On a night dubbed “The Ex-Factor Semi Final”, it was appropriate that ex-players shone as Fisher pulled off a dramatic second half comeback in the Macron Challenge Cup semi-final (first leg) against Beckenham on Wednesday.
But it wasn’t only former Fisher and Beckenham (who have switched sides) players that shone; it was also a good night for former Sevenoaks Town players.
Beckenham started the game brightly, creating a chance within 50 seconds, and taking the lead through a Frankie Warren wonder goal in the third minute. It took far too long for Fisher to settle into the game, and Beckenham could have extended their lead, had it not been for a couple of good saves from debutant goalkeeper Bradley McNamara.
Former Sevenoaks midfielder Jake Britnell deservedly doubled the visitors lead in the 23rd minute, tucking in a rebound effort after a superb run from inside his own half, carving through the Fisher midfield and defence en-route.
Beckenham started to take hold of the game and for long periods of the first half, the tie looked all over, and it it appeared that it was when Alfie Nunn put Beckenham 3-0 up in the 42nd minute.
With optimism quickly turning to disappointment and frustration on the terraces, Fisher were handed a lifeline in first half stoppage time when the referee awarded the hosts a penalty. Danny Maguire stepped up and duly tucked his shot away (with a little help from the goalpost) to get Fisher off the mark.
What was to follow in the second half was nothing short of amazing. Fisher forced Beckenham goalkeeper Rilwan Anibaba (another former Oak) into two good saves early on, and looked much more threatening on the break. It took 17 minutes, but Fisher pulled the score back to 3-2 when Piers Hanifan stabbed in an effort after a bit of a penalty area scramble following a Tom Carr long throw.
Fisher then introduced striker Jay Garrick (the third former Sevenoaks player to take to the field), who replaced Junior James. Within minutes, the Fish scored again. Richard Morgan got the ball into the box after a superb run, before setting up Piers Hanifan who calmly dispatched the equalising goal from close range.
Then, little more than two minutes later, Kieron Campbell released Garrick who chipped the ball over the goalkeeper from around 35 yards. The on field celebrations showed how much the goal meant as Garrick quickly disappeared underneath team-mates. Garrick continued to threaten throughout the remainder of the game, although he was unable to take advantage as Beckenham began to crumble.
As the game wore on, it became clear that, for the night anyway, Beckenham were done, although Fisher were unable to extend their advantage. Late on, frustration got the better of Frankie Warren who was given a straight red card for a foul close to the dugouts.
So, despite the tie looking pretty much over after 45 minutes, Fisher take a 1 goal lead into the second leg (which will be played at Eden Park Avenue on Tuesday, 18th March, 7.45)
FISHER: Bradley McNamara, Piers Hanifan, Charlie Gray, Harvey Hanifan, Tom Carr, Billy Walton, Richard Morgan, Kieron Burrell, Junior James (Jay Garrick), Danny Maguire, Kieron Campbell. UNUSED SUBS: Aaron Seales, Dan Flemming, Mike Damarol
Attendance: 127
