, as they were unable to really take advantage of the extra man.
The balance changed when Justin Lee became the second player to see his contribution end early. The keeper was dismissed after a second booking when he was adjudged to have handled the ball outside the box. The dismissal saw Jake McIntyre take up the vacant spot between the posts, and on the whole he enjoyed a solid impromptu spell, pulling off a couple of good saves and claiming most of what came his way. In fairness, there was not a lot that a seasoned shot stopper could have done to deny Louis Valencia his 81st minute goal which levelled the scores and rescued a point for the hosts.
Substitute Chas Davis came agonisingly close to snatching all three points for the Fish in the dying minutes of the game, clipping a pacy shot past Phillips only to see the ball bounce awkwardly on to the cross bar before going behind for a goal kick.
McIntyre calmly claimed a tame cross in the final seconds before the referee brought the epic encounter to a close at 17.02!
Fisher: Lee, Tarbie, McIntyre, Oshilaja, Lawrence (Borode 64), Janneh, Roche, Ali, Haidarovic (Davis 74), Rothwell, Akinwande (Scantlebury 74). Unused Subs: Adekunle, Williams
