Southern Counties East Football League

Deal Town left a rainy, windswept Champion Hill the happier team, as a good performance from Fisher was undermined by unfortunate individual errors. Substitute Deshane Dalling was able to give Fisher a consolation goal with five minutes to go, but the team were unable to wipe out Deal’s two first half goals and the third goal in the second half.
In the early stages of the game, both teams struggled to adjust to the blustery conditions, the ball tended to hang in the air for long balls against the wind and even goal kicks sailed past opposition goal lines when taken with the wind.
It took ten minutes for the game to settle into a real contest, but Deal Town sent a warning shot across the bow of Fisher when they used a throw in level with the penalty area as a dangerous set piece. This strategy would come to cost Fisher later, but Deal’s first attempt was claimed calmly by Joel Hannington.
Fisher’s captain Daniel Lawson and number 5, Daniel Flemming asserted themselves throughout the game, winning possession in important areas, ensuring Fisher’s dominance in midfield and stopping Deal Town from putting together dangerous moves.
In the twelfth minute, Deal Town were awarded another throw in level with the box and in a move that would make Rory Delap proud, the ball was heaved towards the goal. Deal’s number 9, Connor Coyne, took it down and powered it into the bottom left corner of the net to make it 0-1. He remained a thorn in the side of Fisher’s defence for most of the afternoon.
Fisher fought back immediately and Adetokunbo Adeyemo wearing Fisher’s number 7 sold a story to the Deal Town defenders with his jinking run to get free at the edge of the box and force a save from the visiting goalie.
At 22 minutes, a free kick was awarded to Fisher in a dangerous position but the wind caught the ball and it was pushed beyond the onrushing attackers.Four minutes later, Deal Town’s Andy Miller crossed to Joe Anderson on the edge of Fisher’s box, but Robert Curtis kept Fisher in the game by blocking the resulting shot.
The goal had inspired Fisher to action and this period of the game saw them putting together some productive attacking moves. Half an hour into the game, Chan Quan was at the centre of a dynamic move which cut through Deal’s midfield, however the shot which followed was blocked out for a corner which was claimed easily by John Sparks in the goal. Quickly afterward, the whole crowd held their breath as a powerful shot from Jeff Allen came close to levelling the match, but it was only just off target.
In the final five minutes of the first half, Deal Town finally began to step up the pressure and although their number 7, Andy Miller, consistently put crosses into dangerous areas, there was nobody there to meet them. Connor Coyne almost doubled Deal’s lead from a corner as the ball fell right to him, but his shot sailed wide.
A frantic counter from Fisher earned a corner, but their keeper was able to push the ball off the waiting head of Fisher’s Wale Ayoola to prevent an equaliser. Countering this counter, Deal’s Rene Rivera powered down the left flank and passed to Connor Coyne. Coyne returned the ball to Rivera, Fisher defender Allen was only able to touch the ball into the path of Rivera whose shot beat Hannington at full stretch to take a two goal lead right on the stroke of half time.
The second half began in the driving rain but Adeyemo didn’t hide from it. Typical of this battle all afternoon, our winger had free rein on his flank and an explosive run down the wing and some clever footwork let him beat his man and pump a cross into the box.
Deal put the game beyond doubt in the 52^nd minute as Hannington was caught in no man’s land by a volley from Coyne who bagged his brace. Three minutes later he put the ball on the roof of the net in almost the same situation as Fisher wondered if they were suffering a case of deja vu.
Substitute Alfie Roche almost caught Deal’s keeper off-guard with a quick shot from the edge of the box, but Sparks recovered quickly to deny a goal.
With an hour gone, two Deal defenders collided while going for the same ball in their own box and Shelton Gooden was presented with an opportunity, but one of the two recovered in time to make a crucial tackle.
With one of his final actions before his substitution, Adeyemo brought down a lofted ball beautifully, stepped past his defender and pinged in a sumptuous shot which must have stung the palms of Deal’s goalkeeper as he pushed it wide.
Deshane Dalling made an immediate impact after being subbed on; he dummied a defender and the goalkeeper was unable to keep the his shot from trickling into the net to make the score 1-3. With the last play of the game, a Fisher corner almost fell to an unmarked Dalling waiting in the box, but Deal’s sprawling keeper was able to grasp onto the ball.