Saturday 5th October 2024 ko 15:00

Southern Counties East League Premier Division

FISHER FC 1 (Barrington 14)

FAVERSHAM TOWN 3 (Kwayie 43 90+6 Newman 75)

Att 423

Entry £8

Programme £2

It has to be said that over the years I’ve developed a soft spot for Fisher Athletic and when they folded in 2009; the phoenix club Fisher FC. There is no obvious reason for it, I first saw Athletic well after the loss of the Surrey Docks Stadium in Rotherhithe in 2004 during their stint sharing at Dulwich Hamlet, and even at Bacon’s College in pre-season in 2012 when I could still have a brief look at the old ground, now well and truly derelict.

So when I visited the St Paul’s Sports Ground soon after Fisher moved in during 2016 there was a sense of closure, but there was a catch as far as I was concerned. I’d brought along a new lens to try out, I neglected to switch on the autofocus on it, and as a result took a particularly poor set of photos. You really don’t want to do that at Fisher if only for that backdrop of Canary Wharf! For the record the ground is a mere 200 yards and opposite the old stadium along Salter Road.

With my GroundhopUK hat on we were surprised that Fisher were happy to host but only at their normal kick off time of 3pm. I’m not sure why, I got the impression that someone thought a hop game added up to no more than the coach party, but if that were the case why was an obscure football shirt competition organised? And then how did Craig Dabbs’ shirt from the Falkland Islands League not win? I didn’t know the Falkland Islands even had a league!

Whatever the whys and wherefores of it all the attendance was certainly more than healthy. I’d fretted that with the competition for the groundhoppers’ cash we’d lose a few, and certainly some did go to Welling United but their loss was more than made up from other sources. I was and am happy to be wrong!

It was, in a manner of speaking a clash of former Isthmian League sides and while both will have ambitions to return. Without casting any kind of aspersion Faversham Town look the more likely of the two to do that this season. There was a steely determination running through them on and off the field, even down to me failing to have a cup of tea with them in the boardroom at half time. They made it very clear I wasn’t welcome so I bowed out respectfully only to find Robyn had bought me that tea; perhaps I should have known?

After the initial shock of Fisher’s early goal, the visitors took charge and in a Tashi-Jay Kwayie have a forward who is clearly good enough to make the step up, whether with Faversham or someone else. As for me I sipped that tea and finally got round to trying to do that incredible backdrop justice. Yes, I do still have that soft spot for Fisher.