Fisher

Fisher FC is a non league football club from Bermondsey, SouthEast London who are currently based at Champion Hill, the home of Dulwich Hamlet. The club were formed in 2009 by the Fisher Supporters Trust after their original club; Fisher Athletic FC were liquidated.

Athletic had been formed in 1909 by Michael Culiton who was the headmaster of Dockland School for underprivileged youths of Bermondsey. The club was named after Catholic martyr Saint John Fisher.

For several decades ‘The Fish’ played in local league football before becoming members of the Parthenon League. They remained there until 1965, at which point the club folded and reformed at their Mitcham base to join the Kent Amateur League.

In 1974 Athletic progressed to the Spartan League, going on to lift the league title in 1980-81 and 1981-82. This success coincided with the redevelopment of the whole docklands area and Athletic moving into a brand new ground at Salter Road in Bermondsey to play in the Southern League.

The goals of Paul Shinners and defensive skills of Dennis Sharp saw The Fish win the Southern Division at the first attempt. In 1983-84 the club ended as Southern League runners up. The following season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup before losing 1-0 to Bristol City at the Surrey Docks Stadium.

Ambitious Chairman Terry McCarthy and Manager Dogan Arif continued to push the club forward as the London Senior Cup was lifted on three occasions as Athletic were crowned as Southern League champions for the 1986-87 season.

Promotion was secured to the Football Conference, as well once again reaching the first round of the FA Cup. This time Bristol Rovers defeated them 3-0 at Twerton Park. The Fish lasted until the completion of the 1990-91 season in the Conference before being relegated. 

Arif had been in control of the club but was jailed for fourteen years for his part in a cannabis smuggling ring. Malcolm Allison had a spell as team boss in 1989. Athletic were relegated for a second successive season and found themselves in the Southern League Southern Division for the 1992-93 season. 

After a few moderate years Fisher were promoted from the Eastern Division in 1999-00 as champions, but their spell in the Premier Division lasted just one season. Wayne Burnett arrived as manager in 2004 with Athletic ground sharing at Dulwich. 

New Chairman Sami Muduroglu stated his intention to push Fisher forward as planning permission was given to upgrade the unused Surrey Docks Stadium to be able to stage League football.

The side won the Eastern Division in 2004-05 and were placed into the Isthmian League Premier Division. Burnett resigned from his post in November 2005, with Justin Edinburgh replacing him. 

His side won the Play Off Final against Hampton & Richmond Borough to gain promotion to the Conference South as well as lifting the London Senior Cup and the Isthmian League Cup.

Burnett returned in the 2007 close season after Edinburgh moved to Grays Athletic. He assembled a talented side, but questions were being asked about the clubs finances. Fisher announced plans for a new 10,000 capacity stadium in Southwark Park. 

The team were defeated in the play offs by Hampton & Richmond Borough. Players left on mass with several joining Football League clubs as it transpired that many had not been paid since the previous November. Three winding up orders were issued by HRMC for the non payment of taxes.

Dave Mehmet’s side struggled in the 2008-09 season. Supporter Donna Powell was made team manager for one game in a publicity stunt to raise awareness of the clubs perilous state after she raised £250. The side were relegated in March 2009. On May 13th May, Athletic were wound up in the High Court over unpaid debts.

At a meeting in Bermondsey on May 28^th 2008, The Fisher Trust decided to form a new club called Fisher FC who were elected into the Kent League Premier Division with Gary Lisney in charge of team affairs.

In their first four seasons in the Kent League the team finished in the lower half of the table before the league was renamed the Southern Counties East League for 2013-14. Hopeful news reached the club before the season started as Southwark Council announced plans for a new football ground on Salter Road, a hundred yards or so from  Athletic’s dilapidated Surrey Docks Stadium.

The Council officially backed the plans in December 2013 for the ground to go on the disused St Paul’s Playing Field, with the facility having an artificial 3G pitch to cater for Fisher and the local community. The club were due to have talks with Fairview New Homes who were looking to develop the new ground in return for the land at the former stadium.

The Council officially backed the plans in December 2013 for the ground to go on the disused St Paul’s Playing Field, with the facility having an artificial 3G pitch to cater for Fisher and the local community.

The club were due to have talks with Fairview New Homes who were looking to develop the new ground in return for the land at the former stadium. The club played in the Southern Counties East League, as the Kent League had been renamed from  the 2013-14 season.

After a few finishes towards the bottom end of the table, the club’s dreams came to fruition as they moved into the St Paul’s Sports Ground for the 2016-17 season. However, not all went to plan on the pitch.

The team started badly in the extended Premier Division of the Southern Counties East League. Manager Gary Abbott was dismissed in November 2016, with the team floundering at the bottom of the table.

Dean Harrison returned for a second spell in charge of the club and oversaw a big improvement in performances. Despite that, and a record 10-1 home win on the final day of the season against Erith Town; Fisher were relegated to Division One.

Fish bounced back at the first attempt, winning promotion by courtesy of a third place finish, before exceeding expectations by finishing in third place in the Premier Division in 2018-19. Harrison resigned in the summer of 2019 to be replaced by Allan Fenn.

Fenn resigned in October 2019 with the board appointing Ajay Ashanike in his place. The team were in twelfth place when the COVID-19 pandemic aborted the 2019-20 season.

Fisher FC will play in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division in the 2020-21 season.

My visits

Fisher Athletic 2 ? 2 (1983-84) Southern League Premier Division (att: approx 250)

The opponents for this game fail my memory, but I was at college in Borehamwood at the time and was eager to visit a virtually new venue. Surrey Docks Stadium was the closest to the centre of London and just a couple of hundred yards from the River Thames, so the journey down to Bermondsey on the East London Line was relatively trouble free.

The whole area was newly built having been regenerated from the old docks. There were few people on the streets, giving it an eerie feeling as if the old dockers and machinery were still keeping watch on their old domain. I was glad to reach the ground ten minutes later.

The stadium was still not fully complete, but was fine for the standard Fisher were playing at. The Main Stand was seated on the half way line, with a small cover behind the goal at the River End. 

The rest of the ground was flat open standing. The clubhouse and changing rooms were incorporated into a large building in the entrance corner which also served the other pitches and facilities.

I cannot recall too much about the game, apart from the home supporters seemed to be dismayed at the dropping of a couple of points.

January 2005

Having finished a course early at Surrey Quays I decided to make a visit to try and see the stadium before it disappeared. The courtyard to the entrance was now taken up by a scrap yard and a garage. The proprietors were fine with me finding a way into the ground.

It really was in a sorry state, which was a real shame to see. One wondered why the club had even abandoned it in the first place. The Main Stand was still as it was from my original visit. Both ends had a few steps of terracing, and the other touchline had a couple of steps and two covers. 

I could imagine it being neat and tidy for football at the end of its life, but at the same time I'm not sure I'd have wanted to have been one of the record gate of 4,283 against Barnet in 1991. That must have been very snug!

Fisher 1 Millwall XI 3 (Saturday 8^th July 2017) Pre Season Friendly (att: 358)

My first game of the 2017-18 campaign saw me head to south east London after a fine morning watching the British Lions draw in New Zealand, and some quality time with Steve Jarvis and my Godson, Oscar at Hampstead Cricket Club.

My initial choice had been Aylesbury v MK Dons, but time had beaten me. Instead I took the Jubilee line to Bermondsey before catching the 381 bus to a couple of stops past Rotherhithe station.

I’d intended to take in a couple of pre match libations in The Mayflower pub by the Thames, but found myself astray. I poked my head into the Old Salt Quay pub, but the choice of ale was wholly uninspiring. Instead I continued along Salter Road.

The site of the old Fisher Athletic ground was now an open park and clearly visible from Lagado Mews along with some overgrown banking where a small open terracing once stood. The new homes were now complete and occupied.

I came to the St Paul’s Sports Ground a hundred yards or so further up on the opposite side of Salter Road. I was one of the first to enter; paying £7 admission along with a quid for a decent enough programme.

The ground was tightly enclosed, but neat and tidy; and just about perfect for a club of Fisher’s size, with its artificial playing surface; which was shared with Millwall Lionesses.

A small trademark modern seated stand straddled the half way line on the near side before giving way to the changing room and club facilities. The Dockers End had a small covered terrace behind the goal, with the far end open offering a fine view of Canary Wharf.

The far touch line had two small sections of open standing either side of the subs benches. All in all it looked pretty decent. There was space for further development behind the Dockers End and the main side. Bicycle racks offered fans a healthy option by cycling to games.

The catering outlet and clubhouse was fairly limited, but the staff were very friendly and efficient. I went for a can of coke, a tea and a hot dog, which came to £4.80. Alcohol was served from cans.

Once fed and watered I found a place along from the seats as the players went through some mesmerising warm ups of quick passing and movement as I listened to the Test match from Lord’s. The teams came out to the old Fisher theme tune.

I was immediately impressed by Fisher. They looked fit and strong against their illustrious neighbours, who fielded two separate eleven’s in each half consisting of academy and fringe players. Millwall also had a team playing in an earlier kick off at Dartford.

Fisher came out of the blocks with great gusto. Their physical presence and pace was most impressive. A set piece move on just five minutes saw the impressive home centre forward spring the offside trap before slotting home. The Fish gave as good as they got throughout the half.

Fisher held onto the lead until the interval. I’d moved just before then as the kids were just too much in the heat when I was tired. I found a spot in the shade and bought a bottle of water for £1 as I continued to listen to action from the cricket.

Millwall came out for the second half fielding virtually a brand new XI, and the freshness no doubt assisted them on a sweltering hot day. Matthew Neary levelled things up before Chris Taylor put the Lions ahead, finishing off a fine move. The game was put beyond doubt when Mason Saunders-Henry scored from the penalty spot following a clumsy challenge.

As the ball hit the net I jogged over the road to the Peter Hills School stop and jumped on board the service heading to Waterloo before alighting to visit a place I’d enjoyed previously. However, the loud music and loud hipsters at the Southwark Brewery Tap put me off.

Instead I went for a lovely walk to the river and up and over Tower Bridge; taking some nice photos before walking to the Liberty Bounds Wetherspoon pub for a rewarding bottle of Magners cider and to chill out.

The heat had beaten me, so I went lazy and bought a KFC for my tea before taking the tube home from Aldgate to round off a long but enjoyable day, so I could awake for work at 4.20am the following morning.

Fisher 2 Punjab United 0 (Saturday 14^th March 2020) Southern Counties East League Premier Division (att: 179)

The COVID-19 crisis was taking effect while I was on night shift. Most leagues had taken the decision to suspend their fixtures. The choice was limited but I was determined to get a game in as I feared it might be the last opportunity for some time.

Steve Barnes, my mate in Kingsbury was also up for a trip. He’d never been to Fisher before, so he was happy with my selection. Especially, as it coincided with a pre match visit to the Southward Brewing Company on Druid Street.

We took the tube from Colindale to London Bridge and then walked to build up a thirst. The brewery tap was busy with a crowd probably best described as young middle class. The beer was first class, as was the choice of background music.

It seemed a shame to move on, but a couple of pints of London Pale Ale was probably about right. We went around the corner and caught the 381 bus from Boss Street which dropped us off at the Peter Hills School stop, virtually outside the St Paul's Sports Ground.

A little lad was selling programmes outside the gate with his Dad for a couple of quid, while admission was £8. I Immediately sensed a proper community spirit around the club. We had to settle for a cup of tea at the refreshment kiosk owing to the grounds license.

The couple behind the counter explained that they could only apply to sell booze a few times a season. They didn’t anticipate this game attracting a decent sized crowd until proceedings took effect late in the day.

Several other neutral groundhoppers were in attendance. Steve immediately recognised a couple of Orient fans. I had a brief chat with a local whose attitude I loved. He epitomised what I call a proper south Londoner. No frills but sincere. There’s not nearly enough of that out there.

Before kick-off we headed round to the narrow far side to watch proceedings. We were in for a treat as both sides played some good football with no quarter given. The visitors were denied by a fine Tommy Taylor in the Fisher net in the opening exchanges.

Punjab United is an Asian owned club from Gravesend. Their players offered a mixture of demographics while the management on and off the pitch appeared to be predominantly Asian. They certainly looked a better side than theirs, and indeed, Fisher’s lowly league positions suggested.

The Fish looked decent going forward as they forced visiting custodian Max Ovenden into a couple of comfortable saves. A deep cross evaded the stopper, but the Fisher forward was unable to hook his foot round the ball from a tight angle.

However, the hosts were not to be denied a couple of minutes before the interval. A beautiful defence spitting pass from substitute Christian Udo sent through Malaki Coker. Ovenden kept his initial effort out before the forward followed up as the goal was knocked from its moorings.

We wandered round at the break, chatting with more neutrals who were equally impressed with the fare on offer. Some local fellas obviously knew the situation with the alcohol restrictions and found their own solution.

Their presence and quaffing helped the atmosphere in the second half. The visitors centre forward Bryan Zepo lost his composure offering rather too much feedback to the referee who sent him to cool down for a ten minute sin binning.

I must comment the referee Damian Mirzadeh, who I thought had an excellent game with his decision making and communication with the players, which was good without being over the top. Definitely one to watch on this performance.

Elias Armah-Tackie went on a storming run before trying to provide Udo, but good defensive work from Punjab snuffed out the danger. A corner from no nonsense full back and Fish skipper Chris Lockwood was saved my Ovenden who was earning his expenses in goal.

He went on to deny Ryan Atkinson who fired in a low drive across the artificial surface. However, there was nothing he could do with twelve minutes remaining when a fine move resulted in an accurate cross finding Udo who made no mistake with his header.

The Dockers End erupted as fans celebrated before the scorer was substituted, much to his frustration. We made our way round to the gates as we wanted to catch a bus back to London Bridge. We missed Fish’s Darnel Coker being sent off after a foul challenge.

We’d both enjoyed the game and our visit. The bus journey back went past many attractive looking boozers. It was certainly somewhere on the list for a proper adventure at some point. Luckily for Steve he could pop to the Midland at Hendon for libations while I needed a siesta before work.

My intuition about the suspension of matches was sadly accurate as the Southern Counties East League called off their midweek games with the rest of non-league football. It probably called time on the 2019-20 season.

In closing I later read a Tweet thanking the Punjab owners for delivering a box of samosas for the Fisher fans to enjoy. That sums up the spirit of non-league to me. That will always be missed as much as the action out on the pitch. Brilliant stuff.