The FA Cup is undoubtedly THE greatest Cup competition in the World and if proof were needed it came on a warm August afternoon in SE16 as this Preliminary Round contest somehow will need to be decided by a replay.
SCEFL side Fisher deservedly led their Isthmian League opponents with a bit to spare at 4.45, but by the time the referee’s final whistle went just before 5.00, Sittingbourne could easily have won through to the next round’s draw – the swing was that quick and that dramatic and is why we all just love the FA Cup!
The opening half was, well to describe in any favourable way would be an injustice to the rest of the way down the Road to Wembley, as the home side sat back allowing the Brickies the possession which they couldn’t really do anything with.
That said, the visitors weren’t helped in the opening ten minutes as injury forced Jason Banton to hobble off, but Nick Davis would have been frustrated that the best his side had going forward was a long shot from Harrison Pont that flew wide.
It was to prove a much fluctuating afternoon for the young defender as not ten minutes after the break, he was caught in possession and the home side broke. A long cross to the back post was blocked by Donvieve Jones but as the ball ran free, Manny Shoderu gleefully smashed the ball into the roof of the net.
The visitors were rocked and were rocking but incredibly could still have levelled just past the hour with possibly their first attack of any note. Matt Warren played a brilliant ball of the onrushing Alex Addai, who skipped round keeper Samuel Amedu, but seemed to be caught in two minds of whether to shoot or square to Harry Harding, didn’t get enough on the shot and it was scrambled off the line.
The SCEFL side then added salt into the Brickies growing wounds by doubling their lead as a long hopeful ball into the Sittingbourne box was net by Darnelle Bailey-King who planted his header wide of a statuesque Matt Cafer and into the net.
Two down and staring at a third straight first round exit at the hands of lower League opponents, Sittingbourne looked down and out as the clock ticked to the ninety-minute mark – but hang on, this is the FA Cup, and the grand old lady was to break Fisher’s hearts…
First a driven centre caused absolute mayhem in the home defence – Jones went looking to get on the end of Henry Dasofunjo’s rocketed cross, but the ball cannoned off the desperately unlucky Amedu up onto the bar and then into the net off of the home keeper.
But surely, Fisher were still going into the hat for Monday’s draw, but in their very next attack, Sittingbourne were awarded an incredible lifeline – a penalty. Harding stepped up only for Amedu to pull off an incredible save – from “villain to hero” in sixty seconds for the Fisher keeper! But the ball rebounded to the left and fell to Pont, who turned into the Brickies hero by somehow drilling the ball home from the acutest of angles!
A remarkable end to a truly amazing forty-five minutes of football… roll on the replay…
FISHER FC – Amedu, Thomas, Imoru (Darwish), Sarpong, Fitzgerald, Adewunmi, Bailey-King, Bromfield, Montella (Malaki-Coker), Shoderu (Usifoh), Fejzi
Subs – Asante, Poole, Jaiteh, Hoy
SITTINGBOURNE – Cafer, Jones, Graham, Puemo, Harding, Rowland (Witt), Osman (Chambers), Banton (Dasofunjo), Warren, Pont, Addai
Subs – Dythe
REFEREE – Mr Phillips