After an impressive 5-1 win over Sevenoaks Town last week, Fisher travelled to Lordswood looking to pick up back to back wins for the first time this season, writes Ian Murphy.
The game started well, with both sides playing some good football and Fisher creating the best of the early chances with Adam Highsted producing a fine early save. The Fish looked comfortable and confident on the ball and got forward several times, but couldn’t create any clear cut chances as they were caught offside a couple of times and Lordswood were defending well.
Lordswood were awarded the first of the afternoon’s numerous yellow cards in the 20th minute when Callum McGeehan was punished for a foul on Troy Abbey, and then Lords’ Will Mawson was booked just two minutes later.
Fisher then took control of possession and, despite a few breaks from Lordswood, started to dominate the game. The only thing that was lacking from Fisher was the killer touch. Fisher had a few chances to go ahead but Lordswood coped well with the pressure. In the 33rd minute, Fisher finally made a breakthrough courtesy of in-form Troy Abbey who netted his third in two games.
Just two minutes later, Fisher broke forward again, Billy Walton found himself through on goal and was taken down by Lords’ keeper Highsted who was shown a straight red card. Callum McGeehan, who had by this point picked up an injury, took over in goal and his first job was to try to keep the score at 1-0. Danny Maguire stepped up and converted the penalty with ease to put the visitors 2-0 up.
Although Fisher had a chance to further extend their lead, the score remained 2-0 until the break.
The second half started with Lordswood looking brighter, and it only took them three minutes to drag themselves back in to the game. Shane Uings produced a fine effort which flew past the out stretched arm of Billy Hensman and into the net. Just five minutes after Uings scored, Lordswood were forced to replace him when he went down injured. Reports from the club suggest that Uings suffered a suspected broken leg, and all at Fisher wish him a speedy recovery.
The goal rattled Fisher and they never really looked like they could add to their now slender lead. To their credit, Fisher did all they could to keep the hosts out. The majority of the second half from a Fisher perspective very frustrating as the game lost its natural flow, with several bookings and fouls disrupting Fisher’s fluent passing style.
Lordswood put the Fisher defence under more and more pressure but it wasn’t until the 72nd minute that the hosts drew level. What appeared to be a failed catch from Hensman – perhaps caused by the attacker backing in to him illegally – allowed Jimmy Humphris to capitalise and slot home the Lords’ second.
Fisher did try to regain the lead but the introductions of Bryan Zepo, Keiron Campbell and Nathaniel Bell failed to provide another goal and Fisher looked a little lost at times, especially going forward. Lordswood sensed a winner and deservedly added a third eight minutes from time when Humphris netted his second of the afternoon.
Although Fisher never gave up looking for a goal, no-one could get enough space and control to test the host’s stand in goal keeper and as the whistle went, Lordswood were left to celebrate a superb and unexpected comeback.
FISHER: BILLY HENSMAN, DANNY AKERS, DANNY TIPPLE, HARVEY HANIFAN, TOM CARR, BILLY WALTON (KEIRON CAMPBELL), HARRY DRAPER, DANNY MAGUIRE, JUNIOR FATAI-SOMUWIYA (NATHANIEL BELL), RICHARD MORGAN (BRYAN ZEPO), TROY ABBEY. UNUSED SUBS: PIERS HANIFAN, SHAQUILLE RICHARDS
ATTENDANCE: 73
