After the club’s record ever league defeat, Enfield Town have an opportunity to bounce straight back tomorrow as we enter a critical period against important rivals that could potentially define the season.

Every Town fan will rightly expect a reaction following the 8-0 humiliation at Maidstone but the fact is we have still only lost one in five and Gavin Macpherson is totally focussed on the task of trying to beat visitors Bath City before the subsequent showdowns against Hampton and Richmond and Chippenham,

“I went from feeling sick to angry to determined,” said Gavin as he reflected on Tuesday’s debacle. “I could use so many words but one thing I did not do was wallow in self-pity. I watched the game back twice but the next morning it was back to work and crack on.”

With the Bath game commemorating International Women’s Day with free entry for women and girls and all manner of eagerly awaited entertainment,  Gavin revealed what he told his team when they met up on Thursday 48 hours after the massacre at Maidstone . “I had a very short conversation with the players before training which I admit was very one-sided. I reminded them in no uncertain terms what is expected of them and the standards they have to meet week-in, week-out. Then we moved on.”

Sadly, Adam Thompson – a rock for Town and sorely missed at Maidstone – will be out for up to three weeks with his calf tear and efforts are being made to try and augment the squad swiftly.

“Obviously it’s a blow to lose Tommo but it wasn’t just the defence who let the club down,” said Gavin. “It went from the sublime to the ridiculous, probably our best performance to our worst. It was a perfect storm but hopefully in isolation. We’ll find out after the Bath game.”

“I hear what people are saying about the next three matches but there’s a long way to go still. We certainly need to come out with a good return of points but I firmly believe the players have the proper motivation to come back stronger. If they don’t, questions will be asked of all of us.”

AW