For the second Saturday running, Enfield Town have the rare experience of no fixture this weekend, allowing the players to enjoy a team-bonding Christmas excursion and the management to plot a strategy for the busy holiday period.
Last Saturday’s shock postponement of our league fixture against Hampton and Richmond, coupled with the Beavers hosting Maidenhead tomorrow and the fact that we are no longer in the FA Trophy, has thrown up the bizarre spectacle of no competitive game until we visit league leaders Hornchurch in a week’s time when, frustratingly, Xav Benjamin will now have to serve his one-match suspension.
Playing catch-up is far less preferable to playing games especially when the teams in and around us are picking up points which is what happened last Saturday when we slipped back into the bottom four just at the time when we had been showing some really encouraging form.
“It’s a far from ideal situation but we will have a management meeting on Saturday and a few of us will go and watch games involving upcoming opponents,” said a somewhat throaty Gavin Macpherson who is dealing with a heavy cold.
Such a long break between games is of course totally beyond our control. As a result, a friendly against Arsenal’s academy side has been arranged for Tuesday but even then, it’s a delicate balancing act.
“That’s part of what the management team will be fine-tuning,” explained Gav. “The friendly is designed to help us go this long without a competitive game but we have to balance keeping the players on their toes with possible injuries.”
On the player front, Joe Kizzi’s loan deal runs out the day before Hornchurch and discussions are under way to see whether it’s viable for the club to try and extend it. As far as the goalkeeping situation is concerned, George Barrett can play at Hornchurch and thereafter, says Gavin, it’s a question of looking at options with Tom Norcott seemingly fit to return. Whatever happens, we’ll have a quality keeper on the books.
Gavin still can’t get his head round the decision to call off last Saturday’s game against Hampton and Richmond when both sets of players, and both managers, wanted to play. At the time of writing, a fresh date was being agreed with an official announcement imminent.
“I was as astonished as anyone and so were Hampton,” said Gav. “I’ve never seen a game called off under those circumstances. I feel for the club and for the supporters but we’ve done a mini-pre season this week and now we prepare for Arsenal which we’ll have to piece together quite carefully in terms of who plays and who doesn’t.”
AW
