Kentish Football 
Fisher 1-3 Erith & Belvedere - We're not going to beat the panic alarm yet but we need to start growing up as men, insists Fisher boss Ajay Ashanike
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Fisher 
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Erith & Belvedere |
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| Location | St Paul's Stadium, Salter Road, Rotherhithe, London SE16 6NT |
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| Kickoff | 27/09/2022 19:45 |
FISHER 1-3 ERITH & BELVEDERE
Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division
Tuesday 27 September 2022
Stephen McCartney reports from St Paul’s Stadium
ERITH & BELVEDERE joint assistant manager Tony Cornwell says the club have invested this year to try to win promotion into the Isthmian League.
Tony Beckingham’s side have won their first seven league games and are three points clear of Deal Town, with a game in hand, at the summit of the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division table going into October.
The club claimed eight wins at the start of the 1928-29 season and the class of 2022 bounced back from their shock 3-1 FA Vase Second Qualifying Round defeat at Broadbridge Heath at the weekend and made five changes for tonight’s game.
Fisher lost 3-0 at home to Vanarama National League South side Welling United seven days ago, as their epic eight game run in The FA Cup came to an end and they bounced back by winning 2-0 at Forest Hill Park in The FA Vase at the weekend.
However, Fisher have claimed just two points from their opening six games and are now three points adrift of newly-promoted side Sutton Athletic at the foot of the table, without a league win.
Erith & Belvedere took only 93 seconds to open the scoring with striker Nathan Palmer drilling home after a three-man move.
However, debutant goalkeeper Callum Backhurst, 18, who came in on loan from Vanarama National League side Dorking Wanderers, was forced off the pitch with a suspected broken ankle picked up inside the opening four minutes of the game and Erith & Belvedere’s right-back Fraser Walker donned the purple number one jersey and played in goal for 81 minutes.
Erith & Belvedere doubled their lead through debutant centre-half Rob Strachan’s close-range header following a corner, before Nathan Palmer notched his eighth goal of the season with a sublime 30-yarder.
Fisher had more of a go during the early stages of the second half and winger Jacob Katonia slotted in his fourth goal of the season but Beckingham’s men sealed a comfortable victory in the end.
Fisher boss Ajay Ashanike said: “Just gutted, just gutted! We knew how good they were going to be and to be 1-0 down in the first two minutes was something that I couldn’t take. I’m just gutted, gutted about everything really.
“We didn’t turn up today. We could put it down as tired legs or whatever it is. We’ve had a lot of games, I understand that but our quality didn’t show today and that’s really disappointing.”
This was Fisher’s 16th game in 59 days at the start of the season, not helped by drawing all four of their FA Cup ties against Sutton Common Rovers, Sittingbourne, Spelthorne Sports and Welling United.
The Fisher manager admitted his side were suffering from a FA Cup hangover.
“That’s exactly what it is. They need to get their mindset back focused into the league and that’s what we need to do as management as well.
“You can have a good run in the FA Cup or FA Vase and that effects what you do in the league when you come out of the Cup.
“We ask them to turn up and compete and we didn’t compete in the first half. It took us until the second half.
“We’re only in September and we’ve played that many games, it’s ridiculous at the start of the season but the boys have got to keep recovering and keep riding through the wave really and just believing that we can do it.
“I believe once we get everyone back, we’ll get back into our normal position. We’re playing a team like Erith & Belvedere, we didn’t expect to get anything out of the game, just to compete and make it hard for them but we made it too easy for them!”
Cornwell was delighted with the response after their defeat in West Sussex.
“Coming back off the defeat in the Vase on Saturday, we wanted to bounce back straight away.
“This isn’t going to be an easy place to come on a Tuesday night for us because we know they’ve had some good results, especially Cup fixtures. They’ve beaten a couple of Step Four sides and put up a performance against Welling United, who were 80 positions above them.
“We thought if we played our normal passing game, we fancied ourselves to get the points.”
Erith & Belvedere opened the scoring with their first attempt on goal.
Nathan Palmer played the ball into George Monger, who split the Fisher defence with a sublime through ball in behind Joseph Adewunmi to put striker Danny Lear through on goal.
Fisher’s second-choice goalkeeper Justice Owusu came off his line towards the edge of the box and failed to grab hold of the ball and Lear put it on a plate for Nathan Palmer to plant his first-time right-footed drive into the empty goal.
“We changed the system, not so much the system, (five) players today. We wanted to go with pace up top tonight with Nathan Palmer and Danny Lear. Tunde Aderonmu is more of a hold-up player and we felt the pace would hurt them in behind and low and behold in the first couple of minutes we’ve got them turned and got the early goal, which is exactly what we needed,” said Cornwell.
Ashanike added: “Justice done really well on Saturday stepping in for Samuel Amedu, who has done his hamstring as well so he’s out for a couple of weeks as well, but we’ll have a look at him and see how he is for Saturday.
“Justice did really well in the Vase game on Saturday, so we started him tonight and he knows he should’ve done better for the first goal. We’ve just got to go back and reflect on what’s happened there and watch the video back.”
A poorly hit back-pass from Erith & Belvedere’s centre-half Ryan Johnson was intercepted by Fisher’s lone striker Eniyelayefa Amgbaduba, who clattered into the advancing goalkeeper, before slotting his shot past the far post.
Backhurst was helped off the pitch and taken to hospital and Walker donned the gloves and was hardly troubled by a naïve Fisher attack.
When asked why Adam Molloy wasn’t in between the sticks tonight, Cornwell revealed: “Adam unfortunately couldn’t make tonight. It’s only this game he misses. He had other arrangements with he couldn’t get out of so we had to bring in a keeper from Dorking Wanderers.
“I think it was a slightly under hit back pass to him. He’s come out bravely to try to deal with it and unfortunately it could’ve been the forward who got injured or the goalkeeper. Unfortunately for Callum it was him tonight.
“He’s gone to hospital, so it’s a suspected broken ankle. The lad struggled nearly two hours to get here (from his Woking home) to help us out tonight.
“We had an arrangement with Tony Prime (who used to be at Holmesdale with Tony Beckingham), who is the goalkeeper coach at Dorking and we were recommended him and he plays for Dorking Wanderers’ reserves normally.”
When asked whether Walker has any goalkeeping experience, Cornwell replied: “I don’t think he’s played in a match in goal but when we’ve done training sessions, he’s volunteered sometimes to go in goal and he’s done well.
“Most of the matches we’ve played, we’ve had a sub goalkeeper involved but sods law tonight we haven’t got one and we had to put Fraser in but I thought he done well.”
Ashanike added: “I thought the centre-back played the ball short and Eni had every right to go for that ball. Just unlucky for the goalkeeper got clattered. I thought the centre-half could’ve put more on the ball for him to protect him more. We wish him well and hopefully he gets back to playing soon.”
Fisher missed a gilt-edged chance to grab an equaliser in the 19th minute.
Left-back Prince Imoro threw the ball short to Nader Zeddini, who took a touch before whipping in a deep cross, which sailed over Walker’s head but Cedric Nganga’s shot trickled past the foot of the far post from a tight angle.
Ashanike said: “It’s something that we’ve been working on in training for a number of weeks. People like Cedric and Ryan Anderson have come in and most of the things that we’re doing now is new to some of the boys and we can actually see that some of them are not gelling into what we’re doing and it’s something that me and Luke With (assistant manager) have got to review and have a look at whose not buying into it.
“It’s not fully their fault because we’ve not had time to train as well, so we’re just playing matches after matches after matches and we’re not having enough break in between – but no excuses, we were beaten by the better side tonight.”
Cornwell added: “Fraser is not a recognised goalkeeper. I think there was a charge with one of our defenders and Fraser went to claim it but that’s going to happen. They’re going to put our keeper under pressure and basically they are going to make chances but I don’t think they had too many in the first half.”
Erith & Belvedere doubled their lead in the 25th minute following their first of four corners, swung in superbly by holding midfielder George Monger.
The ball sailed over Owusu’s right shoulder and Welling United loanee Strachan buried his downward header into the bottom near corner from a couple of yards.
“Rob scored on his debut tonight. I thought he defended really well and got a bonus of a good goal,” said Cornwell.
“I thought he won his headers, I was impressed. I thought he settled into the side. I thought he was dominant in the air and he formed a good partnership with RJ (Johnson) in the centre.
“It was a great delivery from George, I thought George had a good game tonight.”
Ashanike said: “Again, I believe any team that comes up physicality wise and wants it more, absolutely beats the life out of us and we need to start being a man!
“All I can say to the club and to the fans that will never happen again, not my team. Second half, I made my feelings clear and the boys came out and battled really well and showed what they can actually do when they compete.”
Lear battled for the ball within the right channel and cut the ball into the penalty area, which was cleared by Fisher centre-half Sam Fitzgerald and Monger’s left-footed drive from 25-yards dipped just over the crossbar.
Fisher suffered similar fate in the 35th minute when Michael Sarpong hung over a free-kick from the right and the ball dropped to Fitzgerald, whose shot looped over Walker’s crossbar.
Fisher winger Nganga gave the ball away to Nathan Palmer on the half-way line and he stabbed the ball inside to Monger, who drove forward before cutting onto his left-foot and curling his shot narrowly over top bins from 25-yards.
“George unfortunately for a red card in a FA game, which put him back three games suspended. He’s getting back up to 90-100% match fitness now and I thought he made a difference in there for us today,” added Cornwell.
Erith & Belvedere sealed the deal by scoring their third goal of the game, 38 seconds into stoppage time.
Fisher right-back Sarpong tried to nibble at Nathan Palmer off the ball several times during the first half, which was completely ignored by referee William Donnelly and his two colleagues.
Strachan hit a sublime ball over the top out of defence to release Nathan Palmer down the left. He easily cut inside Sarpong and hit a sublime right-footed drive screaming into the top left-hand corner from 30-yards.
Cornwell said: “I thought, at the moment, goal of the season for us. It was a cracking finish!
“That puts Nathan as our top goalscorer. The thing with Nathan, he’s got so much to his game. He can play in lots of different places, tonight we choose to stick with him, back up front and he’s delivered again.”
Ashanike added: “Nathan Palmer’s got class, he’s class, especially at this level, he's absolute class.
“We know what threat he really brings in, he’s a really good player and any club that has him, they’re really lucky to have somebody like him. He scores from anything, he scores s**t goals and he scores great goals. There’s nothing I can say about him, he’s just a proper, proper player.”
The away side created one more opening during a dominant first half.
Walker hit a long ball down the right channel for Lear to put in a cross towards the near post where Bradley Allen’s looping header was comfortably caught by Owusu, as Erith & Belvedere went into the interval with a commanding lead.
Anishanke said: “They’ve got to be a man, roll up their sleeves and be counted. We were being bulled out there for the first 45 minutes. It just looked like it was a training session for them. They beat us to every second ball, third ball and fourth ball and we weren’t competing at any stage.
“Second half we made one change and we took Nader Zeddini off and we put Michael Sarpong back into centre midfield. Luke Thomas (right-back) was a massive miss for us as well because he gives us that energy on the right-hand side.”
Cornwell added: “Pretty much kill the first 10-15 minutes when we go out for the second half because they’ve got nothing to lose and we knew they would give it a go, trying to get back into the game.
“We had to stop them, if we could, putting us under pressure with balls into the box and putting us under pressure that way.
“We started slowly, if I’m honest, second half. It took us maybe 10-15 minutes to get back into having a little bit more control again but they gave it a good go.”
Fisher came out early for the second half and assistant manager Luke With held a team-talk out on the pitch before the home side started the second half on the front foot, showing more desire and a will to fight their way back into the game.
Ashaike made a tactical switch at the break, which helped.
Imoro switched from left-back to right-back, substitute Conor Darwish came off the bench to play at left-back, as Sarpong joined Oseman Usifoh in the heart of midfield.
Fisher squandered an early opening, following a set-piece.
Imoro threw the ball into the box from the right, Emmanuel Shoderu laid the ball off and Ashanike was critical of Sarpong’s effort, a first-time shot from 20-yards which he sliced over the crossbar.
“It’ something that we’ve been working on. Michael gets a lot of those kind of chances and he just needs to put his foot through it,” said Ashanike.
“All this side-foot nonsense that he does, he just has to cut it out and just hit the ball because he’s got a good strike on him and he just has to believe in it and just strike it!” I’d rather him just strike it rather than do that.”
However, Fisher pulled a goal back in the 50th minute.
Katonia played a long ball down the line and Erith & Belvedere’s left-back Reece Barratt – who was making his 100th start for the club – switched off and tried to play Amgbaduba offside.
However, Thomas Marshall’s flag stayed down and the striker put in a low cross into the box. Walker came out and failed to gather and Katonia steered his left-footed shot trickling inside the bottom far corner, as he was being pressed.
Ashanike said: “Jacob’s been on good form for us, I think the last five games he’s scored three goals. He’s been on unbelievable form and he’s carried on today.
“He was somebody we missed when we went to Cheshunt and he’s come back firing on all cylinder and I believe him and Cedric were the best players on the pitch today, by far. That just shows we’ve got the quality there, we just got to use it.”
Cornwell added: “They got through. I think we were guilty of trying to play the offside. We stepped up and unfortunately it wasn’t offside and we got caught there. That was a poor choice of decision making on the defensive side.”
Erith & Belvedere restored control on the hour and Ryan Palmer (who slotted in at right-back after the goalkeeper injury) whipped a right-footed free-kick from 30-yards towards the near corner, only to be denied by a diving Owusu, pushing the ball around his near post.
Cornwell added: “That’s Ryan Palmer’s first game for us tonight (after leaving Isthmian League South East Division side Sevenoaks Town). We started Ryan in his wide midfield role but unfortunately with Fraser going in goal he had to deputise at right-back, which he’s well capable of doing.”
Monger’s set-piece deliveries were on the money and Lear had two bites of the cherry to send the ball just past the near post from close range at the half-way mark.
Fisher’s first shot on target after the goal arrived in the 69th minute, which clearly upset Ashanike, especially due to the away side’s goalkeeping issue.
Usifoh played the ball out to right-winger Nganga, who cut the ball onto his left-foot and his weak angled drive wasn’t going to trouble Walker at his near post, comfortably picking up the rolling ball.
The Fisher boss said: “That’s why I get frustrated, we need to start growing up as men. It’s a young changing room, I fully understand that, but they need to start understanding the triggers. A team’s got no goalkeeper, you’ve got to put everything on him because if that’s our goalkeeper coming off, there will be shots and crosses everywhere!
“We were still trying to stick to playing good football and trying to look pretty and not being effective and that’s what we were today, ineffective for almost 90 minutes of the game, with no goalkeeper in goal, it’s really frustrating.”
Cornwell said: “I’ve got to be honest, what Fraser did do, he looked quite composed and didn’t look too out of place as a reserve goalkeeper.
“Fisher knew he’s not a regular goalkeeper but I thought his kicking was good, he collected the ball when he needed to. I thought he actually done quite well for us in goal.”
Erith & Belvedere produced a slick attacking raid down the right with Lear and ninth minute sub Tyrell Richardson-Brown linking up before Lear cut the ball back from the by-line and Nathan Palmer’s poked shot forced Owusu to use a strong left hand to push the ball around the post.
Lear’s final contribution to the night was to steer his free header past the near post after central midfielder Jerome Wade put in a deep cross from the left flank.
Fisher should have pulled a goal back inside the final nine minutes following a set-piece of their own, which came in from within the left channel.
Sarpong’s right-footed delivery was high-quality and was put into the corridor of uncertainty but Welling United target Adewunmi steered his free header across Walker, who was rooted to the spot, hitting the outside of the far post.
Ashanike said: “There’s no excuse for that, he’s got to put that away. There’s nothing I can say about that, he’s got to put that away! That wasn’t unlucky, you’re playing against no goalkeeper, you’ve got an open goal and we’re hitting the post. It just sums up our night really, just sums it up really.”
Cornwell added: “A difficult one, I would say, for a normal goalkeeper because it was that delivery that’s inviting between your six-yard area where your defenders are defending but we managed to deal with it in the end and fortunately they didn’t score again.”
Owusu (whose kicking was poor and loopy) was rooted to the spot and was relieved to see Ryan Palmer’s free-kick whistle past the far post from a long way out.
The title-favourites had the luxury of giving striker George Purcell, 34, a 10 minute cameo run-out and he latched onto Nathan Palmer’s pass to cut inside Fitzgerald before sweeping his 25-yarder towards goal, which was comfortably saved by the Fisher goalkeeper.
“George has been out for something like seven months, I think, with a knee injury, which he’s recovering from but we’re trying to get him some minutes to get him up to match speed really. If he can get firing as well, we’ve gone one hell of a striker involved as well,” Cornwell said of the former Barking striker.
Cornwell is delighted with his side’s start to the season, ahead of match day eight and a trip to Bromley to play ninth-placed Holmesdale on Saturday.
“It is a very good start. We’ve put a team together, there’s only two players who were involved with the club last season. It does sometimes take time to gel but if I’m honest we wouldn’t have thought we’d get seven wins out of seven. That doesn’t tend to happen with a new side.
“I’m not saying we’ve played brilliantly in all of the fixtures but I think we’ve done enough to win most of the fixtures.
“The club want promotion and they’ve invested, I don’t know the exact figure if I’m honest, but it’s certainly more than last year and it’s to be involved to try to go up into the Isthmian because it’s never easy when you have to win the league. You can get into the play-offs via the runner-up position. Ideally, we want to try to achieve promotion by winning the league.
“We need to turn up to Holmesdale with the right mental attitude and look to get the three points again. It’s an away fixture against a team that are just above halfway and have competed in most of their fixtures, certainly in the league, so we don’t take nothing for granted. We’ve got to go there and perform and ultimately we got there to try to get the three points.”
Fisher, meanwhile, welcome Canterbury City here on Saturday. Keith Bird’s side came away with a 2-0 win at Lordswood tonight and have climbed up to fourteenth-place in the pecking order with eight points from as many games.
Fisher (two points) and Sutton Athletic (five points from five games) are both in the relegation zone with Lordswood (six points from seven), Kennington (six points from five), Welling Town (seven points from seven) and Punjab United (seven points from seven) also looking over their shoulders.
“We’re trying to get the boys ready for Canterbury on Saturday because that’s a massive game and that is a game we cannot go and lose. We need all three points in that game,” added Ashanike.
“I’m still not stood on the panic station, we’re not going to beat the panic alarm yet.
“I’m looking at the 10th of October, we should be back to full-strength, that’s when I’ll start judging the team, where we are. Until then the boys just have to stand up and be counted and just do what’s best for the team and listen to what we’ve got to say.
“I’ve spoken to the physios and after the tenth we should be firing on all cylinders and everyone should be back and recovered and we’ve got enough depth and quality in the squad that will come in and do really well for us.”
Fisher: Justice Owusu, Michael Sarpong, Prince Imoro, Oseman Usifoh (Patrick Hoy 83), Sam Fitzgerald, Joseph Adewunmi, Jacob Katonia (Nickal David Luzolo 65), Nader Zeddini (Conor Darwish 46), Eniyelayefa Amgbaduba (Ryan Atkinson 65), Emmanuel Shoderu (Darnel Bromfield 76), Cedric Nganga.
Goal: Jacob Katonia 50
Booked: Oseman Usifoh 57, Darnel Bromfield 79, Patrick Hoy 84
Erith & Belvedere: Callum Backhurst (Tyrell Richardson-Brown 9), Fraser Walker, Reece Barratt, George Monger (Jack Miles 83), Rob Strachan, Ryan Johnson, Ryan Palmer, Jerome Wade, Danny Lear (George Purcell 80), Nathan Palmer, Bradley Ryan (Tunde Aderonmu 65).
Sub: Ben Wilson
Goals: Nathan Palmer 2, 45, Rob Strachan 25
Booked: Tyrell Richardson-Brown 67, Ryan Palmer 90
Attendance: 129
Referee: Mr William Donnelly
Assistants: Mr Daniel Payton & Mr Thomas Marshall
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