We have been drawn against Prague Raptors in the semifinal of the Fenix Trophy in Desenzano, Lake Garda, with the other tie between FC United of Manchester and Lewes

Our game will be the second semi on May 10 at 9pm, with the final and third-place playoff two days later.

 The Raptors, who support a number of children’s charities, had a highly impressive Fenix group phase, winning all four ties and scoring 12 goals in the process.

Their website says the club is “hugely diverse – players, coaches & staff from 50 nationalities – including expats and Czechs.”

“We welcome staff and support from all ethnicities, beliefs, genders and sexual orientations. Both our Men’s and Women’s Amateur Football teams play in the Official Czech Republic Football pyramid.”

“We respect the beautiful game, and will play with pride and passion in the shirt, with high energy.”

The anticipation is mounting, the nerves jangling, the excitement almost touchable.

Eight months after our league campaign got under way, Wingate and Finchley (badge pictured) stand between Town and a place in the Isthmian League Premier division playoff final.

 Tomorrow’s semifinal clash with our near-neighbours at the Dave Bryant stadium for the right to contest the final on Bank Holiday Monday represents the culmination of a fantastic season after finishing third ahead of a string of so-called big hitters.

Now it’s all about taking one defeat in 15 games into the playoffs as we try to avoid a repetition of the heartbreak of two years ago and continue our quest for Step 2 football.

For manager Gavin Macpherson, tomorrow represents his fifth appearance in the playoffs, potentially hugely important when he sends his troops out to meet the Blues who finished one place and one point behind us.

“As long as we’re ourselves, I’m confident we’ll be okay,” said Gavin. “Of course you have to plan and prepare but that’s no different to any league game.

“The difference between this game and any since August is that you don’t have a chance to put it right in the next match if you don’t play well.”

Gavin’s totally understandable decision to rest certain players against Chatham appears to have led to a clean bill of health despite one or two still carrying knocks.

Training on Monday was all about tactics and how to impose ourselves on Wingate, a dangerous, pacey counter-attacking team.

“You don’t fluke getting in the playoffs. They’re a team that deserves respect and we have to be mindful of their strengths. They will probably be confident of beating us too but also wary of the threat we pose,” said Gav.

“Managing the situation over the last week has been difficult and a bit of jigsaw but it looks like it’s paid off. Having said that, I’m going to have to make some very, very tough decisions.”

“I can’t have any sentiment about what the players have done for me all season. That might sound awful but there’s a game to be won. What I will say is that the bench has to be in a position to help carry out a plan B or even C if plan A doesn’t work.”

“The fact is nothing is done even if we get through tomorrow. People might view where we are already  as a great achievement given the magnitude of the sides we we’ve been up against.”

“But to me winning tomorrow basically means we’ve got ourselves through to a cup final. Will I be nervous? I have a responsibility to remain focussed and level-headed because playoffs can be emotional affairs.”

**Important footnote. No alcohol, glass containers or pyrotechnics can be brought into the ground. There will be bag and body searches on entry so supporters are advised to arrive as early as possible.**

AW

Marcus Wyllie picked up three awards at the end-of-season presentations that took place in Butler’s Bar after Saturday’s game with Chatham.

Marcus won the Golden Boot, player’s player and supporters’ player of the season – two of which were presented by the daughters of Dave Bryant — while Sam Youngs picked up the manager’s player.

Lewis Taaffe won best goal for his sumptuous lob against Cheshunt while Ken Bales was voted club person of the season for his tireless work as a volunteer and Mickey Parcell picked up a special award for 200 appearances.

We are delighted to announce that advance tickets for our home playoff semifinal against Wingate and Finchley on Wednesday, May 1, kickoff 7.45, can be purchased on the following link.

Book quickly to avoid disappointment

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/event/playoff2/enfield-town-v-wingate-finchley-play-off-semi-final-

Enfield Town 2 Chatham 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

So now we know. Neighbours Wingate and Finchley will be our playoff semfinal visitors on Wednesday as we edge ever closer to the Promised Land of Step 2 football.

Finishing third in the management team’s first season in charge, with one defeat in our last 15 league games, is nothing short of remarkable though we could easily have been runners-up but for a deliberate whistle in the away end which confused just about everyone, more of which later.

Town left all three of Marcus Wyllie, Scott Thomas and Sam Youngs on the bench with Wednesday in mind while a number of knocks and niggles meant another unfamiliar line-up which, on paper at least, didn’t augur well in front of another four-figure gate.

Indeed, we were second best for long periods of the first half as we allowed Chatham, going for a third straight promotion, to dictate play around our 4-1-4-1 system.

Against the run of the play, however, Town went in front. Ollie Knight, a welcoming sight in the starting line-up after his horror shoulder injury, was left unmarked after we recycled a corner and slid in to convert on the volley.

A succession of Chatham attacks, invariably conducted by the green-booted Jamie Yila, were repelled but it needed a superb double save by Ade Connolly – in for the injured Rhys Forster – to keep us in front. That is until the 32^nd minute when another cross by Yila caused panic at the back and was tucked home by Kareem Isiaka.

H-T 1-1

With a tweaked formation that gave us far more composure and attacking options, Town came out firing and were back in front within five minutes of the restart.

Jake Cass, captain for the day but who had one of his quieter games, played in Knight whose sublime chip looped over Mitch Beeney and nestled in the net (pictured).

Then came the moment of controversy that will be talked about for weeks to come.  After what everyone initially thought was the referee’s whistle for a Town freekick, Connolly duly appeared to half-leave a Sam Robbins’ misdirected stretched-leg clearance which ended up in the back of the Enfield net.

But it immediately became clear that the whistle had been blown from the Chatham end and despite protests from players and management team alike, the goal stood.

Cue a warning from the referee, announced on the tannoy, that if there was any repetition the game would be abandoned.

Whether or not Ade would have got to the ball anyway is debatable but players and management clearly felt hard done by.

 Yet we so nearly clinched the points late on as Knight got within a whisker of completing his hattrick with a rocket that crashed against the woodwork.

“It’s a fantastic achievement to finish third, the players who came in today were immense but I’ve a squad for a reason and they all deserve credit,” said Gavin Macpherson. “Chatham’s second equaliser was a joke. Basically it’s cheating.”

“I’m not blaming the referee, he can’t do anything about it.  Sam was cushioning the ball back to Ade who obviously didn’t think it would cost us anything. But what it did cost us was potentially gaining two home playoff games.”

Looking ahead to Wingate, who finished one point behind us, Gavin added: “It doesn’t matter who you play, they all deserve to be there. I don’t prefer anyone above anyone else. We’ll prepare in the best way we can.”

Town

Connolly; Robbins, McKenzie, Tanner; Payne, Adjei-Hersey, Harvest, Turner, Alves, Knight (Onyeagwara, 85) Cass (Hipployte, 75)

Advance tickets for Wednesday can be purchased on the following link:

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/event/playoff2/enfield-town-v-wingate-finchley-play-off-semi-final-

Enfield Town go into their final game of the regular season tomorrow knowing that victory over Chatham will secure the runners-up spot in the division but with one eye on our eagerly anticipated playoff semifinal home draw next week.

Despite our unbeaten 13-game run ending at Whitehawk in midweek, Town had already clinched third and can now look forward to an exciting climax with a four-figure gate expected for the visit of the Chats who are two points ahead of us.

Irrespective of tomorrow’s result we are guaranteed a home game on Wednesday against either Wingate & Finchley, Horsham or Billericay Town.

Billericay are presently outside the play off positions and need to win tomorrow when they entertain relegated Margate and hope that either Wingate & Finchley or Horsham lose. 

Mickey Parcell serves the last of a three-game ban but will not be the only forced absentee. A number of ongoing injuries, plus fresh knocks to a string of key players including goalkeeper Rhys Forster who definitely misses out, is certainly not ideal at such a critical time.

But Gavin Macpherson will put out the strongest possible side as we bid to overtake our visitors from Kent and finish second to give us the chance of back-to-back playoff home games.

“My thought process has always been to try and win every game but we have a few more niggles than we would have liked,” explained Gavin. “I’ve therefore got a balancing act in my own mind about who to play, with the playoff game coming so soon afterwards. It’s important not to compromise that. To be honest it’s one of the hardest decisions as a manager I’ve ever had to make.”

“It’s not a situation I thought I’d be in but don’t think for one moment it’s all doom and gloom. We may simply have to manage the Chatham game differently to how I expected in order to give ourselves the best chance of progressing next week.”

At the very least we will finish third, a phenomenal achievement in Gavin’s first season in charge.

“I told the players at the end of the training on Thursday that after Chatham they’ve got four games including Fenix to be able to win something. What a fantastic position to be in.

“I didn’t set out this season for us to be also-rans. I had a quiet belief in myself and my team and that we were building something to challenge. But to finish no lower than third in our first season, I’d have bitten your hand off for that.”

It is recommended that supporters arrive early to avoid any last minute queues at the turnstiles. Tickets can be purchased in advance as below

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/event/match22a/enfield-town-vs-chatham

Following the game,  the traditional  end of season presentation awards will take place not on the pitch but from 5.30pm in Butlers Bar.

AW

Whitehawk 1-0 Enfield Town

Enfield Town’s 13-match unbeaten streak in the league was halted on Tuesday evening, as they were defeated by the odd goal in a low-quality affair at Whitehawk.

The visitors were without several regulars – among them Dylan Adjei-Hersey after sustaining a broken nose at Hastings on Saturday – with Sam Robbins, Oliver Turner and Reece Beckles-Richards all recalled to the starting lineup. The latter had found some early joy down the flanks, but with their first real concerted attack, the Hawks caught Town cold. Having wrested back possession, Charlie Harris’ long raking pass escaped the attention of Robbins and Rhys Forster in the Town net, allowing Imran Kayani to ghost in and crash a side-footed volley into the far corner for his tenth of the season.

Playing the first 45 towards the elevated end of the Enclosed Ground’s infamous sloping pitch, Town confronted a very literal uphill battle yet continued to eke out chances. On the quarter-hour mark, Turner’s lofted ball through the centre found Beckles-Richards who, leaning back, scooped his effort over. Moments later, Beckles-Richards was involved once more, wriggling down the inside-right channel and into the area but his eventual squared cross was far too powerful for the oncoming Marcus Wyllie as Town’s number 10 skewed wide from close range.

As the pace of the game slowed with a series of fouls and pauses to retrieve footballs lost to the surrounding South Downs, Scott Thomas’ intervention was required to clear Rob O’Toole’s goalbound header off the line from a corner. The closest the Towners came in the first period was from a corner of their own; some neatly-disguised passes from the set piece before Beckles-Richards’ glancing header looped onto the angle of post and crossbar.

HT: Whitehawk 1-0 Enfield Town

Town had lacked a cutting edge, and Gavin Macpherson would have impressed on his charges to try and stretch the game after the restart. It was another clipped ball forward early into the second half which almost unlocked the Hawks’ defence as Beckles-Richards nodded onto Wyllie in the area, who stepped inside his man but his low shot was denied by a good reaction stop from Mitch Walker, plunging onto the loose ball to prevent Town’s front men seizing on any rebound.

Frustration started to build as Beckles-Richards felt, to no avail, that he had been hauled down through the middle. Meanwhile, Town’s build-up was again thwarted at the final ball, with Whitehawk’s hard running preventing any sort of fluidity in our approach that had gained us plaudits in recent weeks. Joe Payne could breathe a sigh of relief when a clearance was charged down by Charlie Lambert on the edge of his own area, but the eventual shot bobbled wide of Forster’s right-hand upright.

Heading into the final 15 minutes, Obi Onyeagwara and Manny Harvest were introduced to inject some extra verve and it almost played immediate dividends as Onyeagwara produced a couple of scorching runs to breeze past his defender and pull back towards Wyllie in the centre. Marcus slashed at his first effort before Whitehawk cleared their lines; the second move was arguably Enfield’s clearest chance of the match. Some neat interplay between Onyeagwara and Jonathan Hippolyte allowed the former to skip to the byline and drill across the face of goal towards Wyllie. This time, Town’s top scorer took an additional touch before rifling towards the target, only to find Walker between the sticks in inspired form to deny him from point-blank range. Not to be… eight additional minutes elapsing before the final whistle signalled Town’s first defeat since January.

Town: Forster; Robbins, Okotcha, Tanner; Taaffe (Onyeagwara 73’), Turner (Hippolyte 83’), Thomas (Harvest 77’), Youngs, Payne; Beckles-Richards, Wyllie

Dylan Adjei-Hersey broke his nose at Hastings on Saturday and needs a protective mask to allow him to finish the season. Within 12 hours of launching a crowdfunding link to raise the necessary £450 to pay for it (below), the target was reached.

Thank you so much to all those who contributed, proving once again what a special club we are. Any excess raised will be saved for future medical requirements.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/help-dylan-keep-playing-etfc?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2d_G8IpLxQxE2BM49caIfpyU7dfNhGnqko6Q6sBKCIVnYKqKo9Kty578Q_aem_AfNhysLWlbcwrSIR8zdQvLbomRoaQdZADmte-_9SIyIiZ-mJweR6mTy8fIHkE0AVwuTYYZ_hPNUQG6q5DJomSVYA

Enfield Town embark on their final away trip of the regular season tomorrow knowing that four points from our remaining two fixtures will clinch the runners-up spot behind Hornchurch, which would represent a truly  remarkable achievement.

However we are potentially on dangerous territory with our opponents, Whitehawk, third in the league on current form behind ourselves and Billericay, albeit in mid-table.

With the original fixture at the end of March called off at the last minute because of the conditions, another long trip to Sussex within four days is perhaps the last thing we need as we assess who’se available and who isn’t after a gruelling schedule that has taken its toll, Dylan Adjei-Hersey the latest victim after suffering a broken nose at Hastings.

But at least we have already clinched a playoff spot and it’s now  about trying to secure that all-important home semifinal draw by finishing either second or third which is where we still are.

With Horsham, three points behind us, also playing tomorrow, we are in the unusual position of hoping our near-neighbours Cheshunt can do us a favour against the Hornets. Which is certainly not impossible given that the Ambers too desperately need points at the wrong end of the table.

“Having done what we set out to do and give ourselves a chance of being promoted we can’t relax as there are final league positions to think about,” said Gavin Macpherson.

“However, we’ve been hit hard with injuries and suspensions in the past week or so. That means we will have to look at these games carefully. It doesn’t change the fact that we will be trying hard to win both.”

AW

Hastings United 0 Enfield Town 3

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Huge congratulations to playing staff and management alike as we’re now mathematically over the line.

Despite a severely depleted squad, Enfield Town clinched their playoff place with a collective display that may not have been as emphatic as the scoreline suggests but which Gavin Macpherson reckoned was the best win of the season given the unfamiliar formation and quality of opposition.

Town can now finish no lower than fourth with two fixtures remaining as we extended our unbeaten league run to 13 games.

With a makeshift back line – Taylor Mackenzie the latest casualty after failing a late fitness tests and Joe Payne playing on the left of a three — the plan of trying to stay in the game and then go for the points worked a treat as we held on to third spot and in the process extinguished any lingering playoff hopes Hastings might have had.

Watched by a staggering 2000-plus crowd for their last home game of the season, the U’s had the better of the first half, using both flanks to good effect, notably John Ufuah with his pace and  whipped-in crosses.

Town’s case was helped by Hastings leader scorer Davide Rodari only making the bench because of a hamstring problem. Nevertheless, the hosts started brightly and thought they had scored when Tommie Fagg shot against the post, only to see his follow-up ruled out for offside.

The offside flag was then raised at the other end when Jake Cass played in Marcus Wyllie with a sight of goal but most of the opening half was pretty ordinary as a spectacle, Town digging in and  Hastings, for all their domination of the ball, guilty of poor execution – the story of their season.

It could be argued, however, that we had the best chance of the half when Marcus, out of nothing, flashed a shot inches wide.

Right on halftime, Rhys Forster, who had one of his most accomplished handling displays, pushed Finlay Chapman’s effort to safety, then saw another effort drilled over.

H-T 0-0

Whatever Gavin said at halftime, we came out far less cautious. Lewis Taaffe and Dylan Adjei-Hersey switched flanks and after the former had tested Charlie Grainger in the Hastings goal, we went in front on 51 minutes.

Jake Cass pounced on a shocking error by the teenage Chapman and finished poacher-style with his left foot to boot – no pun intended.

Town then had a major stroke of good fortune when awarded a dubious penalty for handball, Sam Youngs stroking home confidently from the spot after the ball appeared to strike a chest instead.

Cue Hastings manager Chris Agutter being dismissed after an altercation with the referee, leaving a huge hole in a plastic dustbin as he stormed off angrily .

The stuffing was now truly taken out of Hastings and Youngs almost converted a Cass knockdown.

The one downside was the ominous sight of Adjei-Hersey leaving the field with blood streaming from an apparent broken nose and taken to hospital which certainly doesn’t augur well for the campaign climax.

But by now we were well in the ascendancy and in stoppage time a Payne freekick was only parried and Taaffe knocked in the rebound.

There was still time in eight minutes of added time for substitute Reece Beckles-Richards to find the side netting and for Hastings to have a consolation goal ruled out for a foul on Forster.

Next stop Whitehawk as we battle it out with Horsham for third place and, potentially, with Chatham for second.

“It’s our best result of the season without a shadow of a doubt because we’ve had to shuffle and put a few square pegs in round holes” said Gavin.

“We had to evolve as we went along in order to get a foothold. I remember thinking in the first half that it wasn’t going to be a very good watch for our fans. But going gung-ho against a very good footballing side could have got us picked off, especially with players out of position.”

“We knew we’d spend time without the ball but I told them at halftime the chances would come. As it stands we have a home draw but there is still work to do to secure that.  That shouldn’t detract from what these players have done this season. We shouldn’t take for granted the hard work they’ve put in but they also realise it’s now a case of re-programming and preparing for Whitehawk.”

Town:

Forster; Taaffe, Okotcha, Tanner, Payne, Adjei-Hersey (Hippolyte 84); Thomas,  Harvest (Turner 65), Youngs; Cass (Beckles-Richards, 78), Wyllie