Enfield Town FC

Report

Town well beaten on the south coast

Bognor Regis Town 4 Enfield Town 1

Town started brightly and, after a low shot from the Rocks’ Mason Walsh had been gathered fairly comfortably by Nathan McDonald, it looked as though their positive opening had been rewarded with a goal in the 12th minute writes John Dolan. A cross from Joe Payne produced a mix up between home keeper Amadou Tangara and central defender Joe Cook, with both crashing into each other in attempting to make a clearance. The ball fell to Billy Bricknell on the edge of the area, and he tucked it into an empty net. The assistant referee instigated a lengthy discussion, however, following which referee Sean Jenkins chalked the “goal” off, apparently for offside.

Town were still looking the more threatening of the two sides and Bricknell wasn’t far off target from twenty yards. But it was Bognor who took the lead on 17 minutes. Tommy Leigh played a free kick square to Dan Smith and, with his back to goal, the striker twisted away from a couple of defenders before crashing the ball past Nathan McDonald into the roof of the net.

Bognor then began to probe with real purpose following their early boost against the run of play and went on to win a series of corners. After Smith had chased a through ball and almost beaten McDonald, Cook sent a free header just the wrong side of the post from a Tommy Leigh corner on 24 minutes. Ashton Leigh then forced a low near-post save from McDonald. But, just before the break, Town were left with a mountain to climb when Ryan Blackman caught Tommy Leigh, earning a second yellow card, and consequently a dismissal, out wide on the halfway line.

Half-time: Bognor Regis Town 1 Enfield Town 0

Bognor began the second half on the attack but a good opening for Walsh ended with him completely miscuing his shot. Substitute Ben Mendoza did well down the Bognor left and squared it to Smith, who fired over. But within ten minutes of the second period gone, and with the Rocks well and truly in the ascendancy, a deep cross from Ashton Leigh on the left was touched in by Smith from close range.

A minute later Town could have been three down when a great run down the Town left saw James Crane cut inside and shoot from an angle only to hit the inside of the post before McDonald was able to grasp on the goalline. Smith was sniffing his hat trick by now and fired wide via a deflection. At the opposite end, Bricknell’s low shot lacked sufficient power to trouble Tangara around the hour mark.

After 62 minutes another slick passing move from the home side saw them win a corner, which was flicked on by Crane and Smith was again first to the ball as he volleyed in his hat trick at the far post.

Town finally got some reward for their hard work when a good run down the right saw a cross shot from Junior Mubiayi poked in at the near post by Mo Faal after 67 minutes. The game slowed down at this point and was drawing towards its inevitable conclusion when, with eight minutes left, Cook picked up the ball in the middle of Town’s half , took a couple of steps forward and unleashed a piledriver from 30 years to heap misery on the hardy travelling contingent.

Bognor Regis Town: Amadou Tangara, Joe Dandy, James Crane, Doug Tuck (Aaron Hopkinson 86), Joe Cook, Keaton Wood, Harvey Whyte, Tommy Leigh (Ben Mendoza 46), Dan Smith, Mason Walsh (Tommy Scutt 62), Ashton Leigh. Unused subs: Tommy Scutt, Eddie Wakley, Victor Hensel. Booked: Ashton Leigh, Wood.

Enfield Town: Nathan McDonald, Sam Hatton, Joe Payne, Scott Thomas, Glenn Wilson, Jon Muleba, Sam Youngs, Ryan Blackman, Billy Bricknell (Ken Charles 64), Muhammadu Faal (Samson Esan 72), Bobson Bawling (Junior Mubiayi 46). Unused subs: Marc Weatherstone, Charles Brown. Booked: Blackman, Thomas. Sent off: Blackman.

Attendance: 425.