MATCH REPORT: Staplehurst Monarchs 5-1 Fisher – Kent Senior Trophy

Staplehurst Monarchs 5-1 Fisher
Saturday 23rd November
Kent Senior Trophy Second Round

Attn: 51
Scorer: Charles Yiadom-Konadu (18 min)

Fisher slid out the Kenir Senior Trophy, ending all interest in cup competitions for the season, after failing to cope with atrocious conditions and being well beaten by SCEFL Division One side, Staplehurst Monarchs.
With Mayvin Vigneswaran unavailable Fisher reverted to a three man back line with full backs Jack Gibbons and Ed Sata moving inside to centre back. However, the conditions, with a rain soaked heavy pitch and strong gusting winds meant the resulting five man midfield was largely redundant as passing proved virtually impossible and longer more direct approach was required, with too much space across afforded along the back line when trying and cope with the swirling ball.
Playing with the wind against them, Fisher fell behind within a minute as they got an early taste of the difficult conditions. A looping long throw into the box hung in the wind and was not dealt with and allowed to bounce, with the ball eventually falling to Luke Adams alone in the six yard box, who converted as Fisher looked around to work out who was playing him onside. Inside ten minutes Fisher fell further behind, this time the mud rather than the wind was their undoing as overplaying in their own third led to the ball holding up for the Monarchs winger to nip in and steal possession, and deliver the ball into the box, where it was worked for Jack Hyslop to rifle the ball home. It was almost three as the Staplehurst’s keeper booming kick caught the wind and zipped off the drenched turf to bounce over Ogunseri and as the keeper slipped and slid back to his goal, was rather fortunate to be awarded a foul as Adams went past him tap in off the post.
Fisher finally looked to have settled to the conditions and a surging run from Courtney Barrington on seventeen minutes saw him skip through several tackles and burst into the box with his shot blocked into the path of Charles Yiadom-Konadu, who drilled the ball back through a crowd of defenders to pull a goal back. However, hope for the Fisher supporters lasted only two minutes as a corner from the right swirled into the box and was met by an unchallenged header from Jack Bray to restore the two goal cushion. Fisher tried to link up some passes and did manage some good passages of play on the surface and Jack Lovell worked hard on the right and sent over several good crosses, but Fisher lacked an aerial threat, which was a far easier route to goal than intricate build up play, demonstrated when Staplehurst added a fourth before the break when another swirling delivery from a corner was glanced home by Adams.
With the wind in their favour for the second half there was still hope and an early goal could have changed the direction of the game. It almost cane as Jacob Katonia cut in from the left and his shot flashed across the goal with Jake Lovell’s effort from the recycled ball scrambled off the line. Hope left the ground though five minutes after the restart as Adams got in behind the Fisher three man defence and found Ogunseri off his line, beating him with an inch perfect chip that belied the conditions.
As the game moved on the wind certainly abated from the gale in the first half and the driving rain stopped, but the pitch cut up all the more, making football just as hard as Fisher struggled to find a route to goal. Barrington and Jones both saw curling efforts tipped over, but Fisher never looked likely to close the deficit. Whilst the atrocious weather played a huge part Fisher must also look at a poor performance, with their hosts adapting far better both technically and mentally to the challenge that playing n a storm presented and deservedly dumped the Fish out cup football for the season. Fisher will now need to ensure the remain in and about the play-off spots if a promising season is not to fizzle out into a damp squib.