MATCH REPORT: Fisher 2-3 Grays Athletic

Fisher 2-3 Grays Athletic
Saturday 18th July
FSA Brian Lomax Cup

Matchball Sponsor: Millwall Community Trust

Attn: 216
Scorers: Jake Lovell (49 min), Temi Alaka (73 min)

A crazy seven minute spell in the lead up to half time gave Fisher too much to do, despite a strong second-half comeback in the Football Supporters Association’s Brian Lomax Cup preseason game again step four side Grays Athletic.
Holidays and injuries forced Fisher into playing a number of trialists in the game, especially around the defensive positions, so it was no surprise that the side made quite a slow start with all the early pressure coming from the visitors in front of a large pre-season crowd of over two hundred at St Pauls. Despite Grays early territorial advantage it was Fisher who fashioned the better chances in the first half hour. Jake Lovell’s determination saw him chase a cross field ball that looked destined to go out of play in the far corner but was rewarded when it bounced back off the corner flag pole allowing him to cut in and force a good low save from the keeper as he looked to sweep the ball into the far corner and that was followed with some great work by Rafael Garcia on the left wing dinking into the box past several defenders before laying the ball off for Tyrone Mbuenimo who saw his measured shot drift just wide of the upright.
With Fisher starting to get a foothold in the game. the latter stages of the game suddenly saw the game swing massively into the visitor’s favour. On thirty seven minutes there seemed little danger as a drive down the middle by a Grays attacker, with plenty of bodies between him and a goal, saw his determination and some weak tackles coupled with a little bit of good fortune end up with a clear route on goal for the forward to run onto a bobbling ball and calmly push it past the advancing Akinde to open the scoring. Two minutes later the visitors lead was doubled as indecisiveness and hesitation inside the Fisher penalty area allowed a shot on goal which whilst Akinde saved was tapped home on the rebound. Fisher’s defence on the right side was at sixes and sevens and on the stroke of half time they coughed up a third goal, clumsily giving away a penalty when the danger seemed to have been averted with the spot kick dispatched firmly down the middle of the goal giving Akinde no chance. A calamitous end of the half had seen Fisher concede three goals inside seven minutes and give them a mountain to climb in the second period.
If Fisher were to get anything out of the game it was vital they made an early strike in the second-half and that duly happened when just five minutes in they called a goal back when Tyron Mbuenimo picked the ball up in midfield and pushed an inch perfect pass between the centre half and fullback allowing Jake Lovell to run through off the right wing, advance into the box and slam the ball low and hard across the keeper to reduce the arrears. That was to be Lovell’s last involvement in the game though his replacement Temi Alaka made sure there was still pace out on the right which Fisher were able to exploit. Impressive substitute James Bessey-Saldanha, Garcia and Flavio Jumo all saw shots blocked as Fisher looked to pull a further goal back but the Gray’s back line was standing firm. Their resistance was broken though just before the second drinks break, as once again the pace of the Fisher forwards allowed Temi Alaka to get in behind the defensive line and give the keeper no chance with an emphatic finish at the near post to turn the game back into a contest with just one goal in it.
With both sides making numerous changes through the half the tempo dropped the play was broken up in the final stages. Fisher tried to push for an equaliser to take the game into penalties but lacked a creative spark to open up a resolute defence as Grays seemed content to see the game out without unduly pushing on to make the game safe. Minimal added time did little to help Fisher’s cause and the final whistle saw Grays lift the Brian Lomax Cup by the odd goal in five.