Rusthall 2-1 Fisher - I'm disgusted to watch that game today, I'm going home embarrassed today, says Fisher boss Ajay Ashanike, as direct Rusthall, yes you read that right, direct Rusthall maintain their unbeaten home League record

Rusthall 2 – 1 Fisher
Location	Jockey Farm Stadium, Nellington Road, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 8SH
Kickoff	10/03/2026 19:45

RUSTHALL  2-1  FISHER
Presence & Co Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division
Tuesday 10 March 2026
Stephen McCartney reports from Jockey Farm Stadium

RUSTHALL assistant manager Lee Chambers says the four play-off spots in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division are still all up for grabs for eight clubs after his side maintained their unbeaten home League record with a dramatic last-gasp victory.

Second-placed Fisher arrived at Jockey Farm Stadium on a seven match unbeaten run, since losing 2-0 away to their League rivals Punjab United in the last 16 of The FA Vase on 7 February.

Rusthall last played a home game on 20 January, with an impressive comeback 4-3 win over their neighbours Tunbridge Wells in the Challenge Cup Quarter-Finals and Jimmy Anderson’s side have since lost four of their last seven games.

Fisher humiliated relegated side Hythe Town 5-0 at St Paul’s on Saturday, while Rusthall suffered a 4-0 defeat at Phoenix Sports – and both produced a poor game of football, watched by a sparse crowd of 116 here tonight.

Referee Nicholas Croucher awarded a controversial penalty to Fisher, which led to attacking midfielder Armani-Jordan Martin finding the bottom corner.

The Fish looked on course to joining Westfield (FA Cup) and Tunbridge Wells (FA Vase) as being the only sides to win here this season, as the game entered the 87^th minute.

Referee Mr Croucher awarded Rusthall a soft penalty, which centre-half Robbie Bissett drilled in his fifth goal of the season – before giant central midfielder Thompson Adeyemi produced an outrageous finish from a set-piece to snatch a stoppage time winner to send a celebratory Rusthall into fifth-place in the table.

“It was a tough game. We knew Fisher, one of the inform sides in the League, they are where they are in the table on merit and we knew we were going to be in for a tough game today,” said Chambers.

“We’re not in the greatest form at the moment ourselves and after reaching the Cup Final last Tuesday (winning 2-1 at Larkfield & New Hythe) and picking up a defeat in the League against Phoenix, we needed to really bounce back in the League quickly – and what a way to do it tonight!

“We knew they were going to come and press us. It was trying to be patient on the ball, try to build possession and just try and be patient with what we do today, try not to force anything to happen and we felt at times tonight we tried to do that.”

Fisher manager Ajay Ashanike added: “Gutted, that’s all we can say. We’re gutted but again at the final whistle you can tell, you never believe they’re part of the play-offs, you think they’re surviving for their lives at the bottom of the League, the way they celebrated. It is what it is.  It just shows what level the boys should be at and I’m proud of them tonight. They’ve done really well but gutted that we couldn’t get the three points.

“I thought both teams on the night wasn’t good enough. We didn’t get the ball down and for reason Rusthall turned into Punjab. Everything was just going long!

“I think most of them probably watched our games and just think that’s the best way to play against us is to just pump the ball long. It’s so ugly. That’s not Rusthall’s style. I’m very, very embarrassed to watch football like that tonight.”

When asked why Anderson’s men changed their style of play tonight, a far from impressed Ashanike replied: “Honestly, you can always ask them because I think it’s desperate. They’re desperate now. They haven’t won, they’ve been getting battered and they changed the style of play today.

“It’s worked for them to be fair but we should’ve been out of sight already but that’s the way they want to play now. If it gets them points, good luck to them, but I believe the club would lose a lot of players if they carry on playing like that because they’ve got some good footballers in this club and they should not be playing like that!”

The first-half saw both sides cancel each other out, with Rusthall holding midfielder Frank Griffin pulling the strings and involved in most of the openings, especially taking some high quality set-pieces.

Rusthall winger Ayodeji Owoeye drew a foul from Fisher right-back Jack Gibbons within the left-channel and Griffin’s inswinging right-footed free-kick was palmed over the crossbar by visiting goalkeeper Isaac Ogunseri, with 10:21 on the clock.

Ashanike said: “I felt like it was an ugly game, like I said, like both. They couldn’t get the ball down. Every time they got it, they’re lumping it. We’re trying to play, they’re breaking it down with free-kicks after free-kicks. What can you say really?

“It wasn’t a good football game today. It just feels like the FA Vase game that we played (at Punjab), just ugly football. It didn’t look pretty. I’m sure the fans won’t be happy with that – but they got the three points and that’s all that matters to them.”

Fisher left-winger Rafael Garcia fouled Rusthall’s quiet attacking midfielder Jack Kirby and Griffin drilled in the resulting free-kick into the box, which fell to Adeyemi, whose right-footed shot on the turn sailed over the crossbar from 18-yards.

Fisher’s holding midfielder Tyron Mbuenimo crossed the half-way line and played the ball up to Garcia, who brought the ball down from outside the box, before laying the ball off into high left-back Lorenzo Duncan, whose left-footed drive deflected over the crossbar, for a Fisher opening with 17:56 on the clock.

Rusthall right-back Rahman Kareem cut inside before playing the ball out wide to Owoeye, who played the ball into Kirby, who took a touch before drilling his shot past the right-hand post from 25-yards, as the first half produced little quality.

Rusthall called Ogunseri into making a save with 29:07 on the clock.

Griffin played the ball along the deck to release right-winger Joshua Reid, who charged towards the by-line before cutting the ball back to Griffin, who swept his right-footed shot towards the near corner, which was tipped towards safety by the Folkestone Invicta loanee keeper.

“In the first half there were a couple of good bits of passages of play from us, without really creating a real big chance,” added Chambers.

“I will say there was a few half-chances but some good build-up play and that was one of the chances where it got tipped wide from Griffin’s strike.

“I think the first half was a pretty even game, really don’t think there were too many goal threats from either team.  I think a draw in the first half was a fair reflection and I think second half it was can we just be a little bit more neat and tidy with our approach and hopefully we could get ourselves in front in the game.”

Ashanike added: “He tipped it away. That’s not a threat to us. It’s what we see every week, huff and puff, huff and puff but look Isaac is there to save those kind of shots, so it’s not realty a big deal to us and he dealt with them really well for 85 minutes really.”

Ogunsei’s big kick was hit down the left-channel and was chased by Garcia, who had his progress halted by Rusthall centre-half Daniel Blunn.  Garcia held his composure to cut the ball back for Martin, who cut inside Kareem but his right-footed angle drive from 22-yards sailed high over the Rusthall crossbar.

Fisher finished the first half on the front foot and their best chance of the half arrived with 39:14 on the clock.

Centre-half Conor Darwish travelled over the halfway line before feeding high 17-goal left-back Duncan, whose first time pass fed striker Festos Kamara within the left-channel and his cross was cleared out to Martin, whose right-footed shot from 22-yards was clipped straight into Reece Hobbs gloves for a comfortable catch from inside the D.

Ashanike admitted: “I feel he should be doing better than that, if you get a chance like that It’s not even a half-chance, edge of the box. He knows he can be doing better than that. He should be scoring those kind of chances.

“Again, they worked it really well. We tried to get it down. It was a bobbly pitch but we tried to get it down and tried to play our way and we fell short tonight.”

Chambers added: “That was a good save and that was probably their only chance for them in the first half. I don’t really think they’ve created too much in front of goal tonight to be fair.  Reece (Hobbs) has pretty much had a comfortable evening.”

But both sides had cancelled each other out during the first half stalemate, with the referee calling time on the first half after only 36 seconds into stoppage time, although the official played the usual six minutes (and three seconds) in the second half.

Chambers said: “We were a little bit frustrated because like I say we were getting into some good areas and it was the execution on the pass, the cross in and around the box really and it was just to take a little bit more care, a little bit more pride in what we do, when we get in and around the box and hopefully to create a few more chances on goal.”

Ashanike admitted he wasn’t expecting Rusthall to ditch their passing game to play direct football.  Goalkeeper Hobbs often played the ball short to Bissett, who often travelled towards the half-way line but it was like watching a game in Gravesend, at the Elite Venue, the home of Chipie Sian’s Punjab United.

“Come away from Tunbridge Wells and come and play football. If we’re going to Punjab, we know what we’re dealing with. If we go to Tunbridge Wells, we know what we’re dealing with and when you come here and they do totally different to what they’re used to, then obviously they caught us off guard,” said the Fisher boss.

“It’s credit to their management team and their players. They got the three points that they needed today but yes, it wasn’t a good game at all.

“It’s easy to play against teams like this, it’s so easy, as long as you keep your shape, there’s nothing that they can do to you and that’s not even their style, so it was ugly and they have to do everything to get three points.   Credit to them, look, they got the three points but it’s massive luck that they got the three points.  They got away with three points today, that they shouldn’t got away with it.”

Rusthall’s 16-goal striker Charlie Clover launched six long throws into the Fisher penalty area – a tactic that Anderson hardly uses.

Clover threw the ball in from the left, the ball was cleared out to the unmarked Griffin, who cracked a right-footed drive which deflected across Ogunseri and sailed past the far post for the fifth of eight Rusthall corners.

When asked about using the long throw and direct approach tonight, Chambers replied: “Yes, I mean we did speak about playing into areas and try to release a bit of pressure off ourselves and sort of try to play in the oppositions half a little bit more.  But yes, Charlie’s (long throw), was just a different tactic that we tried to implement tonight in certain points of the game.

“It’s not always down to the conditions (soft grass pitch). We take into account the opposition and who we’ve got playing in our team tonight and how we can try to counter that really.

“Sometimes you have to have a Plan B on set-pieces, throw-ins, corners and bits and pieces like that. We had to try to utilise something to see if that would give us something else in the game.  Yes, there were a few long throws from us into the box tonight, to try to carve something.”

A far from impressed Ashanike admitted: “Since when, when did Rusthall start throwing the ball in the box?! Honestly, it’s laughable!

“I want to go home (back to Aveley, Essex) today and I feel like I’ve played against a different team today – it’s embarrassing!

“But look, they got the three points. They’ll look at it and say they got the three points but for me that’s an embarrassment of their style of football that they’re looking to play and that will not win a lot of games if they want to play like that!

“That’s the reason why they pulled away from the play-offs last season because they wanted to play this way as well last season. Keep your identity and be yourself and that’s what we say. That’s what I said to my boys. No matter who we’re playing, keep your identity and play the way you want to play.

“I can’t come here (and change) overnight and just start playing long ball and start throwing the ball in the box, that’s not us, but if they want to play like that, they will not be able to match a lot of teams in this level with that kind of ugly football and they will lose a lot of football matches.”

Fisher grabbed the lead – with their second attempt on target – through controversy, with seven minutes and 56 seconds on the clock.

Ogunseri launched a big kick up the pitch, Griffin’s back header got his side in trouble as Garcia latched onto the ball, drove into the penalty area and Bissett was to be the last defender.

However, Bissett clearly won the ball inside his penalty area and felled Garcia and referee Nicholas Croucher pointed to the spot.

Several Rusthall players hotly-disputed the bad decision, so Mr Croucher went over to assistant referee Julian Cowan and between the pair of them, decided it was the right call.

Now, the letter of the Law, Bissett should have received a yellow card – but no card was issued, which made the sequence of events even more bizarre.

Martin stroked his right-footed penalty into the bottom left-hand corner, although Margate loanee Hobbs dived to his right and got a hand to the ball but couldn’t prevent the ball nesting into the net.

Ashanike admitted: “I thought the referee got it wrong! I thought he actually got it wrong. I don’t think it was a penalty!

“I think he (Bissett) nicked the ball straight. I thought it was a really good tackle. If that went against us, I’d be absolutely fuming but he got it wrong.

“But Armani done his job, put the ball away and I thought the keeper got his hands to it, so he done ok there, but yes, it was never a penalty from my opinion.”

Chambers also admitted: “It’s never a penalty in a million years! Never a penalty!  The linesman (Steven Tunnicliffe) in front of me has said ‘wow! I can’t believe he’s given it!’

“Speaking to the ref after the game he’s told me that he’s given a penalty, Robbie did win the ball and it was ‘the force’ that carried him through that enabled to give him the penalty.

“But I saw no force in the tackle. The ball was clearly won. You saw where the ball ended up but he’s there to make a decision and you have to live with it.”

Fisher capitalised on another poor back-header, this time from Kareem, which was pounced on by Fisher winger Eden Deh, who swept the ball into Kamara, who played impressive substitute left-winger Alex Kozak through on goal (in behind Blunn) but he lacked composure inside the box and dragged his left-footed shot across Hobbs and past the far post (15:40).

“Again, we moved the ball really well. That’s what both sides should be doing anyway, moving the ball really well.  We moved it from right to left. Alex should be squaring it. We should be winning the game there but that’s the difference between staying where you are and dropping down the League.

“You have to put away those chances and he was unlucky today.”

Attacking midfielder Tom Jones (15 goals) and winger Alex Kozak (5 goals) were listed as starters on the Fisher team sheet but were relegated to the subs bench after they endured train delays enroute to Tunbridge Wells from the City of London.

“Look, we know what Alex does. With him and Jonesey coming in late wasn’t really ideal for us.  Tuesday night, these boys work in the City and getting here at seven 25 and seven 30 was not really ideal for us but I thought they coped really, really well and I have to be proud of them,” said Ashanike.

“I think the preparation was really bad for us. We’ve got to look at when you’re finishing work and what time you’re finishing work and getting here. You can’t be getting here at seven 30 and thinking you’re going to win a football match.

“Young boys, came in late, travelled from the City of London to Tunbridge Wells tonight is something you’ve got to be proud off and yes it’s something you’ve got to be proud off but for them to face that ugly football, is not right.”

Chambers added: “I mean, again it was a missed chance from them, one of very few chances they had, dragged wide. He probably should’ve done better with it, had that had gone in, it might have been game, set and match for them.

“But we felt like we were hard done by on that penalty decision and it provably actually did get a massive reaction out of the boys and we say this all the time, especially at home, we never give up here and we certainly didn’t tonight.”

Rusthall counter-attacked (19:58) when the impressive Griffin drilled a long ball to release winger Joshua Reid (who was very quiet up until this point), who charged down the left flank with pace before cutting the ball back for Kirby, who took a touch and clipped his right-footed shot from 20-yards straight at Ogunseri for a comfortable catch at hip height, stepping to his left, as the attacking midfielder tried to curl his shot towards the far corner.

“We expect a little bit more from Kirby tonight and in that situation anywhere else it’s past the goalkeeper and it ended up being a bit more of a back pass than any conviction on that finish from Jack tonight,” admitted Chambers.

Ashanike added: “Josh is really electric. Josh is a player I really, really fancy and for him to play in a team like this, he ain’t going to stay long! I will promise he will not stay long with the way they played football today.

“When they got it down and played at that moment, he looked electric and he looked like himself in there and that’s what those boys what to do, they want to excite themselves and if you just want to win football matches in an ugly way, you’re going to lose more games and players like that aren’t going to stay with you for so long, no matter how much money you’re going to give them.  They will not stay because they’re not enjoying the football but Josh is a player that I really, really like and I’ve got my eye on him as well.”

Duncan looped a high ball into the area, which Rusthall cleared their lines and Jones looped his right-footed hooked shot past the right-hand post from outside the penalty area.

A DIRECT Rusthall - yes, you read that right, a DIRECT RUSTHALL were a threat from set-pieces only, with Griffin floating a deep free-kick from the left-flank towards the back stick, which was knocked down by Owoeye and Blunn swept his right-footed half-volley past the right-hand post from six-yards (32:28).

“We thought it took a bit of a deflection but it was a goal kick that was given,” added Chambers.

“Dan pops up with odd (three) goals here and there so probably would’ve wanted it to fall to one of our forward players but from us it looked like it got deflected more than Dan miss the target.”

Rusthall went agonisingly close following their final corner kick of the game (39:50) – but they were over reliant with dead-ball situations tonight.

If Arsenal win the Premier League title with goals coming from set-pieces, I guess managers at this level will try to replicate the North Londoner’s often criticised tactic.  The same way everyone tried to copy Manchester City’s playing-out-from-the-back when Pep Guardiola’s side were successful.

No one wants to watch the ball thrown into the penalty area countless times!

Griffin swung in a quality delivery from the left with his left-foot and Bissett powered his towering header across the keeper and just past the far post.

“Again, another set-piece. Our set-pieces were good tonight. We put some balls into good areas. We asked the question and it’s just millimetres wide from Bissett.  He got up and above everyone else and got a clean connection on it and just whistled past the post,” added Chambers.

Clover launched his sixth long throw into the penalty area from the right and referee Mr Croucher deemed Gibbons had fouled substitute striker Louie Clarke (who had received a caution earlier in the second half despite sitting on the subs bench for something that was said following Fisher’s penalty) inside a crowded penalty area, another soft penalty decision.

Bissett emphatically drilled his left-footed penalty, low, just left of centre past the diving Ogunseri, to restore parity, with 42 minutes and 13 seconds on the clock, to the delight of the small home crowd.

With Rusthall playing like the current Arsenal side – relying on set-pieces to win games – Chambers turned into Arsene Wenger when he was asked about the penalty decision.

He said: “I didn’t really get a clean view of it because the amount of players that were in the box.

“I’m being told it was probably ‘soft as well’ but I can’t really comment on it because I didn’t really see it but Robbie was very cool and calm in front of goal and drew us level.”

Ashanike added: “Again, I don’t think that was a penalty but Justice was done. He equalled it and to me, he had to give it. He had to even it because he done a mess up on the first one that he gave us, so he had to even it up.

“Credit to the boy (Bissett), he picked up the ball and slammed it in the back of the net, which was really good.

“Isaac needs to stay more sensible and more focused. If he stays more focussed he saves that and that’s what happened against Dulwich last Tuesday night. If he stays more focused we go and win that game, so penalties is something that we know that he can do and he just needs to stay more focused on it.”

Blunn drilled a long ball out of defence, the ball was chased by Clarke down the left-channel and he managed to get a shot away, which bounced and was comfortably gathered by Ogunseri, as Rusthall kept knocking on the door.

Rusthall grabbed the victory – with 47 minutes and 17 seconds on the clock – with a moment of sublime individual quality.

Mbuenimo was cautioned for pulling down Clover some 35-yards from goal and Griffin chipped his resulting right-footed free-kick into the six-yard box towards the far post.

With his back to goal, Adeyemi chested the ball, before cracking a sublime overhead kick volley over his head, beating the keeper at his near-post, the ball screaming into the top right-hand corner from a couple of yards out to notch his third goal of the season.

“I mean, some are saying it’s an overhead kick, Thompson, he’s six foot eight, just got his leg higher than anyone else,” admitted Chambers.

“Did I expect to see that from him? No! But I didn’t even think, reflecting back on it, that he didn’t even have much room to get the ball on target an how it found it’s way past the keeper at his near post into the top corner, a little bit of bad goalkeeping - but at that stage of the game, you’ll take it!”

Rusthall’s subs and management ran on to the pitch and Chambers revealed: “We knew what it means, like so far unbeaten here and against a good side. Take nothing away from Fisher, they’re a good side. They’re on merit where they are in the League table but at home we’ve grounded out this result and it’s a big result and a big performance tonight from the boys.”

Ashanike added: “I said to Jordan (Darwish, my assistant manager) ‘we’re going to end up losing this game today’ because we started to get frustrated about everything and we’re giving fouls away that we didn’t need to give fouls away.

“We’ve travelled all the way from London and Essex to come and play that kind of football in Kent is something that I’m not proud off. I’m not proud to be in this kind of game.”

Rusthall were reduced to ten-men (48:53) when left-back Kelvin Boampong was issued with a red-card for a reckless challenge on Gibbons.

“He’s gone high, he’s gone reckless. That’s not Rusthall’s kind of football. I don’t know why Jim’s doing that, or what type of football he wants to play,” said Ashanike.

“We’re all young managers and our generation of football don’t play like that so I don’t understand what’s triggered him to do that but I actually understand because he’s lost a few games and it makes sense.

“You can see at the end of it what it means to beat the boys in black and white or blue and white today, so yes  good luck to them for the rest of the season!”

Ashanike threw on substitute Adejola Lahan (49:48) and he almost repeated the feat with his first touch after only 31 seconds, hitting his overhead kick over the crossbar after meeting Gibbons’ resulting free-kick from the half-way line.

Whitstable Town remain champions-elect, having picked up 67 points from their 27 (of 36) games.

Fisher (49 points – 14 wins, seven draws and six defeats), Larkfield & New Hythe (47 points from 28 games), Bearsted (45 points from 27 games) and Rusthall (44 points – 13 wins, five draws and six defeats) are in the play-off zone tonight.

Erith & Belvedere (43 points from 30 games), Hollands & Blair – 2-0 winners down the road at Culverden Stadium as Tunbridge Wells played their first home League game since beating Bearsted 3-2 on 1 November – (43 points from 28 games) have climbed into seventh-place tonight.

Snodland Town (40 points from 27 games), Sutton Athletic (40 points from 28 games) and tenth-placed Punjab United (38 points from 25 games) cannot be ruled out for a top-five finish either.

Fisher travel to Bromley to take on Andy Constable’s Holmesdale on Saturday, a side that are in 12^th place in this ninth-tier division, having picked up 36 points (11 wins, three draws and 14 defeats).

“Holmesdale are a really good side. AC (Constable) tried to get his boys to play football now, which is good for him. He’s done well this season.

“I think we’re not going to go there thinking we should be winning. We’ve got no right to win a football match, unless we work hard and we play our way.

“Tonight, I thought we played a bit of football but we didn’t really play our way. The opposition didn’t make it easy for us as well with the style of play they made but we were just so unlucky today. Honestly, we were so unlucky today. No one should be wining that football match today, with what I’ve just witnessed!”

Reflecting on his side’s League position, Ashanike replied: “We’re doing ok, we’re doing ok. We’re Fisher and that’s all we do.  We’ll just be ok.

“There’s no target. With everyone else, what they’re doing in their club, everyone else is doing well.

“It’s just good luck to everyone and see where the League takes us. We’re going to take every game as it comes, nine cup finals. There’s no stress on us. If we get play-offs, we get play-offs. If we get second, we get second. There’s no pressure on us. We’re just going to enjoy every single game. We’re going to play football with a smile on our face.

“We need to beat the teams we need to beat and everything else will take care of itself.

“But my boys can’t come here and adapt and play the same way that other teams are playing. We’re not like that. We need to get the ball down and play and just relax more on the ball.

“I feel like missing Charles (Yiadom-Konadu) today was really, really the icing on the cake.  If Charles was there today, we’d be more calmer on the ball and Sha’mar (Lawson) should’ve been getting hold of the game a lot more than he did. 

“I thought they had more legs on us in midfield at stages when they played their route-one football – from centre-backs to strikers ASAP.

“Yes, it’s nuts! I’m disgusted to watch that game today. I was coming out of work today thinking it’s going to be two footballing sides today and I’m going home embarrassed today.

“Like, literally, I’ve never got it wrong and I actually got it wrong today watching that game.  They got three points, they’ll be talking on Twitter.”

“We’ve got a really good squad (of 20) but in the next few days I’ll be looking to sign more boys to get us over the line.”

Meanwhile, The League have allowed Rusthall to switch Saturday’s game against Corinthian to Gay Dawn Farm.

Corinthian sit in thirteenth-place in the table with 35 points (nine wins, eight draws and 13 points) and are a comfortable 16 points clear of the relegation zone, which still contains Hythe Town (eight points adrift of safety with only eight games left) and Stansfeld.

“It’s been moved away now, basically it’s an away fixture purely because the bad weather’s coming in and we’ve got to play them home and away, so it’s going to be away,” explained Chambers.

“Another tough game. They’ve picked up some good results Corinthians, a hard-working team. We always have a good battle against them. It’s Jimmy’s old club, so it means a little bit more as well. Another game that we’ll be looking forward to and hopefully we can build on tonight’s performance and tonight’s result.

“I think from second in the League down to ninth in the League, it’s still all up for grabs.  Some teams have played more games than others.  We’ve probably played the least than any in the top nine but we know games in hand don’t mean anything unless you win them, so we’re not thinking about the games in hand.

“We’re just approaching each game as we see it, hoping to obviously pick up as many points as we can and see where it takes us come the end of April.

“There’s not much rest in between each game now and it’s hard once you play midweek to prepare for the next game as well as getting on the training pitch but we’ve just got to make sure that we try and keep the boys as fresh as possible, recover when we can to give our best chance in the run in.”

Rusthall WILL play Bearsted in the Challenge Cup Final at Cray Wanderers’ Flamingo Park on Good Friday 3 April, after Kevin Stevens’ side came away from First Division side AFC Greenwich Borough with a 4-3 win tonight.

There was speculation doing the rounds here at Jockey Farm that Bearsted may have allegedly played an ineligible player, as Anthony Adesite played for Punjab United in their 3-0 defeat to Holmesdale in the First Round on 30 September.

Adesite was listed as an unused substitute on Football Web Pages for tonight’s tie – but Competition Rules state a “Players nominated as substitutes who do not actually come on to the field of play are deemed NOT to have played.”

However, Stevens has quelled speculation on Wednesday morning to confirm Adesite DID NOT FEATURE in the Semi-Final win at Oakley Road.

Stevens said: “No, Anthony wasn’t there last night for that reason.  FWP has been amended (by our club on Wednesday morning) according to the team sheet.  I don’t know why club’s don’t look at the team sheet and copy it.”

FWP has been amended to four subs, Reuben Jones, Aidan Clark, Ashton Mitford and Joe Wilson.  It originally had listed Adesite and another cup-tied player, Oscar Weight.

The Flamingo Park crowd can look forward to two footballing teams who play football on the deck, hopefully.

“Yes, it’s exciting. It’s good for the fans. We made history last week getting to the Challenge Cup Final (for the first time) and where we are in the League, it’s given us something to play for and something to work towards. Not every club has got that at this stage of the season and we’ve just got to keep focusing on the next game and see where it takes us,” said Chambers.

“We’ve had a good game against Bearsted away from home in the League – we’ve still got to play them here in the League.  They know us inside out, we knew them inside out. We’ve played them enough and it will be another good game for the neutral and hopefully we’ll have a lot of fans down there to support us and hopefully we get the result.”

Chambers was asked about the venue being at a Isthmian League Premier Division club, instead of being at a Southern Counties East Football League rival.

“I was talking to someone the other day. I mean whatever level you play at, normally a Cup Final’s at a ground that’s above your level, so for us it’s going to play in a ground, whether it’s Isthmian League or National League, it’s not a ground you’re not going to play in week-in-week-out.

“It will be another ground that we’re looking forward to going and play. If we can fill it with lots of fans, hopefully it will be a good day and a big occasion.”

When asked what success will be for Rusthall this season, Chambers replied: “From the outset it was to try to get play-offs. If we can make a Cup Final or pick up any silverware along the way, that would be an added bonus.  For us, if we can make the play-offs that would be a great achievement.

“Last year, missing out, finishing sixth, season before that, just staying up by the skin of our teeth. If we can make the play-offs, that will be a great achievement. If we could come out of it (winning promotion into the Isthmian League South East for the very first time) will be one hell of an achievement.

“That’s our ultimate goal, to try to make the play-offs. We’ve got a lot of work to do et but if we can make the play-offs, it would be great for the club.”

Rusthall: Reece Hobbs, Rahman Kareem (Jeffrey Njuguna 68), Kelvin Boampong, Frank Griffin, Robbie Bissett, Daniel Blunn, Ayodeji Owoeye, Thompson Adeyemi, Charlie Clover, Jack Kirby (Louie Clarke 72), Joshua Reid (Jaevon Dyer 71).
Subs: Finlay Lovatt, Serine Sanneh

Goals: Robbie Bissett 88 (penalty), Thompson Adeyemi 90

Booked: Rahman Kareem 43, Louie Clarke 56

Sent Off:  Kelvin Boampong 90

Fisher: Isaac Ogunseri, Jack Gibbons, Lorenzo Duncan, Tyron Mbuenimo, Donald MacAuley, Conor Darwish, Rafael Garcia (Alex Kozak 56), Sha’mar Lawson, Festos Kamara, Armani-Jordan Martin (Adejola Lahan 90), Eden Deh (Tom Jones 62).
Subs: Sonny Thwaytes-Tylee, Nasereldene Crespo

Goal: Armani-Jordan Martin 53 (penalty)

Booked: Rafael Garcia 50, Armani-Jordan Martin 63, Tyron Mbuenimo 90

Attendance: 116
Referee: Mr Nicholas Croucher
Assistants: Mr Steven Tunnicliffe & Mr Julian Cowan