Match Report: Fisher 1-2 Beckenham Town

Fisher FC 1-2 Beckenham Town

Another big crowd packed into St Paul’s for the Kent Senior Trophy quarter final against near neighbours Beckenham Town. Andrew Mott was unavailable for the Fish, so Harry Tobin stepped into his midfield role in an otherwise unchanged line-up from the team that beat Bearsted convincingly the week before. Sam Pekun returned to the bench after a period out with injury and suspension.

As is so often the case with derbies, both sides began the match cagily, and neither was able to impose its game on the other. Jamie Brown flashed a volleyed cross right across the face of goal in the second minute, and the Beckenham number 4 sent a shot from 25 yards well over Dan Wheeler’s bar a couple of minutes later, but it was Fisher who came closest in the first part of the match. First Trey Small miscued a shot in space inside the box after Rob Brown had fed Jamie Brown down the right, his low cross beating the first man and picking out Small. A couple of minutes later, Richie Hamill kept the ball in on the left touchline despite the Beckenham players’ shouts for a throw, and found Tobin inside the box. He squared for Aderonmu, who miscued his shot just as Small had before him. This time the ball broke kindly for Rob Brown on the edge of the box, but he curled his shot just over.

Hamill was in the thick of the action as always, and chased another lost cause down the left, reaching the ball and cutting into the box. The Fisher players were clamouring for a penalty, but the ref gave a free kick right on the edge of the box. Hamill drove the free kick in but the Beckenham defence cleared. On 28 minutes, another Hamill cross found Small in space in the box, but he sent his header well wide.

Just after the half hour mark, Beckenham were awarded a free kick inside their own half. The ball was played long into the box but everyone left it, and the ball was allowed to bounce. Dan Wheeler had to leap to tip the ball over the bar for a Beckenham corner, which he then punched behind for a second corner. This time the Fisher defence was able to clear through Aderonmu.

After 33 minutes came the defining moment of the half and perhaps the game. Richie Hamill was penalized for a late sliding challenge just inside the Fisher half, and the ref showed him a second yellow then the red. The free kick was pumped long into the box, headed back across goal and bundled in from close range. Within a minute, the Fish had lost a man and a goal, and were right up against it. 0-1, 34 mins

As we have come to expect from Dean Harrison’s men, there was no let up and the Fish pushed to get back into the game. Aderonmu squared for the onrushing Rob Brown and only a superb lunging tackle inside the box prevented him from getting a strike on goal. A mazy dribble by Ramsamy then saw the little winger slide a shot just past the left hand post. Fisher also forced two corners right before the half time whistle, but couldn’t fashion a clear chance.

Half-time: Fisher FC 0-1 Beckenham Town. The Fish were unlucky to be going in a goal behind after what had been a tight, cagey affair in the first half. There were few real chances for either side, but the home side had enjoyed the better of what chances there had been.

The second half began in very much the same fashion: Beckenham sent a shot well wide on 51 minutes before Rob Brown skied a shot from 22 yards a minute later, but the sides were continuing to cancel each other out.

Gradually Fisher began to take the upper hand despite being a man down, and on 57 minutes really should have equalised. Aderonmu bore down on goal at the Dockers End and absolutely thumped a shot centimetres over the bar. Two minutes later, Aderonmu broke clear again down the Fisher right, and found Ramsamy on the edge of the box. However, the winger took one too many touches and a defender managed to take the sting out of his shot which the keeper gathered.

Right on the hour mark, it was Ramsamy’s turn to break free down the right, and as he burst into the box he was cleared out. A certain penalty, and a booking for the Beckenham left back. Rob Brown made no mistake from the penalty, and it was all to play for! See it again here: https://twitter.com/FisherFC/status/1086660903297261568 1-1, Rob Brown (pen), 61 mins

Fisher were buoyed by the goal and continued to press. On 65 minutes, Ramsamy was again chopped down on the right, just outside the box this time. Another yellow card for the Beckenham left back, and off he went! From the free kick, Fisher won a corner on their left which found Dan Flemming at the back post, but his header was off target.

As can often be the case, the red card seemed to galvanise Beckenham, rather than give added momentum to Fisher. On 75 minutes, a delicate through ball found the Beckenham centre forward in space inside the box and he slid the ball past Wheeler into the bottom left hand corner of the net. 1-2, 75 mins

For the remainder of the match, Beckenham were content to keep the ball and hold onto their lead. This Fisher team never gives up, and Soyemi-Olade linked with Chandler Kasai before going down under pressure in the box, but the ref wasn’t interested in the shouts for a penalty form the Fisher faithful behind the goals. Fisher had one last chance left in them, and won a corner in the 93rd minute. Trey Small took it on the left, the ball was headed back out to him and he took a touch before thudding a low shot off the base of the post and behind. It just wasn’t to be!

Full-time: Fisher FC 1-2 Beckenham Town. The Fish can rightly feel aggrieved to have lost a very close affair between two evenly matched teams who cancelled each other out for much of the contest. A draw might have been the right result, despite Fisher enjoying the better of the chances, but a nicely taken winning goal was enough to see Beckenham through to the semi-finals. Dean Harrison’s men can hold their heads high, having worked ever so hard despite having 10 men for over an hour.

Fisher 1-2 Beckenham Town
Saturday 19 January 2019
Kent Senior Trophy – Quarter Finals

Fisher:
Rob Brown 61
Beckenham:
Jez Hammond 34
Luis Medina 75

Attn: 188

Team Line up:

Photo courtesy from the Non-League Chronicles. Read their match report of the game here: https://www.facebook.com/thenonleaguechronicles/