Three goals, three points and only three words are needed to summarize this football match: comfortable home win.
Bar a few nervous moments in the first half, this was a straightforward stroll in the springtime sun for the Fish. They led early on thanks to Luke Haidarovic’s opportunistic finish in the 5th minute and confirmed victory after the break with two marvellous efforts – Haidarovic notched another, adding to a Femi Akinwande strike.
Tunbridge Wells are fourth in the league table and they had kept five consecutive clean sheets prior this match. They were supposed to have a miserly defence. They were meant to come to Champion Hill, soak up bucket loads of pressure and score the game’s only goal through a 90th minute counterattack. At least that’s what the statisticians would have told you.
Instead the visitors looked shaky from the start. Haidarovic was buzzing around the Wells defence like an irritating wasp and it only took him five minutes to deliver a fatal sting.
Ikechi Eze teed up Akinwande on the edge of the box, and the winger’s thumping shot was repelled by the chest of Wells goalkeeper Steve Lawrence. The ball fell to an unmarked Haidarovic, who stuck a boot out to divert home with the help of a post. It was a bit of an awkward finish – but they all count.
The away side almost found immediate reprieve when Lee Radford’s teasing cross was met by the head of Chris Seenan. Luckily for Fisher, Jake McIntyre was stationed on the goal line to stop the ball and hoof it clear.
Kieron Tarbie then lost possession in his own half, allowing Wells captain Joe Fuller to charge towards the Fish goal and release a fizzing cutback into the box. Michael Aziaya was aware of the danger though, and he got to the ball and cut out the pass before it reached an opponent.
There was a flashpoint in the 17th minute after Aziaya brought down Ian Parsons, leaving the Wells players asking the referee to issue the Fish man a caution. After a heated discussion with several players from both sides, the man in the middle decided against booking Aziaya but did show the yellow card to Akinwande and Wells midfielder Tom Davey – presumably for dissent.
Fisher could have doubled their advantage in the 32nd minute when Haidarovic’s cushioned header found Ashley-Paul Sinclair in the box, but the midfielder fluffed his lines and the chance was gone.
Jordan Adekunle had already shown that he was considerably faster than his opposing right-back Jake Beecroft, and that difference in speed almost made a difference to the score line in the 36th minute as the winger raced to the by-line and his pass was inches away from finding an onrushing Haidarovic.
A minute later, Adekunle sped forward to latch onto Sinclair’s superb through ball but the linesman flagged for offside.
Just before half time Wells nearly drew level as Seenan’s downward header from a Beecroft cross brought the best out of Fisher goalkeeper Justin Lee, who reacted brilliantly to throw himself to the floor and tip the effort wide.
It was only a matter of time before Fisher scored again though, and when they did Adekunle inevitably played a big part in the goal. With five minutes gone in the second half, he confidently skipped past Beecroft before sending a searching ball into the box. Akinwande did the rest, finding the bottom corner with an audacious, flicked finish.
The visitors’ heads dropped after the goal and the introduction of forward Dane Luchford for defender Jack Goldsmith did not make much of a difference to their attack.
Yet they created some good openings midway through the half, and in the 65th minute Lee again did well to push Booth’s rasping volley over the crossbar.
Aziaya fell badly when trying to dispossess Davey in the 67th minute, resulting in a bloody nose for the Fish defender. Dean Harrison decided to take him off shortly afterwards but the injury will not have lasting repercussions.
A decision from the linesman caused an argument between Fisher captain Hassan Janneh and Fuller in the 68th minute. Wells had scored from a corner but the goal was ruled out as Fuller – and at least one other Wells player – had committed a foul as the set-piece was swung in. Fuller and Janneh got involved in a tussle and both were booked for their troubles.
But Fisher went straight up the other end to score their third of the afternoon and put the result beyond any doubt. Akinwande’s stunning volleyed pass over the top found Haidarovic around fifty yards from goal with two Wells players in close attendance. The striker made the impossible look easy, breezing past first the first defender and forcing the other to try and play catch up as he drove into the penalty area. There he eliminated two more obstacles, deftly cutting inside Brad Potter and smashing a shot past Lawrence. It was a virtuoso solo effort.
Goal machine Dave Waters came close to putting more sheen on an already very glossy score line, heading Tarbie’s free-kick just wide of the Wells goal with five minutes to play.
For boss Dean Harrison, perhaps the most pleasing aspect of this display will have been the hunger shown by his players.
It would be tempting to suggest that the shackles are off now the cloud of relegation has been lifted, but Fisher have been playing with an eye-catching swagger for nearly a month.
And with a game against second-placed Ashford on the final day of the season to come, the Fish could yet have a say in the SCEFL title race.
Fisher: Lee, Tarbie, Aziaya (Scantlebury 69), Janneh, McIntyre, Waters, Akinwande (Bent 71), Eze, Haidarovic, Sinclair (Roche 75), Adekunle. Unused substitutes: Sadiku, Payne
