Gavin Macpherson is under no illusions about the importance of tomorrow’s basement battle against Eastbourne Borough, another full-time team but one he believes is in a false position.

The Sports finished one point off the automatic promotion places last season, only to slip up in the playoffs – an indication of the threat they can potentially pose.

Although they have only one league win so far this season and are one place off the bottom, victory away at Maidenhead and a draw at Ebbsfleet in their last four games illustrates their threat on the road, particularly now that Tommy Widdrington is back in their dugout.

But with a fair wind behind us, literally and figuratively, the points are there to be won.

“I don’t know why Eastbourne are in the position they are but I’m not reading much into it when you look at the players they’ve got. They are well resourced and clearly under achieving at the moment,” said Gavin.

“I wouldn’t call it a six-pointer at this stage of the season but it’s obviously an important game. But we’ve been playing well. We’ve been the better team for most of the last three performances even though we only got the one win against Ebbsfleet. In fact I’d go as far as to say that only against Chesham have we been outplayed.”

Converting a sufficient number of our chances and conceding last-ditch goals, as everyone knows, have been ongoing concerns. “When I said I was angry after Horsham it wasn’t directed at the boys but from a results perspective, they deserve to be doing better,” said Gavin.

“Like so many sides in this division, Eastbourne are another full-time team who have more time to prepare, plan and train but I know the side we’ve put together is competitive. Give me that sort of time with this group and we’d be infinitely higher but it is what it is.”

 Meanwhile the hunt is on to boost the forward positions. With Harry Lodovica and Matty Macarthur now departed, the management team are working hard to bring in at least one proven replacement. Watch this space …

AW

Enfield Town 1 Uxbridge 1 (Uxbridge win 9-8 on penalties)

Southern Premier South Uxbridge, with only two competitive defeats so far this season, sent a strong squad to the Dave Bryant Stadium and were ultimately rewarded with a shootout success in the Middlesex Senior Cup second round and a home tie against North Greenford United in the quarter finals. 

Town’s starting XI included just two from Saturday’s trip to Horsham – Bayley Brown and Billy Leonard — and just like  in the London Senior Cup, albeit with a different finale, Gavin Macpherson’s makeshift side couldn’t get beyond the first hurdle against lower-league opposition.

A crowd of 169 witnessed a competitive game, which was both entertaining and scrappy in equal measure in different patches.  The stand-out performer on the night was Town Academy youngster Eli Ackason – in at the last minute for Avan Jones (toe injury) – who covered nearly every blade of grass and was deservedly named Town’s man of the match.

Club captain Mickey Parcell returned to the side following his suspension and on this occasion was used primarily in the middle of a back four alongside Ruaridh Donaldson. Tommy Wood played as a lone striker for the majority of the game while Uxbridge’s central defenders were also familiar to the home fans – former Towners Bernie Tanner and Kyle Bailey.

After a number of chances at both ends, around the half hour mark the visitors’ on-loan keeper Laurie Shala came rushing out of his area to bring down Wood, but the referee only issued a yellow card as there were covering defenders.  

Uxbridge took the lead with a fine goal in the 34^th minute. A sweeping move down the Town right ended with Ada Okorogheye playing in George Moore, who finished impressively past Adi Connolly. 

Three minutes later, an eye-catching run from Ackason ended with a foul on him in the box by Bailey. Wood stepped up and was relieved to see his penalty creep over the line via Shala and the crossbar.

Half-time: Enfield Town 1 Uxbridge 1

The second period was disrupted by regular substitutions from both sides. Uxbridge probably had more chances, including Cole Brown hitting the bar, but Shala produced the save of the night to deny Jack Bates who had unleashed a powerful drive in the closing stages.

After 90 minutes of endeavour the game went straight to penalties. What turned out to be the winning penalty was netted by keeper Shala past his opposite number Connolly.

While Town are now out of three cup competitions, with a huge FA Trophy fixture to come at Harborough on Nov 15, Gavin said after last night’s game that was pleased with the overall performance given the line-up.

“We had seven or eight academy boys in the squad and they all massively played their part especially when several more senior players had to come off,” he said

Town: Connolly; Lambert (Opuku), Parcell, Donaldson (Hawkins), Cann; Leonard (Oliveira), Ackerson,  Brown, Bates, Knight; Wood (Bullas).

Penalties scored:  Hawkins, Bates, Opuku, Bullas, Brown, Knight, Cann, Ackason, Missed: Parcell, Oliveira.

KB

Winger Matty Macarthur has departed the club, and has signed for Isthmian Premier side Chatham Town.

Former Gillingham youngster Matty signed for Town from Farnborough after impressing during pre-season, and went on to make seven competitive appearances for the club.

We wish Matty well for the future.

The draw for the Second Round Proper of the FA Trophy was made this afternoon.

The Towners will embark on a trip to Leicestershire having been handed a tough draw against Step 3 Harborough Town. The tie will take place on the weekend of Saturday 15th November. 2025.

The Bees are currently unbeaten in the Southern Premier Division Central – the same division as Quorn, our previous FA Cup opponents – with seven wins and four draws. Having demolished Rushden & Diamonds in the previous round, and with their only defeat this season having been in an FA Cup replay against Altrincham, Gavin Macpherson and his side will know they must be at their best if they are to progress any further in this season’s Trophy.

Harborough are a side very much in the ascendancy on and off the pitch. They were granted planning permission to overhaul their stadium last season, including the installation of a 4G pitch as well as an increase in capacity; while on the pitch, their FA Cup exploits saw them go toe-to-toe with Football League side Reading last season. Former Spurs and QPR midfielder Sandro was part of their squad. They were only beaten on penalties in last season’s Southern Premier play-off semi-finals, and will be looking to go one better this season by guaranteeing promotion to the National League for the first time.

Horsham 1-0 Enfield Town

An exasperated Gavin Macpherson was left to rue his side’s wastefulness as they spurned several chances in a narrow defeat to Horsham at Hop Oast.

An unchanged eleven were rewarded with starts following Town’s midweek win over Ebbsfleet, and it ought to have paid dividends as the visitors fashioned the vast majority of opportunities in the first half, but proved unable to convert them. It was hosts Horsham who saw most of the ball in the opening exchanges; Greg Luer’s long-range drive was well held by Forster in the second minute, while goalkeeper Lewis Carey spent lengthy periods on the ball assessing the options in front of him, only to find a disciplined Town rear guard, much to the frustration of the 1500-strong home crowd.

Beyond the ten-minute mark, the Towners began to threaten with increasing intensity. Hayden Bullas – a positive presence throughout – crossed for Lamar Reynolds, whose glancing near-post header was watched well wide. Five minutes later and Reynolds was gifted a far more presentable chance as a ricocheted clearance fell kindly to him six yards out, but his effort was well repelled at point-blank range by Carey.

Still the chances continued as Town upped the pressure, but ultimately to no avail. Bullas slipped a neat pass down the right-hand channel into Billy Leonard, whose side-footed drive was beaten away by the Hornets’ keeper. The clearest chance of the half followed soon after as Bullas again sought to tee up an opener, releasing Bayley Brown in the centre of the box, though his eventual shot was low and too close to Carey, who would ultimately be named man-of-the-match.

Between both chances there was very nearly a carbon-copy of the debacle at Slough, as Henry Hawkins was shunted to the floor in his own box, and with play inexplicably allowed to continue, Town required an excellent last-ditch tackle from Adam Thompson to prevent an almost certain tap-in. Before the interval, both Thompson and Sam Youngs tried their luck from the edge of the area as Town ended the half strongly, but deadlocked at 0-0.

Half Time: Horsham 0-0 Enfield Town

The second period began in the same vein as the first; Rhys Forster’s gloves stung by a long range effort, as he gathered Harvey Sparks’ shot. Town responded in kind with a flowing counter attack that ended with Xavier Benjamin galloping out from defence to cross for Sam Youngs, who volleyed narrowly wide.

Horsham had re-shuffled at the break, introducing striker Rhys Murphy to the fray, and after curling just wide from distance, he somehow miscued an effort from close range moments later as the Hornets looked to find a foothold. Again Town hit back; a quick goal kick from Forster picked out Leonard, whose teasing cross was inches away from finding a grey shirt in the centre. Town’s number one was then called into action shortly afterwards, producing a terrific double save to thwart both Murphy and Luer in quick succession.

Yet there was nothing he could do to prevent what proved to be the winner on 67 minutes; Charlie Hester-Cook afforded too much space to advance from midfield and pick out the top corner with a superb swerving effort from 20 yards.

In truth, Town offered too little following their setback as Horsham retreated into shape and looked to pounce in transition. Ollie Knight was introduced in the immediate aftermath of the goal, and the nearest the away side were to finding an equaliser came late on as he wriggled free on the edge of the penalty area, but his cross was a whisker away from connecting with Reynolds’ boot in the middle.

Despite the frustration of another defeat, there were certainly positives to take from Town’s build-up play, as well as a significant piece of Enfield Town FC history, as Sam Youngs played his 352nd game for the Towners, in the process becoming the club’s all-time record appearance maker.

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Town: Forster; Benjamin, Thompson, Hawkins; Leonard, Bullas (Bates 86’), Brown (Knight 69’), Gallimore, Adom-Malaki; Youngs, Reynolds (Wood 88’).

Unused subs: Connolly, Donaldson, Jones, Cann.

Attendance: 1550

Striker Harry Lodovica has joined Isthmian Premier Division side Whitehawk on a three-month loan.

Harry joined us over the summer and has since made 13 competitive appearances. We wish him all the best during his spell in Brighton.

Enfield Town 3 Ebbsfleet United 1

Town put the pain of recent defeats firmly behind them with a display full of running and intent. Bayley Brown and Billy Leonard returned to the starting eleven in midfield. It was the visitors who came out of the traps quickest with a couple of early chances that went begging, but then Town settled into their stride and took the lead after five minutes. Tosh Gallimore picked the ball up from a Lamar Reynolds pass in the inside left channel and, with Fleet defenders retreating, hit a piledriver from just outside the box high into the top corner to keeper Gio Bellagambi’s left.

With the tonic of an early goal to settle any nerves, the hosts began to enjoy some spells of possession, with Nino Adom-Malaki prominent down the left. Following a crisp move on the opposite flank, Hayden Bullas’s dangerous low cross was cleared by an increasingly harassed Fleet back line. But the hosts didn’t have it all their own way, and Mustapha Olangunju fired narrowly over on the quarter of an hour mark. A minute later, the visitors were forced to make an early change through injury with Maxx Manktelow replacing Tom Dallison. 

Rhys Forster made a good low stop to deny Toby Edser but, in the 24^th minute, a short corner routine between Adom-Malaki and Leonard paid dividends. Nino’s cross from the right was headed back into the danger zone by Adam Thompson for Reynolds to steer the ball home from close range. 

Stung into action, Ebbsfleet skipper Kwesi Appiah tested Forster with a low drive from a Charlie Seaman pass and, shortly afterwards, Josh Coley somehow missed the target from close range following a cross from the right. Between those moments, Adom-Malaki opted to shoot when a pass to the unmarked Leonard may have been a better option – the Fleet keeper saving with relative ease. 

Sam Youngs was denied by a block by Bellagambi’s legs and Bullas as off target from distance as Town ended the first half fully deserving their two-goal cushion.

Half-time: Enfield Town 2 Ebbsfleet United 0  

To the delight of the home support, Town went further ahead within a minute of the restart. Adom Malaki, who had a fine game, lofted the ball in from the left, it was flicked on by Youngs to Reynolds, who made no mistake to put Town in dreamland.

Forster was called into action again to get down at his near post to deny Appiah again, while substitute Manktelow headed wide from a promising position. Appiah then had the ball in the Enfield net but the flag had been raised for a clear offside.

There followed a remarkable passage of play approaching the hour mark when Town hit the woodwork twice in essentially the same scramble, while Youngs and Henry Hawkins both went close. Town hit the frame of the goal twice more during the second half, albeit one of those occasions coinciding with the raising of the linesman’s offside flag to deny Youngs, making a record equalling 351^st appearance in a Town shirt.

With the clock showing 90 minutes, sub Dom Samuel netted a consolation for Fleet – prompting a Groundhog Day feeling among the Town faithful – but on this occasion there were no further alarms and Enfield were able to enjoy a well-merited victory against full-time opponents, rising to 18^th in the table. 

Team: Forster; Benjamin, Thompson, Hawkins, Adom-Malaki; Leonard (Jones), Bullas, Brown, Gallimore; Youngs (Donaldson), Reynolds (Wood). Unused subs: Jones, Knight, Connolly, Bates, Lodovica.

Dagenham & Redbridge 3-2 Enfield Town

As broken records go, this one appears to be heading for the top of the charts. Yet again, in all too familiar fashion, Enfield Town conceded a death blow with virtually the last kick of the game as we fell into the bottom four after a third straight defeat in all competitions.

The fact that even Daggers fans conceded we deserved at least a draw came as scant consolation as once again we threw away vital points and now have to pick ourselves up for this evening’s home encounter with Ebbsfleet.

It had been visitors Town who enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, with chances for both Sam Youngs and Nino Adom-Malaki before Sam opened the scoring with his 92nd goal for the club, on his 350th appearance in Enfield Town colours; one shy of Rudi Hall’s all-time record. A long kick from Rhys Forster was headed into the path of Adom-Malaki, and after twisting and turning near the byline, his cross was clinically headed home by skipper Youngs. Forster had earlier been called into action with a superb save on the stretch to thwart Ashley Hemmings’ looping header, but had otherwise been relatively untroubled as Town’s rear guard marshalled their opponents well.

Billy Leonard and the suspended Mickey Parcell were still missing from the starting eleven, the former on the bench, but Town came close to doubling the lead when another Adom-Malaki cross found Lamar Reynolds, only for the former Daggers man to see his shot come back off the post. A long stoppage followed after Dagenham’s Reggie Young had been stretchered off but Town were well worth their lead at the interval.

Half Time, Dagenham & Redbridge 0-1 Enfield Town

Having been second best in the first half, the Daggers, led by former Premier League striker Andy Carroll, immediately changed shape, upped their game and were presented with their clearest chance of the afternoon but Hemmings spooned over when clean through with Forster. They eventually were rewarded on 54 minutes when Scott Rendell waltzed his way down the flank and teed up Joe Haigh to sweep home. Now Dagenham had their tails up, and on 73 minutes Ashley Hemmings breached the offside trap to slot past Forster and seemingly negate all our good work.

Town, though, were not finished and hit straight back as a threaded pass from substitute Leonard into the box allowed Reynolds to square for Hayden Bullas to fire in from 10 yards. Moments later, Leonard found space down the right channel but fired straight at the keeper, while Haigh and former Towner Harry Sidwell both blasted over but there was little to suggest there would be a late winner for either side.

Yet six minutes into stoppage time, a lofted ball created a melee in the Town area and as Forster came – not once, but twice – he proceeded to drop the ball while tussling with Hemmings, allowing Timothée Dieng to poke home the loose ball, steal all three points and pile more anguish on Town.

Town: Forster; Jones (Leonard 73’), Benjamin, Thompson, Hawkins (Donaldson 90+1’), Adom-Malaki; Bullas, Gallimore, Knight (Brown 73’); Youngs, Reynolds

Attendance: 1583

How ever long it takes for the heartbreaking anguish of Enfield Town’s FA Cup elimination to subside, the show must go on – starting with tomorrow’s crunch fixture with Dagenham and Redbridge

A single point separates the two sides and while more pressure might be on the hosts, given their lofty status and expectation levels, Town badly need to avoid a third straight defeat in all competitions as we look to stave off getting bogged down in the lower reaches of the division.

Relegated on the final day of last season following nine at Step One despite a stirring late run, the Daggers’ poor start to the current campaign has perhaps come as even more of a  surprise to many observers but last time out they gained a creditable draw at high-flying Torquay.

The presence of former Premier League striker Andy Carroll among the Daggers’ ranks has sparked nationwide interest and will surely add extra spice to tomorrow if selected.

Town are also likely to come up against Harry Sidwell who played an important part in our survival last season and is now on loan with D and R.

With Town having won twice in the league so far and Dagenham only once, it promises to be a tense and intriguing affair as we bid to bounce straight back from that demoralising FA Cup exit.

“I don’t think there’s a single person connected with the club who didn’t feel absolutely gutted,” said Gavin as he looked back. “I certainly felt it within the players and management but more importantly within the supporters.”

“As a collective group we knew that we should’ve been in the draw on Monday but the only thing that’s important now is to understand how we can improve and quite simply move on.”

“I know for me in football terms it took me a couple of days but the one thing as a manager I have to do is refocus the players and staff on what our task is moving forward and that’s what I’ve done.

“We have two really difficult games to focus on with Dagenham followed by Ebbsfleet on Tuesday. Dagenham are one of the biggest teams in the league and despite their league position I fully them expect to climb the league. We are underdogs which is true of most games we play, that doesn’t mean we can’t achieve and that’s what we’re looking to do.”

AW

Our Middlesex Senior cup 2^nd round tie against Uxbridge has now been confirmed for Tuesday Oct 28

We are at home, kickoff 7.45.