MATCH REPORT: Fisher 1-0 AFC Varndeanians

Fisher 1-0 AFC Varndeanians
Saturday 31st October 2026
FA Vase Second Round

Matchball Sponsor: Millwall Community Trust

Attn:170
Scorer: Festos Kamara (90+2 min)

Fisher conjured up a dramatic ninety third minute winner to seal a third round spot in the FA Vase, with Festos Kamara’s superb strike finally seeing off a determined rear guard display from AFC Varndeanians of the Southern Combination League. Fisher made just one change from last week’s win over Beckenham with Euan Mutale swapping bench duty with Tyrese Briscoe up front.
Fisher quickly got into their stride and some impressive build up play saw them quickly dominate possession with James Bessey-Saldanha at the heart of much of their play, but quickly found a massed defence well drilled to stop winger Temi Alaka and Rafa Garca doing damage with a series of low crosses into the box. A sublime through ball from Bessey-Saldanha sent full back Kaylam Byrgess into the box, but his driven effort was palmed away by the keeper. An opening goal looked sure to come as Fisher continued to dominate with Jack Gibbons playing more as a winger than fullback regularly joining the attack. Gibbons started a fine move that swept across the pitch resulting in Garcia crossing low but Kamara’s sliding touch and Euan Mutake’s poke on the rebound were somehow kept out of the net by the keeper. Kamara then rifled over a shot after another neat interchange in the final third had teed him up, before on the half hour mark a rare sortie into the Fisher box from the visitors looked to have given them a shock lead but a header back across goal was judged as being from outside the field of play before being tucked home. The was the beginning of a good spell for Varndeanians with several corners and throws into the box requiring some confident defending and James Batt had to save sharply at his near post from one effort. Fisher escaped the pressure though with a lightning break by Alaka and his cross should have been turned home but Gracia did not get the required contact and the keeper was able to smoother on the line.
Half time came with the 170 in the crowd bemused as to quite how the dominance had not led to a goal. Garcia then nearly mad amends for his first half miss with a glorious curling effort that had clearly got the keeper beaten but just failed to dip into the top corner and substitute Tyrese Briscoe lost this footing as he got in down the right to see his shot veer wide. Bar a couple of corners that were well defended by Fisher the game was becoming similar to an attack versus defence training game with wave after wave of Fisher raids all repelled by a doughty back five, and the nerves around St Pauls were starting to show as nothing would quite fall. Garcia saw another effort smuggled off the line, Gabriel Darby dragged a shot wide of the upright, Burgess fired over and countless times a Varndeanians leg cut out a final pass or blocked a shot as what seemed to be their plan of holding on for the penalty lottery was worked to full effect.
With the game having started late due the visitors’ late arrival, the river mist started descending under the ribbony floodlit Halloween night sky and the witching hour was almost approaching as the game moved into added time. However, Fisher’s perseverance was to pay off, as not for the first time this season, they had kept something left in the tank to avoid the trick or treat of penalties. Eden Deh was millimetres from heading home a deep cross but Flavio Jumo worked to keep it alive on the left and quickly moved the ball across the penalty area via Bessey-Saldanha and Briscoe to find Festos Kamara whose sublime first touch made a yard of space wide of his marker and with two defenders throwing themselves in front of him fired low and hard across the keeper into the corner of the net. Whilst with the wind in the right direction a roar for a Millwall goal can be heard at St Pauls, such was the cry of relief from the crowd it must have travelled down to the Den as Fisher finally had the breakthrough.
AFC Varndeanians desperately sent men forward for the final minute but Conor Darwish and Don Macaulay showed all the defensive determination their opposite numbers had shown for the previous ninety two to see the game out with some fine blocks to send Fisher through.