Six weeks after the original fixture was called off because of the big freeze, our rescheduled game away to Hastings takes place Tuesday night in what promises to be a challenging encounter.

Three days after our much-needed victory over Bognor, we return to the Sussex coast to face a U’s team who are slowly climbing the table and are now just four points behind Town in seventh place.

On Saturday Hastings, who we beat 1-0 in the reverse fixture in November, were held 1-1 by improving Wingate & Finchley, conceding a late equalizer after Joe Gbode had given them a first-half lead.

But they have only lost one of their last five encounters and seem likely to have another bumper crowd to spur them on in what should be a fantastic atmosphere.

Bognor Regis 0 Enfield Town 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Two excellent first-half goals, coupled with clubs around us dropping points, made it a highly satisfying  journey to the  West Sussex coast for Town as we got back to winning ways in the first of five successive away league outings.

Playing in a 3-5-2 formation and with both new signings making their debuts, we totally dominated the first half, then showed the other side of our capabilities by digging in after the break.

Town came flying out of the blocks as Jake Cass burst through, only to smash his effort over the crossbar.

A late challenge on Johnville Renee, playing as a right wingback on his Town debut, resulted in  an early yellow card for Joe Rabbetts – Bognor’s player of the month for the last three months.

Cass saw another effort deflected  past the post before James Richmond missed from a mere two yards as he came up for a corner, holding his head in his hands as he somehow wellied the ball over when it seemed easier to score.

New boy Mo Camara, in central midfield alongside Scott Thomas, fired straight at the keeper before Joe Payne went into the book for a late challenge on Alfie Bridgman.

On 35 minutes, Town got what their attacking play deserved. With Bognor screaming for a penalty after Nathan Odokonyero went down in the box, we surged up the end  and Cass played the ball across for Marcus Wyllie – a threat all afternoon – to supply the finish and wheel away in celebration (pictured)

Three minutes the lead was doubled, with scorer and provider reversed.  Matt Rowley spread himself to keep out Wyllie’s effort but Cass showed fantastic control to thump home the rebound on the volley.

Sadly for Jake and the team, he had to be replaced just before halftime with a hamstring injury, the extent of which was being assessed.

Cameron Black’s toe poke moments later, clutched on the line by Nathan McDonald, was the closest Bognor had come to scoring  in a half we comfortably controlled.

H-T 0-2

Although Bognor looked far more menacing after the break, they didn’t carve out the clearcut chances their possession had threatened.

Dan Gifford diverted a corner over our bar when unmarked on the back post while Isaac Olaniyan’s dangerous cross evaded everyone.

We were still threatening on the counter and Richmond’s flicked header found Adam Cunnington whose own header was directed straight at Rowley.

 Kamara’s physical presence was eye-catching throughout for Town, his only blemish coming when he went into the book.

As Bognor’s desperation grew, so they threw men forward but got little change out of our defence, back to performing as a composed unit.

And there was still time for substitute Andre Coker to twist and turn his way into the box before forcing Rowley into a smart save.

“A much-needed win and better performance from us,” said Andy Leese after we cemented fourth spot and put pressure on those above us, with two more long trips to come this week.

“We adapted our shape and it gave us what we wanted. Bognor may have had the possession in the second half but I felt we defended well and created a few decent opportunities ourselves. Pleased with Mo and JV on their debuts. Both slotted in really well after just one session with us. The win sets us up nicely for a hugely challenging week.”

Town:

McDonald; Wilson-Braithwaite, Knight, Richmond; Payne, Youngs (Isaac, 67), Thomas, Camara, Renee; Wyllie (Coker 76), Cass (Cunnington 44)

We are excited to announce the signing of 25-year-old right-back Johnville Renee who will be available for selection today against Bognor Regis.

Johnville signs from Lewes where has been one of the club’s most consistent players this season. His previous clubs include Bishop’s Stortford, Maldon & Tiptree, and Braintree Town.

With Juevan Spencer victim of a bad injury, Johnville, who can also play in midfield, will play a crucial role in our promotion push.

“After receiving the bad news of the extent of Juevan’s injury we are thrilled to have been able to move quickly for a specialist right-back,” said Andy Leese. “Johnville has excellent experience at this level and is a player we’ve admired for a while. Welcome to the Town!”

After a three-game blip that didn’t thankfully do us much damage as far as the table is concerned, we aim to get back to winning ways on  Saturday with the first of five successive away league fixtures.

We travel to Bognor Regis who are currently 15th in the table with 37 points from 33 games. Back in October we drew 1-1 at the QEII Stadium, Jake Cass equalising from a penalty after Nick Dembele had given the visitors an early lead.

Bognor are one of those teams who have definitely under-performed this season and have lost their last four in the league.

 Yet they beat Bishops Stortford and Haringey in early February and we may well need to keep concentration for 90 minutes to take maximum points before another long haul to Hastings three days later.

Bognor were given a strong confidence boost on Tuesday by thrashing Bexhill United 6-1 to reach the semifinals of Sussex Senior Cup.

If you are travelling on Saturday the information on the link below maybe helpful.

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/bognorregistownfc/a/first-time-visitor-information-47966.html

There is also a supporters’ coach to both Bognor and Hastings. You can book your seat by contacting Les Gold on 07979 727563 or email lesgold@enfieldtownfootballclub.co.uk

As some of you will know we have signed versatile midfielder Mohammed Camara on a dual registration basis from Concord Rangers. Andy Leese described him as a great boost to our squad and he should be available for selection on Saturday

We are delighted to announce that versatile midfielder Mo Kamara has joined us from National League South Concord Rangers on a dual registration

“We are delighted to welcome Mo to the club, he’s a player we know well from his impressive performances against us and he’ll provide a fantastic boost to the squad as we approach the business end of the season,” said Andy Leese.

“Thanks to Rob Small and Concord Rangers for their help and professionalism in getting this over the line.”

Enfield Town 0 Margate 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

 (with contributions from Jake Coburn)

Frustration was the name of the game for Town as we were held by a battling Margate despite being in control for long periods.

The good news is that we are still fourth with plenty of games to go in our quest for another playoff place and even automatic promotion.

And the fact that we welcomed almost 650 spectators on our annual Women and Girls Day that created a real feelgood feeling.

The not so good news is that we have taken only one point from nine, have failed to score in open play  in five outings and now face five away league games in March.

Conditions weren’t easy on a bumpy pitch in a biting wind, rendering chances few and far between though it was clear from the very outset that Margate came looking for a point.

Town were unlucky to lose Andre Coker to injury on 20 minutes after he went down for the third time and limped off holding his right leg.

His replacement, Lyle Della-Verde, almost gave us the lead seven minutes later,  latching on to a neat pass from Sam Youngs before shifting the ball onto his favourite left foot and unleashing a venomous strike that was palmed round the post by Daniel Jinadu.

The only other notable incident in the first half were the theatrics of Margate’s Phillip Roberts, booked for simulation after tumbling in the penalty area on the stroke of half time.

H-T 0-0

For some reason – maybe as a result of those back to back 3-0 defeats —  we just didn’t have enough confidence on the ball and were therefore short on spark and invention.

Our best chance came on 53 minutes as a Joe Payne long throw was flicked on by the tall presence of Adam Cunnington and fell to Lewis Taaffe, whose low shot was brilliantly saved by the feet of Jinadu. Cunnington also had a shot blocked by Nathan Wood (pictured).

Margate’s only real threats  came either side of the  hour mark. First Roberts flashed a left-footed cross beyond everyone in the area when all it needed was a touch goalwards. Then  Roberts was teed up on the edge of the box by Harvey Smith but his fierce effort was bravely blocked by James Richmond.

That was all Margate delivered and as the clock ticked down, Town threw on top scorer Jake Cass in the hope of finding a late winner.

His first touch very nearly did so, a header from a Taaffe corner dropping agonisingly wide of Jinedu’s goal.

And in the 82^nd minute Cass was denied again by a timely challenge from Sinn’ Kaye Christie as he was about the pull the trigger.

All that was left was for the referee to book four players, two from each team, following an ugly brawl in stoppage time.

One piece of encouragement for Town was the solid performance of Josh Okotcha who was given a rare start in the absence of Lewis Knight – not permitted to play against his parent club – and showed what a useful member of the squad he is.

“Very frustrating performance yesterday. We dominated possession but it counted for nothing in the end,” said Andy Leese.

“Only positives were that we didn’t concede and gained a point. We have this week to reset ahead of a crucial run of away games.”

Town: McDonald; Wilson-Braithwaite (Cass 67), Okotcha, Richmond, Payne; Thomas, Isaac (Wordsworth 73), Youngs, Taaffe; Cunnington, Coker (Della-Verde, 20)

Saturday’s home game against Margate is important in so many ways.

Firstly we need to bounce back after rare back to back defeats against Canvey Island and Folkestone.

Secondly it’s our last home league game until we meet Hornchurch at the end of March.

But perhaps most importantly of all, to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8, we are opening our turnstiles free of charge to all women and girls to mark our Annual Ladies Day.

We would like as many female fans as possible to come and watch in a safe, fun and affordable environment and to join our club whether as players at adult/youth level, members, supporters or volunteers.

Margate will be without midfielder Sam Blackman, as he completes a two-game ban, as well as defender Emmanuel Oke who starts a three-match suspension while midfielder Cameron Brodie has been recalled by parent club Dartford.

But that will allow other players to step up to the plate and the club will have been buoyed by their midweek win over Cray Valley PM to reach the last four of the Kent Senior Cup.

In the league Margate are 16^th and although they have taken two points out of a possible 15, they only narrow lost to Bishop’s Stortford in mid-February and have proved at times this season they can be formidable opposition on their day.

Kick-off on Saturday is 3pm and we are hoping for another bumper attendance to match our Public Services Day.

Folkestone Invicta 3 Enfield Town 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Despite being the better team for much of the second half, Enfield Town suffered a second successive 3-0 away defeat on Tuesday night with manager Andy Leese saying he was “bitterly disappointed”

Not since late August/early September had Town lost successive league games but a mixture of defensive mistakes, poor collective decision making and bad luck cost them dearly on the Kent coast.

Fortunately Town didn’t lose ground in the leading positions and remain in fourth but we have now played as many games as everyone else – and one more than Hornchurch – making the need for three points at home to Margate on Saturday even more paramount.

The management team made a couple of changes to the side beaten 3-0 at Canvey Island with Marcus Wyllie and Lewis Taaffe both given starts and Adam Cunnington unavailable.

But within 12 minutes we were beaten for pace down our right-hand side and Ira Jackson’s cross was turned in by new signing Louis Collins who looked threatening all evening.

Although we tried to respond, we invariably chose the wrong options in attack or were quickly closed down and were perhaps fortunate to go in at the break only one down. A teasing  low cross eluded  three Folkestone forwards in the box while Jackson got between Lewis Knight and  the advancing Nathan McDonald to lob the ball inches over the bar.

H-T 0-1

Whatever Andy said to the players at halftime, we came out with loads more energy and urgency and almost levelled straight away as Patrick Ohman in the Folkestone goal scrambled ball clear.

Jake Cass then flicked a Taaffe freekick over the bar and Wyllie sent in an excellent low cross that flashed across the six-yard box with no Enfield Town player to meet it.

Lewis Knight was booked for simulation when we had a decent shout for a penalty but just as we began to look the more likely of the two sides to score, we fell further behind on 70 minutes.

Scott Thomas lost crucial possession on the halfway line and the ball was fed into the path of Jackson who cut inside and unleashed a curling effort beyond McDonald.

Unlike at Canvey on Saturday, we continued to probe but had no luck at all when Wyllie hit the post with an angled drive (pictured).

The introduction of Andre Coker had an immediate impact but once again we were made to pay for hesitancy at the back. McDonald managed to parry Jackson’s shot following a poor back-header and Ibrahim Olutade reacted quicker than two Town players by sliding in to convert.

As we continued to go forward, a Wyllie volley was well saved but it was too little, too late in what was generally another below-par display.

“Bitterly disappointed with the performance,” said Andy afterwards. “More of what we saw last Saturday unfortunately. We are still in a great position but we have to respond this week in training and the next game.”

Town:

 McDonald, Wilson-Braithwaite (Okotcha, 86), Payne, Thomas (Lyle Della-Verde, 78), Knight, Richmond, Isaac, Youngs, Cass, Taaffe (Coker, 68), Marcus Wyllie

Following our disappointing defeat last Saturday, we have an ideal opportunity to immediately bounce back tomorrow, Tuesday, when we visit Folkestone Invicta on the Kent coast

Folkestone are currently mid-table following their 3-2 win over Corinthian Casuals on Saturday but have taken seven points from their last three games and are perhaps one of those sides who are under-performing in the division.

In the reverse fixture, our very first game of the season, we drew 1-1 at home and will be looking to hopefully improve on that at the The Buildkent Stadium, kickoff 7.45

COYT

Canvey Island 3 Enfield Town 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Canvey Island was the birthplace of Dr. Feelgood, one of Britain’s best-loved rhythm and blues bands.

But there was precious little of the feelgood factor to take away from Town’s visit to that particular corner of Essex on Saturday.

With skipper Scott Thomas’ three-match ban overturned two days previously, there was every reason to be optimistic of a positive result at The Movie Starr Stadium.

Instead we came away well beaten after one of our most disappointing displays of the season.

Make no mistake, this is one of the toughest grounds to get a result – as both Hornchurch and Bishop’s Stortford have discovered this season.

But after an even first half of few clearcut chances in windy conditions, there was little indication we would come unstuck so badly.

Chez Isaac had arguably the best chance of the opening 45 minutes with a speculative 25-yard drive that was brilliantly tipped over by Bobby Mason while at the other end, Conor Hubble flashed a shot inches over our bar.

H-T 0-0

The first goal was all important and unfortunately it went to the Gulls on 56 minutes.

Straight from a set-piece of our own, Evans Kouassi – who troubled us all afternoon just as he done in our 5-1 FA Cup defeat on the same ground earlier in the season – got the better of Wilson-Braithwaite and slid the ball into the area for the on-rushing Joe Paxman to fire home.

Canvey’s lead was doubled four minutes later, again following a move down our right. Somehow we didn’t deal with Kouassi’s driving run and when he cut the ball inside, Bradley Sach swept it home.

Had we pulled a goal back, who knows what might have happened and we so nearly did,  Mason pulling off a world-class save to keep out a Sam Youngs header (pictured)

Sadly with seven minutes remaining, it went from bad to worse for Town as we lost concentration at a Hubble freekick and allowed Rob Girdlestone to convert at the near post.

There was still time for the referee to brandish a red card to Lewis Knight for two bookable offences, only to realise his mistake and change his mind.

Even then, it wasn’t clear whether he had booked James Richmond instead or had in fact yellow-carded Canvey’s number six Elliott Johnson though in the end it hardly mattered.

All teams lose games though the manner of the defeat was clearly not what we wanted.

On the plus side we are still in fourth spot and handily placed. The challenge now is to pick ourselves up for Tuesday’s long trip to Folkestone.

Town: McDonald, Wilson-Braithwaite, Knight, Richmond, Payne; Youngs, Thomas, Isaac; Della-Verde (Taaffe, 76), Cass, Coker (Cunnington 68)