Slough Town 3 Enfield Town 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Heartbreaking, devastating, gut-wrenching. The woodwork hit three times and defeat, in stoppage time, clutched from the jaws of victory. Or at least a draw.

Is there any other way to sum up the cruellest possible outcome, one that will linger for days  — if not weeks and months – after Enfield Town’s quest for a history-making place in the first round proper of the FA Cup, with all its sporting and financial ramifications, was snatched away.

Every Town fan will have woken up this morning to wonder if and how it actually happened. Until Slough equalised for the second time, courtesy of arguably the worst decision of the afternoon, a fourth qualifying round replay looked the minimum Town would get for all their efforts. Even the Slough match reporter  in the Non-League Paper admitted we were unfortunate on the day.

Yet as so often this season, we were unable to see out proceedings as we exited the competition one round before the Holy Grail for the second time in three seasons, and now have to somehow pick ourselves up for several crucial league games and, hopefully, a decent run in the FA Trophy.

Backed a noisy throng of 350-plus segregated away fans, Town got off to a dream start within a minute when Avan Jones crossed for Ollie Knight who stole into the area to plant a rising header high into the net to send the Town fans barmy (player celebrations pictured). Ironically they were the only two enforced changes due to Mickey Parcell’s suspension and Billy Leonard’s injury but were two of our best performers on the day.

Slough responded by Henry Ochieng firing inches over but it was so nearly 2-0 when Lemar Reynolds raced on to a superb through ball from Hayden Bullas but saw his curled effort come back off the post.

That was not the only moment of ill-fortune for Town. Twice Lemar saw further efforts blocked before Slough, themselves a constant threat down their right, levelled on the half hour.

Rhys Forster pulled off a fine save with his legs but after Johnny Goddar’s follow-up rebounded off the bar, Ruben Bartlett-Antwi headed into an empty net.

Slough were forced into two substitutions because of injury but maintained their game plan of playing the ball inside our back three to try  and beat us for pace.

Yet it was Town who scored next. Lemar had already scraped the woodwork once again with a cross-shot before Nino Adam-Maloki whipped in a corner for Henry Hawkins to power home on the stroke of halftime.

H-T 1-2

Having had more than enough chances to put the game to bed in a breathtaking opening 45 minutes, it was crucial at this stage for Town to gain a foothold in the game.

Yet it was the hosts who started to press more effectively though without creating very much as we endeavoured to cut off the spaces.

All that changed on 68 minutes. Adam Thompson was clearly fouled near the byline by Wiktor Makowski who, when the ref wasn’t interested, drove forward to thrash the ball into the net for 2-2. To compound Town’s protests, the ball looked to have gone clearly out of play beforehand.

Now all the momentum was with the Rebels whose players, throughout the game, had got off without caution for the same type of fouls that saw a number of Town players booked.

It was a time for cool heads to at least force a replay and we should have retaken the lead when Jones drilled another centre into the box. All it needed was a tap-in from either of two Town players. Instead substitute Harry Ludovica’s effort came back of a post and was cleared.

Boy, were we made to pay. For some reason, well before that miss, we had  sunk ominously deeper and deeper, with Sam Youngs now playing as a lone striker. And in stoppage time we were made to pay when Jaiden Drakes-Thomas was allowed to sneak into the box unmarked to deliver the most calamitous blow of all and win the game for Slough.

There was still time, as we desperately chased the game, to come within a whisker of a replay and our collective anguish at the final whistle was compounded by Slough’s euphoric celebrations.

For the second time in a matter of weeks, we fell short against the same opposition right at the death but this one, with so much at stake, felt far more painful. And now it’s back-to-back defeats after the debacle at Chesham.

“I’m absolutely gutted for the supporters who were magnificent,” said a crestfallen Gavin Macpherson. “I’m astonished Slough’s second goal was allowed to stand but I’m more focussed on the fact that we should have won the game.”

“I have to look at how on earth their winner has gone in. We’ve contrived to let this one slip away.  They were always a threat but in truth in the second half we were well below par and it’s a pattern I’m not liking”

“Of course we are aggrieved with their second goal but it’s a much bigger picture. I wanted this so badly for this football club. I have a kitman (Neil B) who is absolutely distraught. That, for me, hits harder than looking round the dressing room.

“We have two huge hard league games coming up in Dagenham and Ebbsfleet. These boys have to pick themselves up and put this behind us but it will be very difficult to do. I know we are better than this but something is suddenly amiss. I’m bound to be scrutinised myself, that’s part of the job. But it’s my job to scrutinise them.”

Town

Forster; Benjamin, Thompson, Hawkins; Adam-Maloki-Gallimore, Bullas, Knight, Jones; Youngs, Reynolds