Fisher 5-1 Punjab United - We put a statement out to say we're still in it and we're coming for the play-offs, insists Fisher boss Ajay Ashanike, as Chipie Sian waves his finger in disgust after suffering a humiliating football lesson

Fisher 5 – 1 Punjab United
Location	St Paul's Stadium, Salter Road, Rotherhithe, London SE16 6NT
Kickoff	10/02/2026 19:45

FISHER  5-1  PUNJAB UNITED
Presence & Co Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division
Tuesday 10 February 2026
Stephen McCartney reports from St Paul’s Stadium

FISHER manager Ajay Ashanike insists his scintillating side put out a statement to say we’re still in the play-off chase after giving Punjab United a footballing lesson on a night of satisfying redemption.
 

Punjab United manager Jugjit (Chipie) Sian failed to take part in the post-match press conference at St Paul’s Stadium, waving his finger in my face to claim “you were out of order and you know it!” after this website gave its loyal readership an honest account of Punjab’s 2-0 home win over Fisher in the last 16 of The FA Vase on Saturday.

Sian’s direct side booked their place in the Quarter-Finals for the very first time after heading home their only two attempts on target and six other attempts that were off target also came from headers.

Being on the autism spectrum, one of my many traits is to report how I see things in an honest manner and if you cannot accept what I write then fine. If you want a more glowing match report, play better football then! 

Sian goes down as the first manager to wave their finger at me in 23 years of football reporting! A fine way to treat someone who offers free publicity without any financial backing. Cheers!

Thank you for logging on and reading yet another honest match report – it’s a shame I don’t get paid a single penny for doing this hobby of mine!  Still, reporting on Fisher’s eye-catching atrractive style of free-flowing attacking football – on a murky Tuesday night in February, is just the reason why I do what I do. Now back to the football...

Fisher scored half of their 10 shots on target and their goalkeeper Isaac Ogunseri made six saves, as Punjab United created seven on target (one header) on a night when playing proper football the proper way was the winner in Rotherhithe.

Punjab United grabbed the lead through central midfielder Jack Hopkins’ 15^th goal of the season but that was as good as it got for the Gravesend-based side, who would have leapfrogged over Snodland Town in the play-off places had they had the stomach for coming up against a hungry Fisher team.

Former Ramsgate midfielder, Sha’mar Lawson, 22, scored THE GOAL OF THE SEASON to level, before Armani-Jordan Martin drilled in upon his return to Fisher, following his recent departure from bottom side Hythe Town.

Fisher’s attacking midfielder Tom Jones – who has turned down a cheeky approach from Windsor & Eton after impressing in Berkshire in the last 32 of The FA Vase recently – scored twice, taking his tally to 13 goals for the season, before wing-back Lorenzo Duncan came off the bench to rifle in his eleventh goal of the season.

“If you look back at the interview on Saturday, I said we’ll probably go to our place and beat them 5-0 or 5-1.  There you go, so we scored five goals today and that’s the thing with this team. I just want them to stay focused,” said Ashanike.

“I know there’s no bad blood between the two clubs, understand that, doesn’t mean we come to the game looking that we don’t want to be part of it but the reason was what we asked for today and they gave us the full reaction today, so congratulations to them (my players).

“Teams like Punjab shouldn’t be beating Fisher! I’m sorry to say. I’m not trying to be big-headed or nothing or blowing our own trumpet. When it comes to football we’re a totally different animal today. We’re more hungry, we’re younger and Saturday was a day-off for us but we dust ourselves off.

“We spoke about it on Sunday and we’ve come here today and did what we did and that’s my team and it shows all the blueprint that I want in there and it showed today.”

Punjab United won the corner-count by eight-to-four and grabbed the lead following their first flag-kick.  The goal timed at five minutes and 53 seconds on the clock.

Chris Edwards, who started wide right before slotting in at right-back after the interval after the poor Kyden Lewin Thomas was hooked, delivered a deep right-footed corner in from the left towards the back post where the unmarked targetman striker Roman Campbell knocked the ball back into the middle and central midfielder Jack Hopkins hooked in his right-footed volley into the roof of the net from inside a crowd of players within the six-yard box.

“See, again, that’s the same goal we conceded on Saturday and I don’t understand why we keep conceding stupid goals like that,” fumed Ashanike.

“The boys just need to man-up and win their personal dues and be strong. I know they’re still kids but get closer to your man and win your personal duals.  It’s not hard to win your personal duals!

“Maybe because I’m a centre-half, that’s why it gets to me a lot that we keep conceding goals like that but credit to them. They didn’t get down. They just went back up and went through the emotions and got the result that we needed today.”

Fisher restored parity with Goal of the Season at ANY LEVEL – and the best goal that Ashanike has witnessed live – through a goal more suited to the World Cup Final than a ninth-tier play-off battle in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division.

A high left-back Conor Darwish played the ball inside to former Millwall midfielder Lawson, who took a touch before drilling a sublime, stunning, beautiful 40-yard strike across the keeper into the top far (right) corner, with 11 minutes and 42 seconds on the clock.

“If you look at the board in the changing room before we started, I said to the full-back once we’ve come inside, lay it off to Sha’mar and he will hit it wherever he is on the pitch,” added Ashanike, who manages to sign talented players and gives them a place to shine before leaving the club on the conveyor belt.

“That’s why when we scored, they all started looking at me. We’ve seen what Sha’mar can do at a good level.

“Trim the ball, he will caress the ball top bins. What a goal! I think that’s the best goal I’ve seen live at Fisher, really, really cracking goal.  No back-lift, just hit it top bins, really, really quality against a top keeper as well.

“The keeper didn’t move and that’s the kind of things we want to see, excite us and that’s what we’ve done today.”

Like London Buses, you wait ages for one and two come along at once.

Fisher took only 87 seconds to take the lead, when Punjab United’s poor right-back Lewin Thomas was at fault once more.

Fisher’s left-winger Alex Kozak played the ball in low from the left channel, the ball was half-cleared out by Punjab United centre-half Wayne Bushell and the returning Martin drilled a low right-footed angled drive into the bottom near corner from 18-yards.

“Gutted he got injured but we know what Armani’s going to do. He’s someone that we’ve been looking to get all season long. When we knew Hythe weren’t doing well, we’ve monitored them and as soon as we saw that he was a free agent, we had to get him in. We’ve done everything that we can to get him back into the club and that’s the profit that he’s going to bring to us, that quality in front of goal that we’ve been lacking the last few weeks,” said Ashanike.

“Right now, I’m happy with the (21 man) squad. Hopefully that foot injury is not as bad as we think. But it’s a great signing for us, a really, really well-taken goal.

“He can’t move his foot. The physio think he’s broken it but we don’t want to believe he’s broken it because it’s his first game back and the boy just wants to play football.”

Wayne Bushell hit countless long balls out of defence, Harry Ottaway and striker Roman Campbell often dropped deep and holding midfielder Jordan Campbell might as well stayed at home as midfielders hardly get a look in as Sian’s direct tactic of drilling the ball from back to front as quickly as possible.

One of Wayne Bushell’s long balls was controlled by left-winger Anthony Adesite before he fed Roman Campbell, who dragged his left-footed shot across the keeper and past the far post (18:19), to the frustration of the around 15 travelling fans.

Adesite brought the ball down with sublime skill in the final third and cut into the Fisher box and his left-footed shot rolled into the gloves of the Folkestone Invicta loanee goalkeeper Ogunseri.  Still, creating chances through actual FOOTball is a lot more than Sian’s side achieved in Gravesend at the weekend!

“Isaac is different class. Conceding five goals (5-1 defeat at Whitstable Town in the Kent Senior Trophy Quarter-Final) and two on Saturday and we’re conceding again (inside six minutes) but he’s really kept his head but the boy’s got a strong character. That’s why he’s at Folkestone. He’s got good character with him and the good saves he made tonight to keep us in the game,” said Ashanike.

Fisher’s attacking midfielder magician Jones cut the ball onto his right foot within the left-channel to whip in a cross towards the near-post for Duncan, whose header bounced into the gloves of Owen Bushell for a comfortable save inside the final 10 minutes of the first half.

The final exchanges saw both goalkeeper’s hit a couple of overhit long balls to each other before Fisher’s right-back Jack Gibbons drilled in a cross from within the right-channel towards two team-mates where Duncan stooped to guide his header straight at Owen Bushell.

“I thought we should’ve been out of sight in the first half,” admitted Ashanike.

“I said stay focused on what we’re doing and go and get goals and express themselves and that’s exactly what they did in the second half. They just went to express themselves.

“I wished it was Saturday when they dished it out but again, it is what it is.  The Vase defeat, it really, really hurts. It still hurts. I think it’s going to hurt until the end of the season….”

Sian brought on left-winger Ethan Okechukwu (for Lewin Thomas) at the interval but he was kept in Gibbons pocket, as Punjab United offered little threat in attack until the dying embers of the game.

Jones and Alex Kozak linked up in the final third before Lawson cut in and drove his right-footed angled drive past the far post (2:39), as Fisher signalled their attacking intent.

Gibbons cut into the box with a darting run before his right-footed angled drive was beaten away by Owen Bushell (3:42), before a controversial moment denied Punjab United (5:02).

Harry Ottaway dropped deep before the ball was worked out to Edwards, who drilled in a low cross from within the right-channel, which seemingly was flicked towards goal by 14-goal target-man Roman Campbell at the near-post.

Ogunseri did well to spread himself at his near-post, blocking the shot with his leg, however, the ball then kissed the base of the post and assistant referee Thomas Marshall deemed the ball did not cross the goal-line as the goalkeeper grabbed hold of the ball while on the deck.

Ashanike admitted his team got away with one then and the goal should’ve counted – although it would have gone down as an own goal from Ogunseri had it stood.

“Honestly, that alone, that alone says how the referee was tonight. I’ve come away with five goals and I wasn’t happy with the referee tonight but look he’s got a job to do and their job is hard and he had to make a decision in a split second,” said Ashanike.

“The jobs hard. We’ve got to put ourselves in their shoes sometimes and think how they feel as a referee doing it but again that’s a big call and that changed the game massively because we went up the other end to score and make it 3-1.

“To be honest, I didn’t see it (whether it crossed the line or not). I actually didn’t see it but the reaction of the players shows it was over the line and that’s what I’ll go with.

“If I was refereeing, you could see Jake (Adams, centre-half) put his hand in his head. Isaac’s reaction was going to grab the ball but if you see the boys around him their decision is walking back to go and take a kick-off, so as a referee you could go by that body language but the call was in our call today, so we thank him for that.”

Fisher swiftly raced up the other end and killed the game off by scoring their third goal just 80 seconds later, with another piece of Jones quality, as a Punjab United side switched off as they complained about the incident.

Kozak played the ball into Jones, who sublimely dinked his left-footed shot over the advancing keeper and the ball bounced into the empty goal, as Fisher scored their third goal, timed at six minutes and 20 seconds on the clock.

“Great finish! We’ve had a seven-day (approach) for Jonesy from Windsor & Eton today and I don’t think he’s going to go but what a special player Jonesy is, a great find,” revealed Ashanike.

“I think we talk about him in every interview. Tom Jones is such a player. The boys needs to keep his head down and keep working hard. We knew this is not his level and we just need to find a level for him at the end of the season, like I promised him.”

Ashanike was asked whether Jones will accept a move to Berkshire, especially as he lives in Poplar.

“He just said ‘that’s too far for me’ and that’s not the level I want him to get to (ninth-tier, Combined Counties League Premier Division North).

“Tommy should be playing higher than this. You saw the way he played against Wingate & Finchley as well. He needs to be playing higher football and I’ll do everything I can in my power, as long as he stays with me until the end of the season, to get to where he needs to get to.”

Punjab United centre-half Wayne Bushell was penalised for fouling Jones and goalkeeper Owen Bushell lined up a five man wall.

Punjab United really needed to hire a draft excluder as Jones drilled his right-footed free-kick underneath the wall, nesting sweetly inside the bottom left-hand corner to score from 23-yards, just outside the D, with 12 minutes and 33 seconds on the clock.

“The IQ level of that kid in football is absolutely different level.  To think even to be able to get the free-kick, the little step-over to shift the ball from right to left and get the free-kick and then to pick up the free-kick and not to get it over the wall, to get it under the wall, is absolutely very clever the young man.

“I’m really, really proud to have him at the club and I’m sure everyone at the club is proud of him as well.”

Gibbons dinked the ball into the box from just outside the corner to play in Lawson, who drilled his right-footed angled drive across the keeper and past the far post, as Punjab United just couldn’t live with their play-off rivals on a flat and slick artificial playing surface.

Fisher debutant centre-half Jake Adams stabbed his right-footed shot straight at Owen Bushell after Jones put in a cross from within the left-channel after his initial corner came back to him.

Jordan Campbell finally made an impact on the game by feeding Ottaway, who drilled a right-footed shot towards the top-right-hand corner from 25-yards, which forced Ogunseri to fly to his left to push the ball around the post for a corner.

“We’ve seen this every week. Isaac is a top keeper. I believe him and the boy from Whitstable (Daniel Colmer) are absolute top drawer and I can’t split both of them apart. They are really, really top keeper’s, the pair of them,” said Ashanike.

“But we know what Isaac’s going to do every week. We just need to make sure that we do our job in front of him and everything else will be ok.”

Sian was just about to make a double substitution, with Terlochan Singh and William Johnson-Cole about to come on Ryan Gill and Ottaway in the 66^th minute.

However, those plans went out of the window as Ottaway said something to referee Christopher Bowdery as he was making his way towards the away dug-out  - and was put in the sin-bin – and Johnson-Cole had to wait a further 13 minutes before coming on to the pitch for Ottaway. Sian was also cautioned.

Fisher took full advantage of their numerical advantage, scoring their fifth goal of the night with 24 minutes and 13 seconds on the clock.

Kozak slipped the ball through to Duncan inside the box, who cut onto his right-foot to rifle his emphatic 16-yarder into the roof of the net, sailing over the goalkeeper’s left shoulder.

“We don’t speak enough of Alex. Alex is outstanding and I believe if Alex was there on Saturday, it would’ve been a different game,” said Ashanike.

“Alex is a top, top, top signing as well this season and hopefully we can get to keep him next season. He ran his socks off for us tonight.

“He wants it and that play was just amazing! Just to see Lorenzo in the final third and to have the composure to skip past someone and put it top bins, is just a joy I’m going to take home with me.

“When a team’s got 10 men, we have to make sure we put them to the sword and that’s what we did tonight and we had to show levels and put a statement out to say we’re still in it and we’re coming!”

Ashanike was delighted that he defensive players were a lot more resilient and withstood the barrage of long balls from Sian’s men – Punjab United threw 11 long throws into the Fisher penalty area tonight.

“We lost the game (at Punjab on Saturday) with crosses. We lost the game because they asked us questions and if a team’s asking questions, it’s like a boxing match.  You’re getting jabbed and not moving your head and tonight they fought hard. They won the first contact, they won the second ball , which is what we want to see and hopefully they can carry on for the rest of the season.”

Hopkins rolled the ball out to Johnson-Cole, who cut inside and drilled his right-footed angle drive, which was held by Ogunseri beside his near-post – as the game opened up the longer it went on -  and Edwards’ left-wing-corner also clipped the top of the crossbar (43:59).

“Isaac had nothing to do from the sixth minute in the game and it’s easy to get bored but what he did, he stayed focused and that’s why he’s at the level (Isthmian League Premier Division) that he’s at now. But the level that he’s showing is absolutely tremendous. He’s really, really showing a good standard of goalkeeping and hopefully he carries on for us,” added Ashanike.

Edwards floated the ball in from the right and Roman Campbell’s hooked shot was comfortably saved by Ogunseri (48:03), as Punjab United started to show some fight that was clearly missing on a horrific night as their 11-match unbeaten run ended in chastening fashion.

Fisher counter-attacked down the heart of the pitch through Jacob Katonia before playing in fellow substitute Christopher Ojemen and his right-footed drive from inside the D was parried by Owen Bushell, diving to his right and 10-goal striker Festos Kamara smashed the rebound over the crossbar when well-placed.

“The boy’s coming off the bench really, really done well tonight and we haven’t said that in ages,” admitted Ashanike.

“But for the levels that we want to get to, we should be putting that to bed and we should be scoring there as well and they know this and the goals will come from them.

“The (substitutes) just need to be patient with us on the bench but as long as you’re playing your part you should be happy. 

“They’ve just gone out and shown levels against a team that just knocked us out in the last 16 of The Vase. That’s the Quarter-Final team and we’ve showed levels today and hopefully they just carry on and build on it and just doesn’t be a one-off.

“They showed the determination, the fight, the spirit, the Ajay style of how I want to play. They’ve brought all of it and we’ve gone away from it.

“We’ve been away from it, since we played Rusthall (5-0 win here on 20 December) and we saw glimpses of it against Wingate & Finchley but apart from those three games, we haven’t seen it but now I’m going to be really, really on them and we have to bring this performance and this energy every week!”

Jamie Coyle’s Whitstable Town (57 points from 23 games) are on course of claim the League title this season.

The four play-off places are currently occupied by Tony Reid/Fraser Walker’s Larkfield & New Hythe (46 points from 24 games), Jimmy Anderson’s Rusthall (40 points from 20 games), Kevin Stevens’ Bearsted (38 points from 22 games) and Fred Dillon/Luke Jessup’s Snodland Town (38 points from 23 games). 

The next five will all believe they can grab a place in the play-off places come the end of the season.

Punjab United (35 points from 23 games), Sutton Athletic (35 points form 24 games), Erith & Belvedere (35 points from 25 games), Fisher (34 points – nine wins, seven draws and five defeats – from 21 games) and Hollands & Blair (34 points from 25 games).

Fisher, meanwhile, travel to Middle Park Avenue on Saturday to lock horns with their traditional Bermondsey rivals, Stansfeld.

Billy Shinners’ side are second-from-bottom in the table with 13 points (three wins, four draws and 15 defeats), level on points with basement side Hythe Town, who have played two more games. The pair are nine points adrift of the side immediately above them, Faversham Strike Force, 10 points from safety, taking goal-difference into account.

“Like I said to them, I don’t mind losing games but if I see my blueprint on it, I’ll take it and once they put my blueprint on it, there’s no way we can lose football matches and that’s what they did in the second half,” said Ashanike.

“Yes, look, Stansfeld on their day, they can beat anyone and we know this.  The derby means so much, more to them than it actually means to us because the boys in our team has changed. I think, apart from me and the fans, I don’t think any of the boys understands what it actually means but we’ll be getting ready.

“It’s just a normal game for us and we’re going to approach it as a normal game and stay focused and just display what we can display on the day and make sure we can come away with the three points.

“I really, really don’t care about the League (table). I’ll be honest with you. I just want to win football matches. Wherever it takes us, it takes us. As long as we keep performing the way we are, nothing’s going to stop us from getting where we need to get to - but no one cares about the league table right now.  We’re just staying focused and we’re taking game-by-game.”

Fisher: Isaac Ogunseri, Jack Gibbons, Conor Darwish (Christopher Ojemen 62), Tyron Mbuenimo (Flavio Jumo 73), Donald MacAuley, Jake Adams, Alex Kozak (Esteban Salgado 86), Sha’mar Lawson, Festos Kamara, Tom Jones (Jacob Katonia 78), Armani-Jordan Martin (Lorenzo Duncan 27).

Goals: Sha’mar Lawson 12, Armani-Jordan Martin 14, Tom Jones 52, 58, Lorenzo Duncan 70

Booked: Jack Gibbons 10, Tom Jones 22, Tyron Mbuenimo 45

Punjab United: Owen Bushell, Kyden Lewin Thomas (Ethan Okechukwu 46), Ryan Gill (Terlochan Singh 66), Jordan Campbell, Stephen Ratcliff, Wayne Bushell, Anthony Adesite (Hudson Scudder 59), Jack Hopkins, Roman Campbell, Harry Ottaway (William Johnson-Cole 79), Chris Edwards.
Sub: Alfie Moynes

Goal: Jack Hopkins 6

Booked: Jugjit Sian 67 (manager), Chris Edwards 90

Temporary Dismissal:  Harry Ottaway 66

Attendance: 166
Referee: Mr Christopher Bowdery
Assistants: Mr Tom George & Mr Thomas Marshall