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