Enfield Town 3 Dover Athletic 1

Report by Martin Bentley

In a night full of surprises, Enfield Town bagged a much-needed three points thanks to three excellent goals against a decent Dover Athletic side to end a seven-game winless run.

 Surprise number one, to the delight of an amazed Town faithful, was the appearance of one Jake Cass among the substitutes for his first game in two years, having come out of retirement to rejoin the club until the end of the season.

The announcement palpably lifted the mood behind the goal as Town’s battle against relegation took a decided turn in our favour.

  Before the fun started, we had to endure half an hour of turgid, shapeless scrapping. The better chances fell to the visitors, with Joe Wright forced to save well from efforts by the dangerous George Nikaj and George Wilkinson’s free kick.

Nikaj was also guilty of fluffing a good chance on 24 minutes, but the game swung in Town’s favour late in the half. Sam Youngs stung the palms of Dover keeper Mitch Walker on the half hour before putting Town in front seven minutes later, shooting first-time from the edge of the box after Ollie Knight’s cross was partially cleared.

H-T 1-0

Although grateful to be leading after an indifferent first-half showing, Town then took control of the game three minutes into the second half.

With the advantage of a strong end-to-end wind, Wright’s long drop-kick cleared the Dover centre backs for Lamar Reynolds to race clear and lob over Walker from the edge of the box (pictured). Remarkably, this was Lamar’s first goal since January.

Wright was once again called into action on the hour with a decent save from a freekick before Town made the game safe on 75 minutes with an absolute belter of a goal. Youngs began the move in the right-back position, carried the ball out of defence before playing Reynolds in 20 yards from goal. His return pass to the onrushing Youngs — and Town’s in-form midfielder once again hit Walker’s bottom corner with a sweet strike.

  The rest of the game saw Town successful play out time, with DeCarrey Sherriff’s consolation effort passing almost unnoticed at the other end. Well actually, the main reason that it was unnoticed was the weather; the steady drizzle that had started in the first half was suddenly replaced by the mother of all downpours which, combined with the wind, caused absolute mayhem in the crowd behind Walker’s goal.

Supporters cowered at the back of the stand trying to hide behind each other, at which point we realised that too many of us wear glasses! Cassy appeared for a five-minute cameo to perk everyone up.

His first involvement saw him dumped unceremoniously onto a very wet running track (didn’t happen too often in Dubai where he now lives, I assume), but he whizzed around enthusiastically for the remaining minutes to leave us all in a thoroughly good mood. And then the rain stopped.

 All good news, and a pleasingly emphatic win. Now we need to build on it, with high-flying Worthing visiting the Dave Bryant on Saturday.

Team: Wright, Benjamin (Traore 49), Odom-Malaki, Appiah, Hawkins, Bullas (Leonard 79), Parcell, Knight,Youngs, Andrews (Cass 90+1), Reynolds

Unused subs: Connolly, Donaldson, Lambert, Ackason

We are delighted to announce that fans’ favourite Jake Cass has come out of retirement to rejoin the club for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

Popular striker Jake originally joined us in January 2022 and, after scoring in a thrilling debut win at Horsham, went on to chalk up 34 goals in 71 appearances, earning the club’s Golden Boot award for the 2022-23 season. He was part of the Towners’ squad which clinched promotion to the National League South in the 2023/24 campaign.

Welcome back, Jake!

Salisbury 2-0 Enfield Town

Report by Charlie Baker

This time last year, a hard-fought 2-1 win at Salisbury was another big step on the road to survival, but it was shadow of that performance by Enfield Town this time around.

The boisterous Town support provided the soundtrack to a quiet opening period at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium. A wicked cross from Nino Adom-Malaki was just flicked away from Sam Youngs, before Josh Hedges poked wide for Salisbury. Max Jolliffe struck the post as the hosts started to gain a foothold, albeit controlling the ball without creating many chances.

Then the game came alive via some controversy. The ball fell to Leonard from a Town corner, and he saw his left-footed shot only partially saved by Will Buse. The ball was pushed out to Yacou Traore who bundled home, but he was questionably called offside. As if that wasn’t enough disappointment for Town, Salisbury went straight up the other end and won a penalty, with Wright coming off his line and wiping out his man. Noah Coppin made no mistake, planting it in the bottom left corner.

One could’ve quickly been two after a goalmouth scramble. Three Salisbury shots were somehow blocked before Wright leapt on the ball. Nathan Okokonyero was next to have a chance for the hosts, but his volley from a cross was saved on the line by Wright.

After the earlier offside, Town fans felt even more aggrieved as Ollie Knight was adjudged to have dived on the edge of the box by referee Jack Bloxham. He was shown a yellow card and the first half ended leaving Town with plenty of work to do.Nothing happened for the first 15 minutes of the second half, until Town’s Traore was booked for winning the ball.

Clear-cut chances were at a premium until Salisbury had one, which they took clinically. Town failed to clear it and the ball fell to Odokonyero on the six-yard box who finished sharply to Wright’s left. Paul Appiah had Town’s first chance of note, but his mistimed header from sub Ruaridh Donaldson’s cross went high and wide.Youngs then had a free kick blocked before Adom-Malaki’s fierce strike from 30 yards was tipped over by Buse. 

The game petered out in the Wiltshire sunshine. Farnborough’s 2-0 win over Slough means Town now sit eight points from safety ahead of three crucial home games against Dover, Worthing and Chesham.

Team: Wright, Benjamin, Appiah, Hawkins, Leonard, Bullas, Traore (Donaldson 71), Youngs, Adom-Malaki, Knight (Reynolds 64), Andrews (Ackason 57)

Unused subs: Connolly, Parcell, Lambert

Enfield Town 2 Dorking Wanderers 4 

Report by Martin Bentley 

The final outcome may have been somewhat inevitable, but Enfield Town at least had the satisfaction of letting League leaders Dorking Wanderers know that they had been in a game.

Ultimately though, Dorking were able to overpower Town with their superior fitness, movement and passing ability, although Town at least succeeded in tweaking their noses more than once in the second half. With Yacou Traore replacing the injured Bayley Brown in the only change from the turgid draw with Dagenham and Redbridge three days previously, Town succeeded in competing on an equal footing in the opening, rather shapeless, 20 minutes. Neither goalkeeper was troubled however, with Town’s highlight coming from Mickey Parcell, who briefly transformed himself into Neymar with a spectacular twist and turn past two defenders out on the left wing, followed by a cross thaat unfortunately came to nothing. 

The visitors soon found their mojo though, and dominated possession for long periods, with diminutive midfielder Harry Pinchard involved in every attack. The first goal arrived on the half hour from a deflected Niall McManus shot, and the second seven minutes later from a near-post header by defender Brennan Camp. Town were forced to cling on by their fingernails for the remainder of the half, and came close to conceding a third in stoppage time when Dorking were awarded a penalty in stoppage time following a foul by Traore. Joe Wright, however, made an excellent save from Dennon Lewis’ spot kick to keep Town at least theoretically in the game… 

…well, for about two minutes of the second half at least. An innocuous looking free kick from deep on the right wing was headed in by visiting skipper Charlie Carter to give Dorking an apparently unassailable 3-goal lead.

Within a further 2 minutes though, Town suddenly found the ‘on’ switch. Sam Youngs picked up a loose ball out on the right, slalomed across the edge of the penalty area before firing the ball into the roof of the net from 20 yards. This was Sam’s 100th goal for the club, and one of the better ones. 

It got even better on 58 minutes when Town were awarded a penalty – remember those? Lamar Reynolds was wrestled to the ground by Camp ten yards from goal, and referee Blades pointed to the spot for, astoundingly, our first League spot kick of the season. Sam ignored the long, loud, and pointless protests from the visitors’ defence, and sent keeper Harrison Foulkes the wrong way from the spot. With the deficit now just a single goal, Town made three substitutions as they chased an unlikely equaliser.

On 75 minutes, however, Dorking, who still looked threatening whenever they attached, scored a fourth to make the game safe. A harmless looking long ball out of defence found substitute Alfie Rutherford, who always seems to score against us. Joe Wright rushed from his goal, but Rutherford beat him to it and slipped the ball into the net from distance.

The rest of the game slipped away amidst a flurry of substitutions with only half chances for Xav Benjamin and Henry Hawkins worthy of recording. Overall, a respectable and spirited Town showing against the probable League champions. It was, however, another defeat for a Town side hovering perilously over the trap door.  

Team: Wright, Benjamin, Appiah (Lambert 82), Hawkins, Leonard (Donaldson 80), Parcell (Bullas 77), Traore, Youngs, Adom-Malaki, Andrews (Ackason 68), Reynolds (Knight 64)

Unused sub: Connolly

Enfield Town 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 0

Report by Ken Brazier

There was plenty of endeavour, but precious little quality, in this match with an outcome which leaves the Towners five points from safety with leaders Dorking Wanderers due to visit the DBS on Tuesday.

Prior to kick-off the was a minute’s applause among the 1,076 present for long-time supporter and disability liaison officer Martin Convery, who sadly passed away recently.

Lamar Reynolds had a couple of early chances for the hosts; visiting keeper Sam Howes kept out a low drive and then a subsequent effort was deflected behind after he had been played through by Bayley Brown.  Brown then limped off with a leg injury on 23 minutes and was replaced by Yacou Traore.

A lofted attempt from Will Sweet from distance was the first Daggers shot of note, with both teams probing tentatively in a half of very few chances.  Kayden Harrack had another long-range effort for the visitors around the half hour mark and they had a half-shout for a penalty soon afterwards but, in truth, the opening 45 minutes were devoid of anything clear-cut in either box.

Half time: Enfield Town 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 0

The tempo didn’t change too much after the break, although Henry Hawkins did head off the line for Town after Joe Wright had punched away a Dagenham corner which had been played back into the danger area by Paul Kalambayi. A triple substitution for the visitors on the hour had little effect, with both sides remaining relatively shot-shy. Sam Youngs couldn’t generate enough power from Billy Leonard’s cross to trouble Howes while at the other end Wright saved comfortably from substitute Stan Leech.

In the 64th minute Reynolds looked to have been
impeded in the box after picking the ball up from Corie Andrews, but referee Steven Hughes saw it differently. Further substitutions during the final twenty minutes failed to inject sufficient impetus to produce a win for either side. In the closing stages Mickey Parcell shot wide for Enfield while Christian N’Guessan was off target for the Daggers. 

In truth, neither side did enough in the final third to break the deadlock, which Gavin Macpherson acknowledged afterwards. “I cannot fault the lads for their effort and work rate” he said, “but we see some quality in training that we are not transferring onto the pitch.  We need to get more shots off, but we have belief and will have a go on Tuesday”.

Enfield Town: Wright; Benjamin, Appiah, Hawkins; Leonard, Brown (Traore 24), Parcell, Youngs, Adom-Malaki; Andrews (Ackason 73), Reynolds (Knight 81).

Unused subs: Connolly, Lambert, Donaldson.

KB

Our upcoming National League South match at home to Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday 14th March has been selected for live broadcast on National League TV on DAZN.

The fixture will be streamed internationally, and is unavailable in the UK & Ireland.

NLTV passes can be purchased on the DAZN website.

Forward Ruben Bartlett-Antwi has joined Isthmian Premier side Wingate & Finchley on a dual-registration basis.

Ruben hit the ground running immediately for his new side, scoring on his debut to help the Blues into the Velocity Trophy final with a 2-1 win over Redbridge.

Loans Update:

Harry Lodovica started the month by scoring away for his Whitehawk side at high-flying Chatham Town. He has 7 goals in 19 games for the Hawks, who fell just short in a 4-3 defeat at Dulwich Hamlet on Tuesday night.

Tommy Wood has 3 goals in 10 appearances for neighbours Cheshunt, but couldn’t stop Dartford taking all three points from Theobalds Lane on Tuesday evening.

Elsewhere, defender Ethan Cann has moved on from Northwood to Grays Athletic, and had an eventful first outing for the Essex side, as he helped them to a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Wroxham on Tuesday, but was sent off prior to full time.

Chippenham Town 1 Enfield Town 0
Report by Andrew Warshaw

Enfield Town suffered a damaging setback in their quest to cling on to Step 2 status as they became the latest team to fall victim to a single goal defeat at Chippenham.

A tight game of few clearcut chances was decided after 55 minutes when Town fell asleep at the back post and allowed an unmarked Caine Bradbury to volley home a Rashawn Scott centre, deepening the gloom as only goal difference now keeps us off the bottom of the table.

Two points out of nine against three of our fellow strugglers represents a meagre return and Town need to put wins on the board quickly to give themselves a fighting chance of staying up.

With Lamar Reynolds and Corie Andrews rested, Gavin Macpherson gave 17-year-old Eli Ackason his first start up top while Billy Leonard and Bailey Brown were also drafted in; Yacou Traore joining Reynolds and Andrews on the bench as he was fasting during Ramadan.

Town had much the better of the first half in terms of possession but couldn’t make it count. Ackason showed glimpses of his precocious skill but was largely shackled by the Bluebirds’ well-organised backline.

Mickey Parcell fired wide from the edge of the box, then forced a save out of  Will Henry, while at the other end former Towner Anointed Chukwu, who was  generally dealt with comfortably by Henry Hawkins and Paul Appiah, tested Joe Wright with an angled strike.

H-T 0-0

With defences on top and the middle of the pitch highly congested, one goal always seemed likely to settle it and just like in their three previous home games, it went to Chippenham who until then had seen most of their forward passes go astray but in Scott had the most dangerous player on the pitch.

Released by Ollie Knight, Ackason had a chance to quickly level but fired over after expertly turning his man but perhaps the biggest letdown from a Town standpoint is that despite getting into a number of promising positions, we failed to create sufficient openings, let down by poor delivery from the flanks and largely toothless.

Even when we fell behind, there was a surprising lack of penetration in terms of a reaction despite a couple of attack-minded substitutions. If anything the hosts, who leapfrogged Town in the table with their win, looked even more of a threat once they had broken the deadlock.

Not surprisingly, Gavin kept his players in the dressing room for a good 30 minutes, dishing out “a few home truths”, as he put it, relating to the standards he expected of them.

Those standards will have to be met sooner rather than later and Town now need to take advantage of a rare midweek break to regroup and prepare for the visit of Dagenham and Redbridge on Saturday in front of the DAZN television cameras.

It’s getting tougher with every passing fixture but there are still 33 points to play for and a  couple of wins could change the whole picture.

Town: Wright; Adom-Malaki, Appiah (Benjamin, 90), Hawkins, Parcell; Bullas, Knight, Brown, Leonard (Andrews 81); Youngs, Ackason (Reynolds 65)

Enfield Town will come up against a familiar figure when they make the long haul to Chippenham for Saturday’s latest survival act instalment.

Anointed Chukwu, a popular figure during his time at the Dave Bryant, has just had his loan spell with the Bluebirds extended having initially signed for them in November.

He has appeared in every league match bar Chippenham’s draw with parent club Worthing  and while he is sure he get a warm reception from the travelling Town fans, they will be hoping he doesn’t add to his two Chippenham goals so far.

Chippenham have also taken on defender Rashawn Scott on loan from Dagenham & Redbridge FC until the end the season.

Having taken just two points out of six from back to back home games, Town will hope for a much-needed maximum haul against the division’s bottom team before our relentless schedule is given a mini break with no midweek game next Tuesday.

 Despite their lowly position, Chippenham have been ekeing out results, even against the leading teams. Amid chants of “one nil to the Chippenham” , that’s exactly how their last three home games have ended – against Torquay, Maidstone and Maidenhead — and Gavin is in little doubt about the threat they pose.

“It’s a massive game of course given where we both are and trust me, they can hurt you. They may have been bottom for some time but they’re a good footballing side. There’s nobody in this league this season who you could say are fallers. It’ll be a really tough test.”

AW

Enfield Town 1 Hampton and Richmond Borough 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Henry Hawkins salvaged a point for Enfield Town as another home game slipped by in the quest for a second successive survival act.

Despite another frustrating night with too little invention,  Town’s performance was much improved from Saturday’s same result and we have still only lost one in seven games.

But that all-important win once again eluded us and with 12 games to go, the need to turn draws into victories is becoming all the more pressing.

With T’Sharne Gallimore on his way out of the club (Ruben Antwi-Bartlett has also left), Town had Eli Ackeson, fresh from his trial at Coventry, back on the bench in an unchanged side

Dangerous opponents despite their league position, Hampton have lost only two away games since the turn of the year as well as bringing in several experienced performers and they started in the ascendancy , particularly down their left flank.

Town, conversely, were at times so keen to get the ball away from their own third that they knocked it long without much conviction.

And on 18 minutes, they failed to communicate inside their own box and after several efforts to clear allowed Nana Boeteng to fire high into the net.

It was something of a body blow and for a while muted an otherwise enthusiastic crowd especially when Hawkins had to clear off the line to prevent a second and Luis Fernandez missed a sitter by blazing over from four yards.

As Town grew into the game, a spate of corners and freekicks ensued without any end product. The final ball just wouldnt stick though a huge penalty shout was waved away.

H-T 0-1

With Jacou Traore suffering from a tight hamstring, Gavin Macpherson took no chances and replaced him with Bailey Brown for the second half.

But it was Eduino Vaz, the best player on the pitch, who came closest early doors, skipping past Mickey Parcell before shooting wide.

Town’s lack of cohesion threatened to put us in greater jeopardy but the introduction of Billy Leonard, combined with the urgency of the occasion, suddenly led to our best period of the game.

Leonard crossed for Sam Youngs to plant a header goalwards before being deflected. And on 77 minutes we were deservedly level as a rebound from a long throw fell into the path of Hawkins who produced an exquisite finish — just as he did against Eastbourne — worthy of any striker.

With the wind in their sails, Town could have won it. Youngs nodded the ball down to Ackeson, who had injected verve and alacrity off the bench but when it mattered most knocked his effort over with the goal begging.

“The boys have given absolutely everything and we just fell short,” said Gavin for whom the on-loan Paul Appiah demonstrated an unflappable assurance at the back alongside Hawkins.

“The fans really drove us on and we are still in with a fighting chance. As regards Tosh leaving, it all happened very quickly and he decided his future lay with Bedford. We’ll have to see how Yac is in training on Thursday but we’re a bit short now in that area. As for Ruben, he wasn’t getting the game time he would have wanted and we had an honest conversation.”

Whose to know how we might have fared had this game taken place on its original date in December instead of being postponed three times. But now on to Chippenham on Saturday where the pressure on both sides will again be huge.

 Chippenham have ben ekeing out results, even against the leading teams, and Gavin is in little doubt about their threat. “Trust me they can hurt you. This season is not like the last one. But we will keep plugging away. The belief is still there.”

Town

Wright; Parcell (Benjamin 80), Appiah, Hawkins, Adom-Malaki; Bullas, Traore (Brown, 46), Youngs, Knight; Andrews (Leonard 68), Reynolds  (Ackeson 83)