Hampton and Richmond Borough 1 Enfield Town 0
Report By Andrew Warshaw
Enfield Town’s travelling faithful gave Gavin Macpherson a fitting farewell in the spring sunshine as the 2025-6 season drew to a close after eight challenging months.
Amid something of a party atmosphere, with many Town fans in fancy dress, the game was almost incidental in comparison with the occasion, Gavin’s name sung with gusto as he took a final bow in the dugout and, afterwards, soaked up the adulation in front of the away end together with his staff and players.
Indeed, any neutral fan might have wondered whether Town had been promoted rather than relegated such was the outpouring of affection, testimony to Gavin’s popularity after three years at the helm.
Sadly there was no big finish on the pitch, Town unable to repeat last weekend’s thrashing of Slough as they went down by a single goal to finish the campaign one place off the bottom of National League South.
Shorn of the likes of Sam Youngs, Mickey Parcell and Adam Thompson, all injured, Town were missing one heap of experience and had to name no fewer than four academy players on the bench.
Ruaridh Donaldson was handed the captain’s armband against his former club, whose fans gave him a warm welcome, whilst Billy Leonard again started up front in his 100th appearance for the club, this time alongside the returning Lamar Reynolds.
With neither side having a whole lot to play for, it was inevitably an encounter of few clearcut chances, rather something of an end-of-season sparring match.
Having said that, Town were mainly on the back foot and largely indebted to the defence for breaking up Hampton’s forward forays and clearing their lines at vital moments.
Hampton had already twice gone close when, on 32 minutes, the woodwork came to our rescue as a lobbed Aaron Lacey volley looped over Joe Wright and on to the crossbar.
Town had another let-off when Max Kretzschmar seemed certain to score, only for Paul Appiah’s brilliant block to keep the scores level.
We had not offered a huge amount going forward but suddenly put together a 10-minute spell of pressure, notably a delicious ball from Henry Hawkins inside the fullback that was pulled across goal by Nino Adom-Malaki, only for Reynolds to miss a tap-in from four yards out.
H-T 0-0
It was virtually Henry’s final action of the game as he limped off painfully to be replaced by Yacou Traore.
Town had to re-organise and moved Adom-Malaki further forward as Ollie Knight gave way to Jay Lambert. But on 64 minutes we fell behind. Bailey Brown flew into a challenge and when the referee played the advantage and Traore hesitated, Reece Grego-Cox pounced to score with an angled drive.
As Town chased the game, Eli Ackeson, not for the first time, made an eye-catching if not decisive contribution off the bench while Donaldson stung the hands of Marcus Dewhurst.
But it was Hampton who came closest to a second rather than us equalising, Joe Wright pulling off two smart saves and another home effort finding the roof of the net.
All that was left was for players and management to milk the appreciative applause from the Town fans and return the compliment in equal measure — tinged obviously with the huge disappointment of losing our Step 2 status.
Gavin was virtually the last man off the pitch and in his final interview admitted he had a lump in his throat after a special but sad day.
“I was quite emotional if I’m brutally honest,” said Gavin who revealed Mickey Parcell as well as himself had made short speeches in the dressing room, thanking not only the players and wider management but also the likes of Neil Butterfield.
“Obviously we haven’t been good enough but I can’t fault the players for effort over the season,” said Gavin. “As for the fans I’ve said before they gave me every reason to stay at this football club.”
“I suspect other managers in my position up and down the land will be having a completely different experience to what I got today. We’ve lost 1-0 and I had people asking me to change my mind. That says everything about the supporters’ commitment to the club and my decision to come here in the first place. I’ll be for ever grateful and wish who ever takes over from me the very best.”
Town
Wright; Benjamin (Cann 84), Appiah, Hawkins (Traore 46), Adom-Malaki; Knight (Lambert, 56), Donaldson, Brown, Bullas (Ackeson 67); Leonard, Reynolds (Efobi 67)