Fisher battled to an important win over Woodstock Sports, who were reduced to nine men in the second half.
It took a late goal from Jamie Humphris to seal the win, although Fisher once again missed a hatful of chances and could have been out of sight by half time.
Steve Firkins handed Frankie Warren the captain’s armband with Jamie Turner absent due to personal commitments, and Warren responded with a dominating performance in midfield where he was supported by George Beavan and Ellis Wilson-Joseph. Adam Wadmore made a welcome return to the line-up in a wide-midfield role.
Fisher were on the attack immediately after kick-off and an early run forward from Mark Sisson was well-defended by Woodstock. On four minutes, Wilson-Joseph set Afolayan free of the defence but his shot cleared the crossbar.
At the other end, Woodstock’s first chance of the game came courtesy of a Fisher error. Joe Hagan called for a catch on the edge of the box, but he could not quite grasp the ball. As the loose ball was knocked towards the empty net, Danny Tipple charged back to complete an astonishing goal line clearance and keep the scores level.
The game was scrappy at this stage, with both sides guilty of sloppy passing and finding it difficult to retain possession. Fisher put together a good move on the left, Peter Afolayan’s cross finding Sisson in the box but his shot was saved well at the near post by Jack Rankin in the opposition goal. But the Fish took the lead shortly afterwards, as Rankin repeated the error made by Hagan at the other end – and was punished. Coming out to the edge of the box to punch clear, Rankin appeared to lose the ball in the low sun and could only get his fingertips to the ball which continued on a goal bound course. Afolayan positioned himself between the keeper and the net, and he shepherded the ball towards the goal before applying the final touch to put Fisher into a deserved lead.
Fisher should have scored again immediately afterwards when Sisson found himself with only the keeper to beat. The striker looked offside but no flag was raised, but unfortunately his shot was straight into Rankin’s arms.
The Fish had another great chance to double their lead when Rankin was forced to tip an extremely unwise backpass over his own bar. The resulting indirect free-kick was played short to Afolayan, whose shot was blocked on the line. Sisson was then guilty of another miss when he shot over from a great position on the half-hour mark, before a Wadmore pile-driver was well saved by Rankin – the rebound was slotted home by Beavan but he was flagged for offside.
Fisher paid for their profligacy in front of goal just before half-time. An attack broke down, and Woodstock raced up the other end. With the defence stretched, a great cross found James McDonald and he gave Hagan no chance with a powerful finish. The sides entered half-time level after the Fish had dominated the first 45 minutes.
The second half saw the first of two red cards dished out to Woodstock. The first was to player-manager Ben Taylor, who had been booked for dissent in the first half. Taylor tangled with Warren in midfield, and as the players separated themselves he aimed a soft but deliberate kick at the Fisher midfielder. Having spotted the infringement, the referee had no hesitation in producing a second yellow and sent Taylor to the dressing rooms (or in fact the stands, as the Woodstock boss opted to remain in a position to guide his team from a distance).
The Fish looked to push on against the ten men, but in truth found chances harder to come by as Woodstock rallied and worked to ensure that they could hold on for at least a point. Firkins opted to make a triple substitution, sending on Chan Quan, Jamie Humphris and Chris Hubbard as he searched for a goal. But it was defender Billy Walton who had two great chances with his head, the first glanced wide from a free-kick and the second well saved by Rankin. In between, Woodstock enjoyed a chance on the break as Ricky Freeman crossed for McDonald who just couldn’t reach the ball.
Hubbard went on a run and shot that was saved, and Afolayan’s attempt on the rebound was blocked. Then the flashpoint in the game came as Warren and Freeman competed for a ball on the Fisher right. Freeman’s challenge was hard, sparking an angry confrontation between the two players although both kept their hands to themselves. The referee judged that Freeman had not been in control of his challenge and dismissed him with a straight red for dangerous play while Warren was booked for his reaction.
With fifteen minutes to go, the Fish pushed forward and looked for a winner. Woodstock defended manfully, as Fisher became frustrated. A tremendous cross from Tipple, who put in a man-of-the-match performance, evaded everyone and with time ticking away it looked as though Fisher would struggle to make the breakthrough. Then, with five minutes left, it came. Hubbard let loose a shot that Rankin couldn’t hold on to, and Humphris was there to slot home the loose ball to put the Fish 2-1 up.
There was still time for Fisher to miss yet another great chance – goalscorer Humphris the guilty party this time as he somehow hit the bar from 2 yards out with the goal at his mercy. A late Woodstock free kick caused a scare but the Fish were able to keep the ball against the nine men and hold out for a much-needed victory.
There’s no let-up for the Fish as Corinthian visit Champion Hill on Monday evening. With Fisher 2-0 down from the first leg of this Macron Premier Division Cup quarter-final, the stage is set for what could be another magical cup night at Champion Hill. And after the Fish came back from two goals down with five minutes left during the 2009-10 London Senior Cup run, a full 90 minutes is plenty of time for the team to rediscover their shooting boots. It could be a thriller – make sure you are at Champion Hill for the 7.45pm kick-off!
Fisher: Hagan, Monan, Tipple, Beavan, Helps (Hubbard 63), Walton, Warren, Wilson-Joseph, Sisson (Humphris 63), Afolayan, Wadmore (Quan 63). Unused Subs: Jarrett-Elliott, Hensman
Attendance: 70
