Kent Football League

A home defeat against local rivals Beckenham Town left the Fish with no points from their Bank  Holiday Double-Header despite playing their full part in a six goal thriller at Champion Hill.
After Saturday’s non-performance away at Erith Town manager Gary Lisney was expecting a reaction and he got one as the home side flew out of the blocks in quick fashion.
Raphael Akala, who had another terrific game gave the Becks defence a torrid time and tested Nick Blue’s resolve with just four minutes on the clock – the Town keeper was equal to Akala’s shot across goal on this occasion.
However on 20 minutes Blue misjudged the flight of a lofted centre and debutante Helusi Mustafa couldn’t believe his luck prodding the loose ball into an empty net. This ignited a storming seven minute passage of play which saw four goals.
Just a minute later Beckenham were on level terms, Gary Gorman’s looping goal bound header looked to be cleared off the line by a Fisher boot but the assistant referee on the far side had other ideas awarding the goal to Jason Huntley’s side.
The Fish, still reeling from what they thought was an injustice, found themselves behind almost immediately. A mix up in communication at the back allowed Quentin Conteh to nip in and square for Gorman to bag his brace.
Lisney’s side bounced back in terrific fashion, Anthony Glover stormed down the wing with purpose before unleashing an excellent cross which Akala met first time on 27 minutes to head the ball passed a stranded Blue and send the 102 strong crowd into a frenzy.
In the second period, Fisher were slow to get going and Beckenham duly took the lead once more. Reserve keeper George Kamarusi got his positioning all wrong for a direct freekick and Kevin McCone drove the ball home from 22 yards out leaving the home custodian grasping at thin air.
Once again Fisher responded positively and put sustained pressure on the Becks defence. Dexter Babalola and Akala continued to work the channels well stretching the visitor’s back line and with 11 minutes remaining Anthony Glover was felled in the box leaving the referee with no option but to award the penalty. Bryan Glover took responsibility but skied the ball over the crossbar.
The Fish continued to push on and Joe Goodwin again missed a golden opportunity. Blue could only parry a fierce Akala shot straight to Goodwin who had two bites of the cherry to beat the Becks stopper. Blue blocked the first attempt and with the goal at his mercy Goodwin slid the ball into the side netting.
There was to be no further opportunities for a wasteful Fish as Beckenham went straight up the other end and put the game beyond the home team. Elliott Crabb was left unmarked to head passed Kamarusi and leave a frustrated Fisher with little to show for their valiant efforts.