Fisher vs Lydd Town

Fisher 9 - 1 Lydd Town
Saturday 18 November 2017 - 15:00St Paul's Stadium, Bermondsey

Fisher welcomed Lydd Town to St Paul’s on a wet and dreary afternoon. However, the action was to prove anything but dull, and the hardy bunch of Fisher faithful who turned out despite the weather were well rewarded for their loyalty with a stunning display of attacking football from the home team! A bumper match report follows, which will try to do justice to a stunning match. Videos of several of the goals can also be found here: http://www.fisherfc.org/2017/11/19/goal-frenzy-three-of-fisher-goals-against-lydd/

Dean Harrison named a similar looking line-up to the one that battled so hard to victory last week at Thamesmead. Pat Geddis came in at right back for Toyo Adeshina, and Rob Brown came in to replace the suspended Harry Draper. Toyeeb Babatunde retained the number 9 jersey for his home debut. Luke Haidarovic took the kick off for the home side, and within a minute he had given Fisher the lead! Richie Hamill knocked a free kick into the box, the keeper came out to catch the ball but spilled it and Haidarovic knocked the loose ball into the empty net from close range. A stunning start, and a sign of what was to come! 1-0 Fisher (Haidarovic, 1 min)

Only a minute later, the Lydd keeper was booked after scything down Mathieu Ramsamy outside his box. He was perhaps relieved that the card wasn’t red – his own manager admitted after the game that the keeper could have walked. Richie Hamill took the free kick and drove it across the box, but it narrowly missed both the waiting players and the far post. Fisher were already well on top, and starting to move the ball about very nicely indeed. On 7 minutes, there was some lovely link up play between Geddis, Haidarovic and Babatunde, before Hamill tried to slip Ramsamy in on goal, but the ball was cleared. Only a minute later, however, it was two: a Lydd defender out on the right side of the box played a short back-pass to the keeper, who tried to play the ball but slipped as he did so. Toyeeb Babatunde nipped in and passed the ball into the unguarded net for his first goal in the black and white. 2-0 Fisher (Babatunde, 8 mins)

The Lydd defence and keeper had begun the game very uncertainly, and on 10 minutes more hesitation from the keeper nearly allowed Ramsamy in to finish, but a defender nicked the ball away from him. After the early onslaught, Lydd had their first chance on 12 minutes when a backpass from Agyemang was picked up inside his own box by Nic Taylor. Lydd were awarded an indirect free-kick inside the box and played it short but the resulting shot was blocked by the Fisher wall, then cleared by Hamill.

Babatunde then had two chances to extend Fisher’s lead. On 19 minutes, he was sent clean through on goal from the edge of the centre circle – Lydd’s three man defence played very high up the pitch throughout the game, and the offside trap was sprung on numerous occasions by Fisher. This time, the keeper came 30 yards out of his goal to clear at Babatunde’s feet. Just a minute later, Babatunde was sent clean through again. He flicked the ball over the keeper who had come rushing out again and tried to gather his own pass, but a defender got in to take the ball away from the big number 9. The ball broke to Ramsamy who tried to direct the ball into the empty net, but his shot went over.

Halfway through the half, Fisher did make it three, and what a goal it was. Ash Wright stepped in front of his man at left back to intercept a pass, then laid the ball off to Hamill. Hamill played it down the line to Babatunde, who passed infield to Ramsamy. He knocked a pass into space for Wright, who had continued his run. The ball looked to be rolling out of play, but Wright caught the ball on the byline, played a lovely cross into the box and Rob Brown came steaming in to finish with a side-footed volley. A superb passing move and a great team goal! 3-0 Fisher (Rob Brown, 23 mins)

Lydd’s first real chance came shortly after the re-start when they were awarded a free kick outside the box. It was taken direct but the shot curled just past Nic Taylor’s left hand post. Richie Hamill was next to threaten, going on one of his trademark jinking runs, leaving several opponents on the turf before shooting across goal but just past the right hand post. On 33 minutes, Lydd came close when a curling shot from their number 9, Sims, beat Taylor but curled just past the post. Two minutes later, Sims did pull one back: a similar curling shot, this time from inside the box, nestled just inside Taylor’s right hand post. 3-1 Fisher (Sims, 35 mins)

Dan Flemming nearly restored Fisher’s three goal lead a couple of minutes later, with an audacious attempt at an overhead kick after a Hamill free kick into the box had been headed up into the air. Sadly the ball flashed just wide. Fisher kept pushing for another goal, with Jamie Brown proving a thorn in the opposition’s side as ever. The winger broke into the box and crossed across the face of goal, but Babatunde couldn’t reach the ball. A minute later, he broke through again and another low cross was pushed clear by the keeper. This time Babatunde did gather the loose ball, turning his man and then shooting but the keeper recovered to gather at the second attempt. A minute before the break, Babatunde had another chance, this time seeing a fierce shot tipped over the bar after good work by Haidarovic down the right wing. Right on 45 minutes, Fisher had one final chance, Rob Brown bursting through into the box but the keeper got out to block at his feet before the bouncing ball was hoofed clear.

Half time – Fisher FC 3-1 Lydd Town. A very well deserved lead for the home side, who really could have been further ahead. There had been some lovely possession football in a dominant first half, and the Fisher faithful were delighted with their side’s showing.

The second half continued much as the first had finished, with Lydd playing a high line and being caught out by the Fisher widemen time after time. On 51 minutes, the Lydd keeper had to come a full 35 yards out of his goal to clear from Ramsamy’s feet after one such through ball left the Lydd defence flat-footed. Two minutes later, a similar move saw Fisher get the fourth. Jamie Brown and Babatunde went through two on two, Brown running down the right wing before playing the ball across to Babatunde just outside the box. As the striker shaped to shoot, he was pushed in the back which took some of the power out of his shot, but even though the keeper got a hand to it, he could not prevent the ball from passing him and trickling into the right hand bottom corner. 4-1 Fisher (Babatunde, 53 mins)

Lydd ought to have pulled another back on 58 minutes, when a cross right across the face of goal was begging to be tapped home, but the number 10 took a fresh air swipe and missed the ball altogether. Just a minute later, Lydd came even closer when a thumping shot from 20 yards out thudded off the base of Nic Taylor’s right hand post and clear. The game then saw a fairly scrappy period, punctuated with a good chance for each side. First Fisher came close, Dwayne Agyemang hitting the bar with a header on 61 minutes after Ramsamy had bamboozled his man on the edge of the box and stood up a delightful cross to the back post. Then it was Lydd’s turn, a direct free kick on the edge of the box being tipped wide by a flying Nic Taylor on 68 minutes. That was the last time Lydd were to threaten, however: for the remaining 20 minutes it was all Fisher as the home side’s superior fitness told once again, just as it had the previous week at Thamesmead when down to 10 men.

On 69 minutes, Richie Hamill broke through on the halfway line, the defence backed off to cover the men out wide, so Hamill kept going himself, running all the way into the box and dinking the ball delicately over the keeper. Sadly for Fisher, Hamill, and his watching band of mates in the Dockers End shed (Saturday was Hamill’s birthday – happy birthday, Richie!), a defender got back to clear the ball off the line. So nearly five, but within a matter of seconds it was. Jamie Brown gathered on the right, broke into the box and finished coolly with a lovely dink over the advancing keeper. 5-1 Fisher (Jamie Brown, 69 mins)

Five minutes later, Toyeeb Babatunde crowned his home debut in style with a third goal. Again, the hapless Lydd defence parted like the red (and green) sea, and Fisher were left with a three on one situation. Babatunde charged down the right hand side. He had two men to his left, but he had no intention of using them. He ran all the way into the box himself, drew the keeper and then absolutely thumped the ball into the roof of the net despite two defenders closing in on him. Dave Anderson caught the moment in one of his typically fantastic photos (see here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/brockleylion/38451087866/) – the keeper is left on his head, and probably thankful he didn’t get in the way of the ball or he would have ended up in the net too! 6-1 Fisher (Babatunde, 74 mins)

Fisher made their first sub immediately after the goal, taking Jamie Brown off for the returning Paulo Facchinetti. On 78 minutes, another lovely move saw Fisher make it seven. Ramsamy picked up on the left hand side just inside the Lydd half. He cut infield past two men, played the ball into Babatunde’s feet on the edge of his box and continued his run to pick up Babatunde’s deft flick inside the box before finishing low across the keeper. The diminutive Frenchman just can’t stop scoring for Fisher, having netted in every one of his four games so far. 7-1 Fisher (Ramsamy, 78 mins)

Hat-trick hero Babatunde was taken off to a standing ovation, having made a real impact in his first game at St Paul’s. His finishing was lethal, but his link up play and tireless running did not go un-noticed either by the Fisher faithful. He was replaced by Jack Bullock. It seemed as if the game was petering out, but that was without reckoning for Richie Hamill’s hunger and desire. On 84 minutes, the midfield maestro sent a wicked cross into the box, but there were no takers. Three minutes later, with his mates serenading him with a loud chorus of Happy Birthday (and some other unmentionable chants), he shot from inside the box but the keeper got down to block.

Hamill then turned provider again, allowing his midfield colleague, Rob Brown, to get on the scoresheet again (if his mum is reading, yes he really did score twice!!). Brown ran onto Hamill’s simply exquisite through ball and sent a lovely lobbed finish over the keeper and into the net. 8-1 Fisher (Rob Brown, 87 mins)

The scoring wasn’t over yet, however: right on 90 minutes, a shot inside the box from who else but Richie Hamill was blocked by the keeper low at his right hand post, and Jack Bullock nipped in to stick the loose ball home with a real striker’s finish. A first goal in the stripes for the young forward, and he ran to celebrate with the fans behind the goal. 9-1 Fisher (Bullock, 90 mins)

The Fisher’s faithful’s thoughts had turned to the final game of last season and the thumping 10-1 victory over Erith Town. No-one present that day could believe they had seen double figures – could Fisher really repeat the feat so soon? Sadly for Fisher, the ref brought proceedings to an end very swiftly after the ninth goal, perhaps taking pity on Lydd Town by not insisting on much additional time.

Full time: Fisher FC 9-1 Lydd Town. A wonderful attacking display by Fisher, who were well on top throughout but simply rampant in the final half hour. Great passing, great movement and some tremendous team goals, not to mention an inspired performance by Richie Hamill (even by his own high standards) and a debut hat-trick and assist for Toyeeb Babatunde. An unforgettable day for the 82 hardy souls who turned out in pretty miserable conditions!

Sponsors’ man of the match: Saturday’s match was sponsored by Cocke Vellacott & Hill (http://www.cockevellacottandhill.co.uk/), an accountancy firm based just down the road on Surrey Quays Road. Our thanks again to them for their generosity, and we hope they enjoyed the day and will be back at St Paul’s again soon! They chose Toyeeb Babatunde as Saturday’s man of the match.

Fisher FC 9-1 Lydd Town
Saturday 18 November 2017
SCEFL First Division

Fisher:
Luke Haidarovic 1
Toyeeb Babatunde 8, 53, 74
Rob Brown 23, 87
Jamie Brown 69
Mathieu Ramsamy 78
Jack Bullock 90

Lydd Town:
Tim Sims 35

Attn: 82

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