MATCH REPORT: Bearsted 0-1 Fisher

Bearsted 0-1 Fisher
Saturday 2 November 2024
SCEFL Premier Division

Attn: 89
Scorer: Kesna Clarke (31 min)

Highlights: Fisher Film Crew – Watch here

Fisher moved into third place in the SCEFL Premier Division after a hard earned 1-0 win over Bearsted with Kesna Clarke’s fifth goal in eight games separating the two sides. For the first time this season Fisher were able to name an unchanged starting line-up, with just one change on the bench as Richesse Mvioki came in for Billy Brown. However, despite the familiar line up Fisher struggled for fluency in the early part of the game, taking a while to get used to the large pitch and as a result large gaps developed between the defence and midfield, blunting any decent build up play. The hosts profited from Fisher’s hesitant start and an early cross flashed across the face of the goal and Isaac Ogunseri had to beat away a couple of fierce efforts from the edge of the box.
A quick reshuffle of formation saw Fisher quickly improve and play higher up the pitch, with Charles Yiadom- Konadu’s influence on the game increasing. A period of Fisher pressure saw two in-swinging corners from Armani-Jordan Martin clawed away from under the home goalkeeper’s crossbar and when one was recycled back across the box by Courtney Barrington, Martin fired in a powerful low drive that was beaten away at the near post by keeper Frankie Leonard. It looked only a matter of time before Fisher would break the deadlock and just past the half hour mark the goal duly came. Mayvin Vigneswaran won the ball inside the Fisher half and fed Armani-Jordan Martin on the left wing, who in turn slipped the ball into the box for Courtney Barrington to run onto. Barrington twisted and turned before firing in a low cross that deflected into the chest of Kesna Clarke, who calmly nudged it down and turned to fire home into the roof of the net from eight yards out. Buoyed by the goal, Fisher pushed forward and forced several more corners, all of which threatened, with pinpoint delivery from Martin and Yiadom-Konadu and another low shot from Martin was turned around the post, as Fisher ended the half very much in control, helped by a sin bin for a Bearsted player for disputing a team mate’s yellow card, which also saw their bench booked for their protests.
The second spell started with Fisher almost scoring a bizarre second. Leonard left this area to clear down the left but, his clearance only found Ed Sata, whose opportunist lob from a full forty five yards looked to be floating in, before bouncing just short of the line and up onto the bar. With Leonard furiously backstepping, he fell into the back of the goal as Barrington looked to turn home the rebound, but despite his foot being caught in the netting the young keeper somehow threw himself forward bringing half the goal net and frame with him to block the ball before it crossed the line. Clarke was then denied a second when a linesman’s flag went up as he rounded Leonard from Barrington’s neat through ball, in what was to become Fisher’s last real sight of goal as for the remaining thirty minutes Bearsted took the game back to the Fish in search of an equaliser.
Ogunseri had to be on his best form to dive to his right to keep out a fierce shot from just inside the box and with a seemingly never ending supply of balls into the Fisher area, he selected well when to catch and when to punch to keep Bearsted at bay. As Bearsted pushed for a leveller, the game became more heated and Djadja went into the book for some shoving with a Bearsted forward who was also carded, before Ryan Blake’s kick out at keeper Ogunseri, as he went to clear, saw him red carded and the hosts down to ten men. Despite intense home pressure Fisher stood firm, with every player putting in a full shift to close and harry, ensuring Bearsted got no clear sight of goal. However in the ninth minute of the five minutes added time, all Fisher’s good work looked to have been undone by a careless back pass that fell straight into the path of substitute Connor French, but Ogunseri was alert and raced from his goal to magnificently throw himself and block the strikers run on goal and with Fisher clearing the resulting corner, the final whistle signalled a well earned win.