Fisher 0
Ashford United 5
From Ashford United’s Milton Keynes Correspondent
This
was quite a special fixture, I thought. My first visit to Fisher FC’s brand new
St Paul’s Sports ground, in Rotherhithe. After twelve years of metaphorically
kipping on mates’ sofas, The Fish have returned, this season, to their
spiritual home, on the south bank of the Thames.
I
well remember travelling to Rotherhithe during the 2003-4 season, when (the
then) Ashford Town beat (the then) Fisher Athletic (London) 1-2, at the Surrey
Docks Stadium. That must have been The Fish’s final season at their
5,300-capacity stadium. Interestingly, two men took part in both today’s game
and that 2003-4 Doc Martens Eastern Division fixture, and both led the attack
for their team twelve years ago. Up front for Fisher, on that day, was prolific
non-league goal scorer Gary Abbott, who I seem to remember was just beginning a
Player-Manager stint at the club – he has returned, this season, for a second
spell of management at the club. Spearheading Ashford’s attack, in 2003, was
Adrian Stone, (alongside Joby Thorogood), and I’m delighted that Adrianho has
recently rejoined us, from Thamesmead Town, via Crowborough Athletic.
There
were also, of course, a small number of us hardy souls who were present at both
games……
In
the meantime, the only previous time that I had seen Ashford play Fisher had
been last season’s league game at Dulwich Hamlet FC’s Champion Hill ground,
which the lads made quite heavy weather of, before eventually overcoming The
Fish 1-4 – so I have now seen Ashford play Fisher away three times, with each
game being played at a different ground. A coincidence between last season’s
game at Champion Hill and today’s game is that both matches were Ashford’s
first game following elimination from the FA Vase. However, last season, we
faced Fisher after a glorious Vase run that took us to a quarter final tie against
Salisbury – whereas, last Saturday, the lads bombed out at the first hurdle,
away to Eastbourne Town.
Re-reading
my report on the 2003-4 game, I appeared to be surprised that Rotherhithe
provided a pleasant, residential environment. (I don’t know what I was
expecting – maybe I was being swayed by the proximity of Millwall FC’s ground).
Anyway, St Paul’s Sports Ground nestles in the heart of this residential area,
overlooked by low-rise flats on one side and, famously, by the nearby
skyscrapers of Canary Wharf at one end. The main facilities for the fans at St
Paul’s are a pre-fab stand with four rows of black, plastic seats, on one side,
and a small bar area that occupies the same building as the changing rooms and
toilets.
I
must say that the PA system was good, (which compares favourably with some
grounds in our league, which have no sound system at all), with very
professional announcements of goal scorers and substitutions, and I thought the
complimentary cookie with “FFC” iced on it, in the bar, was a nice touch.
Unsurprisingly, for a new ground, everything was pretty immaculate – including the
3G artificial pitch, which is the first that I have seen in the SCEFL.
One
very useful discovery in the bar, apart from a nice mug of Bovril, was the team
sheets. Ashford United’s line-up included a new name – new signing Frazer
Walker, who appears to be a straight replacement, at left-back, for the
recently-departed Charles Dickens. The versatile Dave Botterill, who played at
left-back in Ashford’s previous league game, away at Rochester United, was
today used in central midfield, in the more defensive role, (a job usually
carried out by the absent Tom Michelson). Danny Lye employed the usual 4-4-2
formation, but today started with Brett Ince partnering Shaun Welford up front.
Ben Davisson partnered Botterill in the centre of the midfield, with the
in-form Rory Hill, and Ryan Palmer, out wide. It was good to see George
Kamurasi in goal, behind a back four consisting of George Savage, Stuart West,
Pat Kingwell and Walker.
There
was real quality on the bench for Ashford, this afternoon, in the shape of Luke
Miller, Adrianho, Mickey Phillips, Danny Lye himself and reserve goalkeeper Owen
McLeod – although the squad continues to look a little thin in terms of
defensive cover.
A
casual observer might look at the result of today’s game and assume that the
0-5 victory of the SCEFL league leaders over the team that started the day five
points adrift at the bottom was a fairly straightforward outcome, and that the
visitors’ clean sheet was something of a formality. The truth, however, is that
goalkeeper George Kamurasi had to work extremely hard to keep his ninth clean sheet
of the season, and was a strong candidate for Man of the Match for his first
half performance alone. Without him, Ashford might well have been a few goals
behind at the interval.
George’s
heroics were necessary because of some very bright, young forwards in the
Fisher line-up, although Ashford looked to be the superior team elsewhere on
the pitch, and our hosts looked decidedly vulnerable at the back, with Shaun
Welford easily able to bully his way through the game. In truth, it always
looked likely that the visitors would be able to score more goals than Fisher,
but the home side deserved better than the 0-5 score line.
Ashford,
in the mostly yellow away strip, made a bright start, playing good, passing
football at a high tempo, with Ben Davisson orchestrating things from midfield.
However, they were unable to trouble young Ricky Wadman, in the Fisher goal –
and the team described as The Pride of Rotherhithe and Bermondsey should have
taken the lead, in the tenth minute, with its first attack, which resulted in
the award of a penalty. The opportunity was created by some quick and incisive
passing in and around the Ashford penalty area, which ended with George Savage
tripping Antoine McKenzie. The referee, sporting John Cumberbatch-style
dreadlocks, and being the shortest chap on the pitch, (with the notable
exception of George Savage), was well positioned, and had no hesitation in
pointing to the penalty spot. Trey Williams stepped up to take the kick, only
for George Kamurasi to make the first of a string of important saves, falling
to his left.
In
spite of this disappointment, The Fish created two further chances soon after.
In the twelfth minute, centre-forward Kieron McMahon ran onto a through ball,
made space for a shot inside the penalty area, but then saw Kamurasi save his
good, low shot. Three minutes later, a free-kick conceded by Ashford skipper
Stuart West, near the left touchline, gave the hosts the opportunity to whip a
dangerous, low cross into the Ashford goal mouth – and, this time, it was David
Botterill who came to the rescue, heading the ball behind, for a corner.
What
defined this afternoon’s game, however, was Fisher’s extreme frailty in
defence, and the first real evidence of this came in the 17th
minute. A sliced clearance by goalkeeper Ricky Wadman, under pressure from the
advancing Shaun Welford, went straight to Rory Hill, whose low, first-time
shot, from well outside the penalty area, went wide of the unguarded net.
Left-winger
Hill, who had scored eight goals in his previous five games, had a further
chance, in the 23rd minute, after Ben Davisson, picking up
possession in midfield, fed the ball to him in his wide-left position. Hill’s
shot, from an acute angle, was saved by Wadman at the near post. Then, two
minutes later, he adopted the role of supplier. After Shaun Welford had spread
the ball out wide to him, he sent in a cross, but Welford’s fairly weak header
went across the face of the goal, and wide.
Generally,
Ashford’s lack of progress, up to this point, had been due to a failure to get
good service through to Welford, but the big man managed to open the scoring,
in the 26th minute, with a chance that was mostly of his own making.
Ricky Wadman once again sliced a routine clearance, and this was immediately
headed back, into the penalty area, for Welford to run on to. Defender Dwayne
Agyemang was between Shaun and the ball, and should have had the situation
under control, but the Ashford striker readily out-muscled him, and thumped the
ball into the net from close range. It was a very soft goal, but, judging by
the reaction of some of the Fisher fans in the main stand, it was not untypical.
On
the half-hour mark, Ryan Palmer had the ball in the Fish net, but did so from
an offside position. Ben Davisson and Rory Hill had combined with a short
corner routine, and found an Ashford player on the edge of the penalty area,
whose shot actually hit Palmer, who was somewhere near the six-yard line. Palms
turned and put the ball into the net, but the lino’s flag was up. Almost
immediately, the ball was at the other end, with Fisher’s Trey Williams with
the ball on the edge of the Ashford area. He made room for himself, with a jink
to the left, but then saw his left-footed shot go just wide of the goal, with George
Kamurasi appearing to be beaten. Seconds later, I think it was Williams, once
again, who ran onto a through ball into the penalty area. He was so far clear
of the Ashford defence that all eyes turned to the lino – but the flag stayed
down. With just George Kamurasi to beat, Williams’ diagonal shot hit the ‘keeper’s
body and spiralled in the air, and would have bounced once before going into
the net, if Pat Kingwell had not got back to clear the ball off the line. (Although
Big George was most eye-catchingly Ashford’s saviour, Danny Lye’s boys were
also indebted to Kingwell for a number of important interceptions and general
good work in tidying up situations, this afternoon).
Kamurasi
was back in action again in the 39th minute, after the ball had
broken nicely for Kieron McMahon in the Ashford area. The blond striker’s
snap-shot was well struck, but George made a good, one-handed save. This gave
Fisher a corner, which was taken long, finding Darius Izukanne, beyond the far
post, but the No.7 shot wide. Then, just two minutes before the end of the
first half, in spite of his commanding performance to date, Pat Kingwell was
beaten “all ends up” by a brilliant turn by Kieron McMahon. Leaving Kingwell
chasing thin air, McMahon careered down the right flank and managed to put in a
cross, but the attack ended with a shot and another excellent, one-handed save
by Kamurasi.
So
Ashford ended the half 0-1 in front. Having played plenty of good football, and
appearing to be in control in most areas of the pitch, they were fairly good
value for that lead, but George Kamurasi had certainly been the busier of the
two goalkeepers.
With
a crowd of 101 looking on, the second half began with a chance at each end.
First, Brett Ince was brave in heading the ball beyond Dwayne Agyemang, in
spite of the proximity of the defender’s boot to Brett’s head, to set himself
free, down the right touchline – but his pull-back from the by-line failed to
find a man in a yellow shirt. Seconds later, Trey Williams appeared to be clean
through on the Ashford goal, but the ball ran through to George Kamurasi.
Ashford’s
second goal came within just two minutes of the restart. It could not be
described as being “soft”, like the opening goal, but it demonstrated the strength
and power of Shaun Welford in the same way. A cross came in from a corner, on
the left, and Welford emphatically found the net with a firm header, from close
range, which actually went in off the crossbar. That was Shaun’s 18th
goal of the season – and his 55th in an Ashford career that has so
far consisted of less than a season and a half of football !
At the other end, George Kamurasi continued to
make important saves, in spite of seeing considerably less action than he saw
in the first half. In the 50th minute, The Fish put together a good
move down the left, with left-back Eli Graham at the heart of it. He pulled the
ball back to Nassim Dukal, whose good, low shot was well saved by Kamurasi. The
lino had his flag up – but George didn’t know that.
It
was when Ashford scored goals three and four in quick succession, in the 55th
and 57th minutes, that it appeared that a rout, (which didn’t
actually happen), might be on the cards. First, there was an attempt to put Shaun
Welford through on goal, in the inside-right channel, but the pass was too
strong, pushing Shaun wide. Nevertheless, he took the ball to the by-line, and
delivered a short, accurate cross which Brett Ince turned in with his head,
from a few yards out. Two minutes later, a quick Ashford break saw the visiting
strike pairing chasing a through ball. Welford managed to get to the ball
before the advancing goalkeeper, directing it into Ince’s path, giving Brett a
tap-in – and that is now five goals for him, for Ashford, this season.
Shaun
Welford had a great chance of completing a second hat-trick of the season, in
the 59th minute, thanks to a neat over-head lob from Ryan Palmer
which put Shaun through on goal – but the No.9 dragged his shot wide, then threw
himself to the ground, in annoyance.
With
Gary Abbott having made his first substitution immediately after Ashford’s
fourth goal, (substituting Antoine McKenzie with Ediz Hoca), Danny Lye made his
first change on the hour mark, with Mickey Phillips relieving the hardworking
Ben Davisson. It was good to see Mickey getting some game time, not least
because he always looks classy, making everything look so easy. He appeared to
be feeling no discomfort from his left knee, which was operated on earlier in the
season.
Shaun
Welford’s next attempt at completing his hat-trick came in the 62nd
minute. A free-kick awarded for a foul on Rory Hill, near the left touch-line,
resulted in a long cross, which found the head of the Ashford target man. The
extent of Welford’s dominance in the Fisher penalty area was demonstrated by
the fact that, having initially got underneath the ball, heading it straight up
in the air, he was able to repeat his attempt at goal, his second header being
scrambled away by Ricky Wadman, for a corner. Shaun was, no doubt, hoping to
claim both a hat-trick and an “assist”.
By
now, the visitors were in complete control, and had several chances to go
further ahead. In the 64th minute, a free-kick awarded for handball,
with Fisher’s defensive wall lined up on the edge of the penalty area, was
tapped square to Rory Hill, whose attempted thunderbolt was blocked. The ball broke
to Ryan Palmer, who side-footed the ball wide, from about six yards out. A
minute later, Dave Botterill did well to intercept an attempted clearance, and
squared the ball to Mickey Phillips, who threaded the ball forward, to the edge
of the Fisher area. There, Brett Ince played a short, square pass to Shaun
Welford, whose firm, left-footed shot was well held by Wadman.
Welford
was replaced by Adrianho, in the 68th minute, but it was Danny Lye’s
final change, which saw Luke Miller being sent on in place of Brett Ince, in
the 75th minute, that led to Ashford’s fifth goal. A long ball into the
Fisher half, in the 76th minute, really should have been dealt with
by the two defenders in attendance; however, with Luke harrying them and
closing them down with his pace, there was always a good chance that he might
be able to create something out of nothing. And, sure enough, he managed to gain
possession and lay the ball off into the path of Rory Hill, who had a clear
sight of goal and time to pick his spot. He steadied himself, before drilling a
low shot into the net.
A
popular goal among the Ashford fans would have been one for Adrianho - especially
for those of us who remember him establishing himself as a promising youngster
in the Ashford Town side, many years ago. Adrian’s best effort came in the 85th
minute, when he did well to intercept a cross that came in from the left, just
managing to nip in ahead of a defender. His attempt, alas, hit the crossbar,
and so, just as in the game in Rotherhithe in the 2003-4 season, our hero
failed to make it onto the score sheet.
Just
as it appeared that Ashford were going to complete an unblemished day – three
points, a clean sheet, no cautions and (apparently) no injuries – the referee
made a strange decision, in the 90th minute, to show Dave Botterill
a yellow card for what appeared to be an innocuous foul. This was all the more
surprising given that this was a ref who seemed to have had a very good game.
Another
slightly curious aspect of the ref’s performance was that he somehow found at
least five minutes of time to add on at the end, but this gave Luke Miller the
opportunity to grab his sixth goal for Ashford. With 94 minutes gone, according
to my watch, a long, lobbed through ball from Savage George presented Luke with
a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper – but the ‘keeper was able to make
the save, on this occasion. The extended time also provided the opportunity for
George Kamurasi to make one more good save, on the way to a hard-earned, and
coveted, clean sheet, for, in the 95th minute, Big George saved a
shot from outside the penalty area by Darius Izukanne.
Elsewhere,
news of a 0-3 defeat for Croydon Athletic, at home to Whitstable Town, further
added to the reasons to be cheerful for the Ashford faithful. On the other
hand, clear wins for Sevenoaks Town, Crowborough Athletic, Sheppey United and
Hollands & Blair meant that this year’s title race continues to be
extremely competitive.
