First Team Vs Fisher

7 December 2019

Fisher                                    1          Lockwood 90

Erith and Belvedere          1          J Wade 22

EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY AS FISH AND DERES SHARE

It’s not always friendly at Salter Road for Erith and Belvedere, but the lively Bermondsey welcome had a smiling face on a dreary afternoon as Fisher celebrated Non League Dogs Day.  A dozen or more cute mutts gathered with their owners for an “interspecies photo” with the Fisher team after the final whistle, the players happier than their opponents as they’d just secured a point with a late late equaliser – the second in successive games conceded by the Deres.

Passing the Fisher dressing room on the way into the ground, the boombox could be heard playing the unexpected sound of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”.  But there were no presents on offer from Dan Teeley as the Deres keeper kept up his fine form stopping everything Fisher threw at him in the first half, not least a close-range blast from Wade Odedoyin in the fifth minute, and a Chris Lockwood corner he tipped onto the bar two minutes later.  Soon afterwards Nile Waite sent a shot across the face of goal which was not connected with by any team-mate.  On 12 minutes Waite converted Odedoyin’s cross but was ruled offside.

It took Deres a while to gain a foothold in the game, with skipper Chris Lockwood marshalling a well organised defence.  But in the 22nd minute, following a foul on Kameiko Pope-Campbell, Ramell Lake drove in a free-kick from the right side and a glancing header by Jerome Wade put the visitors in the lead.  Wade had another effort wide of the right-hand post a few minutes later.

Teeley was called into action three times around the half-hour mark, a close-range header from Greg Akpele, a goalmouth stramash and a fine overhead effort from Waite all being kept out.  Lake had the last chance of the half but shot tamely wide.

Deres could have gone further ahead on 50 minutes when George Jones’ free-kick was superbly tipped over the bar by Dan West.  Jones was busy at the other end a minute later, blocking a goalbound shot from Akpele, who on 57 minutes sent ahother shot just wide with Teeley motionless.  In between these efforts Jacob Katonia had sent two ambitious shots over the bar.

A potential turning point came midway through the second half when Fisher right-back Luke Thomas was sent off for a shinpad-testing tackle on Jerome Wade, who was worryingly still for a while before recovering to continue.  Deres sent on Harry Towner and Bruce Muchenje to try to capitalise on the extra man, but almost immediately a challenge on Elias Armah-Tackie brought a penalty for the hosts.  But Akpele wasted the opportunity, sending the spot-kick just over the bar.

Towards the end Deres produced some attractive forward play which brought excitement but only a disallowed offside goal (after good work by Muchenje and Eric De Melo) to show for it.

But it was Fisher who turned the tables just as the stoppage-time board was about to be hoisted, Lockwood pouncing on a lucky rebound to bury a chance meaning that Deres had been denied four points in eight days by late late strikes.

FISH: West; Thomas (sent off 67), Lockwood, Abdullahi, Oluwo, Adesida, Waite (Armah-Tackie 59), Kalonda, Odedoyin (Chambers 75), Jumo, Akpele (Adejokun 82).

DERES: Teeley; Hill (Towner 73), Barrett, Bannan, Yembra, Jones, J Wade, Quan, Pope-Campbell (Muchenje 76), Lake, De Melo.