Fisher 1 Jersey Bulls 2
Saturday 12th November 2022
FA Vase Second Round

Fisher have been a club I’ve wanted to visit for years but somehow never quite got around to, mainly because I thought it was a tough place to get to by public transport. When I took on the Thames Bridges Trek back in September I’d hoped, as it finished in Bermondsey, that I’d be able to go to the St Paul’s Sports Ground after finishing the walk but this was dashed by a postponement of the Fisher match that Saturday. This FA Vase game intrigued me so I decided this was the time and the journey was painfree and a lot easier than I thought so all good!

I arrived at the ground around 12.30pm for this early kick-off, paid the £8 entrance, bought a top quality programme for £2 and headed to the cabin for something to eat. Plenty of choice burgers, chicken burgers, vegan burgers, hot dogs and jumbo hot dogs (my choice) all for very reasonable prices. The hot dog was lovely. It was there I chanced upon meeting Kenny, a local who’d been brought up in the area and had a great chat with him about all things non-league, Millwall (obviously!) and hearing some of his stories about his days of following football all around Europe. A top man.

I did what all visitors do when going to Fisher, took a picture of the ground with the iconic Canary Wharf as it’s backdrop, Is there a better backdrop in non-league football? Let me know!

In the run up to the game I’d been speaking to Chris Walker, @MottysMic on Twitter, who is a groundhopper and also does radio commentary on Jersey Bulls games on the mainland on his radio channel CW Sport Radio. Another top man and very interesting to talk to and see his radio set-up.

With it being Remembrance weekend, Fisher had a veteran taking donations for a range of poppies and was someone who gave me a great tip about attaching them so you don’t lose them. We had an immaculately observed minute’s silence before the game (picture below from just before).

Onto the game itself and, being a cup game, it had the frantic start you’d imagine. After an even first few minutes Fisher had the first real chance when Darnelle Bailey-King picked up the ball just inside his own half and showed an incredible burst of speed to take him past two defenders and into the area but blazed his effort just over the bar with the Bulls keeper Van Der Vliet advancing. On 14 minutes Fisher took the lead when a lofted ball from Sam Fitzgerald found Eni Amgbaduba who controlled well, turned the defender, saw his first effort blocked but picked up the rebound and steered it into the bottom left hand corner. 1-0.

Ben le Rougettel had an curling shot for the Bulls as they looked to respond to going behind but that just curled wide of the post. The Fish nearly doubled their lead in the 21st minute when nice play by Cedric Nganga took him into the area where he squared it to Amgbaduba but a last ditch challenge just took it away from him before he could pull the trigger.

In the 23rd minute the visitors were reduced to ten men when Miguel Carvalho was given his marching orders for a rash lunge which caught Alli Abullahi. There followed a bit of a lull following the red card with Jersey trying to regroup and keeping possession of the ball for long periods but without really troubling Justice Owusu in the Fisher goal. Late on in the first half the Bulls did force a couple of free kicks just outside the box, the first curled just wide by
Jay Giles and the second, a Ruben Mendes effort which was saved smartly at full length by Owusu with the resulting corner coming to nothing.
H-T: Fisher 1 Jersey Bulls 0.

The second half started much as the first half ended, with Jersey passing the ball about nicely, retaining possession but seemingly unable to unlock the resolute Fisher defence. The pace of the Fisher front men still looked dangerous on the break, a defensive clearance was controlled nicely by substitute Patrick Hoy and played into the path of Bailey-King who drove into the area, his shot forcing a save from Van Der Vliet.

The Bulls were edging closer to finding a way back into the game and Lorne Bickley hit a shot on the turn from the edge of the area which just went the wrong side of the post. A good run down the right by Frank Tobin was ended by a trip on the edge of the area but Giles’ free kick was blocked. A cross from Jake Prince was flicked on by Johnny Quene and a stretching Bickley just put the ball wide. The pressure finally paid off in the 74th minute when a lovely move involving Adam Trotter, Bickley, Quene and a lovely dummy from Prince released Bickley in the area and he stroked the ball past Owusu to level the tie. 1-1.

Both teams pushed for the winner in the last 15 minutes, Bailey-King again showed great pace to break clear and try to round the keeper but a strong hand from Van Der Vliet snuffed out that chance and a good save from Owusu at the other end led to a corner which caused a melee in the six yard box until Quene finally lifted a snap shot over the bar. In added time the Bulls snatched the win they probably deserved from a dominant second half performance.
A deep corner was bundled in at the far post by Luke Campbell from close range as the threat of a penalty shoot-out loomed. 1-2

F-T: Fisher 1 Jersey Bulls 2.

A cracking cup tie which had a bit of everything. Good luck to the Bulls in the next round and good luck to Fisher for the rest of the season. I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the St Paul’s ground and met some fantastic people. Kenny, Chris and also great to chat to Ian Murphy, @FisherWomble94 on Twitter, who produces the superb programme at Fisher. My intention at the start of this project was to get back in touch with the non-league game, get out there and meet many of the interesting people involved in the game and this match was a great example of that. Many thanks to all!

Abbey Rangers 5 Sheerwater 0
Saturday 19th November 2022
Combined Counties Football League Premier Division South

With another train strike in place involving GWR taking place on the Saturday, I had to hastily change my choice of game from Thatcham Town to Abbey Rangers, a club that have been on my list all season, and even more keen after hearing really good reports from groundhoppers on Twitter. The bonus for me was a nice half hour journey on two trains which went without a hitch for a change! I arrived at the club around 1.30pm and, after a quick look around the ground, went into their club house which is spacious with a decent bar and, considering some I’ve seen this season, quite a large kitchen.

A good looking menu with plenty of choice, I decided, as is my wont, on their biggest burger, the Dirty Burger, a quarterpounder, bacon, melted cheese topped with fried onion rings all for £5. In the words I used on Twitter, it turned out to be ‘a darn fine burger!’ Apparently their chicken nuggets are pretty damn good too, it’s not often a football club has a Trip Advisor recommendation for chicken nuggets so they must be good! So, burger down I went for my customary wander around the ground, as mentioned along with the large clubhouse behind the goal, they also have a couple of little stands on the left and the pitch looked in stunning condition considering the rainfall we’ve had recently.

So, onto the game. Highflying Rangers would have been fancying their chances with Sheerwater recently experiencing some internal turmoil and that is just the way it started. From the off Abbey took the game to their visitors and had an early chance when Ross Murdoch found space inside the area but his effort went tamely into the side netting. A matter of minutes later the hosts were ahead. A quick pass through the middle found Murdoch, he played it on to Charlie Postance who controlled well, turned the defender and curled a shot around the despairing fingertips of Ben Gammage in the Sheers goal. 1-0.

It wasn’t long before Rangers doubled their lead. A fantastic defence splitting pass from Micky Coppinger again gave Murdoch the chance to run into space and pass the ball into the net past the advancing Gammage. 2-0.

Being two down early on you’d have thought the heads might have dropped a little from the visitors but that certainly wasn’t the case. They battled back and had a lovely four man move across the pitch from left to right which ended with a ball cut back from the byline into the six yard box being cleared by a last ditch piece of defending and away for a corner. The corner was cleared. Sheerwater were looking dangerous on the break and had a couple more half chances as they continued to try to find a way back into the game, the best of these being a sweetly struck shot from outside the box by Anton Vorukov which seemed destined for the top right hand corner but for a stunning fingertip save from Sam Gray.

The hosts tried to regain control and had a couple of chances to increase their lead before the break. Murdoch and Jae Kelly combined well down the right
and found Postance ten yards out but his shot ballooned over the bar. Murdoch and Kelly linked up again on the next chance but Kelly put his weakly hit shot straight at the keeper and, moments later Kelly again raced into the area but could only put his shot into the side netting.
H-T: Abbey Rangers 2 Sheerwater 0.

The second half started in a similar fashion to the first with Abbey on the front foot. Kelly won a free kick in a dangerous area just outside the right hand side of the box, Coppinger chipped the resulting kick onto the head of Murdoch at the near post whose flicked header made it three. 3-0.

Again the hosts scored a quickfire second when Jack Carrod made a great run down the left wing, going around one and then cutting back inside past another defender and finished well, putting the ball through the legs of Gammage. 4-0.

Rangers were now in complete control and some nice play by George Chandler freed Carrod again but he snatched at the shot and it drifted wide. Sheerwater continued to battle and worked the ball around nicely but the final ball just seemed to escape them although Gray did have a couple of difficult crosses to keep him on his toes. A long ball down the middle fell to Kelly on the right, this time he cut inside and stroked a shot into the bottom corner for a deserved goal. 5-0.

Abbey almost made it six when a lovely flighted ball from Coppinger found Murdoch in the area who met it nicely on the volley only to see it go just over the bar. Sustitute Oscar House had the last real chance of the game but saw his well hit effort parried away by Gammage with a full length dive. The game ended with a brief handbags confrontation but well dealt with by referee Mr Wyatt whom I thought had a good game and controlled the game well.
F-T: Abbey Rangers 5 Sheerwater 0.

Rangers deservedly won the game and could have had more had they not wasted a few too many clear chances especially in the first half. They were a lot more clinical in the second and will have sent the majority of the crowd home happy. Sheerwater battled on gamely and never let their heads drop and hopefully they’ll be able to take that into their forthcoming games. Throughly enjoyed the day and thank you to everyone at Abbey for their hospitality and making me feel so welcome. Best of luck to both sides for the rest of the season and there’s every chance our paths will cross again in the new year!

Wokingham & Emmbrook 2 Holyport 0
Saturday 26th November 2022
Combined Counties League Premier North

Another Saturday, another train strike. With this in force I had to postpone my trip to Dartford and head instead to a foot of the table Combined Counties Premier North local derby. With both sides languishing on 11 points (with Wokingham having played 7 games more than Holyport) this one could easily be described as a relegation six-pointer, even at this stage of the season. A dull and dismal day with the threat of rain in the air, the pitch heavy after all the incessant rain throughout the week, this was going to be a real test for both sides.

I got a lift to the game courtesy of Andrew Batt and made the clubhouse my first port of call for a pre-match burger. Once again a quarter pounder with cheese and bacon (this season is definitely going to take its toll on my arteries!) which was nice if a little pricey. Lowther Road is a ground I’d been to previously but that didn’t stop my wander around the pitch ritual especially as I needed to walk off the burger! At five to three the players and officials came out with the floodlights already on due to the darkening skies.

The game started as a local derby should, at a frenetic pace, and the first goal didn’t take long to arrive. In the second minute a cross into the area from the pacy Allen Bossman was headed onto a Holyport arm from less than a yard away inside the area and the official pointed to the spot. It looked harsh and I’m not really sure how the defender is supposed to get out of the way in that situation. It certainly wasn’t deliberate but I suppose these are the laws of the game in this modern era. Bossman took the kick and confidently struck it cleanly to the left with keeper Matteo Giacobbe going the other way. 1-0.

Holyport responded, winning a free kick 35 yards out. This was curled into the area by Harry Hoath but was overhit and went straight into the arms of Woodhead in the Sumas goal. Alex Dimitrijevic was then hauled down on the right hand edge of the area with the Holyport bench shouting for a penalty even though it was clearly outside. The referee waved the appeals away much to the disgust of the visiting bench.

Wokingham had a chance of their own moments later when a good run down the right by Joao Jardim ended in a nice cut back to Seb Linturn who fired just over. A quick break from the visitors found Dimitrijevic on the edge of the area, he turned well and got a shot away but this was easily dealy with by Woodhead. The Sumas were looking the more dangerous in the final third and almost doubled their lead with a neat training ground corner kick routine. Sam Mead played the ball into the area along the ground, Bossman dummied and Jardim ran onto it but put his shot just wide.

Next, the visitors won a corner on the right which was curled in left footed by Hoath with the ball ricocheting around the six yard box before being scrambled clear by the hosts. Holyport’s captain Fabien Etienne launched a long diagonal pass for Christian Johnson to run onto but he just couldn’t get control of the bouncing ball and the chance went. Wokingham had the final chance of the first half when the lively Jardim struck a shot from 25 yards out which went narrowly over the top left hand corner.
H-T: Wokingham & Emmbrook 1 Holyport 0

The second half started cagily with both sides probing but not making any clear cut chances. Holyport’s Sam Jones made a good run down the left and looked for a one-two with Dimitrijevic but the striker decided to take it on himself and his shot went tamely to Woodhead much to the annoyance of Jones. On 55 minutes a decent corner from Bossman was headed on and cleared off the line. This lead to a flurry of corners from the hosts which Holyport dealt with well. The visitors had a set piece of their own on 60 minutes where a Hoath cross was headed on but scrambled away by the home defence.

On 65 minutes Wokingham doubled their lead. A good run from midfield by Sam Mead released Bossman who took on the defender before pulling it back from the byline into the path of Mead who stroked the ball home. 2-0.

Holyport responded well and had a couple of chances to get back into the game. First, a throw in on the right was headed away and fell to Harry Williams who hit a crisp volley but straight into Woodhead’s midriff, and then moments later a deep cross from the left was headed goalwards by Williams but Woodhead was again equal to it, this time tipping it over the bar. Williams was again involved, this time at the other end when his mistimed challenge felled Jake Woods just outside the area. Etienne kicked the ball away but it went straight at the prone Woods where it hit his head, this sparked a brief spell of pushing and shoving which resulted in three players being booked. Woods recovered to take the kick but curled it just past the post.

On 75, Sam Jones cut in from the left and fired a shot which Woodhead dived full length to parry away. Wokingham were by now, sitting deeper but still looked dangerous on the break as Holyport battled to get back into the game. One such break saw a nice move down the right where Alex Badshah played in Jardim but his shot was half blocked and looped up and into the grateful arms of Giacobbe. Holyport almost shot themselves in the foot when, trying to play out of defence, they gave the ball away to Jardim just outside the area but he took too long and the defender managed get back to deflect his effort wide.

The visitors kept plugging away, a cross was just too high for Dan Wilson who did get a touch but his header was gathered easily by Woodhead and, Ramon Rose fizzed a great cross into the six yard box but no-one was there to put the finishing touch to it. The Sumas had a couple more chances in the vast amount of time added on at the end (we finished just after 5pm!) but both Jardim and Gethin-Barkway couldn’t take advantage.
F-T: Wokingham & Emmbrook 2 Holyport 0

A full blooded derby with the hosts running out deserved winners. They looked the more likely to score throughout and will be happy to have picked up all three points from their local rivals. The game was marred a little for me with the constant badgering of the officials from the sidelines. The visitors were guilty of appealing for fouls for the slightest of touches, no doubt feeling hard done by with the early penalty. Other than that it was an enjoyable end-to-end game in testing conditions. Good luck to both teams for the rest of the season.