Enfield Town 2 Met Police 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Everyone knew that our FA Trophy third qualifying round fixture would be a tough encounter and so it proved as we squeezed into the first round proper in the proverbial game of two halves – and two penalties!

Our visitors, also from Step 3, hadn’t been beaten on the road this season while we hadn’t lost at home.

Something had to give and thankfully it was us who maintained our unbeaten record as we moved through to Monday’s eagerly awaited draw.

With both Rian Bray and Nathan Smith unavailable through illness, the centre of our defence had an unfamiliar look with Harold Joseph getting a rare start alongside Jeremiah Gyebi.

This was never going to be another goal fest like at East Thurrock but we got off to an encouraging start, Lee Chappell’s header clipping the post and a snap shot by Mo Faal being cleared off the line.

After weathering the early storm, Met Police gradually came into the game and Nathan McDonald was forced into a timely stop from Luke Robertson.

But on 36 minutes, we deservedly went in front, Lyle Della-Verde’s floated freekick finding Mo via the head of Adam Cunnington.

Just before halftime it was so nearly 1-1 as Ollie Knight, Police’s most dangerous player, saw his shot come back off a post with McDonald beaten and Jonathan Hippolyte was flagged offside as he netted the rebound.

Half-time 1-0

Second best for most of the opening 45 minutes, Met Police re-emerged a different team, bolstering their midfield, using the flanks to good effect and pushing us back. And right on the hour they levelled.

Rudy Allen’s accurate low drive was superbly palmed  away by McDonald but the resulting short corner took a looped deflection for Luke Robertson to head home.

The goal galvanised the visitors and as they stretched our back line, Ollie Robinson headed over. Yet just when Met Police were in the ascendancy, we were awarded a timely penalty on 81 minutes as Mo was adjudged to have been barged over.

Rather than take the kick himself he generously left it to substitute Andre Coker who confidently sent Liam Beach the wrong way.

The Met Police players, led by skipper Robinson, protested in numbers but soon afterwards and with the clock ticking towards full time, they were awarded a penalty of their own.

Percy Kiangebeni pulled down dangerman Knight on the edge of the box and up stepped Liam Ferdinand, only for McDonald to save brilliantly with his knees to the delight of the supporters behind the opposite goal.

Met Police will doubtless claim they deserved at least to take the game to spotkicks but not for the first time this season, we were rewarded for our hard work, togetherness and faultless spirit to take our place in Monday’s draw.

Town

McDonald; Chappell, Joseph, Gyebi, Kirwan; Youngs, Kiangebeni (Muleba, 91), Maja, Della-Verde (Taaffe, 85); Cunnington (Coke, 73), Faal

Attendance: 303

East Thurrock United 0, Enfield Town 8 (EIGHT!)

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Memorable, unforgettable, one of those “I was there” occasions.

History was made on Saturday when we recorded our biggest ever league win by annihilating East Thurrock – a team we had never previously beaten home or away. Talk about ending the jinx in style!

Despite skipper Scott Thomas missing out through injury and Andre Coker only well enough to make the bench, we had heroes all over the pitch as our teamwork and togetherness blew away our shell-shocked opponents with a whirlwind of a first half that saw us lead 7-0 at the break, courtesy of lethal finishing.

Mo Faal was at his scintillating best, carrying off the match ball at the end having netted four times but it was hard to pick a man of the match as everyone played their part in a game that will live long in the memory.

Andy Leese and the management team will doubtless impress upon the team not to get carried away with a hugely challenging FA Trophy fixture against fellow Step 3 side Met Police – unbeaten on the road – next Saturday. But both players and staff deserve enormous credit as we maintained our position at the top of the league.

The game was six minutes old when Adam Cunnington, who arguably had his best game in a Towners shirt, winning virtually everything in the air and tracking back when necessary, netted a rebound after Mo’s overhead kick from Lee Chappell’s long throw came back off the bar.

Four minutes later Lyle Della-Verde, whose skill on the ball troubled the hosts all afternoon, scored in the corner direct from a freekick with the Rocks defence asleep.

On an afternoon when the quick thinking and understanding between our players was almost telepathic, Mo ran on to Cunnington’s flick for number three and was soon in the right place at the right time to convert Della-Verde’s corner.

The nearest East Thurrock came was when Danny Cossington hit the woodwork but on 26 minutes, it was 5-0 as Percy Kiangebeni’s shot was only half cleared and Della-Verde drilled his shot low and hard beyond the keeper.

As the home fans lambasted their team for embarrassing, woeful defending, the goal spree continued as Mo completed his hattrick, winning and converting a 33^rd-minute penalty after the referee adjudged he was tripped.

There was still time in an exhilarating first half for Nathan Smith to get on the scoreline, latching on to a Sam Youngs freekick after ghosting in unmarked at the far post.

H-T 0-7

With the game won, Andy Leese made an immediate and sensible change at the break as Jonathan Muleba replaced Manny Maja, who had been booked in the first half and couldn’t risk a second yellow.

As a result, Chappell moved seamlessly into central midfield alongside Percy and Sam Youngs, the latter deserving considerable praise for an outstanding energetic display capped by a terrific strike that crashed against the bar.

A minute later Mo was on hand to finish off another glorious Della-Verde cross to pick up his fourth goal for 8-0, only to be understandably subbed shortly afterwards, his work very much done for the day.

It could so easily have been nine when Della-Verde, going for his hattrick, saw a second penalty awarded to Town well saved by Arthur Janata. And there was still time for substitute Lewis Taaffe to blast over after a fabulous exchange down the left with the ever-improving Ryan Kirwan who put in another eye-catching faultless performance.

As an exhibition of clinical finishing, we may never see the like of it again but next up Met Police and a chance to progress in the FA Trophy, with no room for complacency.

Town:

McDonald; Chappell, Smith (Bray, 70), Gyebi, Kirwan; Youngs, Maja (Muleba, 46), Kiangebeni, Della-Verde; Faal (Taaffe,  63), Cunnington.

Enfield Town 2 Worthing 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Enfield Town twice came from behind and remained top of the league as the eagerly anticipated showdown between the division’s top two ended all square on Saturday.

We may have relinquished our 100 percent  home league record but we are unlikely to meet many better sides this season than Adam Hinshelwood’s Rebels who played the slicker football, especially in the first half, but ultimately could not turn it into all three points.

You have to give enormous credit to Town who showed commendable tenacity, determination and spirit as they maintained their one-point lead over Worthing – who have a game in hand – as well their unbeaten home run.

Praise also has to go to the management team who changed the system to get back in the game at a time when we were in danger of being over-run.

Mo Faal thought he had opened the score straight from the kickoff, only to have his neat finish ruled out for offside. For the next 35 minutes, Worthing took control , playing out from the back and moving smoothly through the gears.

Nathan McDonald had already saved magnificently from Oliver Pearce when, after 16 minutes, it was no surprise when the visitors struck first. It looked as if Lee Chappell had been fouled but nothing was given and Jasper Pattenden ran on to place his low shot in the corner.

With Worthing’s composed play, especially in the wide areas, causing us all kinds of problems, we switched to 3-5-2 – something that had been discussed in the build-up to the game – and it soon paid dividends. On the stroke of halftime, Faal’s skill and persistence down the right caught Worthing napping and from his pinpoint cross, Percy Kiangebeni headed a superb equalizer.

H-T 1-1

It was the perfect tonic we needed yet 13 minutes after the restart, the Rebels were back in front, Rees Myles-Meekums heading home after we took our eye off the ball when the referee played advantage following a foul on the edge of the Enfield box.

Andy Leese was furious with the defending and had to be restrained in the dug-out by Mario. To make matters worse, by now Scott Thomas had been lost to what looked like a hamstring injury to go with his persistent ankle problem, Sam Youngs taking his place.

But on 69 minutes we levelled again as the ever-threatening Faal latched on to substitute Adam Cunnington’s flick, kept his composure and finished with trademark aplomb.

Both teams had chances to win it in the final stages, Mo for the Town despite having five defenders around him and, for Worthing, substitute Darnell Goather-Braithwaite who held his head in the hands after planting a free header over the bar from close range with virtually the last kick of normal time.

Andy Leese was happy with a point against most pundits’ tip for automatic promotion.

“We struggled for the first half-hour, then changed our shape to match them up,” said Andy. “We warned them at halftime about concentration so I was really unhappy about Worthing’s second goal. But our resilience was there for everyone to see. The key is not to lose to the sides around you.”

Attendance: 615

Town:

McDonald; Chappell, Gyebi, Smith, Kirwan (Cunnington 61); Thomas (Youngs 42), Maja; Coker (Muleba 83), Kiangebeni, Della-Verde; Faal

Subs not used: Taaffe, Bray

There are big games and then there are gigantic games, writes Andrew Warshaw.

Expectations are reaching fever pitch ahead of tomorrow’s eagerly anticipated showdown with Worthing.

With no professional fixture in north London, we are expecting a bumper crowd for one of the biggest league fixtures in our history: first against second.

Worthing, most pundits’ favourites for automatic promotion, are one point behind us with a game in hand in what is the ultimate six-pointer with the visitors likely to bring between 150 and 200 fans.

The Rebels have won their last five league games, scoring 15 goals in the process. In midweek, 24 hours after we beat Wingate and Finchley, they went to high-fliers Kingstonian and won 4-3 to leagfrog the K’s into second spot.

Two years ago, coronavirus wrecked Worthing’s promotion dream after they were top of the Isthmian Premier League by seven points with eight games to go, only for the season to be declared null and void.

Whilst there is no doubting their all-round ability, especially in attack, we are in great form too and have proved on our day that we can beat anyone.

It promises to be an unforgettable afternoon so don’t miss out.

We are using the Worthing game to highlight hate crime awareness week with volunteers, officials and stewards wearing special  T-shirts as will the players in the warm-up.

(end)

Billy Bricknell has decided to leave the club and has signed for AFC Hornchurch.

Billy’s experience and renowned goalscoring prowess – especially during the 2019-20 season when he netted 18 times – made him a hugely popular figure at our club and we wish him every success as he moves on.

After taking a break from the game to concentrate on family and business commitments, Billy started training again only a few weeks ago and came off the bench in a couple of our most recent fixtures.

“Billy made it clear he wanted to play matches and I was not able to guarantee him that right now ,” declared manager Andy Leese. “I wanted to keep Billy, and ideally he wanted to stay. We talked about him going out to get games elsewhere, but ultimately Bill made it clear he needed to play every week at 33 and having missed a large part of the season I understand his desire to play every week.”

As Billy departs, so we are delighted to announce that Mo Faal has indicated he would like to extend his stay at the club.

“I am absolutely thrilled that it appears we will have Mo for longer than we anticipated,” said Andy. “I’m sure this will be a fantastic tonic to the fans as well as the management team.”

Meanwhile, we can announce the signing of highly rated 18-year-old Luke Cook. Luke, who can play anywhere across the front line, has been on trial at Brentford B and  chose Enfield over a number of other interested clubs for the first move of his career.

“We had him on trial before the season and liked what we saw,” said Andy. “He’s a great prospect, young and hungry and we are delighted to add him to the squad.”

Andrew Warshaw

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Five home league games, five victories. And this one was especially sweet, sending us to the top of the league for the first time ever at this stage of the season at Step 3 and sparking huge celebrations in the dressing room and among the fans.

This report was published before Worthing’s visit to Kingstonian but whatever the result there in terms of how the table stands, Saturday’s game against the Rebels, the Mackeral Men – call them what you will – promises to be a mouthwatering occasion, not least since our visitors were justifiably most people’s tip for automatic promotion before the start of the season.

Maintaining our 100 percent home league record against Wingate and Finchley in the latest of our local derbies was always going to be a challenge, with former Towners skipper Marc Weatherstone now in charge of the opposition and three of our ex-players in the visitors’ squad.

Andy Leese chose an unchanged team from Leatherhead and we were quickly on the front foot with Lyle Della-Verde, seemingly back to full fitness, probing down the right and bringing a magnificent save from Ben Goode after Andre Coker had started the move on the other flank by whipping in a dangerous cross.

Wingate were forced into an unfortunate early substitution and as we continued to probe, former Towner Sam Hatton was cautioned for a foul on Manny Maja, much to the enjoyment of the home fans. From Della-Verde’s resulting freekick, Jerry Gyebi headed over with the keeper already committed.

Wingate were always in the game, however, and we were fortunate that no-one was on hand to convert familiar face Bilal Sayoud’s dangerous freekick across the face of goal. We were also thankful for a superb tackle on the edge of the box by Ryan KJirwan to thwart another Wingate raid and to Nathan McDonald for pushing out a Sayoud effort.

But as halftime loomed, so we struck first. Nathan Smith’s header from a corner came back off the bar and he was in the right place to bundle it over the line.

It could easily have quickly two as Mo Faal latched on to  a poor clearance, only for Goode to produce another outstanding stop.

H-T 1-0

Sam Youngs replaced Scott Thomas at halftime as a precaution given Scott’s ankle problem but we soon doubled our lead.

There are moments in some games that will long live in the memory and five minutes after the break came the latest.

Percy Kiangebeni (pictured) picked up the ball halfway inside the Wingate and Finchley half, steadied himself and unleashed a ferocious drive that left Goode motionless and will surely be a contender for goal of the season. No wonder Percy was mobbed by his teammates as he wheeled away in delight.

We so nearly put the game to bed when a bullet header by Faal from Kirwan’s pinpoint cross was gratefully held by Goode but on 69 minutes. the visitors were back in it.

A freekick on the edge of our box was whipped in by Biloul and when we failed to clear the danger,  Alphonso Kennedy’s sweet turn and shot beat McDonald in the corner.

Soon after the restart, we had two golden chances to make it three: first when the ball was somehow cleared off the W and F line and the follow-up from Della-Verde struck the post, then when Mo fluffed his shot after a glorious pass from the ever-improving Coker.

It made for a nervous finish (how many times have we said that?) during which W and F chanced their arm and McDonald was ludicrously booked for time wasting during six minutes of added time.

Next up Worthing, a six-pointer that is huge in itself but which we are using to highlight hate crime awareness week.

Town:

McDonald; Chappell, Gyebi, Smith, Kirwan; Thomas (Youngs 46), Kiengebeni, Maja, Della-Verde; Faal (Cunnington 81), Coker

Attendance: 334

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Anyone who witnessed last Friday’s official launch of our new youth section shirt sponsorship could not have been more impressed by the level of enthusiasm or by the generosity of Future.

Scores of families attended what can only be described as a hugely successful evening, made even more so by the help of Tottenham Hotspur who kindly agreed to send four of their under-23 side, two of them from the borough of Enfield, to support us on the night.

The evening, split into three different age groups, included a kick Up Challenge, penalty shootout, crossbar challenge and raffle, the proceeds of which went to the Pink Ribbon Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The sight of so many youngsters on the pitch was a reminder of just how important this part of our club is in terms of building relationships with the local community.

Michael Butcher, Future’s director of business development, made a heartwarming speech in which he highlighted the environmentally friendly nature of the Hoddesdon-based printing company in terms of sustainability.

Any new business generated on the back of the three-year sponsorship deal will result in a further £250 being generously donated to the club.

Asked why his company chose Enfield Town, Michael revealed that rivals Cheshunt were also considered but that ultimately we were a better fit.

“With Cheshunt they were more of a commercial operation with a business mentality whereas the fan-owned aspect of Enfield was something that struck a chord with us,” said Michael. “We’ve always wanted to get involved with a local football team and Enfield Town were the perfect partnership.”

“Having Future involved is a huge deal,” said John Doyle, the head of our youth section. “It gives us the opportunity to grow as well as try to bridge the gap between youth football the senior set-up. I think Future were impressed by our community approach and how we want to give everyone a chance. We’ve never been close to receiving this kind of sponsorship. They want to be more than just a name on the shirt. They want to be part of the club.”

Enfield Town cemented their strong start to the Isthmian League season as they recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over Leatherhead at Fetcham Grove on Saturday afternoon.

Seeking to continue the momentum and purpose with which Town had beaten leaders Kingstonian on Tuesday evening, Andy Leese named an unchanged eleven to start the match in Surrey and was rewarded with a highly professional display which arguably ought to have yielded more than three goals.

The visitors enjoyed the lion’s share of the play and came quickest out of the blocks, finding some early joy down the channels as Lyle Della-Verde and Andre Coker latched onto a series of through balls and looked to combine out wide. With 12 minutes gone, they were handed a golden opportunity from the spot as Ryan Kirwan overlapped along the left flank, cut inside and was hauled down in the area. Mo Faal stepped up, but following a lengthy run-up placed his penalty wide of the target.

Not that that much deterred Town – or Faal – as the away side continued to press, winning practically every duel and second ball before a green shirt could. A long-ranger from Manny Maja-Awesu was blocked, before Nathan Smith headed over from a free-kick. Just shy of the half-hour mark, Town were awarded another penalty following a carbon copy incident: Kirwan racing into the area before being tripped. Faal again took responsibility but this time made no mistake, slotting beyond the reach of the diving goalkeeper for his sixth league goal of the campaign.

Ten minutes later and the away side doubled their lead, Percy Kiangebeni well-positioned on the edge of the area to lash an effort into the bottom-left corner; his second in as many games for Town. Leatherhead very rarely troubled Nathan McDonald in the Town goal and a Craig McGee snapshot flew harmlessly wide just before half-time.

HT: Leatherhead 0-2 Enfield Town

The second half was very much as the first had ended, as Town enjoyed the majority of the ball, and carved out far more – and far better – chances than their hosts. In truth, a number of fouls disrupted any flow at the beginning of the second period, with the referee having issued warnings to both sets of players and management staff after a series of flare-ups.

It wasn’t long before the away side found their flow again, Jeremiah Gyebi glancing a header across goal from a corner. Just before the hour, a cleverly-disguised free-kick almost paid dividends as Coker went short to Della-Verde, whose square ball was met by Nathan Smith but blocked on the goal-line before Coker’s follow-up whistled narrowly over the bar. Enfield were seizing upon every moment of Leatherhead hesitation, with every clearance coming back for Town’s attackers to chase; Faal played through on goal but denied a brace by a good low stop from Tanners goalie Myles Bowman.

With a quarter of an hour remaining, Faal was withdrawn for Adam Cunnington; the substitute applying the gloss to a very satisfying afternoon on 83 minutes by notching his first goal for Enfield Town, nodding home Kirwan’s pinpoint left-wing cross and sparking jubilant celebrations from players, fans and management alike.

_____________

Enfield Town: McDonald; Chappell, Gyebi, Smith, Kirwan; Thomas (Youngs 69’), Maja-Awesu, Kiangebeni; Della-Verde, Faal (Cunnington 75’), Coker (Taaffe 69’)

Unused Subs: Joseph, Muleba

Attendance: 366

Enfield Town surged to third in the Isthmian Premier Division, and bounced back from the setbacks of their last two games, with a gutsy and richly deserved 2-0 victory over league leaders Kingstonian on Tuesday evening.

Despite Saturday’s cup exit, home well and truly is where the heart is for the Towners and they extended an already formidable record at Donkey Lane, playing some excellent football to record their ninth home league win on the bounce – a feat never before achieved by an Enfield Town team.

They certainly started the brighter as the visitors were very nearly caught napping inside two minutes, with Muhammadu Faal seizing on an underhit backpass and working the ball to Percy Kiangebeni, who forced ‘keeper Rob Tolfrey into action. Five minutes later, former Ks man Andre Coker saw his effort charged down on the edge of the area as Town took the game to their opponents and sustained the early pressure.

Another former Kingstonian forward, Lyle Della-Verde, looked lively all half and produced some delightful interplay down the right flank with Faal before bending a shot wide of the mark. On 20 minutes, however, the hosts were rewarded as a Lee Chappell long throw was only cleared as far as Ryan Kirwan, who nodded on towards Kiangebeni for the midfielder to slot a finish into the bottom-right corner; his second goal of the campaign duly greeted by the home fans positioned behind the goal.

Ks certainly had their chances and were by no means quiet, with the lively Daniel Ajakaiye twice producing efforts which needed saving by Nathan McDonald. On the half-hour mark Ajakaiye controlled smoothly and rolled his defender but once more the resulting shot was well kept by McDonald. Town supporters held their collective breath as a delicious cross from the right was met by Kershaney Samuels, but saved at point-blank range.

With 33 gone, however, it was Town who struck once more. Faal chased down an overhit pass and, bringing the ball under control on the touchline, skipped beyond his defender with finesse before squaring for the incoming Coker to tap in and double the advantage.

Half Time, 2-0.

After the restart, it was the away side who started on the front foot, full-back Bryant Akono-Bilongo unmarked at the back post to side-foot a volley into a crowd of players from a corner. The best chance of the half came seven minutes later through an Enfield counter attack, as Kiangebeni was released with a slide-rule through ball. His powerful effort beat Tolfrey, but incredibly cannoned off both the underside of the crossbar as well as the post before bouncing out.

Town didn’t let up, and Kirwan – handed a start at left-back for the first time in over a month – produced several swashbuckling forward runs to skip away from some no-nonsense challenges. He combined with Coker who nutmegged his man to set Faal clear, but an archetypal finish was denied by the offside flag.

Kingstonian thought that they had found a way back into the match on 62 minutes when Kenny Beaney’s flighted corner was glanced into the net by Jerry Puemo, but the linesman was well-positioned to spot that the Ks defender had in fact punched the ball in with his hand.

A series of late substitutions arguably didn’t help the visitors’ cause as they continued to press, but Town defended resolutely to see out the match and maintain another home clean sheet. Town visit Leatherhead on Saturday afternoon, and will look to continue the momentum provided by an impressive home win over the league’s early pace-setters.

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Enfield Town’s interest in this season’s FA Cup came to a disappointing end with a narrow 1-0 defeat at Conference South Chelmsford in the third qualifying round, played in atrocious weather that even the proverbial ducks would have struggled with.

Town’s travelling faithful braved the driving rain and lashing winds and outsung the home crowd as we arguably deserved a draw against Step 2 opponents who we fought hard to match but who ultimately coped with the conditions ever so slightly better.

Setting up in a 3-5-2 formation, things started badly for Town as Mo Faal needed lengthy treatment after going down in the very first minute with what, at the time, looked like a potential game-ending injury. Luckily Mo was eventually up on his feet but, for once, had a tough day as for the most part he found it hard to get much change out of a well-marshalled home defence. That could largely be said for all our attacking players though the rain-soaked pitch negated any chance of consistent ball control while the officials did us few favours over the 90 minutes.

Chelmsford, who have had an inconsistent start to the season, hardly troubled us for the opening 20 minutes and had Adam Cunnington’s header from Lewis Taaffe’s freekick hit the target, we would have surely taken the lead. Within seconds of Adam’s miss, Chelmsford so nearly made him pay as skipper Tom Wraight rattled the crossbar at the other end after the at times unplayable Tom Blackwell skinned Lee Chappell to cross from the right.

In truth there was little to choose between the sides as we gave as good as we got. Mo in fact could easily have us the lead on the stroke of half-time as he latched on to Rian Bray’s through-ball, only to misdirect his shot.

Half Time, 0-0.

Whatever the Chelmsford manager said at halftime, they came out for the second period with more urgency and fluidity, finding it easier to play into the wind having over-hit too many first-half passes in the final third. Only a magnificent stop by Nathan McDonald prevented Wraight putting The Clarets in front and as they started to take control, we were forced into conceding a flurry of freekicks and corners, some of them unnecessary.

It looked for all like we had gone behind when Simeon Jackson appeared to convert from a tight angle. Somehow the ball was deemed to have been cleared off the line despite plenty of protests from the home side.

Moments later, however, the pressure told as a corner was flicked on by Winfield and Jackson netted with an acrobatic overhead kick. City went close to adding another as a flowing move led to a one-on-one chance for Dara Dada, only for Nathan to pull off a world-class save.

With the clock ticking, we came far more into the game and might easily have snatched a draw as we gave it a right go in the last 20 minutes. Cunnington somehow missed his kick from five yards while substitute Andre Coker, whose cameo appearance had Chelmsford worried, would have equalised but for a timely last-ditch block with keeper Jacob Marsden beaten.

There were some dejected players at the final whistle but no-one can fault us for desire, spirit and teamwork in appalling conditions. In the end it wasn’t quite enough and we now return to league action against Kingstonian on Tuesday.

_____________

Enfield Town: McDonald; Smith, Bray, Gyebi; Chappell (Coker 78’), Taaffe (Youngs 66’), Thomas (Bricknell 83’), Maja, Kiangebeni; Faal, Cunnington.

Unused subs: Della-Verde, Connolly, Joseph, Kirwan.

Attendance: 545