Enfield Town FC

Report

Folkestone Invicta 3-0 Enfield Town  

Second Straight Defeat for Town
Report by Andrew Warshaw

Despite being the better team for much of the second half, Enfield Town suffered a second successive 3-0 away defeat on Tuesday night with manager Andy Leese saying he was “bitterly disappointed”

Not since late August/early September had Town lost successive league games, but a mixture of defensive mistakes, poor collective decision making and bad luck cost them dearly on the Kent coast. Fortunately, Town didn’t lose ground in the leading positions and remain in fourth but we have now played as many games as everyone else – and one more than Hornchurch – making the need for three points at home to Margate on Saturday even more paramount.

The management team made a couple of changes to the side beaten 3-0 at Canvey Island with Marcus Wyllie and Lewis Taaffe both given starts and Adam Cunnington unavailable.

But within 12 minutes we were beaten for pace down our right-hand side and Ira Jackson’s cross was turned in by new signing Louis Collins who looked threatening all evening.

Although we tried to respond, we invariably chose the wrong options in attack or were quickly closed down and were perhaps fortunate to go in at the break only one down. A teasing low cross eluded three Folkestone forwards in the box while Jackson got between Lewis Knight and the advancing Nathan McDonald to lob the ball inches over the bar.

Half Time, 0-1

Whatever Andy said to the players at half time, we came out with far more energy and urgency and almost levelled straight away as Patrick Ohman in the Folkestone goal scrambled a loose ball clear. Jake Cass then flicked a Taaffe freekick over the bar and Wyllie sent in an excellent low cross that flashed across the six-yard box with no Enfield Town player to meet it.

Lewis Knight was booked for simulation when we had a decent shout for a penalty but just as we began to look the more likely of the two sides to score, we fell further behind on 70 minutes. Scott Thomas lost crucial possession on the halfway line and the ball was fed into the path of Jackson who cut inside and unleashed a curling effort beyond McDonald. Unlike at Canvey on Saturday, we continued to probe but had no luck at all when Wyllie hit the post with an angled drive.

The introduction of Andre Coker had an immediate impact but once again we were made to pay for hesitancy at the back. McDonald managed to parry Jackson’s shot following a poor back-header and Ibrahim Olutade reacted quicker than two Town players by sliding in to convert. As we continued to go forward, a Wyllie volley was well saved but it was too little, too late in what was generally another below-par display.

“Bitterly disappointed with the performance,” said Andy afterwards. “More of what we saw last Saturday unfortunately. We are still in a great position but we have to respond this week in training and the next game.”

Town: McDonald; Wilson-Braithwaite (Okotcha, 86), Knight, Richmond, Payne; Thomas (Della-Verde, 78), Isaac, Youngs; Taaffe (Coker, 68), Wyllie, Cass