Match Report: Tunbridge Wells 0-1 Fisher

Tunbridge Wells 0-1 Fisher
Saturday 17 February
SCEFL Premier Division

Attn: 297
Scorer: Teddy Jones (6 mins)

Fisher produced one of their best awayday performances of the season to notch up a one-nil win over Tunbridge Wells, courtesy of Teddy Jones early goal, on a quagmire of pitch.
Weeks of rain had left Tunbridge Wells pitch sodden and only a terrific effort by the home club’s volunteers got the game on, albeit on a very muddy and heavy surface. Fisher welcomed back Eniye Amgbaduba onto the substitutes bench and there was start for Jojo Kinzonzi on the right wing and Ezekiel Miller in the middle of the park in place of the injured Billy Brown. Michael Sarpong and Tyron Mbuenimo also swapped their right back and midfield roles from Tuesday’s defeat against Sutton Athletic.
Fisher started with good purpose, despite the difficult pitch, pushing the ball around well and looking to get the wingers, Jones and Kinzonzi in behind their full back markers, as they made first use of the slope. On six minutes the high energy start paid off, as from a thrown in on the right flank, Charles Yiadom Konadu picked up the ball and with his wand of a left foot switched it to the left of the penalty area, where Teddy Jones’ sublime first touch brought the ball inside the home left back allowing him to then sweep the ball powerfully past the outstretched keeper and inside the far post for a goal of high quality.
Tunbridge Wells could have got back level almost instantly. A through ball down the left channel allowed their forward to race in on goal but keeper Mo Otuyo rushed out to meet him and blocked superbly, low to his left. Five minutes later he made an even more impressive block from close range after a ball was recycled across the area to find a free forward inside the six yard box, but his effort cannoned off Otuyo’s legs, as he threw himself across the goal.
Fisher lived dangerously, conceding far too may free kicks around their own area allowing a lot of crosses into the danger zone, but Jospeh Adewunmi was dominant in the air to clear on every occasion and despite a first half caution Adewunmi timed his tackles to perfection to halt the progress of the Wells forwards as they sought to get away and onto some well flighted balls over the top.
With the pitch cutting up, passing became a trickier affair, but Yaidom-Konadu’s guile on the ball was still to the fore and Miller and Mbuenimo worked tirelessly to get onto the second balls and gain control on the middle of the park.
The second spell saw Fisher quickly out the traps and Michael Sarpong’s quick free kick almost got Jojo Kinzonzi in behind the back line, but the keeper was alert and forced the winger too wide before smothering his shot.
Tunbridge Wells pushed hard for an equaliser, with the slope to their advantage, but the Fisher back line, with full backs Sarpong and Callum Flynn excelling, put in tackle after tackle to stop them getting a clear sight of goal.
Just before the hour mark Fisher introduced sixteen year old Sam Sene-Richardson for a debut and with his first touch he almost doubled the lead, smashing a half cleared corner back goalwards where a defender just managed to block and then firing the further rebound narrowly over the bar.
The heavy pitch started to tell on the players and some tired tackles led to a series of fouls and injuries, which broke up the game. Fisher then crafted another chance to double their lead with Ngegba’s perseverance stabbing the ball through for Mbuenimo who slipped past a defender and then from a tight angle opened out to shoot past the far post.
Despite the tireless running of the impressive Jones and Sene-Richardson, Fisher couldn’t quite create another clear cut chance, with a touch too many seeming to allow a last ditch tackle on the forays into the home penalty area. Without the two goal cushion, Tunbridge Wells forced the Fish to defend deep for the last quarter of an hour. The defence stood up to the onslaught diligently and thwarted every attack, determined to hold out for the win.
However deep into stoppage time all the good defensive work looked about to come undone as a ball over the top saw veteran striker Trevor McCreadie escape his markers for the first time in the game and advance into the area. Otuyo was in no mood to give up his clean sheet and pulled of a magnificent low save as McCreadie looked to strike the ball home, to seal the win and claim the three points for the Fish.