We are pleased to announce the first match of our 2024-25 pre-season schedule!
We will host neighbours Hendon FC at the Dave Bryant Stadium on Saturday 27th July, as we compete for the FSA’s Brian Lomax Cup. Kick-off time is TBC.
Stay tuned to our website and social media platforms for further pre-season updates.
New Season, New Heights, New Threads!
We are inviting members to pick our new away kit for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
The three options are:
-Yellow with blue detailing [blue shorts & socks]
-Grey with red detailing [grey shorts & socks]
-Coral with grey panels [grey shorts & socks]
Members should check their email inbox for a link to cast their vote.
Voting closes this coming Sunday.
Report by Andrew Warshaw
In the end it was a case of after the lord mayor’s show and all somewhat surreal though a highly enjoyable trip for everyone concerned.
Whilst there is no doubt that the nationwide publicity generated by the Fenix Trophy can only have enhanced Town’s reputation, it was perhaps understandable that the players, having performed miracles to get the club promoted, were still on cloud nine when the Europe-wide competition reached its climax on the banks of Lake Garda.
If our extraordinary 13-12 penalty shootout defeat to Prague Raptors on Friday could easily have gone our way but for the lottery of spotkicks and two worldies from the opposing keeper, by the time it got to the third-placed playoff against Lewes 48 hours later, the players were out on their feet after a gruelling schedule and, quite frankly, had their minds on continuing the promotion party in a beautiful part of Italy – as did most of the fans – and looking ahead to the summer with their families.
Had we not achieved the Holy Grail of Step 2 football, in all likelihood we’d have gone into the Final Four with a different mindset. But there was no doubting where our priorities lay.
Nevertheless, the Town diehards who made the trip were in excellent voice during both our encounters with a choice rendition of new and old songs while as an exercise in promoting the ethics of non-league football and the special values of the clubs involved, the tournament undoubtedly has its place, nothwithstanding the somewhat haphazard organisation.
It helped, of course, that the weather was fabulous, adding to the sense of jollity amongst the various sets of fans as the booze and banter flowed in equal measure.
As for Town’s two below-par performances, it’s probably fair to say neither offered much as a spectacle though that was down in large part to the boys being physically drained as a result of a their playoff exertions.
Friday’s semifinal with the multi-national Prague Raptors, who went on to lose to the final to FC United of Manchester, saw Adi Connolly given the gloves, Scott Thomas rested, Sam Youngs still away, Jake Cass’ season sadly over and both Ollie Knight and Dylan Adjei-Hersey on the bench.
The weekend was full of amusing anecdotes and stories too numerous to list here but one of the most hilarious concerned the team sheet for Friday’s fixture.
For some reason, instead of going with their actual names, the organisers decided to identify two of our players by their Italian translation. Hence Manny Harvest was named Manny Raccolta while Ollie Knight was identified as Ollie Cavaliere!
As for the game itself, the Raptors at times moved the ball impressively from side to side but had little end product. Had their keeper not saved brilliantly from Lewis Taaffe’s first-time half volley we would have gone in ahead at the interval.
His second save right at the death was just as good, somehow keeping out Marcus Wyllie’s powerful diagonal strike that seemed destined to burst the net and put us in the final.
Instead it finished 0-0 and went straight to the dreaded penalty shootout, each of them struck confidently until Marcus, of all people, saw his shot saved second time round to hand our opponents victory though I think we all can forgive him given his 31 league goals!
After the game Gavin Macpherson, at times looking as shattered as the players, commented: “Their keeper made two unbelievable saves in normal time but in all honesty we looked a bit leggy after the week we’ve had which is totally understandable. Yet we still created the better chances.”
And so to the third-place playoff against our old nemesis Lewes which was always going to be a challenge, to put it mildly, with bruised and battered bodies and minds elsewhere.
Sam Youngs had rejoined the squad after flying in on the Saturday, albeit having hardly slept, and with Manny Harvest injured and Marcus rested, an exhausted group of players in a scratch formation were always only going to be able to go through the motions in the heat and humidity.
Archie Tamplin gave Lewes the lead and although Town had produced little goal threat, Obi Onyeagwara produced a second-half stunner out of nothing to equalise.
It looked like another shootout was on the cards before Chris Whelpdale won it for the Rooks in the last minute of normal play to leave us in fourth spot.
Cue more chants of “the Town are going up” which kind of summed up the whole occasion.
“The boys have socialised themselves, put it that way,” said Gavin afterwards. “Would I have expected a different mindset if we hadn’t got promotion? Yes probably but once Monday happened, I of course had to make allowances. We weren’t our usual selves in this competition but I didn’t expect anything different. Today was one of the strangest games of football I’ve ever been involved in but as usual, the fans were unbelievable.”
When Gavin Macpherson eventually settled down to look at his inbox around midnight Monday, he had over 120 messages of congratulations from the non-league fraternity, including a host of fellow managers, as well as approaches from potential players.
Twenty-four hours later that number had doubled, proving if proof was needed just how momentous an achievement it was for the club to reach Step 2 of the non-league pyramid.
More of that, of course, in the days, weeks and months to come but right now Gavin and his backroom team turn their attention to trying to achieve a fantastic “double” by bringing home the Fenix Trophy from Italy.
Players and management alike have hardly had time to catch their breath since our promotion to National League South but the focus has already switched to Lake Garda and the Fenix Final Four, starting with our semifinal on Friday (kickoff 9pm local time) against Prague Raptors who won all four of their group games.
“We’re trying to do our usual homework as best we can but it’s not easy,” said Gav. “They are obviously a very good side. The other two teams, Lewes and FC United of Manchester, are obviously easier for homework and I’ll probably go and watch their game before ours.”
With promotion in the bag, there is an argument to suggest that Fenix is simply a bonus, an extension of our promotion party but Gavin isn’t looking at it that way.
“I’m fully focussed on going out there and trying to win this competition. Obviously if you’d offered me one or the other, I’d have taken promotion. But I want to be successful as a manager and so do the players. We all want things like this on our CVs. Plus, the exposure we’ve had in the media over this competition has been incredible.”
After Monday’s exertions at Chatham, the luckless Jake Cass is unable to take part while a few others have knocks or are away for personal reasons, at least for Friday.
But Gavin will still take a competitive squad as we bid to win a second trophy in a matter of days, with the final taking place on Sunday.
“Of course there will be some social time because the boys have worked incredibly hard and deserve it,” said Gav. “But we’ve embraced the competition and we have a hell of lot of supporters travelling out to Italy. I want to do them proud by trying to do the double.”
AW
Chatham Town 0 Enfield Town 3
Report by Andrew Warshaw
It was one of those “I was there” occasions, still feels like a dream but really happened.
Twenty-three years after being founded, Enfield Town will play Step 2 football next season, a fantastic achievement by the players and management of our unique club. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Playoff games are unpredictable, nervy affairs and for 45 minutes at Chatham, in front of a passionate 3,000 sellout crowd, it was anyone’s guess who would reach the Promised Land of National League South.
But in yet another coaching masterclass by Gavin Macpherson and his staff, it was a case of “we’ve taken your best shot, now here’s what we’ve got” as Town produced a second-half goal blitz that sent the 400-plus travelling fans – squeezed into a totally inadequate standing section behind the goal and only provided with 32 seats — into utter delirium and prompted a pitch invasion at the final whistle.
Wind the clock back and shortly before kickoff, Gavin made a point of walking over to applaud the Town fans, a class act which only added to the bond of togetherness generated throughout the campaign.
Missing the presence of Jake Cass through injury, Town started with the team that ended the semifinal against Wingate and Finchley but the opening half, despite being goalless, was edged by the hosts whose passing was crisper and team play more composed, driven on by the dangerous, green-booted Jamie Yila whose pace and crosses into the box were a constant threat.
Town had to wait until past the half-hour mark for our first decent effort on target, a curling Ollie Knight effort that called home keeper Mitchell Beeney into action. Shortly before that, Rhys Forster, the busier of the two keepers, had to race off his line to save smartly.
H-T 0-0
Town may have had less of the ball and fewer clearcut openings but it was — of course it was — all part of the masterplan.
On the way to Chatham, the players’ coach had stopped for 90 minutes for a detailed presentation of Chatham’s strengths and weaknesses. And now, as the second half got under way, came our chance to exploit the latter.
Three minutes after the break, the Chats failed to clear a Joe Payne long throw and when the ball fell to Bernie Tanner, the “Enfield Maldini” as he is nicknamed rifled a low shot from 20 yards into the far corner of the net.
It was so nearly 2-0 when Marcus Wyllie bundled the ball over the line, only to be ruled narrowly offside.
As the Town faithful pondered how costly the decision might be, we were indebted to Forster for a sensational tip-over save to thwart Kareem Isiaka.
But the greater threat was now coming from Town and on 70 minutes, Beeney parried but couldn’t hold another Ollie Knight effort and Marcus was first on hand to double our lead with his 31st league goal as the division’s leading marksman.
Sam Youngs headed straight at Beeney when either side of the keeper would surely have made it three while at the other end Yila continued to work his magic as he twinkle-toed his way past three challenges, only to shoot over.
With the clock ticking and the Town diehards in full voice, outsinging their counterparts as they had for most of the game, there was still time for substitute Lewis Taaffe, gutted to have missed the semifinal through injury, to complete a breathtaking second half with a side-foot finish into the roof of the net from Marcus’ assist.
Cue a mass celebration before the official trophy presentation to the winners to round off the most memorable day in the club’s history. Inevitably it was followed, when the team bus returned to the Dave Bryant stadium, by the mother of all promotion parties back home.
“The greatest day of my footballing life for sure, it’s the best way to go up but hasn’t really sunk in,” said Gavin. “But this is for everyone at the club and especially for Dave Bryant. When I woke up this morning, my thoughts immediately turned to Dave and his family, some of whom were here of course. I’m so pleased to have piloted this for them.”
“The supporters may have wondered at halftime where that second half would come from but there’s invariably a plan. We felt that at 0-0 we’d got over a hurdle away from home on a plastic pitch. But it wasn’t really working for us so we tweaked a couple of things and came strong again.”
“I guess the really hard work starts now if I’m honest. We’ll enjoy this, of course we will. But when we come back down to earth, what this has moved us into is a task of huge magnitude. I’ve never managed at Step 2 and will need to start planning straight away in terms of where we’re at and how we move forward.”
Town:
Forster; Parcell, McKenzie, Tanner; Adjei-Hersey, Thomas, Youngs, Knight (Taaffe, 86), Harvest, Payne; Wyllie
Given tomorrow’s final is segregated, away supporters will enter the stadium via Gate C, and exit using Gate D at the opposite end of the Palmerston Road End (above, highlighted yellow). The stadium car park will be first come, first served, as will our 80 away seats.
It is expected that searches will take place on entry to the ground. Toilet facilities will be provided within our segregated area plus a bar and a dedicated refreshment stand.
In the event of the home car park closing, it may be worth seeking parking on Palmerston Road, or on surrounding streets.
There is a frequent train service to Chatham from both St Pancras International and Victoria. Turn right from the station then right again onto Maidstone Road. The ground can be found on the left hand side after the cemetery.
Win or lose, Butlers Bar will be open from around 6pm to give players and management a deserved send-off after a terrific season.
Preview by Andrew Warshaw
Eight months of hard work, 42 league games and a playoff semifinal all done and dusted. Now comes the final countdown in what is, quite simply, the biggest game in the club’s history.
Unexpected though many thought this might be back in August, Enfield Town go into their first ever Step 3 playoff final tomorrow knowing that every other team in the division, many of them with vastly bigger budgets and playing squads, will be looking on enviously as we make the ultimate push to get us up to National League South.
With our ticket allocation at Chatham slashed from 600 to 400 for apparent safety reasons, it hasn’t been the kindest of buildups off the pitch.
Given the 3,000 all-ticket sellout, there is a palpable feeling of injustice at how we have been treated, just as there was a couple of weeks ago with that phantom whistle in the away end that aided Chatham’s equaliser in our final league game of the regular season and ensured they, rather than us, got two home playoff fixtures.
All this has added extra piquancy to a game that was already spicy enough but Gavin Macpherson and his backroom staff are focussing entirely on the job at hand.
With Chatham, who have been in second place for long periods of the season, finishing two points and one place above us, on paper we start as underdogs on their artificial surface.
But that, says Gavin, could work in our favour. “In playoffs it isn’t always about the side that finishes higher, it’s all about doing what you need to do on the day,” said Gavin.
Which Horsham so nearly did in their semifinal at Chatham, ultimately losing on penalties – and in the process preventing us gaining a home draw tomorrow.
“My message to players before kickoff will be just to be us,” said Gavin. “We’re underdogs, make no mistake, away from home on a plastic pitch. But this group will relish that tag.”
The possibility of Step 2 football is a mouth-watering prospect for everyone involved but Gavin is at pains not to take too much of the credit in his first season at the club.
“It’s not about me, I’m just trying to pilot this club. It will be for the supporters and those who have seen the club resurrected. As the founder chairman, it’s very sad that Dave Bryant is no longer here and there’s an element of wanting to do it for Dave, of course there is.”
“We look at Dave as a focal point because of his recent departure, and rightly so. Then there are a lot of others who have done a huge amount of work.”
Gavin is under no illusions that the heavyweight sides who have under-achieved will be back stronger next season.
“People may find this unrealistic but the first thing I said to my backroom staff in the close season when I met them for the first time as Enfield’s manager was ‘how are we going to win this league’ .
“When that didn’t happen, it was then about making sure we could get to the playoffs. We understood the magnitude of the other teams and knew that if they got it right it would reduce our own chances. Some havn’t which makes it all the more important to grab the opportunity now because you never know how things will pan out in the future.”
Gavin understandably won’t divulge team news but it’s no secret that having come off with a hamstring injury in our semifinal, Jake Cass will be a doubt though it was an encouraging sight to see him in training yesterday.
The air of quiet confidence Gavin and his team have exuded all season will be no different tomorrow.
“We’ve all worked very hard and now it’s down to making a few tweaks as we do with most opposition, and getting the preparation right. Then it’s down to the players to carry it out.
“I said all along that this season would be the hardest ever in this league. If we come up short, next season will be even harder when you look at who’se coming down and who’se already there. But that doesn’t mean we won’t go again because we certainly will.”
As expected with the high level of demand, we have sold out of tickets for Monday’s final within minutes of general release. Thank you all for your support. We apologise that several of you haven’t been able to secure a ticket.
The memo sent overnight saying that membership with Enfield Town FC Supporters Society Ltd is due for renewal before Fri 31 May 2024 was generated automatically in error
Please ignore this. A fresh update will be sent when technical issues have been resolved. Apologies for any confusion or inconvenience.
On safety advice provided by Chatham Town, the Isthmian League have decided our ticket allocation for Monday’s final will be capped at 400. Online sales will initially be offered to our members and season ticket holders. Any remaining tickets will then be offered for general sale to our supporters.
The club recognises that this will be hugely disappointing news to our fans. We have sought clarification on the decision, but it is a matter that is out of our control and we have to respect the advice and decision made.
