Southern Counties East League Division One
St Paul’s Stadium, Rotherhithe
Admission and Programme: Pay What You Like
Attendance: 159
Match Rating: 3
For this year’s Non League Day, I decided against the marathon day that would have been the 4 games in a day Western League hop, mostly due to have three consecutive long distance trips to look forward to during each of the next three weekends. Instead, I decided to complete the Southern Counties East League, something I had been saving literally for a rainy day with Fisher's plastic pitch since their ground opened last season. But with Fisher doing much to promote the occasion today, and the match being a local derby, I decided to make the visit today.
Although St Paul’s Stadium is only about a ten minute walk from Rotherhithe train station, I instead chose to walk along the Thames Path from London Cannon Street station, and a most enjoyable stroll it was too, taking about an hour and passing by a mixture of modern and historic buildings between Tower Bridge to just before Canary Wharf. Spectators enter via a turnstile block along one length, with a table serving as a club shop just inside, offering quite an impressive range of merchandise. This is a modern ground, but despite the presence of plenty of identikit furniture, it actually has a really nice feel about the place, being neat and tidy and with plenty of character, certainly helped by some impressive surroundings. A modern metallic all-seater stand is situated to the right of the entrance, whilst to the left is a fairly long brick building housing the toilets, changing rooms and clubhouse. Behind one goal there is a metallic stand housing a few steps for standing, some distinctive club banners, and from this end one has terrific views of Canary Wharf – which would presumably be even more impressive at night time. Around most of the rest of the ground there is just hard standing, with the ground attractively enclosed with neat wooden fencing and colourful trees above. The 24 page programme was very good, with plenty of stats and interesting articles about the club – some directed at the new visitors that non-league day might bring – and the visiting club. Generally, the club were warm and very welcoming (apart from one officious individual) to new visitors, and hopefully their effort will be rewarded with some new regular fans.
After suffering relegation last season, Fisher came into this match in seventh place, with five wins and two draws from their opening 10 league games, five points adrift of a promotion spot. Forest Hill Park were in 15th place in the 19 team division, with two wins and two draws from their 8 games played.
On an overcast afternoon, Fisher will wonder how they ended up losing this game, as they squandered several gilt edged chances in the opening quarter of an hour alone. They were made to pay for their wastefulness when the visitors were awarded a penalty on 19 minutes for a pull in the box as the ball came in from a corner, immediately after the referee had warned the players following the originally taken corner kick. Ashley Paul Robinson coolly fired the ball into the bottom left corner to give the visitors the lead. Their lead was to only last four minutes though, Leonard Goring firing home after an initial shot was blocked by a defender's leg. Forest Hill Park went back into the lead on 32 minutes when Robinson drilled the ball low from the edge of the area just beside the near post.
It was quite a harsh half time scoreline on the home side, but their profligacy would surely give them plenty of hope if they could just find their scoring boots after the break. But instead, the visitors opened up a two goal lead, when the ball was played in from a corner kick and found it way to the back post, where Jay Burke headed home. That proved to be the decisive goal, as although Fisher did still managed to create and miss some more great chances, as the game wore on they seemed to run out of ideas and perhaps energy too, as generally the visitors saw the game out quite comfortably.
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