Enfield Town 1 Salisbury 1
Report by Andrew Warshaw
At some point Lady Luck surely has to smile on Town.
After a two-week league break for some much-needed reinvigoration, this was a totally improved performance.
Solid at the back, tigerish in midfield, good possession of the ball, decent link-up play across the pitch – despite missing three of our most experienced players in Sam Youngs (suspended), Mickey Parcell and Harry Ottaway (both injured)
All that was lacking, though no-one denies it’s a crucial concern, was some desperately required quality in the final third.
At yet for the first time this season we slumped to the bottom of the league by conceding yet another agonising last-gasp goal for our first draw of the season.
This time it was virtually with the last kick of the game, in the seventh minute of stoppage time (how on earth did the referee find that much to add on?) after we had fully deserved to go in front two minutes from end of the 90 through Adam Thompson.
Cruel, on this occasion, is an understatement.
With on-loan Christian Scott putting in a fine debut in central midfield, Thompson again showing what an asset he will be and Lennon Peake having arguably his best game in a Towners shirt, we looked a far more organised team than of late even if chances were few and far between.
Our best in the first half came on 18 minutes when a superb break saw John Oneyuga’s pinpoint pass met by Billy Leonard whose close-range effort produced a world-class instinctive save from Dan Lincoln, once on Town’s books.
For the visitors Noah Coppin, given too much space, should have done better than shoot straight at Rhys Forster while Owen Dore’s rocket flew just over.
H-T 1-0
For all our neat approach play, it was left to defenders to produce our next two efforts, Xavier Benjamin catching hold of an up-and-under to sweep the ball over, then Dan Cox seeing his goal-bound effort blocked. At the other end, while dangerman Josh Hedges was largely kept quiet, Callum Watts’ strike forced Rhys Forster into a smart stop.
Penalty shouts at both ends were rightly ignored before Town sub Reece-Beckles Richards flicked on Peake’s cross, only for Lincoln to avert the danger.
A stalemate looked inevitable until the most dramatic of finales.
On 88 minutes, a Town corner was only half-cleared and when the ball was played back in, Thompson got the last touch by lashing it into the far corner (pictured, celebrating)
Just when it seemed that a late winner was at last coming our way, hearts were broken once again. On the verge of celebrating a massive three points, we switched off at the worst possible time, allowing Watts to round Forster and snatch an equaliser with the last action of the game.
“We have to view it as two points dropped as we were much the better side,” said a crestfallen Gavin Macpherson. “There was passion, fight and application. We made one mistake and it cost us and we’ll have to see how that affects things at the end of the season.”
“We didn’t put our chances away and I am trying to bring in a forward but that’s the hardest thing to do. But there are massive positives from today. This is a team that I am building. I’ve had to rip it up because our running power was not good enough for this division. Hopefully you’re now seeing the building blocks of a new side. We just hope it’s not too late.”
“The boys are bitterly disappointed because they deserved their victory. The fact we’ve gone bottom is immaterial. The aim is the same, we just now have one game less to do it.”
Enfield Town (3-5-2)
Forster;, Cox. Thompson, Benjamin; Oyenuga (Adjei-Hersey 60), Leonard (Beckles-Richards 77), Tuck, Scott, Payne; Hutchinson (Whittaker 70), Peake (Smith 89)