Enfield Town 1-0 Hampton & Richmond
Report by Charlie Baker
Enfield Town celebrated Gavin Macpherson’s 100th game in charge by moving five points clear of the relegation zone, in the process getting revenge on the visitors.
We were on the receiving end of a 4-0 Hampton hammering back in September as we tried to find our feet in the division.
We certainly did early in this game, with the returning Lennon Peake firing just wide of the post.
Anointed Chukwu, coming in for Hisham Kasimu up front, showed silky footwork which led to a free kick from which Henry Hawkins’ header was gathered by Beavers keeper Max Merrick.
After 17 minutes, the early Town pressure was rewarded. Mickey Parcell’s blocked shot was picked up by Peake who fired it past Merrick into the bottom right corner (pictured, celebrating)
With a quarter of the game gone it was becoming clear this was a different Hampton to the side we faced earlier in the season. However, they grew into the game, with their first real chance coming from lively former Towner Josh Keeya.
Another through ball then put Hampton in, but Hawkins carried on from his Man of the Match performance in our win at Salisbury on Saturday with a last-ditch tackle.
Town went up the other end, with Bayley Brown next to cause the Beavers problems. He weaved his way into the box and found Xavier Benjamin in the middle but the defender’s touch took the ball away from him.
A small spell of rain then seemed to have a big effect on the pitch. A Hawkins slip left Joe Wright stranded out of his goal, but Keeya couldn’t convert and we saw out the half with ease.
HT 1-0
Having picked up just three points from their last 27 available, the visitors would have to step up against a confident Town if they wanted to get anything.
But we were back at it in the second half, with Chukwu’s shot deflected in the box. Brown and Ollie Knight were next to try their luck, both firing over.
There wasn’t much else to report on, with Hampton unable to keep the ball for long periods and Town looking relatively comfortable.
However, we know all too well how dangerous a 1-0 scoreline can be, and Hampton crept back into it.
Wright was forced into a solid save down to his right and claimed a couple of dangerous crosses to see us over the line.
To top it off, new midfielder Harry Sidwell made his debut off the bench and looked lively for the 20 minutes that he featured.
The vital win – secured without Sam Youngs who was celebrating the birth of his first child – sees us move up to 38 points, five clear of St Albans and Welling in the relegation zone who both have a game in hand. We’re also now level with Salisbury who picked up a point away at Torquay.
We’re back at home this Saturday against high-flying Truro, looking to make another big step in the road to survival.
Town: Wright, Hawkins, Thompson, Benjamin, Leonard (Oyenuga 77), Brown (Sidwell 72), Parcell, Stallard, Peake (Bates 75), Knight, Chukwu (Kasimu 87).