Contributions From Ben Fisk Growing During 'Crunch Time In Season' For FC Edmonton
Photo credit: Tony Lewis/FC Edmonton
Ben Fisk saw the season FC Edmonton was having, and after two and half years in Spain, moved closer to home to join the Eddies.
“The excellent season that the team was having was a big reason for why I signed here,” Fisk, a Vancouver native, told NASL.com. “As a player, I’m very competitive and I always want to be playing for a winning team. I think when I came in I didn’t want to throw any of the balance with the team off and I worked really hard to build good relationships with my teammates so we could keep the chemistry going and keep the positives going.”
The Eddies are currently in third place in both the Fall Season and Combined Standings – behind the New York Cosmos and Indy Eleven – and have a game in hand. The Eddies could reclaim second place after Wednesday night’s game at Jacksonville as the club attempts to reach the postseason for the first time since 2011.
“That would be huge, especially just joining the team recently,” Fisk said. “I hope that we can continue the form we’ve had all season. Making the playoffs would be Step 1, but everyone in the team knows we have the talent and the drive to hopefully go on and win the championship.”
After taking time to settle in, Fisk has now started the past four games and has come close to scoring goals, only to be denied by crossbars and posts. The goals, Fisk believes, are coming. It’s just a matter of time.
“I’m confident that the goals are coming, I’ve just been a bit unlucky,” he said. “The positives I take are that I’m getting in the right areas and I’ve been getting good shots off. Another time it could’ve been two or three goals in three games, so I have to focus on the positives and keep getting to those areas and those shots.”
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While adding a creative element to FC Edmonton is “a natural role I’m going to take up in the team,” he hasn’t forgotten about his defensive duties. The Eddies currently lead the league in clean sheets with 13 – picking up two in the last three games – and have conceded only 15 goals in 25 games.
At FC Edmonton, Fisk, 23, has been getting the chance to play with veteran Canadian international Nik Ledgerwood.
“He’s first and foremost an incredible person,” Fisk said. “He’s really helped me feel at home in Edmonton and amongst the team. He’s a great player as well. He’s had a tremendous career, playing almost 13 years in Germany. If you’re playing that long in a top footballing nation, you’re doing something right. I definitely enjoy playing with him since I joined the team and hopefully we’ll have a lot more good memories with the team.”
Fisk has also been impressed by the youngest member of FC Edmonton’s squad, Shamit Shome, who has represented Canada at the youth levels much like himself. Shome has played 19 times, making 13 starts, in his first professional season.
“He’s 19 years old, but he plays and acts way beyond his years,” Fisk said. “He’s a very mature kid and he shows it on the pitch – he doesn’t get nervous, he’s calm under pressure when he gets the ball, and he’s been a great player for us this season.”
The Eddies, as a team, are now trying to close out an impressive campaign with seven games remaining on the schedule.
“It’s crunch time in the season,” Fisk said. “We have the goal that we want to be challenging New York not just for a playoff spot, but the Fall Season title. That’s our goal and we are taking each game as it comes. At the end of the year, we’d like to be champions.”
