The original club was founded in 1908 by the headmaster of Dockland School, to provide sporting facilities for underprivileged youths of Bermondsey with the club being named after the Catholic martyr St. John Fisher.

The team competed in various district leagues before being elected to the Spartan League in 1975. They rose though the divisions and won the Spartan title in 1981 and 1982.

They then moved to a purpose-built stadium at Surrey Docks and were elected to the Southern League Southern Division. They won the championship at the first attempt, earning promotion to the Premier Division. In 1984-5 Fisher reached the first round of the F.A. Cup, losing 0-1 to Bristol City.

In 1987 they won the Southern League title and were promoted to the Conference. The following year they reached the first round of the F.A. Cup again. This time they met the other Bristol club, Rovers, going down 0-3.

Fisher’s run of success came to an end in 1991 when they finished bottom of the Conference and dropped back to the Southern League. Their final home match in the Conference was watched by 4,283 as it was against Barnet who needed a win to gain promotion to the Football League.

Another relegation followed the next season dropping them to the Southern League Southern Division, where they remained until the turn of the century, generally finishing in mid-table.

During this period there were also a couple of name changes, dropping the Athletic in 1993 and then adding it back, along with London, three years later to become Fisher Athletic London.

In 2000 they regained a place in the Premier Division for just a season. An ambitious new chairman planned a re-development of the stadium which they had vacated in 2004 and aimed to regain a place in the Conference. In 2005 they won the Southern League Division One East and were promoted to the Isthmian Premier Division.

Promotion manager, Wayne Burnett, resigned early the following season but under Justin Edinburgh they went on to finish third, also winning the League Cup and London Senior Cup, and beat Hampton & Richmond Borough in the play-off to win promotion to the Conference South.

Burnett returned to the club in 2007, and assembled a strong squad, only to finish fourth and ironically lose the play-off for the Conference to Hampton & Richmond Borough.

However massive debts had been piling up. Six players left for Football League clubs in the close season and many more left when the club stopped paying players in November 2008. A winding-up order for unpaid income tax was issued by the High Court in March 2009 but was twice adjourned allowing the club to finish the season.

Two weeks later at a meeting in Bermondsey a supporter’s trust was formed to take control of club matters with the new club still sharing at Dulwich Hamlet. They were elected to the Kent League re-named the Southern Counties East in 2013. Fisher dropped down to Division 1 in 2017 but regained Premier status immediately.

The club are now back in Rotherhithe and play on a new 3G pitch at St. Paul’s Stadium with Canary Wharf visible in the distance on the other side of the River Thames. The ground, only a few hundred yards from their now demolished old home, was opened in 2016 and Fisher moved in after they had been away for twelve years ground sharing.

Last season they finished thirteenth in the league but this season are currently bottom (2-2-7 13-19) as they are well behind with their league fixtures. This is due an extraordinary series of cup tie results with them having played more cup ties (16) than league matches, meaning that this is already their 28^th match of the season.

In four rounds of the F.A. Cup they went to replays in every one before going down at home to Welling United 0-3. They have played a further four matches in the F.A. Vase including a re-match at A.F.C. Stoneham, near Southampton, where both matches went to “penalties”. The first was deemed void because a sin binned player was incorrectly not allowed to participate.

Jersey made three changes to last Saturday’s starting team at Camberley Town. Frank Tobin came back for John Lloyd who filled in so well last week and Jay Giles, a notional substitute last week returned at left back, which allowed Ben Le Rougetel to return to midfield indirectly replacing the still injured Francis Lekimamati.

Jake Prince who came on for Lekimamati at Camberley replaced Sammy Henia-Kamau who dropped to the bench. With him there were Lloyd and Jonny Le Quesne, returning from a three-match suspension, and Richard Hebert as emergency goalkeeper cover for Euan Van der Vliet. Lekimamati joined Joe Kilshaw, Fraser Barlow and Kamen Nafkha on the injury list.

Fisher also made changes to last Saturday’s team which lost at Canterbury City. Alli Abdullahi, Sam Fitzgerald and Manny Brown were recalled whilst striker Eniyelayefa “Eni” Amgbaduba was elevated from the bench. Out went Manny Shoderu and Darnel Bromfield who were substitutes, Julio Da Mata and Jacob Katonia, the latter suspended after being dismissed at Canterbury.

There was an impeccably observed minutes silence for Remembrance weekend. The conditions were mild (15C) with a clear blue sky and the sun shining into the dugouts on the far side. Jersey kicked off attacking the Western end with Van der Vliet defending the Canary Wharf end on a higher bouncing pitch than Springfield.

Jersey forced a corner after eight minutes but from it Fisher broke away and Darnelle Bailey-King ran from the half way line hotly pursued by Tobin only to blaze his shot over the bar much to the relief of the numerous Jersey exiles attending the match.

Five minutes later did Fisher take the lead. Sam Fitzgerald found Amgbaduba who controlled it, turned James Queree and when his first shot was blocked by Luke Campbell his strength and persistence told as he toe-poked home the rebound past Van der Vliet from eight yards.

Cedric Nganga led another raid down the left just after the quarter hour but he was eventually crowded out by numerous covering defenders. At the mid-point of the half Nganga broke down the left again, squared to Amgbaduba but the goal scorer was dispossessed by Giles before he could shoot.

A couple of minutes later Jersey’s task became much harder. Miguel Carvalho made a reckless tackle and caught Joseph Adewumni on the ankle. Referees in F.A. matches are rarely lenient and Carvalho received a straight red from referee Joe Gray from Grays. This being the third Jersey dismissal this season, all of them in F.A. Vase matches.

Nganga went down with an injury in front of the dug outs, carried on for a couple more minutes, but was unable to run it off and was replaced just before the half hour by Manny Shoderu. After this Jersey came more into the match but were still trying to play long balls down the flanks with little success. Fisher fell back to defend their lead against the ten men rather than using their advantage to extend it.

It was not until near half time that Jersey seriously threatened the Fisher goal. With three minutes to the interval Jay Giles fizzed a twenty-five-yard free-kick just left of Justice Owusu’s goal. In the last minute of normal time Ruben Mendes took another free-kick from a similar distance. It was heading for the top right corner but Owusu managed to get across and push it out for another corner.

In the first minute of added time Amgbaduba almost seized upon a back pass but Campbell was quickly across to clear. However, the Fisher player came off worst from the clash and indicated a problem with his left thigh. After a lengthy stoppage he was unable to continue and limped gingerly off to be replaced by Patrick Hoy.
Fisher being unfortunate in losing two of their main attacking threats before half time to injuries.

On the resumption Jersey pushed Frank Tobin forward into the midfield with the defensive holding role of Ben Le Rougetel being sacrificed for the more attack minded substitute Jonny Le Quesne. Le Quesne plugging the gap left by Carvalho. Jersey therefore played with only three at the back for the second half as they searched for a way back into the match.

Both Queree (right shoulder) and Mendes (right ankle) picked up knocks in the first ten minutes of the half with that of Mendes looking particularly ominous as he limped off, but fortunately, after treatment. he was able to run it off. In a rare counter attack Bailey-King had a shot from the right which spun away off Van der Vliet’s body for a corner. Manny Brown snatched at another opportunity on the hour when the ball fell kindly for him after another of skipper Luke Thomas’ long throws. Consequentially the ball sailed high over the bar.

Just after the hour Mendes threaded a ball through to Bickley near the penalty spot but on the turn, he shot just wide of the right post. Substitute Shodheru picked up Fisher’s first caution when he took out Adam Trotter as Fisher continued to steadfastly defend their eighteen-yard line and generally waste time.

Shortly afterwards the tall central defender Prince Imoru was fortunate to escape another Fisher caution, as having being spoken to by the referee only moments before, he ended a surging Tobin run on the edge of the box with a trip.

Free-kick’s, usually taken by Giles, were looking as being Jersey’s best way of gaining an equaliser. This one was directed towards the left corner but struck Jake Prince on the back before being hacked clear as it appeared that the good fortune of last week at Camberley was now balancing itself out.

Shortly afterwards Prince sent in a cross from the left which Mendes flicked on but that put the hard-working Bickley off balance at the far post and he could only volley his attempt wide.

Bickley was not to be denied and with just over quarter of an hour to go he Mendes and Le Quesne worked a triangular movement which let Bickley attack down the left channel. He shot home diagonally from eight yards as Owusu tried to narrow the angle to prevent the equaliser.

Before the restart Jersey brought on Sammy Henia-Kamau for Prince on the left flank and with eight minutes left Fisher replaced Manny Brown, who had received a knock, with Nader Zeddini.

Michael Sarpong hit a long ball forward from his own half down the right channel and Bailey-King outpaced Campbell. Van der Vliet had advanced and blocked the shot on the edge of the area, whereas a lob would probably have been more effective.
Zeddini having only been on the field for two minutes was then cautioned when Trotter was caught once again.

With penalties looming at the end of ninety minutes Jersey no doubt remembered last year’s elimination by that method at Fareham. Fisher had had plenty of practice at it too having beaten A.F.C. Stoneham in both their initial match in the previous round, and then again in the re-match, by shoot-outs.

Jersey therefore continued to push forward and with two minutes remaining a Bickley reverse through ball saw Le Quesne’s shot blocked by Owusu at the expense of a corner. From it Mendes had a shot parried which led to a goalmouth scramble before the ball was eventually put over the bar by Le Quesne from five yards.

In the melee Sarpong injured his right leg and limped off as four added minutes were signalled with both teams momentarily down to ten players. It eventually turned out that six and a quarter minutes were added.

Fisher continued to defend deep and put three successive clearances into their neighbours gardens. From the last of these Jersey gained successive corners.
Taken by Mendes the second one was aimed to the back post where Luke Campbell bravely threw himself between the Adewumni and Hoy on the line to head home and gain what turned out to be the winning goal in front of the delirious travelling support.

Fisher at last showed some urgency and gained themselves a 97^th minute corner but it was palmed away by Van der Vliet and the whistle sounded to give Jersey victory.

It was also heartbreak for Fisher who must have thought they were going through only twenty minutes earlier. However, their plan of containment and time wasting gave away the initiative and throughout the second half it appeared that it was Jersey that had the extra player rather than the reverse.

Fisher 1 (Eniyelayefa Amgbaduba 13)
Jersey Bulls 2 (Lorne Bickley 74, Luke Campbell 90+4)

Attendance – 224;

Programme – 32pp, £2

Fisher – Justice Owusu, Luke Thomas (c), Prince Imoru (wore 17), Alli Abdullahi, Sam Fitzgerald, Joseph Adewumni, Darnelle Bailey-King, Michael Sarpong, Eniyelayefa “Eni” Amgbaduba (wore 18), Emmanuel “Manny” Brown, Cedric Nganga (wore 14)
Substitutes – 3. Conor Darwish (not used) 9. Germanov “German” Petrov (not used) 13. James Poole (sub GK) (not used), 15. Nader Zeddini (for Brown 82), 16. Darnel Bromfield (not used), 22. Emmanuel Shoderu (for Nganga 29), 23. Patrick Hoy (for Amgbaduba 45+4)

Black & White stripes(White backs)/Black(White sides)/Black(White tops); GK Lime Green

Ajay Ashanike (Manager), Luke With (Assistant), Michael Williams (Coach), Jordan Darwish (Coach), Jamal Nazzal (Physio.), Ophelie Zamui (Physio.)

Jersey Bulls – Euan Van der Vliet, Frank Tobin (wore 12), Jay Giles, James Queree (c), Luke Campbell, Ben Le Rougetel, Miguel Carvalho, Adam Trotter, Lorne Bickley (wore 16), Ruben Mendes, Jake Prince
Substitutes – 2. John Lloyd (not used), 9. Sammy Henia-Kamau (for Prince 75), 15. Jonny Le Quesne (for Le Rougetel 46), 21. Richard Hebert (sub GK) (not used) only four substitutes

Red/White/Red; GK Yellow

Gary Freeman (Manager), Kevan Nelson (Assistant), Dan Seviour (Coach), Richard Hebert (GK Coach)

Formations
Fisher (4-4-2 R to L) 1; 2-5-6-17; 7-4-8-14; 18-10

Jersey Bulls (4-1-4-1 R to L) 1; 12-4-5-3; 6; 7-8-10-11; 16

Referee – Joe Gray (Grays) his first Jersey match

Assistants – Aidan Moloney (Dartford) patrolling the dug outs on the far (North) side and Dean Banks (Croydon) grandstand side, was on the line at Redhill last season

Cautions – Emmanuel Shoderu (F) 66, Nader Zeddini (F) 84

Dismissal – Miguel Carvalho (JB) 24

Corners – Fisher (1) 3; Jersey Bulls (4) 7

Player of the Match Award – Lorne Bickley