MATCH REPORT: Fisher 4-1 Snodland Town

Fisher 4-1 Snodland Town
Saturday 11th April
SCEFL Premier Division

Matchball Sponsor: Millwall Community Trust

Attn: 239
Scorers: Festos Kamara (45+2 min, 61 min), Armani Jordan Martin (54 min, pen), Jake Lovell (90+3 min)

Photo Credit: Dave Anderson – Full Album here

Fisher’s goal glut continued with a third successive 4-1 home victory against Snodland Town, thanks to a vastly improved second half performance. Fisher made changes to both shape and personal bringing in Chibueze Echem as a hold up player with Festos Kamara switching to the wing and Sam Owusu coming in for the absent Tom Jones.
Snodland arrived at the game having seen their own play-off hopes fall away in the last few weeks on the back of four defeats, but started the game the stronger, seeing plenty of ball in the Fisher half and the experienced centre half pairing of Dymond and Friend relishing the aerial battle with Echem, as Fisher looked to feed the big forward early. Fisher’s first chance of the game came when Alex Kozak cut in, but his shot lacked sufficient power to trouble former Fisher keeper Tommy Taylor in the Snodland goal. A couple of similar efforts were also sent high over the Dockers End stand as Fisher’s play looked a little rushed and nervy. Lorenzo Duncan saw an effort blocked as he found a good position inside the Snodland area but Fisher were not creating the chances as they had been in recent games.
Whilst at the other end Snodland did not look particularly threatening they still managed to take the lead on the half hour mark. Taylor came out of his area to sweep a ball forward from wide on the right and the Fisher back line allowed it to bounce and then, whether expecting a foul or offside flag or out of a lack of communication, all seemed to freeze as the ball bounced into the path of Sammy Wood who lobbed Ogunseri in no mans land and calmly ran on to tuck the ball home. Fisher response was good though and Owusu brought a smart save from Taylor to tip a driven effort over the bar and Dymond was well placed to head a powerful effort from Kozak off the line as Fisher started to find a more fluent approach to goal. On the stroke of half time the equaliser that had looked to be coming finally arrived. Good work from Duncan down the left saw him fizz over a low cross that Festos Kamara met with a deft flick from the outside of his right boot to steer the ball low past Taylor.
Fisher made a change at the break with Jake Lovell coming on for Echem and Kamara reverting to the centre forward position, allowing them to stretch the game with runners rather than hitting a target. The plan worked well and when Armani Jordan Martin came on six minutes after the restart for Sarpong, he was quicky in the action darting into the box from a good throw in routine on the right and there were few complaints when he was tripped and the referee pointed to the spot. After a ridiculous moment when forwards and defenders seemed to try and claim rights to penalty spot, on the pristine 3g surface, Martin stepped up and slammed his kick down the middle past a tumbling Taylor.
Snodland to their credit dd not play like a side with nothing left in their season and with former Brentford and Wycombe player Sam Wood pulling the strings still looked a threat. Ogunseri saved well from a header at point blank range after Wood had delivered a sumptuous free kick into the box and then blocked a Townsend effort well as the winger broke down the left channel. Fisher gave themselves the welcomed safety net of a two goal cushion on the hour mark as their strategy of leaving payers up on halfway at defensive corners paid off again. Ogunseri’s punch clear was nodded out the box by Mbuenimo and the tenacious midfielder burst up field to develop a four on three attack which Fisher exploited to the maximum as Festos Kamara’s run down the middle was picked out with precision by Mbuenimo’s pass allowing the forward to rifle the ball past Taylor for a textbook counter attacking goal. That signalled further substitutions which rather broke up the final half hour of the game, although Armani Jordan Martin almost notched a fine solo goal after a mazy run and shot was blocked off the line. Fisher did add a fourth though deep into injury time, when Siao Blackwood fed Jake Lovell to notch his fourth goal of the season and wrap up the points.