MATCH REPORT: Fisher 3-3 Walthamstow

Fisher 3-3 Walthamstow
Tuesday 14th July
Pre Season Friendly

Matchball Sponsor: Millwall Community Trust

Attn: 80
Scorers: Tyron Mbuenimo (19 mins), Eric Koduah (33 mins), Fraser Brown (48 mins)

Fisher continued their unbeaten pre-season campaign with a 3-3 draw against Isthmian League North side Walthamstow on a warm evening at St Paul’s. Fisher had led at the break and an early second half goal looked to have cemented a win, but a strong comeback from the visitors saw them haul themselves back into the game and finally level with a late spot kick.
There was a first pre-season outing for Jack Gibbons, but in a fast paced opening spell he was clearly in discomfort from a toe injury and was withdrawn inside the first quarter of an hour, with Jake Lovell deputising at right back.
A fast opening saw both sides pushing forward with Temi Alaka playing out on the wing providing the most threat for Fisher with some powerful runs down the right flank. Flavio Jumo forced a good save from the Walthamstow goalkeeper with a powerful shot from the edge of the area and Eric Koduah almost managed to divert an off target shot into the top corner of the net with cheeky flick. At the other end Walthamstow’s forwards pulled a couple of efforts wide of the post when finding space around the box to get shots away.
The opening goal arrived on nineteen minutes as Tyron Mbuenimo picked up the ball just outside the centre-circle and deftly chipped it over the advancing Walthamstow defence, with the referee spotting a Fisher player flagged offside had made no attempt to move towards the ball, allowing Mbuenimo to run through on goal and collect his own chip and calmly convert past the stranded goalkeeper for a goal of real quality.
Fisher looked good value for the lead with some impressive attacking performances and a second goal always looked likely especially with Alaka’s pace allowing him to continually get in behind the full backs. A well flighted cross from Ali Taylor-Kamara was headed back across goal from the far post but the ball was scrambled away for a corner from which, spotting the keeper edging off his line, Eric Koduah affected a superb knuckleball delivery that the retreating keeper couldn’t stop from swinging into the net, to double Fisher’s advantage with just over half an hour played.
It was a lead that Fisher were to take into the break and just two minutes into the second half they looked to have taken control of the game when adding a third as trialist Fraser Brown nicked the ball off the keeper’s feet as he dallied to clear and rolled the ball into an unguarded net. However, despite extending the lead, the withdrawal of mainstays Mbuenimo and Jumo at half time saw Fisher lose control of the midfield battle and it allowed Walthamstow too much space and time to provide pinpoint passes to their pacey frontline at their leisure. Within two minutes they had pulled a goal back as a poor pass along the Fisher backline while under pressure from the eager press gave a free forward the chance of a shot that he gratefully accepted to fire home.
An end to end game continued at great pace, but it was always Walthamstow who carried the greater threat in the final third with Fisher losing the controlled approach play they’d had in the first half. The visitors wasted several good chances with Zach Akinde performing well in goal with several one-on-one saves, before with ten minutes to play they fashioned a second goal as the ball was delivered several times into the box without Fisher being able to get a decisive clearance before being rifled home through a crowd of bodies.
Fisher looked to have done just enough to hold on but with two minutes left to play a chipped cross to the back post saw the right winger chop back onto his left foot to shoot only to have his feet dragged from him in doing so, allowing Walthamstow to smash home the resulting penalty and level the scores for what had been a very entertaining pre-season fixture.