They beat us and it felt like a win

Fisher FC 1 Beckenham Town 2

A battling Fish side succumb to moments of naivety and suffer a heart-breaking defeat.

Fish on the attack

Sound familiar? Well, the result on the pitch was about the only thing about last night that even vaguely resembled the dark days of last season.  If you want a comprehensive match report, kentishfootball.co.uk will sort you out. Suffice to say that Fisher showed signs of promise, with excellent individual performances from flying winger (and scorer of an audacious lob) Elstrom Die, midfielder Louis Sprosen, and goalkeeper Danny Baldwinson who deservedly picked up the man-of-the-match award. Ryan Palmer came on as substitute and looked lively on the right wing. Sadly, poor marking twice let the Fish down, though James Holder’s finish for Beckenham’s winner was first class.

Merchandise!

But if Fish lost the battle on the pitch, the night was a clear victory off it. An excellent gate of 222 was entertained from start to finish, and Die’s equalising goal drew the loudest roar heard at a Fisher game for a long, long time. The merchandise stall (merchandise? At the Fish? Whatever next?!) was busy all night, doing a fine line in badges and smart polo shirts. Former Fish favourites Wayne Burnett and Steve Watts came to check out the new regime – it is to be hoped that Wayne left before he saw Die’s performance!

The crowd pours in

Many a Fish fan, and committee member, was heard to comment after the game that ‘it felt like a win’. And it was a victory for all those who refused to let Fisher die on 13th May 2009, who worked tirelessly all summer to establish a new club, run by the fans, and get us playing competitive football three months later. It is an incredible turnaround, and the committee in particular can feel rightly proud of the job they have done – in tougher months ahead it will be important to remember that nights like this are why we bother.

C’mon the Fish!

A happy clubhouse after the game

Kent Premier League 2009/10 Preview – part 3

The final part of the preview looks at the sides that Fisher face towards the middle portion of the season, as well as late additions Corinthian. And you can read The Fish’s verdict on, er, the Fish!

Sevenoaks Town

Last season: 14th

Home ground: Greatness Park

Directions

Having been founder members of the Kent league 1883, Sevenoaks left after only a season and it took them 120 years to regain their place. Having achieved Kent Premier status in 2003, Town have bumped around in lower mid-table and look likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The club have a Michael Smith on the books, though extensive googling has not yet established whether this is the same fiery-tempered midfielder who stomped through the Dr Martens League East a few years ago, with a very attractive WAG watching from the sidelines. We can only hope that it is, and that she hasn’t yet dumped him.

The Fish predicts: 14^th – again

Tunbridge Wells

Last season: 10^th

Home ground: Culverden Stadium

Directions

Replacing Mike Robbins at the helm, new Wells manager Martin Larkin has brought in new recruits who will be following the not entirely unique formula of mixing up pace and power. Wells, like Fisher, are a members-run club who will be operating on a shoestring this year and they will be looking to build on last season’s 10^th place finish. Much will depend on whether Larkin’s new boys are up to the task, and if so whether Wells can hang on to them when clubs with a bit more spending power show an interest.

The Fish predicts: 8^th

Deal Town

Last season: 12^th

Home ground: Charles Sports Ground – though for just £250 you can win the chance to change that!

Directions

It’s a very, very long way to Deal, and when you get there you’ll find yourself just over the water from Calais. But if you want to make a splash without taking a dip in the Channel, you could enter the sponsorship draw to win naming rights to the ground – just £250 for your chance to name a football ground after yourself (for a year, anyway). Deal’s horrible flash-driven website is short on news about changes for this season, but Town will be hoping to improve on a disappointing 2008/9 campaign. Having won the division, and the FA Vase, 10 years ago Deal will be keen to challenge again but this will not be their season.

The Fish predicts: 11^th

Norton Sports

Last season: 11^th

Home ground: The Safety Net Stadium aka Winch’s Field (groundshare with Herne Bay)

Directions

Sports have only been in the Kent Premier since 2008, and did not trouble the upper half of the division in their first season. Another club running on very tight finances, it’s difficult to see Norton achieving anything other than another mid-table finish this season.

The Fish predicts: 13^th

Holmesdale

Last season: 5^th

Home ground: Oakley Road

Directions

Closer to home, Holmesdale are based in Bromley and won promotion to the Premier League in 2006/7. After a season of consolidation in 2007/8, last season’s 5^th placed finish was an excellent achievement. It remains to be seen whether Holmesdale can repeat their success this year – and maybe their participation in the FA Cup, for the first time ever, will prove a distraction in the early going.

The Fish predicts: 10^th – a slip back to mid-table beckons for Holmesdale

Corinthian

Last season: n/a

Home ground: Gay Dawn Farm

Directions

“Pro omnium benificio”. That, as any fule kno, is Latin for ‘for the benefit of all’ and is the Corinthian motto. But it was primarily for the benefit of the Kent Premier League that Corinthian were co-opted into the 2009/10 set-up via the back door, at an EGM just days before the start of the season. That put the size of the league back up to 16 clubs, after Slade Green’s late withdrawal. The chances of Corinthian putting out a competitive side this season appear slim, and they may battle Sporting Bengal for the wooden spoon. Though if they can unearth the modern-day equivalents of former stars Andy Hessenthaler and Jimmy Bullard, they may yet surprise a few of their competitors.

The Fish predicts: 15^th – Corinthian will be grateful for the continued presence of Sporting Bengal in the league.

Fisher FC

Last season: n/a

Home ground: Champion Hill (groundshare with Dulwich Hamlet)

Directions

That the Fish are back is reason to be cheerful, and the new supporter-owned model for running the club is even better news. On the pitch, it’s hard to tell quite how well the Fish will do with a hastily assembled squad. But in Gary Lisney, Fish have an experienced and well-connected manager and both he and assistant Donna Powell have been keen to stress the importance of playing attractive football. The main hope for the season has to be that the club continues to strengthen off the pitch, with progress made towards finding a more permanent home and no trips to the courts. Fish could surprise a few this year, and should be good enough for a top half finish.

The Fish predicts: 6^th – a solid season, but not a title threat this year

Kent Premier League 2009/10 Preview – Part 2

And we start with news that, as expected, Slade Green have resigned from the Kent Premier. The internet (alright, just the Kent League Forum) is abound with rumours that Corinthians will step in to replace them, but surely not in time for the Fish to start their season on August 8^th.

Meanwhile, on with the preview. Those wanting to find out more about the history of the Kent League could do worse that visit Dinant Abbink’s site which lists every final table from 1894-95 to 2006-7.

Herne Bay

Last season: 6th

Home ground: Safety Net Stadium (no, really – that’s what it’s called. Corporate naming hits the Kent League!)

Directions

A trip to the seaside! Although as the away fixture is in mid-January, that may be less appealing than it sounds in mid-summer. But the clubhouse looks pretty good so Herne Bay could be well worth a visit. A comprehensive set-up is in place in the Bay, and only ground grading problems prevented them from progressing up the pyramid during the 90s. Bay haven’t won the title since 1997, though have finished runners up on occasion and having retained much of the squad that finished 6^th last year they will be looking to mount more of a challenge this year. Bay fans have access to the Genuine Supporters Forum – “A forum for moderate views which can be enjoyed by all”. A welcome change from the bickering morons on the Conference South forum!

The Fish predicts: 7^th – another season of consolidation for Bay

Faversham Town

Last season: 4^th

Home ground: Salters Lane

Directions

It’s back on the A2/M2 treadmill for the trip to Faversham, famous for its explosives industry and there were fireworks on the pitch last season as Faversham racked up an impressive 83 goals in 32 league matches. The club have experienced adversity recently having resigned from the Kent League in 2003 and only regaining their status for the 2006/7 season. But the Lillywhites have wasted no time in getting to grips with step 5 football, finishing fourth last year and if they can resolve their inconsistencies may well challenge for honours this year. The squad has been strengthened over the summer, and Faversham are a side to watch this time around.

The Fish predicts: 2^nd – Faversham to finish just behind Hythe

Lordswood

Last season: 16^th

Home ground: Martyn Grove

Directions

Mmm, orange. It has been suggested that teams that play in red are the most successful, because somehow the very act of wearing bright red shirts seems to make players bigger, faster stronger, and better than if, say, they were wearing smart navy blue. Bollocks, say I (pointing you to Charlton’s record last season), but what are we to make of teams that turn out in orange. Maybe they are hoping to channel the spirit of the Dutch? That spirit apparently consisting of unfulfilled promise, bitter internal disputes, and a penchant for space cake. Lordswood certainly had a disappointing 2008/9 campaign, though there is little evidence that this led to tension in the dressing room. The Wood have picked up a few players with Kent Premier experience, but it seems likely that another season of struggle is ahead.

The Fish predicts: bottom 3

Erith Town

Last season: 7^th

Home ground: Erith Stadium

Directions

After a season sharing with Thamesmead, Erith Town come home to Erith this year and will be looking to build on a solid 7^th place in last season’s competition. Manager Steve O’Boyle is, like Jordan on a date, going for a blend of youth and experience with former Shrewsbury stalwart Austin Berkley signed to anchor the midfield. Erith will be looking to convert some of last season’s 10 draws into wins this term and Dave Batt, top scorer in the Kent League Division 1 in 2008/9, is the man expected to make the difference. It remains to be seen whether the squad will gel together quick enough to mount an assault on the title, however.

The Fish predicts: 8^th – fewer draws, but a lack of consistency will doom Town to mid-table

Sporting Bengal United

Last season: last. About as last as you can possibly get. Even more last than Fisher managed in the Conference South. Rock bottom. Adrift.

Home ground: Mile End Stadium

Directions

Sporting Bengal probably can’t wait for the new season to start, as last year they set records in all the wrong categories. 32 games played. Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 32. Goals for 26. Goals against 160. One-hundred and sixty goals conceded! Truly incredible. Things really can only get better for Sporting Bengal, and murmurs on the internet suggest that towards the end of last season they were beginning to turn things around. Not to the extent that they managed to scrape a point, but nevertheless there were signs of hope. Obtaining consistency will be a problem for the side though, as they draw all their players from Sunday football across East London. Note that Bengal play north of the river, at Mile End, which means a trip through the Rotherhithe tunnel and the opportunity for a post-match curry at Brick Lane, just over a mile down the road. A 2007 blog post suggests that Mile End Stadium is a bring your own booze affair, with no clubhouse facilities.

The Fish predicts: Last. But Bengal won’t be as bad as last year (how could they be) and will pick up a few points this season.