MATCH REPORT: Holmesdale 0-2 Fisher

Holmesdale 0-2 Fisher
Tuesday 22 October 2024
SCEFL Premier Division

Attn: 61
Scorers: Tyron Mbuenimo (12 mins), Courtney Barrington (41 mins)

Match Highlights and Image: Fisher Film Crew – Watch here

Fisher made it two wins in four days and moved up to fourth place in the SCEFL Premier Division table, thanks to a fine two nil victory at Holmesdale on Tuesday night. Billy Brown, Salim Nassor and Charles Yiadom-Konadu were all missing from Saturday’s win, but the current strength of the Fisher squad was evident as Ed Sata returned at left back and Ange Djadja back after timeout with a head injury, allowing Abdoulaye Ly Athie, who had covered him at centre back, to play in midfield.
With manager Ajay Ashanike sunning himself during a mid-season break in Greece, assistant manager Luke With was due to take his place in charge in the dugout, but with goalkeeper Isaac Ogunseri having travel difficulties and still stuck on a train as kick off approached, the stand in manager was forced to become the stand in goalkeeper for the first fifteen minutes of the game. However, Fisher played out that 15 minutes superbly, pushing the hosts back into their own half and dominating play, meaning that With was not required to touch the ball. Such was their early dominance, that it was no surprise Fisher took the lead with just eleven minutes on the clock. Excellent work by Courtney Barrington on the left wing saw him twist and turn to create space for a low cross, which ricocheted into the path of Kesna Clarke, who in turn teed up Tyron Mbuenimo to skilfully sweep the ball home from ten yards out. The arrival of Ogunseri gave Fisher a further boost and he was substituted on for With on the quarter of an hour mark. Within two minutes the giant keeper has atoned for his lateness, pulling off a great one on one save, after a short back pass had allowed Jack Church a free run on goal.
Fisher continued to look impressive going forward, moving the ball around swiftly on the slick surface with Jake Lovell on the right wing sending over a number of dangerous low crosses and linking up effectively with the Armani Jordan Martin to stretch the Holmesdale defence. Jack Gibbons saw a goal bound effort blocked as he got on the end of a free kick, with the rebound rolling just past the post as Fisher looked for a second. The second goal duly arrived on forty one minutes as Ed Sata clipped a ball over the Holmesdale back line and Courtney Barrington ran through from his own half to beat the offside trap, carrying the ball deep into the Holmesdale half, before checking inside the retreating defender and slamming the ball emphatically into the roof of the net to give the goalkeeper no chance.
The second half saw Fisher playing up the slope and as a result dropped a little deeper with their hosts seeing more of the ball. Fisher’s defensive play though was the equal of their attacking play in the first half with Tyron Mbuenimo and Abdoulaye Ly Athie superb in providing a midfield shield for the back four and Mayvin Vigneswaran and Ange Djadja both dominant in their centre half roles. Djadja almost got his name on the score sheet when he ghosted in at the back post to head Ly Athie’s cross just over the bar.
The game slowed as players on both sides, playing their second game in four days on heavy pitches both suffered with cramps and injuries, but the breakages in play suited Fisher as they looked to play the game out. Holmesdale rallied late on as Fisher sat deeper, with a number of good balls delivered into the box to test out the defence, which stood firm. Ogunseri made a fine one handed save low to his right to keep out a fierce drive from former Chelsea starlet Bradley Ryan and a fine sliding block by Ed Sata denied substitute Oghosa Williams, as he was fed in space on the right of the box. Fisher saw out the seven minutes of added time, which combined with the 10 minutes extra played in the first half made for a very late finish, with their task made all the more comfortable by a late sending off for Holmesdale’s Wilfred Evans, for a second yellow card, to register their fourth win on the road this season and firmly place them in the playoff positions.