Enfield Town go into the first of two potentially season-defining fixtures tomorrow with belief in the camp still strong albeit with the realisation that losing either game will make the task of survival infinitely more difficult.

As six-pointers go, they don’t come much more crucial than the crunch trip to Eastbourne followed by Tuesday’s home showdown with Hampton and Richmond Borough when we simply have to close the gap behind the Beavers.

Training went well on Thursday though Town look to again be without the injured T’Shane Gallimore while Ruaridh Donaldson serves the second of a two-match suspension that would originally have happened on Tuesday night against Dorking had the game not been postponed.

There is also the distinct possibility that we may not see Cian Dillon, whose loan spell has now expired, in a Town shirt for some time – if ever. Because Cian has got injured again, no extension to his loan can be discussed with QPR at least until he has a scan. Having said that, we created enough chances against Torquay to suggest that we are more than capable of finding the net without Cian.

On the plus side, the three new boys have settled in well and defensive midfielder Yacou Traore, in particular, seems to have impressed everyone in training. “I like what I’m seeing, he’s a little fighter,” said Gavin Macpherson.

The fact that neither side can afford to lose tomorrow makes the encounter even more intriguing. While we have lost four of the last five, Eastbourne, who won the corresponding game at the start of November, have lost five on the spin.

Gavin admits he completely understands why Eastbourne and Hampton have generated so much attention but characteristically plays down any sense of win or bust.

“I entirely get why these two games have been built up but season defining, for me, is when you can no longer achieve what you set out to do,” said Gav. “If we don’t get a result, that doesn’t mean we can’t go and beat other teams.”

“I don’t shy away from the fact that we have our own pressures but the bigger pressure is on Eastbourne who would have expected to be much higher in the table. I believe we’re the more relaxed camp. The reality, however, is that the absolute minimum requirement is not to lose either game.”

The postponement of Tuesday’s Dorking fixture gave the players a full week to prepare while Eastbourne were being beaten at Dagenham and Hampton were upsetting the odds against Worthing. But Gavin would have been happy to play the game.

“The performance against Torquay stood us in good stead to have a go at Dorking. But we can only look after ourselves no matter other results. Do I think we can do better? For sure but this season has really brought home how tough this league is, on and off the pitch. Far, far tougher than last time.”

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Enfield Town could be up against a familiar face when we host Dorking Wanderers tomorrow evening (ko 745).

Harry Sidwell, who had a loan spell with us last season, recently joined Dorking who are fourth in the table on goal difference but have the same number of points as Worthing and Torquay in second and third.

“We are not turning up on Tuesday with the thoughts in our heads that Dorking are full-time,” said Gavin Macpherson. “I realise there’s a big divide but my side will never just go out to make up the numbers.”

Indeed, we were by far the better team in the first half against Torquay and the focus now is to try and put two good halves together to arrest a worrying slump that has yielded a solitary point from five games.

Ruaridh Donaldson serves the second in a two-match ban and Tosh Gallimore could again be missing but with games coming thick and fast we at least have options on the bench following the arrival of three new players in the last fortnight.

Gavin, who has already addressed the attributes of Corie Andrews and Ruben Bartlett-Antwi,  is looking forward to seeing how defensive midfielder Yacou Traore shapes up having spent the past three years in Middlesbrough’s youth ranks.

“Having seen him in training he’s a tough lad who gets himself round the pitch,” said Gavin. “At Maidenhead we only managed four outfield players on the bench so we needed to give the squad a boost.”

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Enfield Town 1 Torquay United 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

As the old cliché goes, football is a cruel game…especially when you’re near the bottom.

For the second Saturday running, Enfield Town fell victims to the officiating as much as the opponent, slipping ominously to a fourth defeat in five games against title-chasing Torquay.

After controlling all but the first 10 minutes of the opening half, when any neutral observer might have concluded that we were the full-time professional team, Town were pushed back after the break but ultimately went down to a highly controversial penalty.

With two new signings, forward Corie Andrews and midfielder Yacou Traore, having joined just before kickoff, both made the bench while Gavin Macpherson brought Bailey Brown and Hayden Bullas into the starting line-up with Ruaridh Donaldson serving the first of a two-match suspension and T’Sharne Gallimore injured.

It looked a forbidding task to begin with as Joe Wright twice came to the rescue, most notably managing to scramble away a Sam Dreyer header from a freekick.

But Town soon settled down and broke through on 19 minutes when Sam Youngs took a touch before magnificently rifling the ball low across goal and into the far corner (pictured celebrating).

It was just the tonic Town needed and we so nearly doubled the lead when Nino Adom-Malaki’s sublime cross found the head of Bailey Brown, only for James Hamon to pull off a world-class save and for his defence to clear the rebound off the line.

A couple of last-ditch blocks by the Gulls rearguard ensued as Town ended the half very much in the ascendency.

H-T 1-0

Without the suspended pair of Louis Dennis and Jordan Young – 26 goals between them — Torquay had struggled up top but with all their resources had plenty of back-up forward options and came out firing after the break, no doubt having been given a rocket.

Within three minutes they made Town pay for those missed chances, though with an element of good fortune as Dylan Morgan’s shot deflected off Joe Wright and spun in the corner of the net when it looked like going wide.

Town were now on the back foot without the same intensity but still showed commendable resilience and spirit against their lofty opponents, albeit enjoying something off a let-off when the crossbar denied Exeter loanee Kieran Wilson who was left free at the back post.

Torquay had the bit between their teeth but as we continued to stand strong, Bullas drilled a shot narrowly wide on a rare counter.

Town were then relieved to see Jay Foulston’s close-range effort narrowly ruled out for offside before the highly contentious moment that saw the Gulls fly off with all three points – much to the delight of their travelling army who swelled the crowd to 1,114.

On 88 minutes, Bailey Brown’s hand was somehow adjudged to have been in an unnatural position when struck by Wilson’s powerful effort. Penalty was the ruling though there was some conjecture whether it was made by the referee or linesman. Whoever it was, Wilson duly sent Wright the wrong way, a gut-wrenching finale after all the effort and commitment.

Like many in the stadium, Gavin was enraged by the decision but couched his words in moderation. “I’ve looked back at it and it’s  extremely harsh, one that we see every single week,” he said. “We were in a very similar place last week at Maidenhead but I can’t control the officials. Having said, we should have been three up at halftime and that we can control. We expected to spend periods without the ball but we’re very disappointed with their first goal. We need results and we’re not getting them and that is starting to hang heavy.”

Too right. Given our current plight seven points from safety, Dorking on Tuesday now becomes even more vital followed by two mega six-pointers at Eastbourne on Saturday, then at home to Hampton and Richmond.

Town

Wright, Adom-Malaki, Hawkins, Thompson, Benjamin; Bullas, Brown; Knight (jones 88) , Youngs, Leonard (Ackerson, 90+3′); Reynolds (Andrews, 70)

Prior to this afternoon’s league game against Torquay United, we are pleased to announce two new recruits.

The first is Yacou Traore. A combative English-Malian defensive midfielder, the 21-year-old joins having spent the past three years in Middlesbrough’s youth ranks. He has also gained senior experience with Wealdstone, where he made 7 National League appearances in a loan spell last term.

The second is experienced striker Corie Andrews. The 28-year-old has the likes of AFC Wimbledon, Wealdstone, Aldershot, and Oxford City on his CV, and joins us for the remainder of the season on loan from Maidenhead United.

“Corie has not had the greatest time at Maidenhead but he’s extremely capable at this level,” said Gavin Macpherson. “I spoke to him in the summer when I tried to being him in then. If I can get a tune out of him, we’ve got a very good centre forward.”

Both are available for selection this afternoon. Welcome, lads!

Today’s game against Torquay United (3pm) is ON following an early pitch inspection

Hats off to the ground staff for their tireless endeavours

COYT!

There will be a pitch inspection at 8am tomorrow, Saturday, ahead of our home fixture with Torquay

Gavin Macpherson insists his players will not be fazed by the visit of heavyweights Torquay United tomorrow despite having taken just one point out of the last 12.

Town will be without at least three first teamers in Tosh Gallimore (ankle), Mickey Parcell (still recovering) and Ruaridh Donaldson (suspended) but will need to raise their game against the Gulls whose travelling fans are likely to swell the gate to beyond four figures and make for a fabulous atmosphere.

Torquay are followed by the visit of another high flier in Dorking Wanderers on Tuesday and although the subsequent two games against fellow strugglers Eastbourne and Hampton and Richmond are potentially more crucial, we have reached the point where we simply cannot allow any of our rivals near the bottom to pull away.

“This is what we signed up for coming into the league, to be playing teams like Torquay and Dorking,” said Gav bullishly. “The magnitude of the two games can’t be understated. To some we are ‘little old Enfield’ , which is understandable, but we’re at home and I go into every game hoping to win it. At the very least I expect us to run hard, compete and give full throttle.”

Torquay will be without two key trump cards in suspended strikers Louis Dennis and Jordan Young, who have scored no fewer than 26 goals between them. But they still have plenty of forward options including last season’s leading scorer Cody Cooke and Joe Hatch who has just signed from Plymouth Argyle on a one-month loan deal.

“I doubt (Torquay manager) Paul (Wooton) will be that worried given who he can bring in,” said Gav. “Paul’s got an excellent record against me unfortunately and generally the better teams end up near the top. But these are the games you look forward to because on any given day anyone can beat anyone in this division.”

 Gav revealed that Cian Dillon could be back after injury for either Dorking or Eastbourne depending on parent club QPR’s requirements. And, crucially, there are hopes of trying to extend Cian’s loan deal which runs out at the end of January.

At the time of writing Town were in advanced negotiations to  sign an established new forward as revealed at last night’s AGM. As for Ruben Bartlett-Antwi, who came off the bench to make his debut at Maidenhead last weekend, Gav was at pains to take the pressure off the 21-year-old striker .

“Centre-forwards are the hardest commodity at our level to bring in and as I’ve said already, Ruben is by no means the finished article at Step 2. What he does have are certain attributes and a willingness to learn. But he has to be here for the longer run. If he suddenly decides he wants to play Step 2 every week, he’s not quite there for that. We’ve had that conversation and I believe he is someone can be effective and is certainly in my toolkit of options.”

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This is a quick reminder to all members that our agm will take place tomorrow evening, Thursday, at Butler’s Bar.

One of our most important gatherings of the season, providing a unique opportunity for supporters to ask questions, the agenda for the meeting (7 for 7.30 pm) is as follows:

1. Apologies

2. Result of board elections

3. ETFC SS accounts – To approve accounts for ETFC Ltd

4. ETFC Ltd accounts – To approve accounts for ETFC Supporters Society

5. Board Review/Update – To include updates on ladies and youth sections

6. Q&A with the board

7. Q&A with Gavin Macpherson

A reminder too that our first live fundraising gig of the year takes place the following Thursday, Jan 29, featuring renowned musicians Alan Lovell and Robin Bibi.

Doors open at 7.30pm and tickets priced £15 can either be purchased in advance by calling Christine Hamilton on 07949 071587 or by email ianchrisham@hotmail.com. Alternatively on the following link:

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/event/ent2526concert1/alan-lovell-robin-bibi-live-.

Tickets on the door subject to availability. There will also be a bar and raffle.

Maidenhead United 3 Enfield Town 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

 Appalling, atrocious, astounding. Not a description of Enfield Town’s latest setback at Maidenhead United on Saturday but of the standard of refereeing that helped bring it about.

Rarely have so many hugely contentious decisions in a single match gone against us and who knows whether, had the officials shown a modicum of common sense and consistency, we might now be talking about  a different outcome in Berkshire.

Because the fact is, until we went down to 10 men late in the first half, for all their possession the hosts had served up precious few clearcut chances on a pot-marked pitch that hardly made for a free-flowing encounter.

Even the local paper, in its match report, conceded we made life difficult for our opponents and  were arguably the better team until the second of  Ruaridh Donaldson’s yellow cards in the 38th minute.

 Sure you could argue that after receiving his first yellow, Ruaridh should have stood off Asher Yearwood instead of tripping him up  near the centre circle when the Magpies man was about to dribble past him.

But that doesn’t take into account the fact that his first yellow, shown after an innocent tangle with Jaiden Celestine-Charles, was extremely harsh.

The red card completely changed the game in which Town started with a back four, Ollie Knight coming into the side and Donaldson in a defensive midfield role.

Town have gone four months without an away win but up against a full-time side who had only lost one in seven there was little to choose between the teams in the opening half.

After Maidenhead bossed the opening 15 minutes, Town settled down with some eye-catching combination play down the left between Knight and Nino Adom-Malaki, playing as an orthodox leftback on the day.

It almost produced a goal, only for Billy Leonard to fire a volley just over. Lamar Reynolds scooped another one over while a Donaldson shot from a Nino throw was blocked six yards out.

Then came the game changer and almost immediately, Celestine-Charles shot wide with the goal at his mercy after Sam Youngs had his pocket picked.

 H-T 0-0

 Having been forced to re-organise, it was always going to be a tall order but Town survived for another 15 minutes before the Magpies went in front with a goal that enraged the management team and Towners players and fans alike.

 Reynolds was on the ground at one end having clearly received a high boot while at the other end Adam Thompson was lying prostrate having also taken a knock.

At that point we had eight players but instead of blowing up, the referee decided to let play continue. Cue the Mapgies taking fully advantage, Liam Dulson sweeping the ball into the bottom corner, a  cruel blow after so much effort and commitment and made even more painful by the fact play was halted for a Maidenhead player to be allowed treatment under similar circumstances.

For all that, we could have equalised when Evan Jones, on as a sub for Tommo, took a return pass from Henry Hawkins, only to strike the ball straight at Jordi van Stappershoef when anything either side of the Dutch keeper would have paid off.

 But on 71 minutes it was game over, again under highly controversial circumstances as the referee pointed to the spot when Yearwood made a meal of a relatively innocuous challenge and sub Sam Barratt slammed the ball home.

By now the 10 men were out on their feet  and it was no surprise when Barratt rolled the ball into an empty net for number three.  Josh Popoola twice saw further efforts flash past the post but the result was harsh on Town who remain four points from safety and will now be missing Donaldson – and possibly Tommo too – for the visit of Torquay next Saturday.

Despite our fourth loss in five outings, Gavin had nothing but praise for his battle-weary troops but had to choose his words carefully when it came to the officiating.

“If I say what I want to say, I could get into trouble,” said Gavin. “I felt my team gave a really honest, hardworking performance with a lot going against them while the supporters were again fantastic.”

“The boys carried out what they were asked to do but it became an easy football match for Maidenhead in the second half and we ended up on the back of a difficult result when we deserved better.”

Town:

Wright; Benjamin, Thompson (Jones 64), Hawkins, Adom-Malaki; Leonard, Donaldson, Gallimore (Brown 79), Knight, Youngs (Bullas 73); Reynolds (Bartkett-Antwi, 68)

Enfield Town go into the first of three perilously tough  fixtures on paper when we travel to in-form Maidenhead United tomorrow with every point precious as we seek to pull away from the danger zone.

With 20 games to go, there is still plenty of time to climb the table but with four sides facing the drop and Torquay and Dorking soon to come – followed by the mother of all six-pointers against Eastbourne — the importance of not being cast adrift cannot be over-stated.

Saturday’s opponents may be 10^th in the division but are on a roll, having only lost one in seven with the fourth best goal difference. Yet this league has shown that anyone can beat anyone on a given day and there is no reason we can’t come away with a decent outcome.

“Maidenhead, Torquay and Dorking are three full-time teams who are amongst the biggest in the league and the odds are stacked against us,” said Gavin Macpherson. “As far as pressure is concerned, part of my job is to absorb it and not let it affect the players. I go into every game thinking we can win it and I’d suggest the pressure is more on Maidenhead on Saturday.”

One advantage we perhaps have over the other clubs near the bottom is that we have been there before and know what it takes to survive. Having said that, everyone’s nerves will take a battering if we find ourselves in a similar position come April.

“This league has pushed on and in real terms our task this season is much harder,”  Gav admitted. “Teams are better resourced and train full-time which is huge. I understand the magnitude given who we are and where we are but we have players and a management team who have experienced this before.”

Having added to our forward options by bringing in  21-year-old Ruben Bartlett-Antwi from Slough, Gavin explained what attracted him to a player who was surplus to requirements at another Step 2 club but, let’s remember, scored against us in that gut-wrenching FA Cup defeat.

“He’s big, strong, gets his body in the way and has got the raw ability of a centre-forward which I like and which we found out when we played Slough,” said Gavin.

Although Ruben was a prolific scorer in the lower leagues, not least at Leatherhead where he scored 21 goals in 2024-25, Gavin cautioned Town fans not to necessarily expect instant results.

“He’s not the finished article and has a lot to learn but that’s good because he’s coachable. We all acknowledge that we’ll have to improve his game but the raw ingredients are there, he fits the group in his attitude and of course he’s an Enfield lad. He may not be a big name but I believe he’ll be extremely effective going forward.”

Ruben’s signing is all the more timely given that Eli Ackeson has picked up a knock whilst Gavin disclosed that Mickey Parcell, whose injury has taken longer than anticipated to heal, is being loaned out to Step 4 Takeley on a dual registration to gain some crucial match practise.

“Mickey is someone we desperately need on and off the field but the problem is how to get him up to speed,” explained  Gav. “Some might say training should do that but not at this level. You need games. At the moment he would probably last only 45 minutes which is where neither of us want to be. Hopefully we should have him back after a couple of games which can’t come soon enough.”

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