History
The club was founded in 1908 by Michael Culiton, headmaster at Dockland School, to provide sporting facilities for underprivileged youths of Bermondsey. The club was named after the Catholic martyr Saint John Fisher. They are thus one of the few sports clubs in the world to take their name from a person. The club's closest neighbour is fellow "dockers" Millwall, but as the two teams rarely meet in a competitive match there is no strong rivalry. Dulwich Hamlet are often considered the team's closest rivals, despite the current groundshare.
The team competed in various district leagues before moving to the Parthenon League where they stayed until 1965. At this point the club folded and reformed, this time based in Mitcham, joining the Western Section of the Kent Amateur League for the 1966–67 season.
Fisher were elected to the Spartan League in 1974 and won back-to-back championships in 1980–81 and 1981–82. The latter season coincided with a move to their present home, the purpose-built stadium at Surrey Docks.
Fisher were elected to the Southern League's Southern Division for the 1982–83 season and won the championship at the first attempt, earning promotion to the Southern League Premier Division. 1984–85 saw Fisher reach the first round of the FA Cup, losing 1–0 to Bristol City.
In 1986–87 they won the Southern League title and were promoted to the Football Conference. The following year brought another run to the first round of the FA Cup where the 'Fish' again lost 1–0, their nemesis this time being Bristol Rovers.
Fisher's success came to an end in 1990–91 when they finished bottom of the Conference and dropped back to the Southern League Premier Division. The following season brought a second successive relegation, to the Southern League Southern Division, where they remained until the turn of the millennium, generally finishing in mid-table.
Read more about this topic: Fisher Athletic F.C.
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