MATCH REPORT: Fisher 1-3 Punjab United

Fisher 1-3 Punjab United
Tuesday 28th April
SCEFL Premier Division Play Off Semi Final

Matchball Sponsor: Millwall Community Trust

Attn: 449
Scorer: Festos Kamara (53 min)

Photo Credit: Dave Anderson – Full Album here

Fisher’s fine season and promotion dream came to a heart-breaking end as they lost the SCEFL Premier Division Play Off Semi Final to Punjab United at a packed St Paul’s. Despite the second place finish achieved by the Fish giving them home advantage, league placings counted for little on the night as fifth placed Punjab United won 3-1 to earn themselves a final against third placed Rusthall.
Fisher were missing injured skipper Jack Gibbons, but the return of Ange Djadja at centre back compensated with Don Macaulay moving to right back. Rafa Garcia’s two goals on Saturday earned him a further start inter changing between the wing and front striker with Festos Kamara, with Armani Jordan Martin also retaining his starting spot.
Fisher started slowly though with Punjab quickly on the attack and from their first long throw into the area they had the first chance of the game with Isaac Ogunseri superbly saving Wayne Bushell’s hooked effort from eight yards out to tip it over the bar. Within ten minutes Punjab were in front though, as a long diagonal ball forward found Edwards on the right wing and with Fisher a little slow getting out to him he was able to fashion space to send over a drilled cross that Jack Hopkins, who has made a habit of scoring against Fisher this season, got to in front of Djadja and headed firmly home, well out of Ogunseri’s reach into the top corner.
The goal woke Fisher up and after winning a corner they had a great chance to draw level as the ball fell to Rafael Garcia but his effort was too wild and flew high over the bar when a more composed strike may have seen an equaliser. Garcia was then played in by good work from Armani Jordan Martin, but Punjab keeper Beeney was down quickly at his near post to save comfortably. Fisher seemed to be lulled into the frenetic pace of the game and rushed their possession in an eagerness to get the ball forward with the usual expansive wide play missing
meaning Alex Kozak was under-utilised on the wing. Ogunseri was definitely the busier of the two keepers during the first spell, punching away an Edwards header and then scrambling to save from Ratcliff as he looked to convert a ball headed back across the box.
With the break looming and a below par first half performance just trailing by a single goal did not seem an impossible problem to solve but three minutes before the break Fisher made it harder for themselves by conceding a second. Another cross from the right from Edwards seemed to be dealt with as Campbell looked set to pounce but an unfortunate ricochet from the clearance just took the ball wider to the left and into the path of Zak Byron who, with Ogunseri covering the near post, had a lot of empty net to find and converted with ease.
Fisher needed a reaction early in the second half and bolstered their options with Tom Jones back from injury coming on for Garcia and he made an immediate impact tucking a pinpoint ball between centre back and full back for Festos Kamara to run onto and clinically finish by beating the outrushing Beeney with a precise chipped shot that dipped in under the bar cranking up the noise level from the 449 strong crowd.
Fisher then set about trying to get themselves level and forced a series of corners with Lorenzo Duncan almost squeezing in a flicked header at the near post, but the Punjab defence was in determined mood and Fisher’s probing found little joy. Fisher then faced a conundrum of affecting the flow of the game with substitutions in the hope of an impact or leaving tiring players on and with Punjab also going to bench the game became scrappier and broken up which did not allow Fisher to keep the momentum going. With just over a quarter of an hour to goal Punjab gave themselves breathing room as Ogunseri came to clear a long ball but his punch seemed to simultaneously deflect of Djadja’s head with the ball falling to Will-Johnson Cole with an element of the same fortune as their second and he tucked the chance away. Fisher tried valiantly to get something back but ultimately lacked the fire power on the night to unduly trouble their visitors and the game petered out with Fisher consigned to another year in the SCEFL Premier Division. Despite the disappointment the side were greeted with huge acclaim by the Dockers End on the final whistle with supporters appreciating the tremendous season of attacking football that has seen a highest finish since the Fisher Athletic days and best ever FA Vase run for the reformed Fish.