Enfield Town 3 BK Skjold 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

What a night, what an occasion, what an atmosphere!

On a freezing  midweek evening, just short of 600 fans embraced our European debut on Tuesday and were in full voice as we beat the holders BK Skjold in the Fenix trophy that generated huge media exposure across the capital and beyond.

Against a well organised Danish team that may have been understrength but still posed a considerable challenge, we were well worth the win that puts us in an ideal position with three matches to go in the group stage.

With key players again missing through illness – this time Rhys Forster and James Richmond – Mickey Parcell occupied yet another defensive role by switching to centrehalf  with the versatile Lewis Taaffe filling in at rightback and Adi Connolly in goal.

Yet throughout the 90 minutes, we limited Skjold to few clearcut chances which could end up as crucial since they are going to be a far tougher nut to crack in the reverse fixture in March.

Town had the better of the early exchanges, Josh Okotcha planting a header over the bar and Sam Youngs putting a header just wide while at the other end winger Marius Framnes – Skjold’s most dangerous player on the night – took advantage of misplaced pass by firing in a shot across goal though with no Danish player close enough to get a touch.

The deadlock was broken on 37 minutes as Town deservedly went in front. Skjold only half-cleared a Joe Payne freekick and the ball fell to Youngs who smashed it home.

Visiting keeper Thomas Thygesen then saved from Ollie Knight and Marcus Wyllie in quick succession as we looked assured and composed without necessarily playing the sparkling football we have seen in some of the recent home games.

H-T 1-0

The second half continued pretty much in the same though at times became somewhat scrappy.

Town continued to look a threat, however,  and when Wyllie’s pace took him past his marker, his cross just evaded Reece Beckles-Richards.

 While we only one goal ahead, however, the Danes were always in with a chance and so it proved with a sucker punch on 80 minutes as substitute Mattias Gorse lashed home an equalising volley with their only second-half shot on target.

Would we end up being frustrated and disappointed on our big night? Thankfully not. Four minutes later, Youngs restored our lead from the penalty spot after Thygesen was adjudged to have tripped Beckles-Richards.

There was still time during six minutes added on for Wyllie to make it three with a goal worthy of the Keystone Kops as he nicked the ball off Thygesen following a woeful defensive cross-field howler, sparking wild celebrations (pictured).

The only downside in otherwise memorable night and brilliant atmosphere was an injury to the excellent Adjei-Hersey that will have to be assessed.

“Really pleased with the performance, no-one could have denied us six which would have given us a goal difference cushion,” said a distinctly under the weather Gavin Macpherson who left much of the dugout duties to his coaching staff.

 “We had to adjust  yet again because of missing players and all in all the boys adapted themselves brilliantly. We had a real team ethic and it was more like the Enfield Town I know. The support was magnificent from first minute to last and really drove the boys on. If we can get two results against Llantwit Major, Copenhagen could be the decider.”

Town:

Connolly; Payne, Parcell, Okotcha, Taaffe (bailey, 86); Adjei-Hersey (Soulya-Osekanongo, 80), Thomas, youngs, Knight; Wyllie, Beckles-Richards (Donnellan, 90)

It’s finally here and you can almost touch the anticipation and excitement

On Tuesday night, Enfield Town take a break from the league season as we began our very first European campaign with our debut in the Fenix Trophy (kickoff 7.45).

Holders BK Skjold from Denmark are our visitors in Group A of the competition under the lights, generating phenomenal  media interest from across the capital and beyond.

Just to remind everyone, Fenix is a UEFA-approved European competition for non-professional clubs of exceptional social, historical, and cultural distinctiveness.

This is the third season of the tournament, with 12 teams taking part from right across the continent. BK Skjold beat Prague Raptors in the last final in Milan.

The format is four groups of three, with 2 home and 2 away games. The other side in our group is Llantwit Major of Wales

“I see the competition as more than just football. It’s a chance for us to play against teams that at their foundation have so much in common with Enfield Town,” said Gavin Macpherson.

“Of course there is a competitive football side and it’s a competition we would like to do well in, but I realise there is a much bigger picture with a common meaning for all taking part. On team selection, after some issues on Saturday around illness it remains to be seen what shape we’ll be in.”

If anyone is around during the day to help out with a number of tasks, it would be much appreciated.

And make sure you stick around in the bar after the game when we have the incredibly talented duo, Acoustic Fidelity, playing their own unique versions of all the hits you love.

Get your passports ready… we are very excited to finally confirm a date for our away fixture with Copenhagen side BK Skjold!

Our game in the Danish capital will take place on the evening of Tuesday 5th March 2024.

We will be offering a limited number of travel packages to include flights, accommodation, and meals. If you would be interested in taking up this offer, please register your interest in the Club Shop or contact a club representative by email or on a matchday.

Of course, we host BK Skjold this Tuesday evening at the QEII in our opening game of the tournament in Group A. Tickets for the game are still available here: Enfield Town v BK Skjold [FENIX] Tickets

We hope to see as many of you – home and away – as possible!

Chatham Town 3 Enfield Town 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Let’s start on a positive note. Straight after yesterday’s game, a Chatham fan came up to me and said we had the noisiest away fans in the division, even in defeat.

A couple of minutes later, Gavin Macpherson emerged from the dressing room and, before his post-match interview,  headed straight to the away end and made a point of thanking them in person.

“We have the best supporters in this league by a country mile and I’m humbled to be their manager,” Gavin explained.

It was perhaps the only plus point to take away from another chastening setback that saw us swap places with Chatham and drop to third.

It only served to exemplify what can happen when you have key players missing and, with a stretched squad, one or two others on the pitch struggling with health issues, a couple more forced to play out of position and only four on the bench, one of them from the academy.

That’s not making excuses but it’s certainly a factor to take into consideration. Having said that, Chatham were the better side in all areas of the pitch (few defences keep Marcus Wyllie quiet) and at the end of the day, we didn’t have enough guile or nous to deserve a point  and, once again, conceded goals for fun, now with the sixth worst stats in the division.

Without the suspended Joe Payne and the ill Ollie Knight and with one or two others below-par, Mickey Parcell was switched to the left with Kyle Bailey filling in at rightback and Lewis Taaffe playing out wide.

In truth, we struggled to contain an athletic Chatham side that had two quick wingers who were constant menaces and fell behind on 21 minutes. Ashley Nzala bamboozled Bailey whose late challenge on the edge of the box meant only one thing, deadball specialist  Jack Evans netting with a sumptuous freekick.

Within four minutes, however, we had levelled with a Sam Youngs header that looped into the net (pictured), only to fall behind again from the penalty spot when Jamie Yila got the better of Bailey who promptly brought him down.   Yila took the spotkick himself with a stuttering run-up and restored the Chats lead.

Cue a tactical substitution as Bailey, who had been given a torrid time,  was replaced by Obi Onyeagwara  with Taaffe moving to the right.

H-T 1-2

For a while, the move worked as the game became far more finely balanced and we stopped Chatham dictating play, posing a threat ourselves though without really testing a formidable home backline.

Youngs was pushed further forward as we tried to hit back but with 15 minutes to go, the hosts put the game to bed.  Wyllie lost possession in the opposition half and Nzala caught Josh Okotcha off guard, timing his run down the right to perfection to stay onside and Chris Dickson finished off the cross from close range. In the closing stages, Ben Allen almost made it four when hitting the post in a goalmouth scramble.

“They scored their third when we were perhaps having our most decent spell and it killed us,” said Gavin. “We didn’t create an awful lot but one of two wouldn’t have played with a fully fit squad.”

“That’s not making excuses. We tried hard but keep making the same mistakes. Perhaps I’m at a time when I need to analyse exactly where we are. The fans deserve far more than they got today.”

Town: Forster; Bailey (Onyeagwara, 37), Okotcha, Richmond, Parcell; Adjei-Hersey, Thomas, Youngs, Taaffe; Wyllie, Beckles-Richards (Donnellan, 73)

 As six-pointers go, they don’t come much more eagerly anticipated than tomorrow when we visit high-flying Chatham Town in a battle of third versus second.

The “Chats”, promoted to Step 3 last season and playing in front of huge crowds, are currently one point and one place behind us having played one game less.

They have only lost once at home in the league and in their last outing in midweek, on the same night we conceded two late goals to drop two points against Whitehawk, they beat Wingate and Finchley in the last minute to gain ground on us.

As if our task could not be tougher already, Joe Payne is out through suspension while a couple of other key regulars missed training on Thursday and are doubtful because of an illness in the camp.

“We’ve got one or two issues that aren’t ideal and a few decisions to make,” said Gavin Macpherson.

“I know it sounds like a broken record but this is a very, very difficult fixture. They are a club trying to step up to the next level and very quickly judging by the magnitude of their signings.”

“We are away from home on an unfamiliar artificial surface. So when you take all this into consideration it’s going to be a very challenging day. But a lot of work was done in training on Thursday and not for one minute do I think it’s a challenge we can’t overcome — even if we have to re-plan.”

After a short stay with the club, George Sykes has decided to leave Enfield Town and join Brentwood.

The management team would have preferred George to stay given his experience but he understandably wants to play regularly.

“We received an official approach for George from Brentwood and applying the seven-day rule George spoke to them and decided at this time it was best for him to move on,” said Gavin Macpherson.

“I made it clear I didn’t want George to leave but he felt he needed to get his season on track and of course I respect that. George wished Enfield Town all the very best. In turn, I wished George every success as he moves forward, we now need to regroup and probably recruit again.”

As a club we too wish George all the very best and thank him for his efforts which included one goal and one assist.

Enfield  Town 4 Whitehawk 4

Report by Andrew Warshaw

If you want breathtaking entertainment and end to end action, Enfield Town is certainly the place to be at the moment.  Just not when you throw away two points.

Which is what happened on Tuesday when Town were 3-1 up, then 4-2 up, only to concede twice in the last five minutes, leaving Gavin Macpherson understandably fuming.

While we continue to score goals for fun – and invariably more than we concede — defending is beginning to become a serious concern.  

It’s still early days in terms of the season as a whole and we remain in a terrific position, notwithstanding Chatham’s late win that only increases the anticipation ahead of Saturday’s clash.

But only eight teams in the division have let in more goals than us and closing out games will now surely be a priority.

A sublime hat-trick from Marcus Wyllie would on most occasions have got us well over the line but no game in this division is a given and Whitehawk , like us, had been on a decent run of form and certainly did not come to sit back on the balance of play.

Unchanged from the win over Hastings, Town once again got off to a great start after 11 minutes  as Marcus held his run before sweeping the ball home after an excellent move down the right.

The lead was short-lived, however, the luckless Josh Okotcha diverting the ball into his own net  as he tried to keep out dangerman Charlie Walker but got it all wrong.

It galvanised Whitehawk who started to dominate possession, skipper Jack Dixon especially eye-catching, and they almost went in front when Mickey Parcell’s back header was far too weak, Rhys Forster just managing to flick the ball away in front of Walker.

At the other end, Whitehawk cleared off the line from Marcus while Sam Youngs narrowly failed to get the final touch from a freekick as he burst into the box.

Now it was Town’s turn to clear off the line as Parcell redeemed himself but both defences were looking decidedly shaky and you kind of knew there would be goals aplenty.

So it proved as Town went into a quickfire lead. First Youngs, on the counter, capitalised on a Hawks error with a fabulous hit on the edge of the box. Then Marcus doubled our lead with a trademark turn and shot.

Concentration was in short supply, however, and Dixon’s header from a corner reduced the deficit on the stroke of halftime.

H-T 3-2

Cue a halftime change from the management team as Kyle Bailey moved into defence to replace Okotcha whose partnership with James Richmond had stood us in such good stead earlier in the season.

By all accounts, Josh was distinctly peeved but these are the kind of decisions coaching staff are at liberty to take and for a while you could argue it paid off.

Within a minute of the restart, Wyllie completed his hattrick with the best of his three, shooting home from wide on the left with pinpoint accuracy (Pictured).

He almost added two more, lashing the ball over after being played through by Reece Beckles-Richards, then hitting the woodwork and seeing the rebound by Dylan Adjei-Hersey saved.

What followed, however, was certainly not in the script.

On 85 minutes, Forster was adjudged to have clumsily impeded Joe Tennant and Dixon dispatched the penalty.

Still, we should have managed the game properly. Instead, right on 90 minutes, Forster found himself in no man’s land and Louis Collins delivered a masterful chip to deny us all three points.

“It was littered with individual errors and I feel sorry for Marcus in a way,” said Gavin who had strong words with the players at halftime and afterwards. “I’m quick to say when I’ve got it wrong but this one is firmly with them. “

“I don’t deny Whitehawk getting back level in the first half, they’re a difficult side. But overall we were just a giveaway tonight. The finish to the game was absolutely ridiculous.

“You see it out even if you haven’t played well but we didn’t. We’ve scored four goals at home and haven’t won the football match. The players have been doing far better than they did tonight. We must not see a continuation of that. I just hope they don’t come to regret the two points lost come the end of the season.”

Town:

Forster; Payne; Okotcha (Bailey, 46), Richmond, Parcell; Adjei-Hersey, Youngs, Thomas (Donnellan 77), Knight; Wyllie, Beckles-Richards (Sykes, 87).

Enfield Town attempt to continue their purple patch of form by taking on Whitehawk at home on Tuesday night (k-o 7.45).

Whitehawk may lie in ninth place on 20 points but they have only played 12 league games so far compared with our 15.

Shaun Saunders’ Hawks finished second in the Isthmian South East division last season and won promotion via the playoffs. They have taken to Step 3 like a duck to water and are another highly dangerous team on paper.

On Saturday they beat neighbours Lewes 3-1 to advance to the third round of the FA Trophy for the first time.

In fact they have only lost once in nine games in all competitions, a narrow 1-0 defeat at high-flying Chatham who we play on Saturday.

Town’s recent good form is a far cry from those two cup exits and it’s all down to hard work, says Gavin Macpherson.

“Last week, with the Brightlingsea game called off, we had two training sessions and worked religiously on certain aspects of our game,” explained Gavin. “When you play good sides, you have to have things worked out. My staff are worth their weight in gold.”

“We’ve got a different sort of problem against Whitehawk, and I’ll say the same against Chatham. They just keep coming and it’s important the boys remain grounded. We’re second right now but to achieve something, you have to constantly reset and refocus.”

One footnote. Our partners Cooking Champions have designated the Whitehawk game as curry night costing £8 for chicken curry and £7 for a vegetarian option.

So make sure you have an appetite!

Andrew Warshaw

A quick note to let everyone know that our away game at Horsham on Saturday Dec 9 has been postponed because of Horsham’s continuing involvement in the FA Trophy

A new date will be announced as soon as possible

Enfield Town 3 Hastings United 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

What a fantastic advert this was for Step 3 football. Two in-form sides both going for it, thrills at both ends and one team ultimately being more clinical in front of goal.

On a day when there were no top-flight professional games due to the international programme, you couldn’t really have asked for a better quality spectacle at this level.

In the end, it was the hosts who ran out deserved winners to make it four wins out of five and cement our place in second spot after a classic team display watched by almost 650 fans.

Hastings certainly played their part and may claim they deserved more on the balance of play but then so did we at Hornchurch. These things tend to even out over the season.

Such was the gloom of the afternoon that the floodlights were on after just five minutes  but there was nothing gloomy about the action on the pitch.

Rhys Forster was called into action early doors, tipping over a speculative effort from Jack Bates  as the visitors began brightly, with John Ufoah a particular threat on the left.

Rhys was forced into action again to palm away an effort from Kian Moyes, put through by a defence-splitting Bates pass.

But Charlie Grainger gradually became the busier keeper, dealing with a string of Town corners, clutching a Sam Youngs volley after Joe Payne’s thunderbolt had been blocked, then pulling off a miraculous double save to keep the score goalless just as the crowd thought we had taken the lead.

The deadlock was finally broken right on halftime as Reece Beckles-Richards – finally evading having his shirt pulled – managed to fire home through a ruck of players following an Ollie Knight freekick.

H-T 1-0

Hastings were quick to respond as Ufuah rattled the bar in the first move of the second half and were soon level as Moynes rolled the ball in with a smart finish.

The U’s hardly had time to celebrate, however, before they were again indebted to Grainger, this time for a remarkable TRIPLE stop.

But even he could nothing about Enfield regaining the lead as Marcus Wyllie, running forward from an onside position, produced a wonderful first touch to bring Mickey Parcell’s ball out of defence under control and finish with aplomb.

It was perfect timing but it needed a third to put the visitors to bed and it duly arrived on 64 minutes. Two Hastings defenders got in each other’s way, allowing Wyllie to find Ollie Knight  who almost burst the net with a glorious low drive (pictured).

Hastings kept playing their football and it needed a timely block by substitute Lewis Taaffe to keep them out.

They also claimed they should have had a penalty but by now Town were smelling a fourth and almost got it, first when a Dylan Adjei-Hersey effort cannoned up and over the bar, then when Wyllie broke free again, only for Grainger to make an excellent covering stop.

“We knew it would be a very difficult game because they are well drilled and pass the ball well,” said Enfield boss Gavin Macpherson after a breathtaking encounter marred only by a booking for Payne which will keep him out of the Chatham clash next Saturday.

“At times we had to think outside the box, so to speak, and we’re not the finished article by any means. It wasn’t vintage but we’ve always got goals in us.

“Hastings are where they are for a reason, they make you work very hard especially when you’re out of possession and we needed to do our homework. I’m as pleased as I have been in any game this season because we’ve produced a performance against a very good side. I have to pay tribute not only to the players but all my management team.”

Town:

Forster; Parcell, Okotcha, Richmond, Payne; Adjei-Hersey (Donnallan 89), Thomas, Youngs, Knight (Onyeahgware, 81); Beccles-Richards (Taaffe, 81), Wyllie

For anyone in doubt, today’s eagerly awaited fixture against Hastings United goes ahead as planned

This Saturday we are at home to fifth-placed Hastings United for what is the biggest game of the day in our division.

We are anticipating a bumper crowd for this fixture with no Premier League distractions. Hastings are also one of the better supported teams in the league and usually travel in good numbers.

Despite issues relating to a possible move away from their current stadium Hastings are having a good season on the field. Under a new manager who is in his second spell, they have won their last three league games and have 23 points from 14 matches.

Their top scorers are Davide Rodari with nine goals and Femi Akinwande with eight.

“Hastings have an excellent side who have been riding high in recent weeks. They are in good form so it’s a tough test,” said Gavin Macpherson.

“Apart from North Greenford, the boys have responded magnificently to the challenge I set them following the Lewes result. I’ve been delighted with their application and desire to win football matches, the main focus for any team at this level, we need to keep going, if you don’t there are plenty of good teams who will take advantage”.

Last Saturday the Car Park was full before kickoff so you may want to arrive a little earlier than usual to use the car park.

Tickets for our forthcoming home games are available here:

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/brand/match-tickets

Following a pitch inspection, tonight’s Velocity Trophy third round game against Brightlingsea Regent has unfortunately had to be postponed.

A new date will be arranged as soon as possible

Tonight we entertain Brightlingsea Regent in the third round of the Velocity Trophy, our final chance of domestic cup silverware this season (kickoff 7.45) — pending a 3pm pitch inspection.

Brightlingsea are sixth in Isthmian league north, a division below us, but the management team will be taking nothing for granted especially after our Middlesex County Cup exit at north greenford last week.

“We will give them the respect they deserve,” said Gavin Macpherson. “They are better than Greenford on paper but the team we put out was easily good enough to win that game.”

“The league may be the priority but we want to go far in this competition and try and win it. We’ll look at any walking wounded and see where we are.”

Please check later for updates

Enfield Town 3 Canvey Island 0

Report By Andrew Warshaw

On a perfect day for football and front of a healthy 600-plus crowd, Enfield Town moved back up to second in the table on goal difference after sweeping aside last season’s playoff semifinalists to make it three  league wins from four.

Once again it was a terrific team performance – marked by a first clean sheet in 11 games —  against a Gulls side that was at times pleasing on the eye but lacked composure in front of goal and stability at the back.

Beaten, perhaps undeservedly, by runaway leaders Hornchurch a week ago in between two thumping wins, we were in the mood straight from the off and were ahead inside 60 seconds, Sam Youngs following up his own half-cleared header to prod the ball over the line.

Canvey had a couple of optimistic penalty shouts turned down but it needed a superb Josh Okotcha block to keep out Bradley Sach.

In truth the first half was relatively even, Canvey using diagonal balls on the counter but without really testing Rhys Forster. Having said that, skipper Conor Dubble had a great chance to equalise with a diving header he put just wide.

At the other end, James Richmond almost scored with a downward header from a corner while Joe Payne rifled a shot inches past the post.

We could well have had a spotkick of our own when Jaden Crowhurst placed a less than welcoming arm around Reece Beckles-Richards but on 33 minutes we duly doubled our lead.

Marcus Wyllie’s weakly hit pass to Beckles-Richards was cut out but Youngs, whose vision all game was exemplary, was quickly on hand to score his 13^th goal in all competitions. Not bad for a central midfielder in mid-November!

Five minutes later Sach had the ball in the net, only to be ruled narrowly offside.

Cue our fire alarm briefly going off accidentally as if to warn Town not to get complacent!

H-T 2-0

We certainly heeded that advice with a far more dominant second-half display despite the halftime score.

Canvey actually had the first decent chance of the second period as Forster was forced into a smart save  but Town quickly snuffed out any chance of a comeback with a peach of a third goal.

In a lightning raid, Ollie Knight found Wyllie charging down the left and his pinpoint cross was beautifully executed by Beckles-Richards (pictured).

Canvey now lost their way and were lucky not to further concede on numerous occasions, most notably  when a Payne long throw found Beckles-Richards in space, his shot beating Sam Jackson but falling outside of the post.

“Really pleased with the performance,” said Gavin Macpherson who, once we were three goals up, moved Mickey Parcell into central midfield for a 20-minute cameo to see how it would work. “When we get it right as a team, we’re a difficult proposition.”

In terms of budgets, Town are defying the odds and long may it continue.

“Budgets have never been part of my mindset,” said Gavin. “I’m not fazed by how much money other teams might have.”

The 4-0 Lewes debacle already seems a distant memory. “It’s still early-ish in the season and to be honest, Lewes was part of my learning curve at this club,” admitted Gavin insightfully.

“You never stop learning and it taught me that we were better on the front foot than we are lower in the pitch.”

“I want to acknowledge the fact that I want to make this place difficult for any visiting team. The supporters are pivotal. Fan-owned clubs invest in it more than most and I always walk away with a quiet satisfaction seeing them happy.”

Town:

Forster; Parcell, Okotcha, Richmond, Payne; Knight, Thomas (Bailey, 81), Youngs, Adjei-Hersey (Sykes, 68); Wyllie, Beckles-Richards (Keeya, 77)

After a tough last couple of results for different reasons, Enfield Town begin a run of four straight home fixtures in all competitions on Saturday by taking on last season’s playoff semifinalists, Canvey Island.

Our unfortunate defeat at Hornchurch was followed three days later by a humiliating exit to Step 5 North Greenford United in the Middlesex County Cup, albeit with an understrength team.

The side Gavin Macpherson put out was well capable of getting us through but now it’s back to the bread and butter of league action as we aim to build on what was a decent run of form before the Hornchurch setback.

 Ollie Knight is available for selection on Saturday after a three-game ban for what looks, on paper, like another tricky encounter.

The Gulls may be in mid-table and six points behind us but they have played two games fewer. Remarkably, they have not drawn a single league game, having won six and lost five.

“I’m really pleased to be back at home, it’s like having a 12^th man when the fans are singing,” said Gavin. “Enfield was never a ground I looked forward to going to as an opponent.”

“Saturday is another stern test in keeping with this league. Canvey are capable of beating anyone and have players who can hurt you if you catch them on their day. But we’re in a good position and I want to maintain that.”

Andrew Warshaw

North Greenford United 3 Enfield Town 2

 Report By Martin Bentley

Maybe it was the water. Or ley lines. Or Mercury rising in Uranus.

 No-one has managed to come up with a better explanation for Enfield Town’s inexplicable late, late capitulation to Step 5 North Greenford in the Middlesex Senior Cup on Tuesday night that saw a two-goal lead wiped out in 12 mad minutes.

This, unfortunately, has been a regular occurrence in so-called minor cup matches over the last few years, so it was particularly worrying to see a Gavin Macpherson side continue the trend in what was our first appearance in this season’s competition.

It had all started so well. Town fielded a much-changed line-up to give fringe players game time as well as a couple of experimental selections in Mickey Parcell in central midfield and Ollie Knight at left back. Academy prospect Ebraima Davies was given a start, with new signing Leo Donnellan on the bench.

We were immediately on the front foot, and rocketed into a two-goal lead in the fist 18 minutes, Lewis Taaffe finishing well from Parcell’s through ball, then adding a well-taken penalty after Josh Keeya had been tripped.

For the remainder of the half, the term “training game” was being used,  Town completely dominating possession and the visitors struggling to retain the ball for more than a few seconds.

 How that changed after halftime as slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, Town managed to lose control of the game.

One by one players started to vanish as though someone was punching buttons on a control panel though Town had a George Sykes effort disallowed and an Obi Onyeagwara shot was headed off the line.

The remarkable turnaround began on 82 minutes when  a swift breakout saw left back Rashid Springer’s cross turned in by right back Sam Brown.

By then, the ball was hardly leaving Town’s half, the hosts having started to play as if they were Cray Valley PM, and the equaliser duly followed on 92 minutes, Ryan Ewhare netting in a goalmouth scramble. Three minutes later and even deeper into stoppage time, Joe Mills won the game with a deflected effort to Adi Connolly’s left.

  Cue wild celebrations by the home side and fans, shell-shocked congratulations offered by the bewildered travelling faithful, and a general feeling of “what the **** just happened?”

A truly odd and, as I say, worrying night with only one knockout competition, the Velocity Trophy, left for Town to make a mark.

  Line-up: Connolly, Bailey, Knight, Okotcha, Coker, Keeya, Onyeagwara (Adjei-Hersey 85), Parcell (Donnellan 45), Sykes, Taaffe, Davies

Hornchurch 2 Enfield Town 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

If ever there was an occasion to feel proud in defeat, this was surely it.

They be oft-used cliches but football is a cruel game and you sometimes don’t get what you deserve.

The faces on Town’s crestfallen players and management team following Saturday’s defeat against the unbeaten runaway league leaders said everything about how, in open play at least, we more matched our opponents’ big-name players, one of whom had played more than 100 games for Crystal Palace.

It won’t be much consolation to Gavin and the boys but the Hornchurch fans and staff conceded it was by far their biggest test of the season, Rhys Forster hardly having a shot of note to save.

None of that, however, can disguise the fact that title-winning sides find a way to win even when below-par and two almost identical set-piece goals ultimately did for Town.

Hornchurch are that kind of team, they grind you down. Keep their forwards quiet and someone else will invariably come up with the goods, in this case skipper Ryan Scott.

Yet for long periods on Saturday, it was Town who looked like the side in pole position, especially in the first half.

Josh Okotcha and Sam Youngs had early half-chances and even when Josh slipped on the rain-soaked surface at the other end, he recovered well to avert the danger.

Hornchurch had to wait for 20 minutes for their first major foray when Nathan Green powered his way through but screwed wide.

Though this was a day when Joe Payne’s long throws got little change out of a mean defence, we still looked the more dangerous team in open play.  Marcus Wyllie played in Reece Beckles-Richards whose goalbound shot took a deflection. Then the roles were then reversed as Reece’s ball into the middle proved just too high for Marcus.

As halftime approached, we so near nearly grabbed the lead, only for Ollie Muldoon, in his 100^th appearance for Hornchurch, to make a terrific goal-line clearance.

Former Towner Joe Wright was then called into action to tip a Sam Youngs header over the bar in the final action of the half.

H-T 0-0

Town again began on the front foot, Marcus narrowly missing the target on the volley when Payne, for once, went short with his throw.

We needed to bed and in and stay focussed but on 53  minutes, all our hard work was undone as Scott rose highest to convert Tom Wraight’s corner.

As we pressed for an equaliser, a rare error at the back allowed Marcus to round the keeper but he couldn’t quite force the ball home from the narrowest of angles.  Moments later he saw another effort cleared off the line (pictured).

As we pushed forward, so Hornchurch’s fitness began to tell as they threatened a second goal on the counter. So it proved yet it took an identical set piece to double their lead.

 When Ade Youssef cut inside and saw his shot deflected, Tom Wraight swung over the corner and Scott was on hand once again to power home a header with seven minutes remaining.

“We were the better side overall, no question about that,” said Gavin Macpherson after we slipped to third and saw Hornchurch extend their lead to 11 points. “But the two goals were a carbon copy, we didn’t attack the ball.”

“We knew what Scott did at set-pieces and we worked on it before so it was a massive disappointment. I don’t want to dress it up. There’s a reason why they are at the top, it’s because they do things like that.”

“They might argue they weren’t at their best but the fact is we were better. Having said that, you don’t get anything for being better unless you defend your own box and be more potent in the opposition box.”

“The boys are absolutely gutted and in a way I look at it as an opportunity missed. But in terms of desire, attitude and application, I cannot ask for any more. It tells me we are heading massively in the right direction.”

Town:  Forster; Parcell, Richmond, Okotcha, Payne;  Adjel-Hersey Onyeahwara, (63) , Youngs, Thomas (Taaffe, 84), Beckles-Richards; Sykes (Keeya 71), Wyllie

The Enfield branch of the Macmillan Cancer Charity are organising an community fundraising quiz at St Stephens Church Hall, Village Road, from 7pm on Saturday 18th November.

We are delighted that they have included ETFC Community Sports Development as one of the beneficiaries.

The quiz is in tables of six and proceeds will go to a variety of local good causes, including our own. If interested in participating or organising a team, please contact: hazyfundraiser@gmail.com

If you wish to be part of an ETFC team please contact Christine Hamilton on 07949 071587.

No guessing which game in our division has captured the imagination this weekend.

After whopping back-to-back wins against  Hashtag and Wingate and Finchley, we visit runaway leaders Hornchurch on Saturday (k-o 3pm) – the pre-season favourites for automatic promotion with a big-name squad and a manager whose previous job was in the EFL Championship.

Weather permitting, it’s first v second and while it may not quite be a free hit, we go there with plenty of renewed self-belief having hit our stride following those two agonising cup exits.

“I think we all realise this fixture is now looking like the toughest league game of the season,” said Gavin Macpherson for whom Ollie Knight serves the final game of three-match suspension. 

“Hornchurch have clearly made a massive statement this season and will be extremely difficult opposition.”

The Urchins finished second last season, only to lose to Aveley in the playoff final, and have spent big to try and improve on that.

They are unbeaten in the league both home and away and lead the table by eight points. But Gavin said from day one that he would relish pitting his wits against the best.

“They have made some excellent signings but we’re in a good place and the boys are working hard,” he said. “It’s a big test but one that we’re really looking forward to, every game is a challenge in this league.”

Andrew Warshaw

Wingate and Finchley 1 Enfield Town 4

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Whisper it quietly, Enfield Town are up to second in the table.

In an almost carbon copy of how Saturday’s game unfolded, Town ultimately demolished a slick and highly capable W and F side on Tuesday night with another cracking second-half display.

In front of crowd of 300 – a large majority supporting the Towners (including a heavily strapped but slowly recovering Jake Cass) – we had things far from our own way in the opening period before improving massively to give our hosts a Halloween fright.

Having said that, we got off to a perfect start on eight minutes. Scott Thomas launched a powerful downfield header that was collected by Marcus Wyllie whose delicious cross-field ball into the box was coolly dispatched by Reece Beckles-Richards against his old club.

Marcus almost added a second with a trademark strike that whisked past the post but Wingate, pleasing on the eye and using their pace, gradually gained a foothold and probably deserved their equaliser on 26 minutes on the balance of play.

Ruben Carvalho, a box of tricks in midfield, found an extra yard of space and fired in a shot that Rhys Forster could only push into the path Elliot Long who duly converted the rebound.

Town were perhaps fortunate not to go behind when Sam Youngs, tracking back, was dispossessed near our own goal-line but this time Carvalho screwed the ball wide of an open goal.

In an end-to-end finish to a highly watchable half, Marcus had another effort clawed to safety by Blues keeper Ben Goode.

H-T 1-1

Wingate’s wide and central midfield players had given us plenty to think about but after the proverbial half-time team talk, we looked a different side – just as on Saturday – as we upped our pressing game and went for the jugular.

On 54 minutes, Dylan Adjei-Hersey’s cross from the right found Wyllie who found the tightest pocket of space between two defenders and managed to get his shot away for his 10^th league goal of the season (pictured).

Now Town were firmly in the ascendancy.  George Sykes, making his first league start, stole in at the back post to convert a Joe Payne freekick for his first Town goal before Goode was forced into a smart save from a Beckles-Richards drive.

With seven minutes left, Town put the icing on the cake with what initially looked like an own goal by  former Towner Ben Frempah, only for it to later be awarded to Youngs whose goalbound header had taken a deflection.

After 10 goals in two games, next up the small matter of runaway leaders Hornchurch on Saturday but we go there with plenty of self-belief.

With a somewhat croaky Gavin Macpherson preserving his voice, the after-match analysis was provided by Steve Conroy.

“We knew we had to be on our game because they move the ball well but we were a bit loose in the first half,” said Steve. “They made it hard for us but the distance between our units was far too big.”

“We weren’t getting nearly close enough to them and they were dictating the ball. But second half we squeezed the pitch, nullified their strengths and went on the front foot which is how we like to play.”

Town:

Forster; Parcell, Richmond, Okotcha, Payne; Adjei-Hersey (Taaffe, 90), Thomas, Youngs (Onyeagwara, 84), Beckles-Richards; Wyllie, Sykes (Keeya, 74)

 Following a triumphant return to home soil on Saturday, Enfield Town are back on the road again tomorrow, Tuesday (7.45 ko), with a short trip to neighbours Wingate and Finchley.

Only two points separate the teams, both having played 11 games, and although Wingate were beaten at home by Dulwich Hamlet last Saturday, prior to that they were in strong league form, winning three on the bounce including a 6-2 demolition of canvey island.

Gavin Macpherson will certainly not let the boys sit on their laurels following our own six-goal feast at the weekend, especially since a trip to runaway leaders Hornchurch follows four days after the Wingate fixture.

Ollie Knight misses the second of a three-game ban while Louis Birch is again missing for medical reasons.

But Saturday’s thumping win over Hashtag will hopefully give the team plenty of confidence going into what is invariably a spicy derby.

“I’m fully respectful of Wingate because they have been causing teams problems,” said Gav. “They have a lot of pace in the side which is hard to combat. They play an open system which on the one hand is get-atable, if you like, but it also causes the opposition some thinking and we’ll need to be on our guard.”

Enfield Town 6 Hashtag United 3

Report by Andrew Warshaw

After six successive away games in all competitions, Enfield Town returned to familiar surroundings on Saturday and did so in style, smashing Hashtag for six including a Sam Youngs hattrick.

The only surviving fixture in the division because of weather-induced postponements and a raft of FA Trophy games, Town made it count by producing a scintillating second-half blitz to move up to third in the table, which we’d all have taken at this point of the season. Or any point for that matter!

Draw specialists Tag had only lost once in the league this season – at runaway leaders Hornchurch – and made us work for our openings in a relatively even first half.

Reece Beckles-Richards (pictured, celebrating) broke the deadlock on 28 minutes with a glorious strike from just outside the box after switching the ball from left foot to right having been played through by Obi Onyeagwara, making his first start for Town as Ollie Knight began a three-game ban.

In truth, however, there was little to choose between the sides at the interval with three ex-Towners in the visitors’ line-up, one of whom, Percy Kiangebeni, was a constant threat throughout the opening period in central midfield.

H-T 1-0

There was no hint of the goal fest to come, the less so when Greg Halford levelled from the penalty spot just after the break, Rhys Forster adjudged to have impeded Misha Djemaili when he actually got to the ball first.

It was a distinctly soft award but within four minutes we restored our lead, Marcus Wyllie collecting a Town corner and bending a beautifully executed shot inside the far post.

From then on, everything Town touched turned to gold…and goals.

Right on the hour, Tag keeper Ted Curd got a hand to a Sam Youngs header but was beaten for sheer power and three became six during a blistering 15-minute spell.

On 75 minutes, Josh Keeya ran on to a woefully short backpass from Matthew Wooldridge but when the Tag defender appeared to redeem himself with what looked a fair challenge, the referee awarded a second dubious spotkick, this time for Town. Youngs, as almost always, made no mistake for 4-1.

Town weren’t finished yet, saving the best till last.

On 86 minutes, Wyllie produced an early contender for goal of the season, turning on the proverbial sixpence and almost bursting the net with a 35-yard screamer, surely one of the best individual strikes ever seen at Step 3 level.

Town’s sixth was almost as memorable, a wonderful team goal finished off by a magnificent curling cross from Dylan Adjei-Hersey and a sumptuous finish from Youngs to collect the match ball.

With three points easily in the bag, a crazy game got even crazier right at the death when we took our eye off the ball and conceded twice, first from a corner, then a 25-yard effort from former Town favourite Kiangebeni. They gave a modicum of respectability to the scoreline but for Tag were far too little, far too late.

“At halftime, I gave them a bit of rocket because they were not doing what they were supposed to do,” explained Gav.  “We were far too deep and far too strung out between the various units which allowed Hashtag to pass the ball through our lines.”

“But I’m not surprised how they reacted because there are goals all over this team. It’s the reverse of last week at Lewes when I held my hands up. We’re a management team who know what we’re doing and once the players came with us today, we looked like a different side. Having said that they were deflated to concede those last two goals.”

“Our standards have to be there from first minute to last but we’ve entertained the fans and I’m delighted about that because we’ve been a bit up and down in recent weeks.”

Town

Foster; Parcell (Bailey, 68), Okotcha, Richmond, Payne; Beckles-Richards (Sykes, 82), Youngs, Thomas, Adjei-Hersey; Onyeagwara (Keeya, 58), Wyllie.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we entertain draw specialists Hashtag United (3pm kickoff), hoping to mark our return to home soil with three points following a positive display in midweek at Billericay.

Isthmian North champions last season, Tag were promoted to Step 3 and are currently 12^th in the table, three places below Town

Hashtag’s 11 league games this season have produced no fewer than seven draws including last Monday against high-flying Chatham

The fact that they have only lost once in the league, at runaway leaders Hornchurch, suggests they will be a highly competitive unit.

Unfortunately Ollie Knight starts a three-game suspension against Hashtag but after six straight away games in all competitions, Gavin Macpherson is delighted to get back to familiar surroundings.

“It’ll be difficult without Ollie obviously but we have scope in wide areas and are not short of options,” said Gavin. “It gives someone else a chance to come in and stake a claim.”

“It’ll be great to be at home again, it seems ages. But again, good opposition. We have to reach our levels every game no matter who we are playing.”

Andrew Warshaw

Billericay Town 1 Enfield Town 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Bodies on the line, togetherness, concentration, teamwork and a fair few good chances.

This was more like the kind of away performance Town fans and management alike have been seeking against one of the division’s big hitters.

If you don’t win, make sure you don’t lose may be an obvious cliché but the way the players covered for one another in our sixth successive away game was the perfect response to Saturday’s shambolic display at Lewes.

Gavin Macpherson made four changes for the trip to Essex, with Sam Youngs returning after suspension and Josh Okotcha, Reece Beckles-Richards and Dylan Adjei-Hersey brought back into the team, all playing their part in a battling performance.

Right from the off, the Ricay manager was barking instructions from the dug-out and while the hosts will rue rushing a string of half-chances and failing to capitalise on a raft of corners, we thoroughly deserved a share of the spoils and with a little luck might even have nicked all three points against a team who will be right up there come the end of the season.

Town’s endeavour and spirit was typified after 14 minutes when the hosts seized on a rare slip by Okotcha, only for Mickey Parcell to rush back and produce a sensational clearance off the line (pictured).

Marshalled by former Towner Matt Johnson, Ricay continued to probe, largely through Bradley Stevenson and Moses Emanuel, but we looked lively and energetic on the counter and so nearly grabbed the lead on the half hour when Adjei-Hersey cut in from the right and saw his diagonal effort come back off the post straight into the gloves of Dan Wilks.

As halftime approached, Town had their best period of the opening 45 minutes as Youngs headed wide from an Ollie Knight freekick.

H-T 0-0

Gavin sent the boys out early for the second period but we had the worst possible start. James Richmond was dispossessed just inside our half and Ricay burst forward and had two bites of the cherry before we just managed to clear the ball.

Moments later, however, they took the lead as Alfie Cerulli burst through the centre of midfield and unleashed a 30-yard worldie that left Rhys Forster floundering.

This was not a night, however, when we ever looked like buckling, with skipper Scott Thomas leading by example. Three minutes later,  Beckles-Richards was unceremoniously hacked down and Youngs’ resultant penalty was too well angled for the diving Wilks.

Now it was anyone’s game. Marcus Wyllie’s quick feet produced two decent chances, one whistling just past, while at the other end  Emmanuel missed an absolute sitter and Youngs blocked another Ricay goalbound effort.

In the midst of all this, how we were not given a second spotkick is anyone’s guess as Adjei-Hersey was blatantly impeded, the referee instead awarding a corner. In fact, we could well have had three spotkicks, a first-half foul on Knight adjudged to have been  outside the box when it looked inside to many.

As the game moved into six minutes of stoppage time, Ricay increased the pressure but we held firm and had the last chance of the game when Joe Payne lashed a freekick over the bar.

Town’s starting eleven last night are unbeaten as a unit and Gavin was quick to praise them.

“We couldn’t have played much worse than at Lewes and I don’t want that to happen again,” he said. “Billericay are being talked up yet we came with a 4-4-2 to try and win the game.”

“I wanted the energy levels and application we had earlier in the season and they certainly gave me that. I may be biased but I thought we shaded it though of course I’m happy with a point.”

Town: Forster; Payne, Okotcha, Richmond, Parcell; Knight, Thomas (Soulya-Osekanongo 90), Youngs, Adjei-Hersey (Keeya 83); Beckles-Richards, Wyllie

We’re delighted that our Community Sports Development section now has a new website, showcasing the efforts and achievements of all our community teams; from our youth soccer school, to walking football, disabilities teams, and more.

We have had some good news over the last month, with Tony Gibbs recognised for his sterling services to our community section by Enfield Voluntary Action, plus three of our first-teamers joining in with our Soccer School last weekend.

And you can now read about it on our new page: https://etfc-community.co.uk/ – this can also be accessed by clicking the Community logo at the bottom of our home page. You’ll also find this badge proudly on the back of all our men’s first team shirts once again this season – a testament to the hard work that all our volunteers and players put in, across the whole football club.

The games come thick and fast and certainly don’t get any easier.

Tomorrow evening (Tuesday) we make the shortish trip to Essex to face one of the division’s big-hitters in Billericay Town, hoping to bounce back from an afternoon to forget at Lewes.

This is Ricay’s second season back at Step 3 and they have started impressively – in the league at least after a shock FA exit to Sheppey United.

They are skippered by former Towner Matt Johnson while Bradley Stevenson and Moses Emanuel have netted a combined 16 times, aided and abetted by the likes of  Frankie Merrifield.

Like us, they have played nine league games but lie third in the table and are certain to provide formidable opposition.

This is Town’s sixth successive away game in all competitions, an unenviable scenario for any side. But a decent result at the AGP arena will set us up nicely for a return to familiar home surroundings next Saturday.

Sam Youngs is available for selection tomorrow after serving a one-match ban but Gavin Macpherson knows how tough an encounter it will be after recent setbacks.

“I’ve got players who weren’t making errors that now are and it’s been costing us,” admitted Gavin. “I have to work out why that is.”

“I’ve never had a revolving door as a manager but there comes a point, when it is consistent, where you wonder whether your players can do what you are asking them to.”

“Do I look at it and think maybe this is phase two of the season, after getting off to a pretty good start overall in phase one, and wonder if I need to being anyone in.

“We were surprisingly lacklustre at Lewes. Hopefully it’s a massive wake-up call. I absolutely feel for our supporters but Billericay doesn’t faze me. It’s another chance to pit our wits against one of the so-called big boys.”

We have laid on a minibus for Billericay departing at 4.45 costing £15 return. please email to book your seat at ramismail65@gmail.com

Andrew Warshaw

Lewes 4 Enfield Town 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

First things first. We are eighth in the table with games in hand, this was always going to be something of a transition season and we possibly punched above our weight early in the campaign.

Having said that, there is little doubt that the wheels have come off in recent fixtures with far too many goals conceded, yesterday’s woeful  defeat on a ground that is traditionally a graveyard for us being arguably the low point of a league season that has suddenly taken on a distinctly inconsistent pattern.

Only a couple of weeks ago, we were all praising a terrific FA Cup performance at Halesowen but that has been largely forgotten by two chastening cup defeats and yesterday’s even worse display – interspersed by the much-needed midweek win at Kingstonian which should have restored our self-belief.

The fact that as well as conceding another four goals (15 in four games now) we also created so little in the opposition box at Lewes and appeared to lack leadership will not have been lost on the management team.

Is it a sudden lack of confidence? Of course we missed the suspended Sam Youngs, with Marcus Wyllie adopting Sam’s role and therefore having to play in a more withdrawn position.

But one swallow doesn’t make a summer and even Gavin Macpherson, showing his usual commendable honestly, was at a loss to explain what’s going on.

In the first half, whilst not doing a great deal with the ball, we were reasonably comfortable out of possession with a low block.

It was a disappointment, therefore, when  Lewes grabbed the lead on 17 minutes. Rhys Forster, arguably our man of the match, superbly kept out a Harvey Hughes thunderbolt but from the resultant corner Arthur Penny rose unmarked to head into the corner.

It was another of those set-piece goals that have recently proved our undoing and galvanised Lewes who should have quickly doubled their lead.  Showing terrific technique, Marcus Sablier controlled a sweeping counter-attack before playing in Ola Ogunwamide, only for Forster to pull off another fine stop, and then a third to keep out a powerful Tommy Wood strike after initially being unable to hold on to an Ogunwamide knock-down.

As Town briefly rallied, we produced two decent chances that flashed across goal but we needed more urgency, incisiveness and penetration.

H-T 0-1

Instead, it was Lewes who upped their game, shutting out any Town threats and doubling their advantage on 57  minutes, Guyana international Dean Moore making space for himself before shooting across Forster and into the bottom corner though the ball appeared to go in under Rhys’ body.

Two quickly became three as James Richmond diverted a Wood drive into his own net and Wood rounded off an impressive individual display by a superb turn and shot on the edge of the box.

 The fact that our best effort of the game came in the final minute of normal time when Nathan Harvey pulled off an excellent stop to thwart Reece Beckles-Richards (pictured) said everything about a desperate day at the office.

“I take this personally and told the players I would carry the can because I set the team up,” admitted Gavin afterwards. “But if they think that me taking ownership means they are off the hook, they’ve got another think coming because we were nowhere near it.”

“We were never going to spend masses of time with the ball but the manner of the goals we conceded were alarming because it’s not what we’ve done all season. At one point we had one of the meanest defences in the league. It’s hard to explain quite frankly but now I’ve got a lot of thinking to do. I thought I knew my players but they seem to be proving me wrong at the moment.”

Town: Forster, Parcell, Payne, Thomas (Onyeagwara 62), Coker, Richmond, Knight (Beckles-Richards 64), Sykes (Soulya-Osekanongo 85), Keeya, Wyllie, Birch

Enfield Town embark on the second of three successive away games tomorrow Saturday with a visit to the uniquely named Dripping Pan to face Lewes, one of our bogey teams.

Sam Youngs misses out due to a one-match suspension but Wednesday’s win at Kingstonian will certainly have boosted morale for what should be a highly entertaining fixture in front of a big crowd at one of the most popular away fixtures despite it being among our less happy hunting grounds.

Lewes have had a mixed start to the season and lie 13^th in the table but like us have only played eight games because of cup commitments.

Significantly, they have only lost once at home in the league and ran Hornchurch close in a 2-2 draw earlier in the campaign.

Goalscoring has indeed been their forte on home soil, running in 10 in the last three games — two in the various cups and one in the league.

With so many games to come in such a short space of time, Gavin Macpherson and the management team need as many fit players as possible

With Sam missing tomorrow and Ollie Knight for three games after Billericay, Gavin is still cautiously optimistic.

“Of course you don’t want to be without either but it gives others a chance to go and stake their claim for a place but I suppose the proof will be in performances and results without them,” he said.

“I’d urge the players coming in to take the chance and really give me problems with selection as we move forward. As a manager, it makes your job harder, but in truth it’s what you want because it tells you everyone is hitting the correct levels.

“There hasn’t been a lot of rotation so far. However that now needs to be a consideration based around keeping people fresh. Non-league football is different to it was 20 years ago and players get through an awful lot of work now so it’s important as manager I keep my options open and make adjustments accordingly.”

Just a reminder that the club will be running a coach that will be setting off from the QEII at 10am, with a door-to-door service to the Dripping Pan and back costing £20. Tickets are available below: 

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/event/coach4/coach-travel-to-lewes-fc-

Kingstonian 2 Enfield Town 3

Report by Glyn Smith

After dominating for 75 minutes,  10-man Enfield Town survived a late comeback from a spirited Kingstonian side to pick up three crucial points as we returned to league action following a sobering week of cup football.

At a wet and windy Imperial fields, Town had Ollie Knight sent off with a straight red – the second consecutive game we have had a player dismissed – but managed to hang on and move up to fourth in the table with games in hand.

Kingstonian featured ex-Towner Tom Collins in their starting eleven whilst Town began the game with two changes from Saturday’s FA Cup exit at Cray Valley PM, Ekow Coker and Louis Birch replacing Kyle Bailey and Reece Beckles-Richards.

After being very much on the front foot on a slick surface, Enfield took the lead in the 16^th minute. Kingstonian failed to clear their lines following a corner and the ball fell to Marcus Wyllie who stroked it home with a trademark finish. Although Tolfrey hadn’t been troubled up until that point the lead was fully deserved.

One nearly became two a few minutes later as Sam Youngs’ low drive from the edge of the box was deflected and saved low down by the K’s keeper.

Enfield continued to dominate possession, with Kingstonian restricted to long balls as they tried to release their pacey forwards.

H-T 0-1

The second half started much as the first ended, with Town in charge. Tolfrey saved from Wyllie who had been put through by Youngs before Town went two up in the 52^nd minute. A good move ended with Youngs finding Keeya, who turned his marker and fired home from the edge of the box.

Kingstonian responded with a low shot saved by Forster and Town’s third then came six minutes later. A cross from Mickey Parcell ended up in the six-yard box, Keeya’s initial effect was saved by Tolfrey, but the ball bounced straight back and ricocheted into the net with Keeya taking the congratulations.

After replacing Youngs, George Sykes produced a good finish from a pass from Payne, but the goal was disallowed as he had strayed into an offside position.

At this stage Town were cruising and seemingly set for an easy victory, but the game changed with 20 minutes remaining.

Zack Chislett of Kingstonian was booked for a heavy challenge on Knight on the halfway line but six minutes later Knight received a straight red for returning the favour.

In truth the first challenge could have warranted a red by a less lenient referee but the Kingstonian players’ reaction to Knight’s challenge probably influenced him to produce a red for Knight.

There then followed five minutes of madness. Jude Mason pulled a goal back in the 79^th minute, shooting high into the net as Town failed to clear a free kick. Two minutes later a shot from just outside the box by Rudy Allen took a deflection off Coker to totally wrongfoot Forster and nestle in the net.

K’s tails were now and truly up, and they exerted huge pressure on Town, who were restricted to isolated break outs. Luckily though, Kingstonian were unable to produce any clear-cut chances and the last action of note was Forster receiving a yellow card for taking too long over taking a goal kick.

“Really pleased with our performance coming off the back of Saturday’s disappointment,” said Gavin Macpherson afterwards. “I thought we were excellent in difficult conditions and credit to the players, they responded superbly in so many different ways. I didn’t see that scoreline at 70 minutes. In truth we looked like we’d run away with it. We played some really good stuff and looked more like the Enfield I want us to be. As manager, you want to see a reaction but you also want to see that our identity is still part of the process of winning football matches.”

 Gavin was distinctly unhappy, however, at the sending-off.

“I’m disappointed with Ollie’s response after being heavily fouled and clearly it helped change the direction of the game. But the important thing is he learns that we need our best players on the pitch and I’m sure he will do that. Initially I thought it looked harsh but if you’re deemed to be out of control you always run the risk of being sent off.”

“At this stage I’d rather be 4th than 14th but it’s still early days. We’ve got some difficult games coming up and we should look forward to those because some are against the clubs making huge statements in this league and in all honesty where the pressure really lies. With our magnificent support behind us and the team wanting to maintain a good return in the league, we should look forward to having a go.”

 Enfield Town – Forster, Parcell, Payne, Thomas ( Soulya-Osekanongo 79), Coker, Richmond, Knight,Youngs (Sykes 66), Keeya,  Wyllie (Adjei-Hersey 83 min), Louis Birch.

After the nightmare scenario of being knocked out of both main cup competitions within a week, Enfield Town resume their league campaign tonight (Wednesday) with a visit to Kingstonian hoping to get back to winning ways.

The game is the first of three successive away encounters, with Lewes and Billericay to come – an extremely tough programme as we look to bounce back following the gut-wrenching FA Cup exit at Cray Valley PM.

Because of our FA cup commitments, we have slipped to eighth in the table but have a number of games in hand on our rivals – this being one of the rearranged fixtures. Victory would push us back up to fourth and into the playoff places.

Gavin Macpherson kept the players on the pitch for a good 20 minutes at fulltime last Saturday and will expect a strong reaction against a side currently in the bottom three but who won their last home league game comfortably and recently went to Hastings and knocked them out of the Trophy.

Cup-tied last Saturday, recent signing George Sykes will available for selection at the start of a challenging period for the entire squad, with six league games in 16 days.

Just a reminder for travelling fans that  Kingstonian play at Imperial Fields where they groundshare with Tooting and Mitcham.

Just a reminder about an unmissable evening with  Gary Mabbutt and Ossie Ardiles, two legends of the game, up close and live at Butlers Bar.

Relive the glory days of Tottenham Hotspur as we bring together two of the greatest players in the club’s history.

You’ll have the chance to meet and greet Gary and Ossie, hear their stories and ask them questions in a Q&A session.

When: Thursday 19 October at 7.30pm

Where: Butlers Bar, Enfield Town FC, Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Donkey Lane EN1 3PL

Book your tickets, priced £35, on the following link for a night filled with entertainment, nostalgia and humour.

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/event/legendsnight/an-evening-with-spurs-legends

Cray Valley PM 5 Enfield Town 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Gut-wrenching, devastating, massive missed opportunity.

Just a few of the words to sum up Saturday’s inglorious FA Cup fourth qualifying round exit at Cray Valley PM when, for the third time in eight years, we missed out on making history by reaching the first round proper.

To say we didn’t get the rub of the green with some of the decisions is an under-statement, having been denied at least one stonewall penalty at a crucial time and ending up with 10 men after Sam Youngs was sent off.

Virtually anything that could go wrong did go wrong and now, in the space of seven days, we are out of both main cup competitions.

Gavin Macpherson was magnanimous enough to apologise to the hoardes of travelling Towners fans who turned the occasion into virtually a home tie. And the fact we would have been drawn away at Charlton Athletic makes the pill even more bitter to swallow.

Yet few in the crowd of 579 could have imagined at halftime that we would be on the end of such a sobering scoreline, having twice gone in front.

Marcus Wyllie got us off to the perfect start after just six minutes, lashing home a half-volley to finish off a lovely move involving Mickey Parcell and Ollie Knight.

James Richmond almost doubled our lead with a bullet header and there was a stroke of good fortune about Cray’s equaliser, Kyrell Lisbie’s scuffed effort finding the corner of the net.

Moments earlier Rhys Forster had made a point-blank save from Lisbie who posed problems for us all afternoon until limping off injured.

Indeed, crosses from both flanks ultimately proved to be our downfall but we were arguably the better side in the first half and on 31 minutes we were back in front courtesy of Reece Beckes-Richards’ turn and shot.

 Once again we were pegged back, however, though in highly controversial circumstances.

Instead of adding on the allotted four minutes, the referee somehow decided on six and with the last action of the half, the ball was recycled from left to right and back again, Lisbie rising to nod into the far corner. To make matters worse, Gavin was booked for protesting at the amount of time added on.

H-T 2-2

It totally changed the respective dressing room moods and the second half was a different story as the Millers stormed out of the blocks, stretching us in wide positions, dominating midfield for large periods and twice testing Forster before Matthew Vigor’s left-foot drive crashed against our crossbar.

When Lisbie limped off soon afterwards, we might have hoped to re-impose our advantage.  Far from it.

Parcell saved us with a last-ditch block when a goal seemed certain and the home pressure soon told,  Freddie Parker firing beyond the helpless Forster.

As we rallied, Sam Youngs and Beckles-Richards both went desperately close before substitute Dylan Adjei-Hersey was blatantly up-ended in the box, only for the obvious penalty to be waved away (pictured).

Youngs’ dismissal for a second yellow on 85 minutes shattered our hopes and the tie was effectively settled when Parker fired home  from close range.

Our misery was then compounded in stoppage time as another cross found Adam  Coombes who slid in to tuck away number five.

Just as against Chesham in the Trophy when we conceded four, we were largely undone by crosses and Gavin now has a job on his hands raising morale ahead of two away league games in the next six days at Kingstonian and Lewes.

“I’ve got so many complaints about what happened in the game but it’s not why we lost and I want to apologise to the fans who travel in their numbers,” said Gavin who kept the players on the pitch for a good 20 minutes afterwards. “Believe me, I’m super gutted.”

“There were some poor performances and some of them have to have a hard look at themselves. I include myself in that because the buck stops with me.  I know how much it would have meant to this football club.”

“The game was always going to run away from us once Sam got sent off but we had two stonewall penalties, one with Josh in the first half and the other at a crucial time in the second when even their bench were grimacing thinking it was going to be given.”

“But that’s no excuse and I have to look the supporters in the eye and say I’m sorry for us falling short. It was nowhere near good enough.”

Forster, Bailey, Payne, Thomas, Richmond, Knight, Youngs, Wyllie, Keeya (Adjoin-Hersey 65), Beckles-Richards (Onyeagwara 80), Parcell.

We are thrilled to finally announce our first fixture in the Fenix Trophy, with our opening match at home to Danish side BK Skjold; the current tournament holders.

We will welcome the Copenhagen-based club to North London on the evening of Tuesday 28th November 2023, with the return game – as well as our two fixtures against Llantwit Major – likely to take place in early spring 2024.

Tickets will be released in due course… in the meantime, we hope you are looking forward to European Football in Enfield as much as we are! We will bring you any further updates on the tournament as soon as we confirm them.

Preview by Andrew Warshaw

The anticipation and excitement is mounting. This Saturday Enfield Town attempt to make history by reaching the first round proper of the FA Cup, the world’s oldest and most prestigious domestic knockout competition.

For the first time since we were seconds away from beating National League Maidstone in the fourth qualifying round in 2017 before losing the replay at home, Town – who suffered the same fate at Chesham in 2015/16  —  go to Cray Valley PM hoping to make it third time lucky.

Whilst this presents a glorious opportunity having avoided all the big boys and former league clubs in the draw, Step 4 Cray, who play in the Isthmian League south-east division, will be feeling the same as us and have been on terrific form.

On paper, it’s another of those ties that has banana skin written all over it. We seem to get drawn against unbeaten sides and Eltham-based Cray Valley PM are another of them, having scored a staggering number of goals this season and knocked out Carshalton – who we know all about – in the previous round after a replay, proving how dangerous they can be.

In the league, because of several cup replays, Cray lie in eighth place but have only played four games, roughly half that of their rivals, and have bags of experience within their ranks.

Plus they have already achieved something we haven’t – tasting the euphoria of the FA Cup first round proper three years ago when they narrowly lost at Havant and Waterlooville having fought back from two goals to win at National League Maidenhead in the fourth qualifying round.

After narrowly missing out on a play-off spot at the back end of last season, a new era has started with a complete managerial change following the appointment of Steve McKimm.

Gavin Macpherson says there is no way our players will be complacent, especially following the heartbreaking Trophy defeat at Chesham last Saturday, and is hoping for a repeat of our fantastic victory at high-flying Halesowen in the previous round.

“To get through this would be a game-changer for us,” said Gavin. “I’ve been a great lover of the competition since I was a child. At our level, it’s like making the final to get to  the first round.”

“Make no mistake, Cray Valley PM are an extremely difficult side, pacey and combative, plus we are away. They may be a Step 4 team but they are Step 3 in respect of their players. I want our supporters to have the experience of the first round and for the club to enjoy generating National media interest, not least because of our fan-owned ethos.”

VENUE:- THE ARTIC STADIUM, BADGERS SPORTS, MIDDLE PARK AVENUE, ELTHAM, LONDON, SE9 5HP

Please be aware the ground is situated within the new ULEZ zone so certain vehicles could be subject to charge.

Nearest train station: Eltham approx 20 minutes walk to the ground.

ADMISSION PRICES : – PAY BY CASH OR CARD AT THE TURNSTILE
ADULTS – £10, CONCESSIONS (+65 & Students, with ID) – £6, CHILDREN 11-17 £2. CHILDREN U11 Free

If the scores are level after normal time there will be a replay on Tuesday 17th October 

Because of our continued involvement in the FA Cup, our scheduled home Isthmian League match against Whitehawk on Saturday 14th October has now been moved to the evening of Tuesday 21st November, 7:45pm kickoff.

Please note that there are no men’s first team matches in midweek, as our timetable has been cleared in preparation for our FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round tie with Cray Valley PM. As such, our away game against Kingstonian will take place next Wednesday 18th October, 7:45pm kickoff.

A decision will be made very shortly whether there is sufficient take-up to organise a supporters’ coach for Saturday’s all important FA Cup tie at Cray Valley PM.

Please purchase your tickets asap on the link below so that we can gauge interest.

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/brand/match-tickets

Chesham United 4 Enfield Town 3

Report by Andrew Warshaw

The Chesham United curse struck again on Saturday as Town crashed out of the FA Trophy at the first hurdle after being on the wrong end of a seven-goal thriller.

Just like last season, the Generals — where we also lost in the FA Cup a few years ago — put us out of non-league football’s main cup competition though this time it was a far closer affair than that 4-0 drubbing.

Three times we came from behind to equalise, showing commendable spirit and character, only to succumb to an 89^th-minute Chesham winner as the game was heading for penalties.

To make matters worse for players, management and fans alike, a highly competitive encounter was settled by a totally avoidable defensive mix-up, an agonising way to go out after battling so hard against our high-flying Southern League opponents.

Things didn’t go out way right from the off. Starting brightly, Sam Youngs was a coat of paint away from giving us a fifth-minute lead, only for Chesham to go in front 60 seconds later with a sweetly struck first-time volley from Jordan Edwards.

Sam wasn’t to be denied, however, and quickly pulled us level with a glorious strike into the corner from 20 yards.

It wasn’t long either before the next goal arrived, Generals skipper Steve Brown finishing from close range after a mistimed header back across our own box from a corner.

Whilst we needed to get closer to Chesham’s wide players, Town continued to look dangerous going forward and levelled again when Kyle Bailey controlled an Ollie Knight cross with his shoulder before prodding the ball home (pictured).

Town could have snatched the lead when debutant George Sykes’ flick-on was almost converted by Marcus Wyllie while at the other end Lucas Sinclair – the scourge of the second half – forced Rhys Forster into a smart save and almost converted the rebound.

HT: 2-2

With a card-happy referee and our all-important FA Cup tie to come next weekend, we made a change at halftime as Marcus – who had already been booked – made way for Obi Onyeagwara.

The 19-year-old made an instant impact, whipping in a dangerous cross with virtually his first touch and causing the Generals’ backline all kinds of problems.

A lovely Chesham passing movement through midfield ended with Bruno Andrade lashing wide but we were giving as much as we got — if not more.

Youngs shot straight at home keeper Zaki Oualah when either side of him would have produced a goal but once again, Chesham made us pay for hesitancy when Sinclair stayed onside to restore their lead.

Back we came for a third time, however, as Onyeagwara was up-ended by former Towner Scott Shulton and Youngs buried the penalty.

As the game entered its final stages, spotkicks looked increasingly likely, only for Chesham to put the proverbial nail in the coffin right at the death. Forster and Bailey got in a terrible tangle as to who would clear a routine ball out of defence and Sinclair took advantage by nipping in to seal a place in the next round.

“There’s been a few hard truths in the dressing room,” conceded Gavin afterwards. “Kyle had control of the situation for the last goal but the others we conceded were terrible too and it’s a game we’ve let through our grasp and I’m hugely disappointed.”

“We’ve gone away from home, scored three goals against a good side and still lost. I wonder when the last time that happened here was. Having to score five to win tells me we made rudimentary mistakes. It was a result that was totally avoidable. Now we’ve got a hell of a lot of hard work to do before Cray Valley next weekend.”

Town: Forster; Parcell, Bailey, Richmond, Payne; Knight, Youngs, Thomas (Soulya-Osekanongo, 64), Beckles-Richards; Wyllie (Onyeagwara, 46), Sykes (Keeya, 84)

You may have noticed we had a young 19-year-old on the bench at Halesowen last Saturday.

Obi Onyeagwara has formally signed for Town having made 12 appearances for Dartford towards the end of last season.

 Obi progressed through the youth system at Stevenage and also spent time at Biggleswade Town.

Gavin Macpherson sees Obi as “someone we are keen to develop and a player who has real belief in himself to succeed.”

“Whilst names like Obi and Josh Keeya or not as familiar to supporters as the likes of  George Sykes, it’s important to this football club that the balance between experience and younger talented players is enhanced.  That includes our own pathway through the academy.”

Welcome, Obi

We are thrilled to announce the exciting signing of experienced striker George Sykes who will be available for our FA Trophy game at Chesham on Saturday.

Still only 29, George (pictured with first-team coach Steve Conroy) joins us from Step 2 Bishop’s Stortford having previously been at Aveley,  Canvey Island, Braintree and a raft of other clubs and will add considerable know-how to our forward line.

“I tried to sign George earlier in the season and it didn’t happen for understandable reasons so I’m really pleased he’s decided to join us,” said Gavin Macpherson who has been searching for a suitable numerical replacement for the luckless Jake Cass.

“He’s someone who can add firepower to this team whilst adding something different. He’ll complement what we already have in the forward area.”

“We know he’s one who works hard and can be a real threat in a number of different ways. George fits the group and I think he can go on to be a firm fans favourite”.

Welcome George!

Following our superb FA Cup victory at Halesowen, attention turns to the FA Trophy this Saturday, a competition just important in the context of non-league football.

On paper, our visit to Chesham United is every bit as tough an encounter as Halesowen and we will again have to be on our game to make further progress.

Like Halesowen, the Generals are flying in their Step 3 division, lying third in Southern League South with just one defeat in nine games.

The fixture is a repeat of last season’s meeting – that time at home – when we were soundly beaten 4-0 and crashed out of the competition early doors.

Gavin Macpherson is well aware of the threat Chesham pose.

“On paper cup draws have presented us with difficult tests,” said Gav. “Chesham will be no different and will be a different sort of test to last week. It’s a competition we want to do well in but we’ll look at the whole picture and plan accordingly.

“I think we are all looking forward to another significant test and another indication of our progression as a group.”

There are no replays in the FA Trophy, the game going to penalties if the teams are tied after 90 minutes.

So now we know. We will be visiting Cray Valley PM in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup on Oct 14 after they won their third-round replay, upsetting Step 3 Carshalton Athletic 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Whilst this presents a fantastic opportunity to reach the first-round proper for the first time in our history having avoided all the big boys and former league clubs in the draw, Step 4 Cray, who play in the Isthmian League south-east division, will be feeling the same as us and will certainly not be under-estimated.

On paper, it’s another of those ties that has banana skin written all over it. We seem to get drawn against unbeaten sides and Eltham-based Cray Valley PM are another of them, having scored a staggering 42 goals in 13 games in all competitions so far this season.

In the league, because of several cup replays, fifth-placed Cray, who have plenty of experience within their ranks, have only played four matches but are yet to lose and are a Step 3 side in all but name.

With a certain huge away ETFC following, it promises to be another thrilling cup-tie with a momentous prize at stake.

“I’ve made it clear that any side to have made it this far in the competition is a good one,” cautioned Gavin Macpherson.

“When you look at Cray valley’s results and playing personnel , it’s clear they are more like a step three side currently playing at step four. 

“I know Steve Mckimm well, and his sides are always competitive, well organised and pacey, which means a very difficult game awaits. But we’ve been to Halesowen and won and we haven’t had it easy ourselves, the boys are in good spirits and we’ll be prepared for what’s to come. We’ll need to play well to stand a chance”.

The Club is saddened to hear that Iain Keay, one of our members and donors, passed away yesterday morning.

Iain’s involvement in football in Enfield and his passion for Enfield Town FC was highlighted recently within an article on our website. Everyone at the Club sends his sister Elaine, family and friends our condolences. The Club will mark his passing at a future home fixture.

We have been drawn away to Carshalton Athletic or Cray Valley PM in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup on Oct 14.

The two sides drew 3-3 on Saturday at Carshalton and replay at Step 4 Cray, who lie fifth in the Isthmian League south-east division, on Tuesday night.

We of course know all about Carshalton who recently beat us at home and while everyone wishes we could have had a home tie after successive away draws against Halesowen and, in the Trophy, Chesham United, on paper there is no reason why we can’t progress and reach dreamland — otherwise known as the first round proper for the first time in our history.

“Once you get to this stage I honestly believe there isn’t an easy game so the draw is the draw,” said Gavin Macpherson. 

“To automatically assume Carshalton will be the tougher opposition isn’t necessarily so, Cray Valley are a step 3 side in my opinion with an experienced Management Team so whatever happens in the replay we have a difficult game ahead. 

“But we will be boosted by the weekend’s result, our supporters will travel in numbers so it’s massively exciting for the club to be at this stage of the competition”.

Halesowen Town 1-2 Enfield Town

Match report by Charlie Baker

(editing by Andrew warshaw)

For the first time in six years, Enfield Town advanced to the FA Cup fourth qualifying round on Saturday, equalling our best run in the competition in an incredible Black Country atmosphere.

Town struck two incisive first-half blows, then mounted a determined rearguard action as we carried out the management’s game plan.

We always knew we’d be in for a tough afternoon.  Halesowen sat third in the Southern League Premier Division Central after achieving promotion last season and were in formidable home form at The Grove.

Both teams were looking to bounce back after unbeaten league records were surrendered in their previous games so it looked to be a cracker.

And so it proved right from the start as we came out of the blocks quickly and caught the hosts by surprise.

Marcus Wyllie had already been presented with a decent chance when, with our first corner of the game after just two minutes, James Richmond leapt highest and directed his header into the corner, sending the Towners contingent behind the goal wild.

As the Yeltz grew into the game, winger George Cater twice went close  and on the 18-minute mark, the home pressure told as Halesowen equalised through a brilliant individual goal from Jack Holmes who sidestepped his defenders on the edge of the area, then twisted the other way to curl a superb shot beyond the otherwise impenetrable Forster.

Far from sitting back, we responded positively as Wyllie was tackled while bearing down on goal. He had another chance a minute later but this time his attempt was blocked.

It looked like a case of déjà vu when Cater picked the ball up in our half and ran through half the team but, on his right foot this time, could only find the gloves of Rhys Forster.

Even though we were playing in purple, it was more reminiscent of the red arrows as we charged up the other end to restore our lead on 41 minutes.  Ollie Knight beat his marker to whip in a wicked ball, picking out Wyllie who produced a superb side-foot finish.

There was still time for a flying save from Forster, who turned Cater’s shot on to the crossbar.

Half Time: 1-2

The outcome looked ominous as The Yeltz put the pressure back on instantly. Forster was forced into another worldie, tipping over a powerful shot from Caine Elliot.

The home corners were piling up but the partnership of Richmond and Kyle Bailey stuck firm in clearing everything thrown at them.

Despite not having many more scoring opportunities ourselves, we kept the hosts relatively quiet for about 20 minutes until another onslaught came.

Subs Kieren Donnelly and Ryan Boothe both went close and when Todd Parker fired over, it looked like it would be our day.

The final whistle was blown after an excruciating last few minutes and sent the 200 or so travelling Towners in a crowd of 1,130 into raptures (pictured)

The result put us into the fourth qualifying round – and one round from dreamland – for the first time since we were seconds away from beating National League Maidstone in 2017 before losing the replay at home. The draw takes place on Monday at 3pm on talkSport2.

Yeltz manager Paul Smith said his team missed a big opportunity and described our win as smash and grab but Gavin Macpherson heaped praise on everyone involved.

“I’m delighted for the club, the players but more than anything the supporters. They are the soul of this club and the welcome and support we all received yesterday was unbelievable,” said Gavin

“We knew we were playing a very good side, probably one of the best in the competition at this stage. It’s pleasing as manager when you put a plan into action and come away with a result. The players were unbelievable to a man, my management team also deserve massive credit especially after a difficult result last week.”

“I think we all extend nothing but best wishes to Halesowen and their fantastic support, both sets of supporters played their part in an amazing atmosphere. We’ll enjoy it briefly but my attention now switches immediately to our next significant hurdle in the shape of Chesham in the FA Trophy”.

Town: Forster; Parcell, Bailey, Richmond, Payne; Birch, Youngs, Thomas, Knight, Wyllie, Beckles-Richards (Keeya 63’)

Attendance: 1,130

Preview by Andrew Warshaw

It’s back to FA Cup action tomorrow, Saturday, as we visit fellow Step 3 opponents Halesowen for the toughest of all challenges, on paper at least, in the third qualifying round.

The draw could hardly have been less kind with the Yeltz, promoted at the end of last season, unbeaten at home and flying high in the Southern League Premier Division Central.

 Amid jubilant scenes, Halesowen gained promotion in a nail-biting playoff last spring when they beat Spalding United with a last-gasp stoppage time equaliser and then an extra time winner.

They have carried that form into this season despite losing their unbeaten away record last time out when they went down 3-1 at Bromsgrove Sporting in midweek.

Nevertheless their home record is formidable and they sit firmly in third with 19 points from their opening 10 games having scored 18 league goals and conceded nine.

In the FA Cup so far, they trounced Step 5 Rugby Borough 7-0, followed by a 5-2 win over fellow Southern League Premier Division Central side  Alvechurch.

Town boss Gavin Macpherson has put the players through their paces ahead of what promises to be a exciting afternoon and is fully aware of the danger Halesowen pose.

Indeed ,with Chesham United away the following Saturday in the FA Trophy — a repeat of last season’s fixture when we were well beaten — we will need to be seriously on our game to advance in both or either competition.

There is, of course, the small matter of healthy prize at stake tomorrow plus a share of the takings on the day with a four-figure crowd anticipated.

“It’s a massively difficult game,” Gavin conceded. “They like to move you around and create overloads. Their front three are dangerous and they have two quick wingers but we’ve been working on how to counter them.”

“All over the pitch they’re a good side. We’ll treat it as a one-off shootout and try and win the game but if we end up getting them back to our place in a replay, it won’t be a bad day at the office. The fact is we are underdogs.”

“The draws haven’t been exactly kind and this Saturday and next we are having to play two of the most in-form teams near the top of their respective leagues. But we don’t fear anybody and will relish both tasks. If we give it our best and are not good enough, so be it.”

We have been drawn at home to Brightlingsea Regent in the Third Round of the Velocity Trophy. The tie will take place by the end of October and we will announce a date as soon as we have one. The Rs have won all three of their league games so far, as well as picking up two wins in both of their FA Trophy qualifiers, and a 5-0 win over Grays Athletic in the last round of this competition.

Meanwhile, our league game away to Wingate & Finchley – postponed due to our participation in the FA Cup – has now been moved to the evening of Halloween; Tuesday 31st October, 19:45 kickoff.

Interview by Andrew Warshaw

It’s understandable that Towners fans weren’t too sure what expect when Rhys Forster took over in goal this season from Nathan McDonald who had carved out something of a legendary status having been at the club for a total of seven years covering two spells.

Yet within just a few weeks of the new campaign Rhys has not only won over the supporters but picked up the very first individual award of his career. And a pretty prestigious one at that.

Like any goalkeeper, Rhys is susceptible to the odd howler and holds his hands up for being culpable for at least one of the goals in our 3-0 defeat to Carshalton on Saturday.

But winning the Pitching In Golden Gloves Award for August, sponsored by Uhlsport and presented monthly to the best keeper in each of the Isthmian League divisions, is testament to a player who was suddenly surplus to requirements at Step 2 Slough Town towards the back end of last season but who more than proved his worth when dropping down three levels with Ascot Town.

Whilst helping Ascot go on to lift the FA Vase is understandably the highlight of his career so far, being recognised as one of best goalkeepers at Step 3 comes a close second.

“I can’t take all the credit because the boys in front of me have been immense in terms of protecting me but I’m especially proud to receive the award with a new club so early on in the season,” said Rhys, man-of-the-match for a string of saves away at Haringey Borough at the end of August. “Even though it’s just a month’s worth of work, it’s helped me set targets.”

Such as? “I want the Golden Glove award at the end of the season. As a goalkeeping unit, me, Adi (Connolly) and (goalkeeping coach) Dean (Hurlow) want 20 clean sheets in all competitions. If we get 10 by Christmas, we’re on course.”

Rhys picked up the award after conceding just two goals in his first five league games. He is nothing if not a confident character, a bit of a cheeky chappy at times even. He admits he is sometimes guilty of the odd rush of blood to the head when between the sticks – the Carshalton fixture being a case in point — but his commanding presence and intelligent distribution have already endeared him to the fans and his teammates alike.

“I’m the first one to admit that you learn from your mistakes but Deano knows what I’m like and keeps me on my toes. At all my previous clubs, I had four or five saves to make in every game. It’s very different coming in to a club where I may not have a big save to make until the 89^th minute but I’m learning about that and how important it is to keep my concentration.

“I knew everyone had praise for Nathan so they were pretty big boots to fill. If I’m honest we are totally different keepers with very different styles. Sometimes that benefits me, sometimes it doesn’t but the main thing is that I love it here and the fact that the club is owned by the fans which is such a big thing. You don’t play well unless you are enjoying yourself.”

Rhys admits there was a part of him that wanted to show Slough what they were missing when they let him go. “The level of opposition at Ascot obviously wasn’t the same but I wanted to prove a point.”

He certainly did that and, still only 24,continues to thrive having been re-united with Dean and manager Gavin Macpherson.

“I was very privileged to have played for Met Police under the gaffer for two seasons especially since I only started as a goalkeeper when I was 17 at a Step 5 club called CB Hounslow United.”

If you’re wondering why he started so late, tennis was his main sport as a teenager. He even got to play on the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon at an inter-club tournament as a teenager.

“I used to watch football of course growing up as a kid but when I got to about 12, tennis became my thing. It wasn’t until I got to about 17, as I say, that I started playing football properly.”

Now it’s all about repaying the faith shown in him by the management team. “When Gav called me it was hard to say no. I can’t speak highly enough about him and Deano. I need someone who knows my weaknesses and makes me work on them. Deano knows me inside out.”

One thing not a lot of people know about Rhys, which hopefully will stand us in good stead throughout the season, is his ability to save penalties, even though he couldn’t stop one going in at Haringey. “In my two years at Met Police I faced 11 penalties and saved eight of them. Of course I have my techniques.”

It’s a remarkable statistic and I’m not about to disclose Rhys’ methodology in case any of our rivals might read this! But suffice to say Rhys has something of a reputation when it comes to spotkicks, even if it means occasionally being the victim of his own success.

“The gaffer even told me I should have saved the one at Haringey!”

Nice one, Rhys.

An audience with Gary Mabbutt and Ossie Ardiles, two legends of the game up close and live.

Relive the glory days of Tottenham Hotspur as we bring together two of the greatest players in the club’s history.

You’ll have the chance to meet and greet Gary and Ossie, hear their stories and ask them questions in a Q&A session.

When: Thursday 19 October at 7.30pm

Where: Butlers Bar, Enfield Town FC, Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Donkey Lane EN1 3PL

Book your tickets, priced £35, on the following link for a night filled with entertainment, nostalgia and humour.

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/event/legendsnight/an-evening-with-spurs-legends

The draw for the FA Trophy’s Third Qualifying Round has been made, with Town given an away tie to familiar opponents.

In a reverse of last season’s fixture at the same stage of the competition, Enfield Town will travel to the Meadow to face Chesham United of the Southern League Premier Division.

The fixture will be played on Saturday 7th October 2023. As is standard for ties in the Trophy, the match will go straight to penalties if drawn after 90 minutes. Please note that the Metropolitan Line will be running replacement buses for services from Wembley Park to Chesham that weekend.

.

Tricky Opponents

Chesham are having another strong season so far; sitting second in their league (P8, W7, L1) with a game in hand on Gosport in top spot, and into the third qualifying round of the FA Cup. They are, of course, no strangers to facing Town in FA competition; Andy Leese’s Generals prevailing with a 2-1 win in our FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie back in 2015-16, while Town collapsed to a 4-0 Trophy defeat at the QEII last October.

“It’s another massively tough draw”, said manager Gavin Macpherson. “Chesham are a team and management I know well having had some great battles in my Southern League days. It probably couldn’t be tougher for us at this stage but I’m sure Chesham will also feel the draw could have been kinder. I think it will be a decent game, it’s a competition we want to do well in but to make progress we’ll be doing it the hard way.”

“The boys are in good spirits and looking forward to a tough week ahead starting with a trip to the midlands on Saturday.”

Enfield Town 0-3 Carshalton Athletic

Report by Charlie Baker

A ruthless second half display by promotion rivals Carshalton Athletic put Town to the sword to end our unbeaten start to the season.

It was fourth against third in the Isthmian Premier Division’s game of the day, with both teams going in with an identical record. 

The first half had chances aplenty, with the majority coming from corners.

Carshalton number three Paris Hamilton-Downes headed narrowly wide early on, before Sam Youngs’ shot was blocked from close range.

Ollie Knight then forced a flying stop from visiting keeper Will Huffer, as did top scorer Marcus Wyllie after a slick turn. The ball was bobbling around the Robins box a lot, but we couldn’t capitalise on the loose balls.

James Richmond’s header went just wide, and at the other end Robins centre-back Luke Read somehow missed the target and blazed over.

After a good half of football there was nothing to separate two strong sides at the interval.

HT: 0-0 

It was our Whole Club Day, an annual occasion bringing together all sections of the club including men’s, ladies, youth and disability. However, high spirits were extinguished by a ruthless second half display from Athletic.

Four minutes after the break, Town lost the ball from a long throw into the Robins box. Winger Mark Marshall raced away and struck on the counter with a peach of a strike into the bottom left. Joe Payne stung the palms of Huffer as we tried to find an equaliser. But while their first was a gem, the second was a gift. Town keeper Rhys Forster played the ball straight to Tommy Bradford, who raced through and finished well to make it two. 

Town upped the tempo, but unlike the first half we struggled to really test Huffer. Then, minutes after a penalty appeal was waved away, Carshalton made it three.

Substitute Oluwabunmi Babajide finished despite Forster getting a palm to it, supplying the healthy away following with more delight. Babajide was causing a lot of problems and could easily have had a couple more as Athletic carried on with their fluid counter attacks.

Our day was summed up by some more wayward shooting from the attack, as Carshalton closed the game out with ease.

Going into the game, our highest-placed opponents were Folkestone in 10th, so this was perhaps a more realistic test of the challenges we face in the promotion hunt. 

It’s all eyes on the cup now – we’re away to Halesowen Town of the Southern League Premier Division Central in a tasty FA Cup third qualifying round fixture next Saturday.

Town: Forster; Parcell, Bailey, Richmond, Payne; Knight, Youngs, Thomas (Birch 87’), Bessadi
(Keeya 70’), Wyllie, Beckles-Richards (Adjei-Hersey 85’)

This Saturday we take on Carshalton Athletic at home in what promises to be the game of the day across the entire division between the teams lying third and fourth.

Like us, the Robins – ahead of us only on goal difference — are unbeaten in all competitions with both teams on 14 points.

Last Saturday they thumped Kingstonian 4-0 in the FA Cup and in the league have scored 15 goals in their six games.

Whilst they have only won once on the road, they drew 1-1 at Hornchurch and 3-3 at Bognor and are likely to provide stiff opposition as we bid to maintain our own excellent start to the season.

“They will be very dangerous opposition, the toughest test by far that we’ve had,” said Gavin Macpherson. “We will need to be very competitive.”

Not only is this Saturday a proverbial six-pointer but it  co-incides with Whole Club Day, a very special annual occasion bringing together all sections of the club including men’s, ladies, youth and disability.

Feel free to invite all your friends and work colleagues to what should be a memorable day for everybody – and hopefully three points!

Gavin has seriously bought into the concept which allies totally with his own philosophy.

“It’s hugely important to have a connection between the first-team players and management and the rest of the football club,” Gavin said.

“All these people are the soul of our club and need something to aim for. There has to be a connection in respect of a pathway running through the academy and the under-18s. All the coaching team are invested in the idea.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up for our popular striker Jake Cass who suffered a devastating ruptured Achilles in the second game of the season and is a huge loss to the squad.

Scott Thomas and Sam Youngs have set up the page for Jake who is a club member and was particularly looking forward to the season.

Please donate to Jake’s GoFundMe page if you are in a position to do so by clicking below:

Help To Get Jake Cass Back Playing

As the country’s first supporters-owned club, members are our lifeline. Without them there would be no Enfield Town FC.

Our membership continues to grow and we are looking at achieving record figures this season. How important individual members are and the contribution they make can never be taken for granted. To celebrate our members, we will be publishing articles highlighting their personal contributions over the years.

We start with two members who have been extremely generous with their support. Iain and Elaine Keay have supported the club as members since we were formed. Unfortunately, their health means that they have been unable to attend games so directors Paul Millington and David Bryant visited them at their Essex seaside home to chat about what being a member of the Town means to them.

Iain and Elaine were Enfield born and bred and have fond memories of supporting the old Enfield FC. Iain’s attention to the club was initially drawn when listening to BBC Radio on a Saturday afternoon in 1959 when the live commentary was Enfield’s FA Cup 2^nd round tie with Bournemouth. 

Both fondly recall the FA Amateur Cup finals and in particular the replay v Skelmersdale in 1967 played at Maine Road, Manchester. The family set off from Enfield with their car blazoned with balloons and scarves. The locals were obviously upset with the Enfield win as all the balloons had been burst when they returned to the car after the game.

Iain’s passion for football and his contribution to the game in Enfield went beyond his love for the local club. He was a sports teacher at Firs Farm in Edmonton and then Grange Park and Lavender Primary.  He obtained his FA coaching badges and qualified as a referee. He managed the school teams and was keen for pupils to carry on after school and formed Lavender Youth. Later a new youth team, Field End Youth, was formed and Iain was invited to help run the club and managed three of their teams.

He counts among those he coached: Paul Moran (Spurs & Enfield), Martin Grainger (Birmingham City), and Dan Woodhouse (Enfield). He also coached cricket and three youngsters went onto play for Middlesex CCC. Iain recalls during a break from teaching and whilst working as a social worker for Haringey Social Services in the mid 1970’s he was invited for an interview as assistant club secretary at Spurs but sadly did not get the job.

His involvement at Enfield included contributions to the Attack magazine. A supporters’ magazine that was one of the first, if not the first, fanzine. He let us into a secret in that he ghost-wrote the regular column by the captain (of Enfield and England), Tony Jennings. Iain recalls covering the visit of the England national team managed by Don Revie who had a training session at Southbury Road before an international.

He still has his collection of Attack magazines and has donated to the club shop his collection of football books and programmes including that for the inauguration of the floodlights at Southbury Road when 10,000 turned up to see the game v Spurs in 1962. His favourite player of the old club was Roy Thomas who regularly now attends Town games. Iain has too many favourite games but the FA Cup 4th Round replay v Barnsley in 1981 at White Hart Lane in front of 35,000 stands out.

After moving to the Essex coast, Iain managed a bookshop that supports the local hospice. He follows every Town game on Live Score and despite not being able to travel, he and Elaine have bought their memberships and season tickets every season. Additionally, Iain has made significant donations over the years that have made a real difference to our club. He explains that after the loss of Southbury Road he felt the Supporters Trust was the only viable way to continue with football in Enfield. He knew many of the old club’s stalwarts that followed the Town (Roy Butler, Keith Wortley) and decided supporting the Town was the way forward.

Iain recognises that as a supporters-owned club there is no single money person and progress and success on the pitch needs financial support.  The donations have certainly made a difference to our Club and helped bring us to where we are now, and hopefully will bring the club the future success we all want.

It was a pleasure to meet Iain and Elaine. We at the Town have been very lucky to have them as long-standing members. We thank them for their support and generosity.

Paul Millington

The draw for the FA Cup Third Qualifying Round has been made.

The Towners will head to the Midlands, having been drawn to step 3 Halesowen Town of the Southern League Premier Central. Once again, the cup has thrown up a tie between two sides unbeaten at the time of writing – with the Yeltz sitting second in their league having won four and drawn four.

The fixture will be played on the weekend of 29-31 September 2023 – please note that there is planned industrial action affecting trains on Saturday 30th September.

“I think it’s a game we should all be looking forward to,” said Gavin Macpherson. “It’s an intriguing game because both clubs will know nothing about the other. In many people’s eyes we’ll be underdogs and I don’t mind that.”

“Any team that has made it this far in the competition will be tough opponents and Halesowen will be no different. They’ve started well but so have we, I know our supporters will travel in numbers so it should be a competitive game.”

“We’ll plan for it when the time comes, at this time we are only focused on the visit of Carshalton in what will be another tough encounter.”

Enfield Town 3 Felixstowe and Walton 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Every Town fan will be glued to Monday’s FA Cup draw after we reached  the third qualifying round at the expense of opponents who were hit with an early goal blitz before trying their best to make a fight of it.

On paper the tie was a potential banana skin but was effectively over within the first quarter as we destroyed the hopes of our lower-ranked Suffolk opponents and in the process ended their unbeaten start to the season.

As we roared out of the blocks, Sam Youngs settled any nerves by getting us on our way from the penalty spot on four minutes after Ollie Knight was impeded.

Ollie himself doubled our lead four minutes later with a fabulous finish (pictured, celebrating) following some neat interplay between Marcus Wyllie and Reece Beckles-Richards.

Before the Seasiders could gain any kind of foothold they fell further behind. Wyllie and Youngs had successive shots blocked but Joe Payne made no mistake at the third time of asking as he lashed the ball home.

Town, themselves unbeaten in all competitions, were too slick for their Step 4 visitors and could, maybe should, have had a couple more by halftime. Knight shot just wide while one of his trademark crosses was inches away from being converted by Wyllie.

Youngs suffered a nasty-looking leg gash and also picked up a yellow card but continued to stamp his mark on proceedings until being subbed with 20 minutes to go.

Sami Bessadi curled another fine Town effort just wide but just before the interval, F and W should have got back in the game when Callum Harrison somehow missed the target after being put through by Noel Aitkins’ clever back heel.

H-T 0-0

It was one step too far for our Step 4 opponents but we were indebted to our three-goal cushion in the second half as F and W gave it a go.

To their credit they looked a different team, partly because of us easing off, partly through tweaking their system, playing an extra man in midfield and bringing on tall target man Josh Mayhew.

Mayhew headed wide just after the restart and we suddenly had to turn to our defensive skills to preserve our three-goal lead, Josh Okotcha falling awkwardly and limping off after keeping out one of several raids.

Mayhew and Joshua Hitter missed further decent chances for Felixstowe who for once, having notched up 17 goals  in six previous outings, left their scoring touch at home.

In the last 15 minutes Town regained control as Payne rattled a 25-yard freekick against the post and Wyllie picked up a rebound and drove agonisingly wide.

“I was disappointed with the second half, there’s no doubt about that,” said Gavin Macpherson. “We saw it coming but I don’t think we dealt with it particular well. If they’d got an early goal then, we could have had a hell of a game on our hands.”

“But you have to take your hat off to the boys. It was no fluke. They took on board exactly what we wanted them to do inside the first 35 minutes. Often at 3-0 human nature dictates sometimes that you think the game is done. I never think like that but it’s understandable.

“In the end we put them to bed very comprehensively in the first half which was good enough to do the job.”

It may be too early to think that far ahead but another favourable draw and we could edge ever closer to the dream scenario of the first round proper.

Town:

Forster; Parcell, Okotcha (Coker, 58), Richmond, Payne; Knight, Youngs (Keeya, 70), Thomas, Bessadi (Birch, 83); Wyllie, Beckles-Richards

Congratulations to Town goalkeeper Rhys Forster on winning the Uhlsport Golden Gloves Award for August!

Voted man-of-the-match for a string of saves away at Haringey Borough at the end of August, Rhys and his defence conceded just twice and registered 3 clean sheets in 5 Isthmian League games as we ended the month with the league’s meanest defence.

Well in, Rhys – here’s to many more!

__

Photo: Zenonas Klusas

We are pleased to announce the signing of experienced striker Tyler Blackwood.

Tyler, 32, has played most of his football in America which meant we had to obtain International clearance.

Born in London, the former Northampton Town and Barnet trainee moved to the United States to play college football at an early age – and has lived across the pond virtually ever since bar a couple of years in 2015 and 2016 when he returned to play in the UK including a brief spell at QPR

At his first US club, Tampa Spartans, Tyler scored 24 goals in 33 appearances. He most recently played professionally with Oakland Roots in the second division  USL Championship

Welcome Tyler.

We are thrilled to announce that Marcus Wyllie has put pen to paper and signed a contract with us until the end of this season, with an option for one further campaign.

Marcus, 24, has scored seven goals in as many games in all competitions in his favoured forward position this season, fulfilling the promise he showed since joining us from Step 5 Risborough Rangers where he chalked up an astonishing 36 goals in 2021-22.

We wish Marcus, a huge favourite with Town fans, all the best for the remainder of the season.

Our Isthmian League Premier Division match away at Kingstonian – moved due to our participation in the FA Cup – has now been rescheduled for Wednesday October 11th, 19:45 kickoff.

As with last season, the Ks are ground-sharing with Tooting & Mitcham at their Imperial Fields home.

Enfield Town 2-2 Bognor Regis Town
Report by Ken Brazier

In stifling 30-degrees-plus conditions, reminiscent of last year’s sweltering home game v Folkestone, both sides put on an entertaining show for the 560 who turned out to search for a shaded viewpoint.

The Rocks looked far from a team that had recently bowed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Burgess Hill as they set about recording a first win at the QEII since January 2013.

Enfield endured a tough first half as they sought to get to grips with the pace of Bognor’s breaks – particularly down the flanks – with Lucas Pattenden, returning from injury, and Isaac Olaniyan prominent. After Scott Thomas had blazed wide and Reece Beckles-Richards had just failed to get onto the end of a Marcus Wyllie cross they had a let-off after nine minutes when Harvey Whyte played in Pattenden, who saw his shot hit the inside of the far post and rebound into Rhys Foster’s hands.

The Rocks got just reward for their strong start around the quarter of an hour mark when a good lay-off from Dan Gifford saw Jasper Mather lash the ball home past Forster’s left hand. But Enfield took advantage of a careless foul in a dangerous position after 22 minutes, and a sublime free-kick delivery from man-of-the-match Ollie Knight found Sam Youngs at the back post and the long-serving midfielder found the back of the net with a downward header.

The woodwork came to Enfield’s rescue again in the 29^th minute. After James Richmond had had a goal ruled out for offside, Mather curled an effort against the same upright.  A minute later, Forster did well to keep out a long distance lob. But he breathed a sigh of relief a minute later when he attempted to shepherd the ball out of play and was caught in possession way out on the wing, but the subsequent ball into the danger area came to nothing.

HT: 1-1

Enfield’s ball retention and creation of chances improved after the break. But, a few minutes after he had been booked for handling outside the penalty area, Forster found himself picking the ball out of his net after an incisive run down the left and low shot by Joe Rabbetts had enabled the Rocks to retake the lead, much to the delight of the travelling support.

After a couple of home chances had come and gone, another set piece drew Enfield level. Again Knight was the provider, and his accurate corner kick was headed home powerfully by Richmond (pictured). It was a testament to both sides that, despite the awful conditions for football, there was no hint of either holding on for a point with half an hour to go.

The visitors’ keeper Ryan Hall denied Beckles-Richards twice, once following a slick move involving substitute debutant Josh Keeya and Knight, and then with a brave smothering block at the striker’s feet. Wyllie, who was well-marshalled all afternoon, saw his 71^st minute effort sail high and wide and Mickey Parcell’s heat-defying run ended with a cross that drifted behind.  Mather fired over for the Rocks and, after appeals for a penalty at the other end when Wyllie went down were waved away, Pattenden and Gifford missed chances towards the end when their headers flew off target. 

Town: Forster; Parcell, Richmond, Okotcha, Payne; Adjei-Hersey (Keeya 57), Youngs, Thomas, Knight; Wyllie, Beckles-Richards (Bessadi 89).

We are delighted to announce the signing of Irish midfielder Josh Keeya.

Josh was in the stands during our FA Cup win over Potters Bar and said he cannot wait to be re-united with Gavin Macpherson, under whom he played at Met Police.

A number of pro clubs including Millwall are reported to have been looking at Josh and Gavin said he was equally excited to have the 19-year-old in the squad.

“I have nothing but good things to say about Josh,” said Gavin. “He is a model professional and a very good footballer. His application and work rate are first class and that’s why pro clubs have been looking at him. He fits all the criteria to be a professional footballer.”

“Of course he’ll have to work himself into the team like anyone else but is a welcome addition to the squad and can only make us stronger.”

Welcome, Josh

Andrew Warshaw

We are delighted to bring teenage defender Jorden Adeoye, a late substitute in our FA cup tie against Potters Bar on Saturday (pictured), into the first-team squad

Jorden, just 16, moves up from the academy and has impressed the management team.

“I’m committed to this club looking forward in respect of a pathway,” said Gavin Macpherson.

“Jorden played in the FA Youth Cup two weeks ago. I want to try to build something here and I thought it was good time to give the boy a taste of first-team action.”

Welcome Jorden

We have been drawn to play Felixstowe and Walton United at home in the 2^nd qualifying round of the FA Cup.

Felixstowe play at Step 4 level in Isthmian League North, one below us, but won both their FA Cup ties to date 4-1 away, beating Woodford Town in the last round.

In the league they have won one and drawn two of their three games and, like us, remain unbeaten in all competitions.

The tie is scheduled for the weekend of 16-17 September with the mouth-watering prospect of further progression.

“Of course I’m pleased to be at home. Being in front of our fantastic home support is a massive plus,” said Gavin Macpherson who nevertheless issued a word of caution.

“Teams at this stage have earned the right to be in the draw and I think it’s a very difficult game. I believe they are unbeaten and we will of course give them the respect they deserve. Forming the opinion we have an advantage because we play in the higher league will not be part of our approach. Felixstowe and Walton have good management and players so I think a difficult game awaits us.

“Currently we are in a good place so we must have confidence in our ability without being complacent. That is a something we can’t allow to creep in no matter the competition. We’ll plan and prepare as we always do and look forward to the game.”

Enfield Town 3 Potters Bar Town 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

In control virtually from first minute to last, Town cruised into the 2^nd qualifying round of the FA Cup on Saturday with a display even more emphatic than the scoreline suggests.

Perhaps the only downside of a whirlwind performance was the fact that we missed a hatful of other chances which thankfully didn’t cost us.

Potters Bar had a distinctly different look about them in terms of personnel compared with the side we beat in the league last month.

Former Towners Sam Chaney and Brandon Adams both started but the visitors hardly laid a glove on us apart from a brief spell either side of halftime.

Town welcomed back from injury both Joe Payne and Josh Okotcha while Sami Bessadi was given a start in midfield.

And we were on the scoresheet after just eight minutes through Marcus Wyllie’s seventh goal in six games in all competitions as he took up the inside right position before running through to produce yet another outstanding finish.

Just before Marcus’ goal, Rhys Forster came charging out of his area, waited for a Town player to pass to but didn’t spot Bar skipper Adelberto Pinto rise to his feet with the goal at his mercy.

Luckily Pinto’s shot flew over and it was the last time the visitors threatened us for the entire first half.

On 14 minutes, our lead was doubled when Sam Youngs ghosted in Martin Peters-style to head home Ollie Knight’s corner and thereafter it was a case of chance after chance.

James Richmond headed an Ollie Knight freekick against the bar, Preston Edwards stuck out a leg to save when Reece Beckles-Richards was one on one with the Bar keeper and Marcus got his legs in a tangle when through on goal.

Just before halftime Edwards came to the rescue again to keep out an Ollie Knight effort and the only disappointment at the interval was that we weren’t leading by more.

H-T 2-0

Potters Bar couldn’t play much worse but 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline and while they didn’t really threaten Forster’s goal, they changed system and briefly looked a threat.

Town’s third, therefore, was perfectly timed. Knight’s delivery caused problems all afternoon and it was from his ball up the line that Joe Payne made the game safe with a cross-shot that deceived Edwards and nestled in the far corner (pictured).

As we toyed with the opposition, the chances kept coming, Edwards preventing an even more resounding victory by saving from Beckles-Richards and Payne while a Scott Thomas drive hit the side netting.

Town reverted to a period of keep ball which almost resulted in the goal of the game when Marcus ran on to Thomas’ through-ball, only for Edwards to be called into action for the umpteenth time.

Some of our football was sublime and although the visitors did get the ball in the net late on, Max Jessop’s effort was ruled offside.

“How the game panned out we should have won by a country mile,” said Gavin afterwards. “We were disappointed at halftime not to have made it a non-contest. Whilst it was 2-0 they had a chance and we were perhaps missing a ruthless streak.

“You could argue were not great in front of goal yet we scored three. That’s what this team is capable of. Once you get to 3-0, it’s easier to express yourself.”

“I have to say Ollie Knight thoroughly deserved his man of the match award. His supply from wide areas is a defender’s nightmare and he works tirelessly.”

“The FA Cup is so important, not just for me but also the club and the supporters. Everyone is now looking at the draw on Monday.”

Town

Forster; Parcell, Richmond, Okotcha (Adeoya, 88), Payne; Knight, Thomas, Youngs, Bessadi (Adjei-Hersey, 78) ; Beckles-Richards (Soulya-Osekango, 75) , Wyllie

By Andrew Warshaw

Gavin Macpherson doesn’t need reminding about the importance of the FA Cup.

Gav knows how a decent cup run, and the financial rewards that go with it, can galvanise a team’s season and like all of us is hoping for a successful start when we take on Potters Bar at home on Saturday in the first qualifying round (ko 3pm).

Five years ago while at Met Police, Gavin enjoyed his “15 minutes of fame”, as he put it, when his then club reached the first round proper against Newport County having come through six ties.

The television cameras were there to witness the professional side’s 2-0 win and it was a memorable day all round.

Town’s unbeaten league start – including a 2-0 win at Potters Bar — will have little bearing on Saturday’s fixture. The Scholars have brought in a raft of new players since and whilst both teams might have hoped for a draw against lower league opposition at this stage of the competition, we have to contend with a Step 3 rival.

Following Monday’s draw at Haringey, when we had a raft of players missing, Gavin is hoping to have a few  back from injury for what promises to be hard-fought game between two sides desperate to advance.

“Potters Bar have probably learned more lessons about us than vice-versa,” said Gavin. “There’s a difference in their personnel now but it should help being at home. I’ve experienced the FA Cup and it’s a game changer. We need the fans to get behind us as they always do.”

Haringey Borough 1 Enfield Town 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Marcus Wyllie’s sixth goal in five games rescued a last-gasp point for Town as we maintained our unbeaten start to the season in the most challenging of circumstances on Monday afternoon.

Given the mounting number of injuries and enforced changes we had to make, some of them square pins in round holes, it’s no surprise that Gavin and the boys were all smiles at the final whistle.

No-one would deny that Haringey were by far the better side in the first half and could have been out of sight had they taken their chances on their artificial pitch.

But whilst we rode our luck at times and Rhys Forster kept us in the game, thanks to couple of timely tweaks by Gavin, a change of formation and the whole side showing fantastic resilience, we improved considerably  after the break and ended up with a draw to be proud of.

Still missing the likes of Louis Birch and Joe Payne as well as long-term victims Jake Cass and Lewis Taaffe, Josh Okotcha and Carlos Garcia-Velasco were added to the injury list, leaving us horribly stretched, whilst the bench comprised only one fully fit outfield player.

As a result, Dylan Adjei-Hersey had to be pushed into an unfamiliar rightback slot, Ekow Coker handed a central defensive opportunity and Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo brought into midfield.

The inexperience certainly told in the first half when Haringey swarmed all over us, forcing us into mistakes and missing several good chances, not least Tage Kennedy firing wide when clean through.

Just as it looked like we had weathered the proverbial early storm, Mickey Parcell’s late challenge on Kasim Aidoo earned Haringey a penalty which Mat Young cooly converted.

Forster, who had already thwarted Walter Figuera, prevented a second Haringey goal with another smart stop but right on half time, Town almost levelled when Sam Youngs’ bullet header was bundled off the line.

H-T 0-1

Fortunate to be only one down, Gavin made a halftime switch with Kyle Bailey, who hadn’t trained for several weeks, replacing Gucci and Dylan Adjei-Hersey reverting to his normal position.

Kyle, showing tremendous character, slotted in seamlessly and we were very nearly on level terms when Dillon Barnes stuck out a leg to save from Wyllie.

Haringey were still creating chances at the other end, however, either missing the target or finding Forster in supreme form.

Cue a switch to a back three and suddenly Town finished the stronger. Youngs saw a snapshot whistle past the post and just as the board showed five added minutes, our persistency paid off.

Youngs collected Parcell’s pass and, not for the first time this season, found Marcus in a pocket of space to finish off the move though Barnes will be disappointed he couldn’t keep it out (pictured).

“I take some responsibility for the first half,” said Gavin. “Playing Dylan at rightback was totally my decision but  we were missing a huge number of players.”

“Let’s face it they could have been out of sight and Rhys kept us in it.  Under normal circumstances with two games in 48 hours I’d have made three or four changes but we had to go with what we had available so I’m absolutely delighted. I’d be astonished if Haringey finish near the bottom so with everything taken into consideration, it’s a great point.”

 Town

Forster; Parcell, Richmond, Coker, Adjei-Hersey (Bessadi, 80); Knight, Thomas, Youngs, Soulya-Osekanongo (Bailey, 45); Wyllie, Beckles-Richards

Enfield Town 2 Cray Wanderers 0

Report by Andrew warshaw

Not our best performance but probably our best win. That’s how Gavin Macpherson summed up yesterday’s hard-fought victory over Cray, marking the finest start in the club’s history at Step 3 level.

Early days still of course but Town remain top of the table on goal difference despite missing not only Jake Cass but three or four other key players.

Joe Payne became the latest casualty when he failed a fitness test just before kickoff, Mickey Parcell switching to the left.

Marcus Wyllie, leading the line in the absence of the injured Jake, almost opened the score after 10 minutes from Mickey’s sublime through-ball, only for Shaun Rowley to pull off a stunning save.

Town didn’t have things all their own way in an even first half marked by a raging thunder and lightning storm that for a while represented monsoon conditions though the pitch held up well.

Cray, who made the playoffs last term after finishing fifth, looked dangerous whenever the pacey Yahaya Bamber and midfielder Frankie Raymond had the ball while Anthony Cook headed inches wide.

H-T 0-0

If the first half was a tight affair, the second belonged to Town.

Wyllie wasted a freekick, awarded after Reece Beckles-Richards had his shirt tugged for the umpteenth time, by shooting well wide but he soon made up for it.

 On 55 minutes, Reece’s cross was headed straight into the path of Marcus who kept his composure to fire across goal and into the corner.

 Eight minutes later, Town’s main man up front made it five goals in four games, turning inside his marker before seeing his sharp effort loop over Rowley via a Cameron Black deflection (pictured).

Marcus could have had a hat-trick, only to spoon an arguably easier attempt over the bar, and as Cray tried to rally they were thwarted by two fine stops from Rhys Forster while James Richmond and Josh Okotcha again formed an impressive defensive partnership.

Ultimately Town were worthy winners on the day in front of 526 fans as we preserved our 100 percent record.

Gavin had been concerned beforehand about Cray being a false position and about growing number of injuries but got the perfect response

“I don’t want to take any credit but all we did in the second half was change to a 4-1-4-1 and drop Reece down to nullify what Cray were doing and stop them playing,” said Gavin.

“What we did then on a skiddy surface was ask the boys to put balls down the channels. It was just a couple of subtle changes. But then of course you need the execution. With Marcus, he’s a natural centreforward. I said that from day one. It’s just a case of letting him go and play without putting too much pressure on him.”

Looking ahead to Haringey Borough, Gavin says he will have assess the players on Monday morning with Carlos Garcia-Velasco, who grew into the game after a tricky first 20 minutes, the latest one to struggle with injury.

“I never expected this to be our best performance but we came through it,” said Gav. “Everyone knows they’ll be some highs and lows this season but we’ve had a great start.”

Team

Forster; Parcell, Okotcha, Richmond, Garcia-Velasco; Knight (Bessadi, 88), Youngs, Thomas, Adjei-Hersey ( Soulya-Osekanongo); Wyllie, Beckles-Richards

The club is proud to support Philanthropy London, a Community Interest Company that gives a minimum of 65% of profits back to the local community.

They support adults with learning disabilities and adults suffering with their mental health in the borough of Enfield to work in their shop in Palmers Green and also help fund local projects.

They are looking for donations of adult clothing, shoes and accessories, especially men’s sportswear and trainers and would really appreciate your support.

The club will have a collection point at the stadium for clothing at tomorrow’s home game v Cray Wanderers . Please bring your donations to help support this local organisation.

By Andrew Warshaw

 Enfield Town attempt to maintain their 100 percent start to the season on Saturday against a side Gavin Macpherson rates as far better than their results to date might suggest.

Despite three straight wins, the last of which at  Folkestone last Saturday was perhaps the most pleasing, Town have an awkward 48 hours ahead of them starting with the visit of Cray Wanderers who finished fifth last term.

Just 48 hours later, we go to  Haringey Borough on Bank Holiday Monday for a local derby that will pose its own problems for a squad that is beginning to  look somewhat thin because of injuries.

“Cray were right up in the promotion race last season and although they have lost all three games, we will have to be near-perfect,” said Gavin.

With Jake Cass now ruled out for the season and at least three other regulars extremely doubtful, Gavin is having to box clever with his selections.

“It’s a real balancing act in terms of mixing it up over the next two games – if I have the chance to,” Gav explained.

“Most of those injured should be back fairly soon so I’ve stood back from trying to bring anyone else in. Let’s just hope we don’t take another hit against Cray. I have huge trust in the squad. It’s just concerning we are so short of numbers so soon.”

 The exception to holding back is trying to acquire a like-for-like replacement for Jake. Easier said than done.

“We are trying to bolster our options in that position but it means bringing in a very, very good player. And that kind of player is very unlikely not to be playing at another club,” Gav explained.

He has nothing but praise for the squad who have so far risen to every challenge.

“They are running through brick walls at the moment,” said Gavin on the eve of the game against Cray who by all accounts were unlucky to come up short against three of the division’s heavyweights in  Lewes, Horsham and Billericay.

“Now we are asking the boys to do it yet again. I take my hat off to them.”

Folkestone Invicta 1-2 Enfield Town
Report by Glyn Smith

Enfield Town maintained their position at the top of the Isthmian League on Saturday with a 2-1 win at Folkestone Invicta.

The starting eleven showed two changes from Tuesday’s team at Potters Bar, with Mickey Parcell coming in for Carlos Garcia-Velasco and Ollie Knight replacing the sadly injured Jake Cass; Parcell coming straight off a flight from Florida. Folkestone included former Towners Ade Cole and Andre Coker in their line up.

After an even start it was Town who created the first meaningful attack as a run by Adjei-Hersey ended with his cross just failing to reach Wyllie. Folkestone then made an enforced change in the 11th minute as centre back Moses came off suffering from an early injury. A flighted Ollie Knight free kick in the 14th minute caused chaos in the Folkestone area as home keeper Coleman mistimed his punch and James Richmond’s effort looped up onto the top of the crossbar and away for a goal kick. A booking for Joe Payne in the 18th minute confused all, but it transpired that the caution was for marking the touchline prior to taking a throw on.

A Folkestone break from the throw in saw their first chance as Andre Coker set up Jordan Ababio, whose shot beat Forster but was cleared off the line by the covering Okotcha. Folkestone then started ramping up the pressure and a 25 yard drive by Ira Jackson saw the ball cannon off the crossbar past the diving Forster. Richmond picked up a caution for clipping the heels of the dangerous Jackson midway in Town’s half. Town broke the deadlock in the 38th minute when a defence splitting pass by Scott Thomas allowed Marcus Wyllie to run on and confidently stroke the ball into the onion bag past the onrushing home custodian.

HT: Invicta 0-1 Town

At half time towering centre back Ekow Coker came on for his Town debut, replacing Okotcha. Town were again quickest out of the blocks until David Smith’s low yard drive was turned round the post by Forster in the 58th minute. Town’s lead was increased 8 minutes later. Not for the first time the hugely impressive Wyllie forced a mistake out of a defender and ran on with the ball before squaring it to Knight, who finished from 15 yards.

As the game became more stretched a run and low shot by Sam Youngs forced a save by Coleman, but in the 76th minute Folkestone got their goal. Town failed to clear a corner, a shot hit the post and rebounded to Callum Davies, who volleyed home. Gucci Soulya Osekanongo replaced Reece Beckles-Richards before the restart. Town comfortably saw out the final ten minutes, despite Folkestone having the better of the exchanges, and in injury time a two on two break ended with man of the match Wyllie firing over the bar. An impressive confident team performance saw Town come away with the 3 points, and you have to go back to 2002 to find the last time we won our opening three league games.

Enfield Town – Rhys Forster; Mickey Parcell, Josh Okotcha (sub Ekow Coker 46 min), James Richmond, Joe Payne; Scott Thomas, Sam Youngs, Ollie Knight, Dylan Adjei-Hersey; Reece Beckles-Richards (sub Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo 76 min), Marcus Wyllie

Unused subs – Adi Connolly, Sami Bessadi, Louis Birch

Att: 818

Potters Bar Town 0 Enfield Town 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Two games, two wins, five goals scored, none conceded, top of the table on goal difference.

An “almost perfect” away performance was how Gavin Macpherson summed up Tuesday’s thoroughly deserved derby win at Potters Bar whilst admitting it was a bitter-sweet occasion due to a nasty-looking injury to Jake Cass.

With kickoff delayed by almost 10 minutes due to the sheer number of Towners fans among the 450-plus crowd trying to get through the one turnstile, we could hardly have got off to a better start.

On four minutes, Cass picked up a loose ball halfway inside the Bar half and, unchallenged, burst forward to finish superbly with his weaker left foot before wheeling away in delight (pictured).

Sadly, it was the last meaningful contribution for Jake who was taken out by a Potters Bar defender with what looked like a bad Achilles injury, needed lengthy treatment and ended up hobbling on crutches — or rather the one crutch available.

To make matters worse, the injury is on the other leg to the persistent knee issue that has given Jake such grief in recent weeks and hampered his progress. We can only wish him luck and hope it’s not as serious as it first looked.

Winger Ollie Knight replaced Jake for his Town debut and soon produced the kind of delivery that Gavin believes will make him such an important player for us.

If Jake’s goal was well taken, our second on 23 minutes was even better.  Sam Youngs fed Marcus Wyllie down the right and just like on Saturday Marcus did the rest, cutting inside before delivering a sumptuous finish into the far corner.

Marcus was again involved when he stole the ball off a defender to set up  Reece Beckles-Richards who couldn’t quite climb high enough to meet the cross.

At the other end Rhys Forster was well positioned to parry a fierce drive from Leigh Rose.

H-T 0-2

Potters bar came out with more purpose and possession but still we created chances, Joe Payne’s goalbound effort cannoning off a defender.

Wyllie almost made it 3-1 when again using his pace before shooting narrowly wide but the hosts should have halved the deficit when substitute Cyrus Babaie  — who had replaced former Town favourite Liam Hope — lashed wide after we were caught out in a dangerous position.

Whilst there were no more goals, the three points were never in doubt with a defensively solid display and Youngs and evergreen skipper Scott Thomas pulling the strings in midfield.

While Gavin was delighted with the performance, he was none too pleased with the new stricter guidelines referees have been given this season.

Town had six players booked, some for time-wasting, most distinctly soft. “The new rules are killing the game,” said Gavin. “Referees are being put under unnecessary added pressure. We didn’t put one bad tackle in but if this is where we are going to go, football will become less enjoyable.”

On the plus side, Gavin had no hesitation naming an unchanged side from Saturday. “At my previous club I invariably changed up three or four if we had a Tuesday game after a Saturday, especially after pre-season. I just felt this time I had the right people on the pitch. It was a near-perfect away display but it may be too much to ask of all of them to go again at Folkestone on Saturday which will be a very tough game.”

Cass, of course, looks like being one of those missing out.  “It doesn’t look good and could be a massive blow for our planning,” Gavin admitted. “I feel for Jake. We’ll just have to assess how we move forward.”

Town

Forster; Garcia-Velasco, Richmond, Okotcha, Payne; Beckles-Richards, Youngs, Thomas (oulya-Osekanongo. 80), Adjei-Hersey (Birch, 70); Cass (Knight 22), Wyllie

By Andrew Warshaw

Enfield Town will attempt to build on their fine opening day win when they visit Potters Bar on Tuesday for the first derby of the season (kickoff 7.45)

While we were winning 3-0 on Saturday, Bar were crushed 5-0 at Carshalton but Gavin Macpherson expects a reaction and has warned his players against complacency.

No fewer than nine players have departed the Scholars in recent days  but Max Mitchell has also recruited a fair few and games between us are invariably tasty affairs.

Gavin said he wanted a decent return of points from the first few games to put us in a good place for when crucial players who have been unavailable are back.

One of those, Ollie Knight, is expected to return to the squad as Town attempt to maintain the form showed against Concord Rangers when Gavin’s front-foot philosophy was richly rewarded.

“If we can get a foundation going in the first week in respect of points, then it gives you a platform,” he said.

That means continuing to try and take the game to the opposition, whenever possible of course. “If there is chance to go forward, it’s one of the markers we have put down for this team,” added Gavin.

Even if it doesn’t always come off?

“We use the terminology in training that we give them permission to make mistakes as long as they are sticking to what we ask them to do. Players worry about things like that.”

What they specifically need to heed against Potters Bar, says Gavin, is not to think the job is already done.

 “We give every side we play the respect they deserve. The last thing I said to the players in the dressing room after Concord was that complacency will be their biggest enemy.”

Enfield Town 3 Concord Rangers 0

Report By Andrew Warshaw

As new eras go, they don’t start much better than this.

Missing several key players including Ollie Knight and Mickey Parcell, Gavin and the management team saw much of the pre-season work bear fruit as Town cruised to victory against opponents who were in Step 2 last season.

One swallow doesn’t make a summer and Town will have far greater challenges in the weeks and months ahead but you can only play what’s in front of you and the performance augurs well for the new style of play Gavin, Jon and the rest of the coaching staff are trying to implement.

For the first 15 minutes, however, it looked as if we might have a tough opening day baptism.

With just seconds on the clock, Town got lucky when they totally switched off at a freekick and Harrison Day saw his shot come back off the post.

Concord continued to press ominously and be first to the ball but once we settled down, we really looked the part and had wrested the ascendancy away from our visitors by the time we opened the score on 33 minutes with a textbook goal which apparently had been perfected in training.

 A throw along the line was collected by Marcus Wyllie whose fabulous cross-field pass was expertly converted at the far post by the on-rushing Reece Beckles-Richards.

Marcus had already seen his overhead kick from a Sam Youngs cross fly inches over and three minutes after the goal, Town doubled their lead. Sam did what he does best, finding space on the edge of the box and latching on to a weak defensive header before lashing the ball home.

Concord were putting in some tasty challenges, none more than Fanion Sims on Scott Thomas which earned the Concord man a yellow card. Jake Cass, who otherwise had a powerful game as he continues to improve his fitness, also saw yellow for retaliation.

H-T 2-0

If the first 45 minutes were a half of two halves, so to speak, Concord hardly threatened thereafter.

Town might easily have had a penalty when keeper Lamat Johnson clattered into Wyllie while Cass saw a deflected effort bounce off the post.

With running out, Town made the game safe.  Wyllie nicked the ball off fullback luke Ige and as the visiting defence stood off expecting a foul to be awarded, Marcus ran on before supplying the sweetest of finishes (pictured).

Under the new stoppage time rules, 10 minutes were added which Town played out comfortably with excellent game management.

“I want to start by thanking our amazing support,” said Gavin afterwards. “You literally make the difference, we all acknowledge the level of passion you have for the club which massively helped drive us on.”

“I was very happy with the performance. Was it perfect? No of course not but I didn’t expect that. Probably the most pleasing thing apart from the result and the three goals is that Rhys hasn’t been troubled apart from that mad first minute when it was a total switch-off.”

“I think the wind helped them at first and kept us deep in the pitch but once we got a few messages out there, we gradually gained a foothold and never lost it.”

Town

Forster; Garcia-Velasco, Okotcha, Richmond Payne; Beccles-Richards (oulya-Osekanongo 74), Thomas (Bessadi, 89), Youngs, Adjei-Hersey; Wyllie, Cass

Interview By Andrew Warshaw

Behind every successful and ambitious manager, there is invariably a highly regarded and trusted No. 2.

None more so than at Enfield Town this season with Jon Nurse providing a crucial extra pair of eyes and ears for Gavin Macpherson.

It’s a partnership that goes back to their days together at Met Police and one built on trust, mutual respect and an almost intuitive chemistry.

Do they always agree? Absolutely not but Jon, who played professionally for Stevenage, Dagenham and Redbridge and Barnet (we’ll forgive him for the last of those!), says the key is all about complementing each other’s skills.

Having played under a series of managers including Graham Westley, Martin Allen and Edgar Davids, Jon picked up an enormous amount of knowledge about different ways of winning games of football.

“I was always intrigued by the whole aspect of coaching,” said Jon who recently passed his A license.  “Of course you can never get the same buzz as crossing that white line as a player on a match day but even before I was a pro, as a youngster I had this feeling coaching was inside of me.”

“I can’t affect the game on the pitch but I can do the work during the week and then trust the players to do what we ask of them.”

Notice use of the word “we”, meaning the entire management team but specifically the relationship between manager and coach.

“Gav and I are very different. I want things done at 100 miles an hour and am quite headstrong whereas Gav is calm, reserved and thoughtful. That’s why he’s a manager and I’m a coach. The fact that we’re opposites, I can get him to think about things in a different way. He always makes the final decision but he allows me to have an opinion.”

“At Step 3 you can’t expect the players to be professional footballers. What we ask them has to be realistic, we build a system around the players that we’ve got.”

The fact that Gavin also coaches, unlike many managers, helps rather than hinders their relationship.

“It means we can divide up training and get more contact time with the players which is difficult if you don’t coach,” Jon explained.

But they do have their differences. “I was a forward whereas Gavin was defender but we try to find a balance. If we always agreed, I’d be a yes man which is not what Gav wants. We are open and honest with each other.”

One thing they agree on with a passion is trying to play the ball on the ground.  Jon fervantly believes that just because he is coaching non-league footballers, that doesn’t mean they lack the ability to play in a certain way.

“If you keep the football, you control the game. I hear people saying ‘oh they’re only non-league players’ but what does that mean? You turn up to play football, not to crash the ball 100 metres simply because it’s the easiest way to get rid of it.”

But keeping possession can also mean sometimes accidentally giving the ball away at our level, surely. “Yes but we don’t jump on people for making mistakes, otherwise they’d never want the football,” Jon told me. “ We’re trying to get the group to feel comfortable.”

Not a lot of people know this but Jon has six international caps for Barbados, the country of his birthplace even though his dad is from Guyana and his mum from Jamaica.

“I had a choice when I was younger but I always wanted to play for my place of birth. Having said that I was shocked when the call came through.”

One highlight was playing against his brother Chris who chose to play for Guyana. “It was a great moment for the family but the other special moment was playing against the USA in Los Angeles. It was a World Cup qualifier and they had a host of Premier League players.  Unforgettable.”

Like many No.2s, John is the antithesis of a publicity seeker but is loving every minute of his partnership with Gavin and working with the rest of the Towners management team. Despite having to travel from south London for training and match days, he is relishing the role.

“I like to go about my business quietly but I can tell instantly whether I can work with someone or whether I can’t. As soon as Gavin got on the phone to me and told me about Enfield Town and how this club suited who we were as human beings, I immediately trusted his judgement.

“It’s down to morals, values and ethics. Gav’s and mine are very aligned. That’s 100 percent why the chemistry works.”

We are delighted to announce the signing of 22-year-old Ekow Coker as our latest arrival on the eve of the new season.

In a way it’s welcome back because Ekow represented a range of youth sides in the capital before signing for Enfield Town under 18’s, then moving on to Hanwell Town.

The 6ft-5 in defender, who played in the second half of our final pre-season outing against Grays, has enjoyed spells at Workington and Macclesfield Town where he gained invaluable experience.

Welcome Back, Ekow

Enfield Town are thrilled to announce an exciting partnership with our friends from Powerday for the season ahead.

The deal will see the waste management company support both the first team and the club’s wider community partnerships. Powerday will have their name on the first team home shirts for the forthcoming campaign as well as supporting the club’s soccer school, walking football and disability sections.

Tara Crossan, Head of Marketing and Communications at Powerday, commented:  “We are delighted to announce our sponsorship of Enfield Town FC as the official community and First Team Sponsor for the upcoming season.

“As part of our commitment to support the communities in which we operate, we are proud to continue our partnership with Enfield Town FC, a club that has a wide impact in the local community,

Supporting not only the first team but also the Community Soccer School, Disability Team and Walking Football Team, this partnership represents our dedication to promote sports and foster community development in the Enfield area and we look forward to the season ahead.”

Paul Reed, Chairman of Enfield Town, said:  “It’s fantastic that Powerday are once again our main sponsors for the forthcoming season. They are a brilliant company who are a big part of our local community and have supported us superbly for a number of seasons.

“It’s been great to extend the partnership in to our community activities and this will allow us to continue to grow and develop the opportunities for local people to get involved in sport at all levels and abilities. We’re truly grateful for the sponsorship and look forward to working closely together throughout the season.”

By Andrew Warshaw

Pre-season is over, the players have been put through their paces by manager Gavin Macpherson and his backroom team and all eyes are now firmly on this Saturday and the visit of Concord Rangers (3pm kickoff) as a new era gets under way.

Concord were relegated from Step 2 at the end of last season and are likely to provide strong opposition at the start of arguably the toughest ever Isthmian League Premier division campaign.

“Pre-season was all about putting down markers and being ready for that first game of the season and where you are trying to be,” said Gavin after a build-up that culminated last weekend with an encouraging win over Grays followed by two training sessions this week.

Renowned for his front-foot philosophy, the first two pre-season outings were about concentrating on how the players worked out of possession, then in later matches switching to how they performed with the ball.

Most of the new signings have been prominent in pre-season but frustratingly we will be without the likes of Mickey Parcell and Ollie Knight for the first couple of games, as well as one or two other key players unavailable through injury, suspension or for personal reasons.

Despite winning our last four warm-up matches, Gavin says the fans need to be realistic about where we’re at on the pitch.

“We are in transition which I know is a difficult word for some supporters. It can translate as this is going to be an indifferent period. I don’t necessarily see it like that but what you’ve got is a different style of playing and there are wide contrasts with the past.  

“I’ve been given the task of coming in and building something that is a little bit different. It doesn’t necessarily come naturally for some of the players to learn a different style of football.”

Dealing with the forced absence of several important members of the squad has not been easy but Gavin and his team are raring to go.

“I’ve been planning on two fronts to be honest. One for the season, the other to get through the first week. If we can come through the latter with a decent return of points, that will be a good start because we will only get better in respect of who will be coming back.”

Enfield Town 2 Grays Atheltic 1

Report from Andrew warshaw

A pair of worldies from Scott Thomas and Sam Youngs earned us a come-from-behind victory against an at times over-physical Grays Athletic on Saturday, making it four straight wins in what was our final pre-season fixture before next weekend’s big kickoff.

Missing the likes of Ollie Knight, Mickey Parcell, James Richmond and Louis Birch, there were loads of positives to take away despite, in Gavin Macpherson’s words, plenty of work still to be done on the training pitch before we entertain Concord Rangers.

In horribly wet conditions, Town were hit with an unfortunate blow just before kickoff when Ryhs Forster slipped during a routine goalkeeping drill and appeared to turn his ankle.

Adi Connolly ended up keeping goal throughout but it is hoped Rhys will recover in time for next Saturday.

Grays, one of the favourites to be promoted from Step 4 and now managed by former Hornchurch boss Mark Stimson, made it hard for us in the first half, cutting off our supply lines and dealing out some tasty challenges to put it mildly.

 On 33 minutes, the visitors took the lead when Kyle Bailey, making an unusual error, was caught in possession and Sully Buchannon tucked the ball home inside Adi’s near post.

H-T 0-1

The second half, as so often in pre-season, was a different story. Just two minutes after the break, skipper Scott hit a 25-yard screamer to pull us level  and just after the hour mark we were in front courtesy of Sam’s audacious back heel (pictured, no. 8) from recent signing Carlos Garcia-Velasco’s curling cross.

A mix-up at the back almost let Grays back in, shortly after which new signing Dylan Adjei-Hersey had to be substituted holding his left shoulder as a result of perhaps the most brutal challenge of the game.

A few more half-chances for Town came and went, two falling to Jake Cass who managed to play the full 90 minutes – a huge tonic for both himself and the management – before the referee brought an end to proceedings.

“Stimmo’s sides are always competitive,” said Gavin with more than a hint of understatement. “To be honest that side of the game is perhaps something we are short on. People like to see the football played but 15 to 20 points a season will be won out of possession when you need to stand up and be counted.”

“I appreciate we are not set up to play that way but in a way this was the sort of game I wanted.”

Except, of course, we need to play well in both halves rather than just one.

“That’s exactly right. Again I was a bit grumpy at halftime which is not how I am very often. We have to look after ourselves a little bit better when things get a bit more physical, and be better retaining possession.”

“But two very good goals, we could have had more and the second half was a really good step forward from where we’ve been.”

Town starting line-up

 Connolly; Velasco, Okotcha, Bailey, Payne; Thomas, Youngs, Adjei-Hersey; Beckles-Richards, Cass, Wyllie

As the management team puts the finishing touches to the squad, we have brought in another player who caught the eye during pre-season.

Carlos Velasco is a familiar name having initially signed for us on a dual registration with Welwyn Garden City towards the back end of last season.

A Spanish rightback, Carlos began his career in the fifth tier in Spain with CDA Navalcamero and we are delighted to have him rejoin for a second spell.

Welcome Back Carlos

Tomorrow, Saturday, we wrap up our pre-season campaign with a home game against step 4 Grays Athletic (kickoff 3pm).

Last season Grays finished 5th in Isthmian League North and were beaten by Sudbury in the playoff semifinal.

They are now managed by former Hornchurch boss Mark Stimson and expected to mount a strong promotion challenge this season.

In their most recent pre-season friendly,  Grays  showed their mettle by securing  a creditable 1-1 draw away at Canvey Island.

Tomorrow’s match gives our management team one final chance to fine tune preparations on the pitch, with two training sessions due to take place next week ahead of the big Aug 12 kickoff.

With a week to go before the start of the new season, we are thrilled to announce the signing of Dylan Adjei-Hersey, an ex-professional winger with AFC Wimbledon.

Dylan played part of last season on loan at Step 2 Hungerford Town and spent much of this pre-season at Weymouth in National League South.

Acquiring his services from a higher level is hugely exciting and Dylan, still only 20, trained with us on Thursday.

“I was aware he had not renewed his contract under the current Wimbledon manager,” said Gavin Macpherson. “I’d been keeping tabs on him last season at Hungerford but he went to Weymouth during this pre-season.”

“He had three deals on the table so I’m absolutely delighted. He’s going to give us pace and is very versatile and can also play wing-back.”

Welcome, Dylan!

We are delighted to announce the signing of Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo who has been on trial with us and has impressed the management team.

Gucci, whose first stint with us was in August and September last season, joins from Sutton United whose academy he captained to the third round of the 21-22 U18 FA youth cup.

The 19-year-old midfielder also spent some time with Corinthian-Casuals last season.

“I’ve been impressed with Gucci, he’s young and hungry to succeed at Enfield and I love that,” said Gavin Macpherson.

“He gives us a different option in midfield which can only be healthy for the squad.”

Welcome back, Gucci!

Two goals from Jake Cass ensured Enfield Town picked up a third pre-season win on the bounce on Tuesday evening, but they were made to work for their victory by a dogged Rayners Lane side.

Although on paper this was a test against a Step 5 outfit, the hosts started with several players who spent last season two divisions higher and they frustrated Town for large spells in a stop-start first half punctuated by a series of fouls.

The visitors were unable to carve through the Lane defence or muster any clear-cut chances of note, with Joe Payne’s 25-yard free-kick on 20 minutes easily gathered by the goalkeeper, while at the other end former Towner Alex Cathline missed a gilt-edged header from close range following a swift counter down the left flank. On the cusp of half time, Town’s best chance fell to James Richmond, whose hooked shot following a Payne long throw was directed straight at the keeper.

HT: 0-0

An unchanged XI after the break, but there was now far more verve to Town’s performance. Adi Connolly stood tall and remained sharp to hold onto an effort at his near post before a trialist embarked on a surging run through the centre and nudged the ball into the path of Cass, whose low snapshot bobbled into the goalkeeper.

But Town’s number 9 made amends a minute later and in quite some fashion. After good combination play on the edge of the box by two midfield trialists, a fizzed cross found Cass in the centre, who brought it down with the side of the boot and, on the bounce, produced a sensational overhead kick which looped into the left-hand corner.

It was soon two in as many minutes as Mickey Parcell’s sweeping pass picked out Cass at the gallop to clip the ball over the advancing goalkeeper for his, and Town’s, second of the evening.

Town were now in control of proceedings and were denied a third by a lick of paint; a driving run from a midfield trialist concluding with his long-range shot smacking the post. Town introduced five changes to the fold for the final quarter of the game and – with the exception of Lane’s Keano Robinson striking a post from a sloppy free-kick – saw out the game in relative comfort.

While this could be summed up as another display of two halves, Town’s marked improvement after the restart, as well as a clean sheet, pleased manager Gavin Macpherson:

“Firstly, credit to [Rayners Lane]: they’re not a Step 5 side, that’s for sure. They are in league terms, but there’s a lot of Step 3 and above players out there.”

“I wasn’t best pleased at half time and I told [the players], if I’m honest. I won’t know if the reaction is due to me telling them but I thought the second half was really good, especially that initial half an hour … legs, energy, passion: everything I’m asking from the team. I thought the first half, even though we spoke about it before the game, was devoid of that.”

“Players are sometimes too accountable by managers, and I’ve told them the first thing I’ll do is go away and look at what we’re doing and how we’ve set them up and see whether that first half is anything to do with that. There are certainly concerns that I have at the moment, of course, it’s pre-season – why wouldn’t you? You’re taking over a team that’s trying to learn your methods. But all in all, it’s a fairly pleasing night I think.”

“Massively pleased with Cassy; scored two and could have had more, so that’s a real bonus for us to see him functioning.”

Enfield Town: Connolly; Parcell, Richmond (Okotcha), Bailey, Payne (Bessadi); Birch, Trialist (Thomas), Trialist, Trialist; Wyllie (Youngs), Cass (Beckles-Richards)

Tonight we visit Step 5 Rayners Lane FC in our penultimate pre-season fixture hoping to build on two successive victories.

In May, Rayners Lane beat Langley 2-0 in their divisional playoff final  to secure promotion to Step 5 for the first time since 1994

You may have noticed last Saturday that the management team introduced a couple of Ian Hart’s academy players in the second half, a deliberate move to give them a taste of first-team action.

“Of course they are not ready yet but it’s the start of a pathway,” Gavin Macpherson explained. “We want to give those lads a focus.”

Bringing young players through is a fundamental part of Gavin’s management philosophy.

“It’s a passion of mine. I know it can’t be done en masse but it gives them a focus that Enfield Town is where they should be looking.”

Waltham Abbey 2 Enfield Town 3

Report By Andrew Warshaw

Entertaining passages of play mixed with defensive sloppiness. In other words, plenty of work still to do in the remaining two weeks before the big kick-off.

That was pretty much how sum up another tight pre-season win over Step 4 opposition on Saturday.

On a pitch that was a credit to our opponents, we were again missing a number of key players and Waltham Abbey presented more than a decent challenge, if anything enjoying the better of the second half.

While there was much to admire about some of our build-up play, there is still some concern about several aspects going into the final two friendlies, not least relinquishing possession when going forward and our new-look pressing game at times not working as instructed, leaving us too strung out on occasions.

We could not really have got off to a better start, however. With just 55 seconds on the clock, a Sam Youngs shot was blocked and Marcus Wyllie followed up to score.

Marcus is getting more and more confident and his second goal on 32 minutes was a joy to behold. A clever Sami Bessadi dummy from a right-wing cross fell to Mickey Parcell whose forward pass appeared to be cut out by a defender, only for Marcus to nick the ball away and finish deftly (pictured).

In between, Rhys Forster had to be on his toes to keep out a couple of home efforts whilst Abbey also hit our woodwork.

With halftime approaching, they reduced the deficit under farcical circumstances courtesy of an own goal, a dodgy back pass to Rhys hitting him in the stomach and rolling over the line despite him back-pedalling to try and keep it out.

But we quickly restored out two-goal lead, Sam Youngs burying a free header from a Jo Payne long throw.

The sight of Jake Cass leading the line with power and authority was a huge tonic for the management and all Towners fans. Jake almost scored with an audacious overhead kick, managing 45 minutes in his first pre-season outing as he improves his fitness.

H-T 1-3

We might well have been out of sight on chances but six minutes after halftime, Abbey cut the deficit again as a result of yet more defensive hesitation.

They then proceeded to have more of the ball as Gavin rang the changes though with three minutes left, we should have wrapped things up when triallist shot straight at the keeper with the goal at his mercy.

“If there was going to be a lull, it was probably this game because they’ve been going Tuesday, Thursday in training, then Saturday,” Gavin explained afterwards.

“Some of what I saw was very pleasing. On the other hand some players didn’t step up and take responsibility for certain things. And you can’t legislate for the goals which were two of the worst I’ve seen in a long time, and that can’t go on.”

“But they were a week, if not two,  ahead of us in terms of their pre-season and were therefore a little bit sharper.”

“There’s still work to do to get the players round to our way of thinking. We are transitioning from a certain style of football into another but we should hopefully  see a progression going forward by the time we play  Concord Rangers. Everyone needs to be singing from the same songsheet.”

Town starting lineup:

Forster; Parcell, Okotcha, Richmond, Payne; Thomas, Youngs, Bessadi, Becles-Richards; Cass, Wyllie

The draw for the 23-24 Fenix Trophy has been announced, with the 12 participating teams learning where they will travel across the continent.

Enfield Town have been drawn in Group A with Copenhagen-based side BK Skjold, the current colders of the tournament; and Welsh side Llantwit Major.

We are in discussions with both sides and will meet with players and management to schedule the fixtures. We will of course update you on any news if and when we get it.

Town make the short trip to Waltham Abbey tomorrow, Saturday, for the next assignment in our pre-season campaign, kickoff 3pm

Gavin Macpherson was distinctly displeased with Tuesday’s display and tomorrow should give an indication of how he intends to shape the group going forward.

Our Step 4 opponents, in the same division as Tuesday’s opponents Welwyn Garden City, finished last season mid-table but have won two and drawn two of their pre-season fixtures to date, scoring 14 goals in the process.

Waltham Abbey’s address is Capershotts, Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey EN9 1NX. See you there!

Sing it with us… We’re All Going On A European Tour!

We are thrilled to announce that Enfield Town have accepted an invitation to play in this season’s edition of the Fenix Trophy, a UEFA-approved European competition for non-professional clubs of exceptional social, historical, and cultural distinctiveness.

This is the third season of the tournament, with 12 teams taking part from right across the continent. Last season’s tournament was won by Copenhagen side BK Skjold, who beat Prague Raptors in the final in Milan.

We join these other sides in the competition:

– BK Skjold (Denmark)*
– Llantwit Major (Wales)
– Prague Raptors (Czechia)*
– Venus Bucuresti (Romania)
– FC United of Manchester (England)*  **
– Vinsky FC (France)
– KSK Beveren (Belgium)*
– Lewes FC (England)**
– Krakow Dragoons (Poland)
– Gilla FC (Finland)

*Seeded Teams
**Sides from the same nation are kept apart

There will be 4 groups of 3 teams, with 2 home and 2 away games. Each match will be streamed on the official Fenix Trophy YouTube channel. The draw is taking place this coming Saturday at 1pm – make sure your passports are up to date!

We will update you on when we arrange fixtures (these were after October in last year’s edition) as soon as we have news.

 Welwyn Garden City 1 Enfield Town 3

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Enfield Town ran out 3-1 winners at Step 4 Welywn Garden City on Tuesday, finally getting on the scoresheet after three pre-season outings without a goal.

Yet Gavin Macpherson was far from happy afterwards, describing  the performance as a step back  and hinting strongly that some tough decisions will have to be made.

After highly creditable displays against QPR  Development, Spurs Under-21 and Bracknell, our first-half showing at Welwyn – managed by former Town favourite Marc Weatherstone — was poor against lower-league opposition in terms of passing, composure and communication though Mickey Parcell put in another commanding eye-catching performance.

After Gavin and the management team made a series of halftime changes, ball retention improved considerably, leading to a couple of excellent strikes from Marcus Wyllie and Sami Bessadi.

Town’s opening pre-season goal came on 15 minutes from the penalty spot. Charlie Crowley made a superb save but in the ensuing melee, Zak Brown was adjudged to have handled and  Reece Beckles-Richards fired home though Crowley got a good hand to the ball.

Ten minutes before the break, the Citizens levelled, also from the spot. Louis Birch, playing out of position at central defence following the late withdrawal of Kyle Bailey, made a holding midfielder-type challenge on Bailey Stevenson who proceeded to get to his feet and fire home the equaliser.

Both sides made a number of halftime subs and ours fortunately proved decisive with the likes of Sam Youngs and Scott Thomas adding authority and stability.

On 68 minutes we regained the lead after the best move of the game ended with Marcus drilling a right-foot strike into the far corner.

Three minutes from time, not one, but two goalbound strikes were blocked by the Welwyn defence. But when the ball fell to Bessadi he made no mistake with the third attempt, thrashing the ball home with a composed finish.

In truth we should have had more but Welwyn also had their fair share of chances and Gavin was distinctly non-plussed with the overall display.

“We had a few established players missing tonight but I can’t say I was best pleased, especially at halftime,” he said.

“Even if we’d won 6-1, I didn’t see some of the things I wanted to see and I wrote a lot of things down with a view to going forward to training on Thursday.

“To be perfectly honest,  I’d been pleased with the first three games and although tonight we stuck the ball in the net, I expected more from some of the players. I’ve seen a lot of good things come out in training so far but in some respects this was a step backwards.”

With the business end of pre-season to come in the next three games, Gavin didn’t mince his words.

“A few have knocked on my door saying they should be more involved but unfortunately some of them came up short. We now have to have some conversations. A few who’ve been with us simply won’t be in training on Thursday,  that’s the grim reality. It’s hard but that’s being a manager!”

“On another level it’s the best game we could have had in terms of making some decisions. I have to go what I feel in terms of getting it down to a group.”

Town starting line-up:

Connolly; Parcell, Birch, Okotcha, Payne; Wilkes, triallist, triallist; Beckles-Richards, Wyllie, triallist

Second half subs included Youngs, Thomas, Richmond and several triallists

Enfield Town 0 Bracknell Town 0

Report By Martin Bentley

Enfield Town played out their second consecutive goalless draw in pre-season against Southern League Bracknell Town on Saturday, although this game was of a different nature to Tuesday’s stalemate with Tottenham Hotspur’s Development squad.

Against opponents of equal standing to us, Town were able to attack more, and were unlucky not to get on the scoresheet, particularly in the first half.

Playing a passing game aimed at getting behind the visitors’ defence, Town succeeded in fashioning several good scoring chances, with Reece Beckles-Richards (pictured left), twice, and Sami Bessadi all having one-on-ones saved by visiting keeper Michael Eacott.

In addition, Joe Payne’s clever free-kick was well saved and Oliver Knight’s cross from the left curled on to the top of a startled Eacott’s cross bar.

Bracknell’s main attacking threat came from their wingers Zidan Akers and a triallist, with the former’s shot hitting the side netting and the triallist’s effort being well saved by Rhys Forster.

The mass second half substitution did not come until 65 minutes had passed, and the game unsurprisingly became more disjointed at this point.

Town still fashioned a few half-chances, mostly from the triallists on show, as well as Kian Wilkes’ far post header that was grabbed by Eacott.

Encouragingly, the second string Town defence succeeded in protecting Adi Connolly from any direct second half threat.

All-in-all, Town’s performances continue to be encouraging. All we need now is a few goals!

“I was pleased with the way we played. There are new concepts being added as we develop and I’m seeing pretty much what I want to see for pre-season at Step 3,” said Gavin Macpherson.

“I am however fully aware that we all like to see some goals and from the number of clear chances we created we should win the game comfortably.  So the in-possession creativity is on schedule but we need to start taking responsibility in front of goal whilst continuing to look solid.”

First half line-up: Forster, Parcell, Payne, Thomas (c), Bailey, Richmond, Bessadi, Youngs, Beckles-Richards, Triallist, Knight

Subs at 65 minutes: Connolly, Birch, Wyllie, Wilkes + 7 Triallists

Our third pre-season fixture against Bracknell Town tomorrow, Saturday, is a very special occasion.

Dubbed Community Day, we welcome our Emergency Services to the stadium who will put on demonstrations for children and adults alike, including how to carry out CPR.

With the emphasis on youth, other activities in the build-up to kick-off will be a magician and live band.

Adults will be charged only £5 between noon and 1.30, with children entering for free.

Everyone is welcome to stay on afterwards for the game against Bracknell Town, an extremely strong Step 3 side who last season reached the first round of the FA Cup and lost in the final of the playoffs in Southern League Premier Division South.

“They’re a very good Step 3 side,” said manager Gavin Macpherson. “It’s a good opportunity almost at the halfway stage of pre-season to see where we’re at against a side at our level.”

Enfield Town 0 Tottenham U21 0

By Andrew Warshaw

Just what the doctor ordered is perhaps the best way to sum up Tuesday night’s prestige friendly against a Tottenham Under-21 side.

Gavin and his management team got just what they asked for in terms of concentrating on how we performed off the ball, with players covering for each other and not leaving too many gaps for the visitors to exploit.

The crowd of 1,125 was a revelation, some 300 more than for the same fixture last season, and whilst there were no goals, there was plenty of encouragement for the rest of the pre-season campaign when the focus will switch to seeing how we take the game to opposition from the same level as us, or lower.

It was inevitable that our visitors, many of whom  had trained with the Spurs senior team and won both the under-17 and under-18 Premier League Cup, would control the game and have almost all the possession.

But in truth, they didn’t carve out too many clearcut chances, the two best both saved — by Rhys Forster’s spectacular tip-over from Dante Cassanova in the first half (pictured) and Adi Connolly pushing Lyons-Foster’s deflected effort onto the upright in the second period.

Rio Kyerematen and Nile John missed further chances but although Tottenham’s pace and dribbling skills were there for all to see, we kept our shape throughout and closed off the spaces as best we could.

Just as against QPR on Saturday, Gavin fielded two separate elevens in each half, with five of our summer recruits playing the first 45 minutes and Reece Beckles-Richards making a promising Town debut when introduced after halftime.

Louis Birch’s lung-busting industry and Ollie Knight’s crossing ability will surely be huge assets and although he was still nursing an injury, it was encouraging to see Jake Cass do some light running on the touchline as he attempts to regain fitness.

“Very pleased with our night’s work,” said Gavin afterwards. “How often have we been broken down by two professional clubs, on Saturday and tonight? Not that often. Your out of possession work is worth a lot points.”

 “What we saw in the last two games is what we’ve been working on in training. We can now tick that box to an extent and move on to what we want to build with the ball.”

“That’ll take some time. I’m still seeing things I don’t particularly like such as going long too quickly. We’ve got different ideas and the players are having to adapt. Having said that, they are not going to meet teams at Step 3 as sharp as Spurs in terms of closing down your passing options.”

Next up Bracknell on Saturday. “They’re a very good Step 3 side,” said Gavin. “It’s a good opportunity almost at the halfway stage of pre-season to see where we’re at against a side at our level.”

Town

first half: Forster, Parcell (c), Payne, Birch, Trailist, Richmond, Bessadi, Youngs, Trialist, Wyllie, Knight.

Second half Connolly, Bailey, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, Thomas (c), Taaffe, Trialist, Beckles-Richards, Trialist, Wilkes. Substitute: Trialist.

After Saturday’s promising opener against Queens Park Rangers, pre-season continues on Tuesday with our eagerly awaited traditional home fixture against a Tottenham Hotspur under-21 selection

This game always generates huge local interest and a bumper crowd is expected for the 7.30 kickoff with tickets available via the website or on the door.

Get there as soon as possible is the message for supporters ahead of what should be a cracking atmosphere against our prestigious near-neighbours.

By Andrew Warshaw

You can’t get much more local than Reece Beckles-Richards.

So when our exciting new forward, who has played for three of our local rivals, got a chance to join us from Cheshunt and move a few miles down the A10, he made up his mind pretty fast.

“There’s not a more local club I can play for and it didn’t take long for the gaffer to sell it to me,” said Reece who should be available for the Tottenham friendly on Tuesday.

“I’ve lived in the borough my whole life and now live literally five minutes from the ground. I could even walk there in 20 minutes.”

Still only 27, Reece brings bags of experience to the club not only from his three years at Cheshunt (his brief loan spell at Potters Bar last season consisted of one game – the Velocity final) but also at the likes of Farnborough, Hornchurch and, of course, Wingate and Finchley.

“I guess it does seem odd that I never played for Enfield before given where I was born and brought up. It nearly happened at one point but didn’t quite work out. A lot of my friends have played there, including Joe Payne, Mickey Parcell and Mo Faal and it’ll be great to meet up again with two of them.”

The stats might say Reece scored 23 goals in 83 goals for Cheshunt but he reckons it was more like 47 in all competitions. A natural marksman, he can’t wait to put on a blue and white shirt.

“Games against Enfield, whether when I was at Cheshunt or Wingate, were always tough,” says Reece who has the distinction of an international cap for Antigua and Barbuda back in 2015. “But now the boot is on the other foot, so to speak.”

Expanding on what it was about Gavin Macpherson that drew him to Town, Reece continued: “A lot of it was down to his honesty. I’m at an age now when I know instinctively  if a manager is telling me the truth rather than trying to spin things.”

“I had a few other Step 3 clubs interested in me but when it came about, it just made sense. I’m hoping to bring lots of goals as well as entertainment. I like to have fun. Obviously I want to win and the aim is to finish as high as possible. Promotion is obviously the ultimate goal but I understand that’s not always realistic.”

“What I will say is that whenever I’ve played against Enfield, I’ve always seen how amazing the fans are and this just seems the right fit at this stage of my career.”

Enfield Town 0 QPR Development 1

From Andrew Warshaw

Gavin Macpherson said from the moment he arrived that pre-season was all about preparation rather than winning every game. In other words, it’s no good results masking what you need to work on.

Yet anyone who witnessed our first pre-season outing on Saturday cannot fail to have been impressed by the methods and tactics Gavin and his backroom team are trying to get across.

Forget the scoreline. The fact that we more than held our own in blustery conditions against a team of professional players, albeit all of them under-21, spoke volumes about Gavin’s philosophy of trying to play the ball on the ground and take the game to the opposition.

It was certainly appreciated by a healthy 300-plus crowd who clapped the squad off at the end.

With a handful of key players unavailable, we played a mixture of first-teamers – including many of our new signings — and triallists, changing the entire eleven for the second half.

New keeper Rhys Forster showed a commanding presence while Mickey Parcell proved what an asset he will be on his return to the club with an eye-catching 45-minute shift, setting up one chance with a glorious assist and then, at the other end, clearing a QPR effort off the line.

In fact we had arguably the two best chances of the first-half. Marcus Wyllie, seemingly relishing playing down the middle, latched on to a ball out of defence before seeing his finish come back off the post. Then Parcell’s gorgeous ball found a triallist who forced a double save from Rangers keeper Joseph Adoje.

The match was won on 68 minutes when Noah McCann burst forward to crash an unstoppable header beyond Adi Connolly from a corner.

But our collective performance was more important than the result, with five more friendlies to come for Gavin and his staff to get a feel for what works best and make any necessary tweaks.

“To have 310 at a pre-season friendly is absolutely immense,” Gavin told me afterwards. “It’s everything I thought this club would be.”

“We were always going to use the first two games to look at our work out of possession. It’s clear that some of the lads are more atuned to going longer than we would like but that’s what we’re here for.”

“We didn’t really have a cutting edge but you have to put that in context given we had no out and out center-forward. To lose the game to a set-piece like that we’ll have work on, but there was a lot to be pleased about. Will we get better in certain aspects? Yes. Will the team show more of an identity during pre-season? Of course because that’s how it works.”

Next up the annual pre-season fixture on Tuesday against a Tottenham Hotspur under-21 side and, in all likelihood, a far stiffer challenge.

“We’ll use it again to see how we are out of possession,” explained Gavin.  “There’s an awful lot of work still to be done but we’re only week two so it’s normal we wouldn’t yet be functioning as a complete unit.”

We have added a sixth fixture to our pre-season programme by agreeing to visit Rayners Lane FC on Tuesday, Aug 1, kickoff 7.45

Rayners Lane play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North, having gained promotion in May to Step 5 of the non-league pyramid for the first time since 1994.

By Andrew Warshaw

It seems only yesterday that we were saying farewell to the last league campaign. Yet after a three-month break, pre-season is already upon us with our first game on Saturday at home to a QPR development squad.

Gavin and his team are painstakingly putting together an exciting and balanced-looking squad, with some familiar faces and some new recruits expected to be on show at QEII for the 3pm kick-off.

Pre-season campaigns are notoriously unpredictable and as Gavin said when he met the fans in June, winning every game is not the ideal preparation for the league campaign that starts in mid-August. It’s all about peaking at the right moment.

Training is going well, pre-season opposition has been carefully selected and Gavin is looking forward to meeting as many Towners fans as possible as we build towards the start of the season proper.

“I am especially looking forward to working with and hopefully getting to know the club’s supporters who I believe make a difference and set us apart from so many other clubs at our level,” he said.

“Our message to the players during pre-season so far has been simple and clear. I like to be calm and stick with my beliefs and above all have confidence in the squad.”

“The Isthmian Premier League looks to be at its toughest in many years. Who might have what doesn’t interest me, we need to focus on ourselves and embrace the significant challenges that will lie ahead. I believe everyone connected with this club pulling together will be our greatest strength.”

Enfield Town’s new era under Gavin Macpherson and his management team gets under way on Aug 12 with a home game against Concord Rangers, a mouth-watering start to the 2023-4 league season.

The Beach Boys were relegated from National League South at the end of the last campaign after a decade-long stay at Step 2 and are likely to provide a strong challenge for our opening game.

Three days after the Concord game, we make the short trip to  Potters Bar for the first in what promises to be a series of eagerly awaited derby games throughout the season. Among the signings so far for Max Mitchell’s Scholars is  38-year-old defender Rickie Hayles from Hornchurch.

Rounding off the first week of the season, on Aug 19 we visit Folkestone aiming to gain revenge for that 3-0 defeat deep into February last season. This time the game takes place on a Saturday afternoon in summer, a far more palatable occasion on the Kent  coast for travelling Town fans.

Our entire league programme will be published shortly on the website.

We are very pleased to introduce Cooking Champions as our new catering partners! Please see their message below:
___________

We are now officially the catering partners for local football team, Enfield Town FC. This is going to be a fantastic community project as we going to train young people for the surrounding area how to work in the hospitality industry and make sure they are paid the London Living Wage.

Supporters will be offered an array of high quality food with all profits going straight to our charity. This will help to continue our essential food support that has been running every single week since April 2020. To date we have made and distributed 57,000 free meals and thousands of food parcels.

Thank you to Enfield Town FC for this opportunity and we can’t wait to see what the season brings. 

Up the Towners! 

In case you missed it, we will finally find out who we will face and when this Thursday, 13th July at 2pm, as the Isthmian League’s fixtures are officially released for the 2023-24 season.

We are very pleased to welcome central defender Kyle Bailey to the club!

Starting his career in non-league with Sheerwater and Westfield, Kyle has gone on to play professionally in Malta, Norway and Scotland. He spent last season playing at Step 2 with Hungerford Town.

“Kyle has been learning his trade outside of England for the most part but came back during last season to play at Step 2”, said manager Gavin Macpherson. “He is another versatile defender to add to the mix; he gives everything in his performances and will be a very welcome addition to an already established back line.”

Enfield Town FC invite applications for proposals to provide outside catering services on matchdays for the 2023-24 season.

The arrangement would give exclusivity to provide hot food and beverage sales for all home games on either a fixed or turnover rental basis.

Depending on cup draws, there would be anywhere between 25-30 games per season, with an average attendance of around 500.

If you are interested in tendering for this contract, please contact chairman@etfc.london

By Andrew Warshaw

Gavin Macpherson has outlined his strategy for our pre-season programme by saying he will use the matches to get a feel for the personnel at his disposal and make any necessary alterations as we build towards the new season.

Winning all the time in pre-season, says Gavin, is certainly not the most ideal way of preparing for the challenges that lie ahead.

In a recent interview with David Square’s “Our Local Non League” show, Gavin struck a realistic tone when discussing how he approaches pre-season.

“There are not many managers at our level who are totally satisfied during the pre-season programme that they have things totally spot on,” he said.

“But pre-season is there to tell you exactly where you’re at. I’ve said it many times, the worst thing you can do in pre-season is win every game.”

“Obviously supporters want you to win whether it’s a league game or a friendly.  But we have a specific pattern in pre-season where we look at certain things, both out of and in possession, so that the boys are ready to go from day one.”

In terms of predicting the outcome of the new campaign, Gavin is understandably circumspect.

 “I’m not a manager who is going to go out there and makes wild predictions. We go about our business quietly to achieve the best possible outcome. I’m not fazed by other teams’ budgets.”

Regarding a playing system once the season comes around in August, Gavin re-iterated his preference for employing an attack-minded two up front with a back four but stressed this was flexible.

“Normally you’re talking 4-1-3-2 or similar but we work religiously to have a number of systems nailed down with a slight tweak so the players understand what they are doing, whether it be 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1, if and when we might need to.”

“Yes we have a nailed down DNA in terms of how we want to play but I’ve got a fantastic team around me and we will look at being comfortable with three systems. We will not make changes for changes’ sake but you’ve got to be adaptable.”

We are delighted to welcome Reece Beckles-Richards to Enfield Town!

Our sixth new signing of the 23-24 campaign, forward Reece has been capped at international level by Antigua & Barbuda, and joins having spent the last three years up the A10 with neighbours Cheshunt. Starting out at Aldershot Town, his CV boasts plenty of non-league experience, with the likes of Woking, Farnborough, and Wealdstone among his former sides.

Boss Gavin Macpherson was delighted to land his man: “Reece is a player I’ve liked for many years. When I saw him make the jump to Wealdstone a couple of years ago I wasn’t surprised. He’ll add massively to an already very good forward area of the pitch; I’m delighted he is coming to Enfield Town.”

We are thrilled to confirm that neighbours Tottenham Hotspur have again agreed to generously send a squad to face Enfield Town as part of our pre-season preparation.

Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s will visit the QEII Stadium on Tuesday 18th July, with kickoff at 7:30pm.

This fixture often generates a huge amount of interest and we are very grateful to Spurs for sending a team again this year.

Tickets can be purchased in advance on the following link:

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/event/ent2324ps2/enfield-town-v-tottenham-hotspur-u21s

We are very pleased to welcome Sami Bessadi to Enfield Town!

A technically-minded central midfielder, Sami joins us having spent time last season with National League South sides Weymouth and Braintree Town. He has also worn the shirts of Kings Langley, Haringey Borough, and Maldon & Tiptree.

“Sami will add legs and energy in the middle of the park. He’s creative and versatile which gives us good options”, stated manager Gavin Macpherson. “Sami will work hard and is keen to develop as a player. He’s already been hard at work preparing for a return to training, I’m looking forward to working with him.”

We are pleased to announce the retention of Adi Connolly and Lewis Taaffe for the new season.

Goalie Adi successfully made the step from ETFC’s academy to the first-team squad in the summer of 2021, gaining minutes in a number of pre-season friendlies and cups, as well as stepping into the senior side in the league when necessary; keeping a clean sheet on his Isthmian League debut against Potters Bar Town in January 2022.

“Having spoken to the new manager Gavin I’m really looking forward to the new season”, stated Adi. Coming through the academy I know what it means to play for this great club.”

“Adi is a ‘keeper I’ve heard such good things about. Both myself and Dean [Hurlow] are looking forward to working with him”, added Gavin. “I’ve told him that he is returning to push Rhys Forster for the number one shirt and that should be his focus. Competition is healthy in a football environment and that goes throughout the side.”

Lewis the Latest to Commit to Town

Originally signed as a forward, Lewis has become a useful and versatile option in several different positions in recent seasons. He has notched 11 goals in 127 matches since joining the club in 2018 – including scoring home and away last season against former club Billericay Town.

“When speaking to Gavin to get his thoughts and plans for this season, it was immediately evident that he wants to do well and he came across really well”, said Lewis. “As you know, I’ve been at the club for a number of years and really want to help take the club to the next level. I’m looking forward to the season ahead and hopefully we can achieve our targets for this season. Up The Town!”

“I’m pleased Lewis is back with us. He is one of a few players I’m expecting to be an influence on the group using his experience to push on after last season”, commented Gavin. “His versatility is also a massive plus, so I’m happy he’s returned.”

As manager Gavin Macpherson’s squad begins to take shape, we are very happy to announce that we have retained defenders Joe Payne and James Richmond.

With nine man-of-the-match awards between them last season, both were key cogs in a defensive line which, until the final few fixtures of the season, remained one of the meanest in the division. Left-back Joe led the way with five last year, returning to EN1 last September for another stint at the club after originally joining in March 2019 from Barnet. Nailing down the left-back berth for the remainder of the season, he played a part in ten clean sheets in the league and ended the season with a total of 85 appearances and 5 goals from full-back in a Town shirt.

“Buzzing to have signed for this great club again, it was a no brainer”, said Joe. “Really looking forward to working with Gavin and his team and can’t wait to play in front of the Town fans again. Up the Town!”

“Joe is exactly the kind of player and person I want at this football club”, stated boss Gavin Macpherson. “Joe’s positivity shines through and it’s clear that he’s an excellent defender to match his personality. I’m delighted Joe has once again committed to the club and I look forward to working with him.”

Richmond Returns

Central defender ‘Jimbo’ was another mainstay at the back for the Town last term, joining during the 2022-23 off-season having been skipper at Merstham for the last three seasons. He notched 2 goals and 8 league clean sheets in 34 appearances last season and was pleased to commit to the club for the coming season: “I’m delighted on re-signing for Enfield. I really enjoyed my first season with the club and it was a no-brainer after speaking to the new gaffer and his plans for next season”, said James. “I can’t wait to get going and I’m looking forward to meeting the new signings and management staff.”

“I’m really happy to be finally working with James. He is a player I’ve admired and tried to sign before; I was unsuccessful which was Enfield’s gain”, added Gavin. “James is pivotal to what we want to achieve this season and it goes without saying I’m so pleased he’s back with us.”

We are delighted to announce that we have retained club captain Scott Thomas, and ETFC’s Young Player of the Season Marcus Wyllie for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.

Captain Scott

Skipper Scott joined the club from Royston in 2019, since which time he has proven a central figure at the base of the Town midfield, with 125 appearances and counting in a blue and white shirt.

“Scott has been great since I have come in and has been a positive influence on the group as well as being an excellent player”, stated boss Gavin Macpherson. “I met with him first and he understood he can be an excellent extension of me and the management team both on and off the pitch.”

Scott himself was equally pleased to commit to the club: “As we can see, Gavin’s team is now building nicely and I’m pleased to be a part of his plans to help take our club forward. We have some wrongs to right from last season and I’m excited by the challenge of another season as a Towner!”

Wyllie On The Ascent

Nippy forward Marcus is the next to commit to the Towners ahead of next term. Our Young Player of the 22-23 Season, he chipped in with 4 goals and 4 assists – as well as earning three man-of-the-match awards – in his first year with us.

“Marcus is a player I’ve been so impressed with, both with his on-pitch ability and when speaking to him privately”, said Gavin. “For me, he is essential to my squad as he demonstrates a hunger to succeed at Enfield Town; something I want within the foundations of this squad.”

“There is no better person to develop his game than Jon Nurse, so taking everything into account I’m delighted Marcus is an Enfield Town player.”

Marcus, likewise, was excited to return: “I’m delighted to be re-signing for Enfield. It’s a club I’ve really enjoyed being at, which made my decision easy. After speaking with Gavin and hearing his plans, I knew I wanted to be part of it. I’m looking forward to the season ahead and hopeful for success.”

By Andrew Warshaw

There was hardly a spare seat in Butler’s Bar on Tuesday night when our new manager Gavin Macpherson was introduced to fans and outlined his plans for taking the club forward.

Gavin spoke eloquently for over an hour, including taking several questions from the floor, and made a huge impression on everyone in the room with his positivity, insightfulness, technical knowledge, attention to detail, humour, realistic approach and engaging manner.

After the chairman explained the selection process and said Gavin was the unanimous first choice having “ticked all the boxes”, it was over to the new gaffer himself and his goalkeeping coach, Dean Hurlow, who he brought along with him.

Not able to be present but also part of Gavin’s management team will be his trusted No. 2 John Nurse, former St Albans first-team coach Steve Conroy and Carl Garstang, ex-assistant manager at Farnborough. Meanwhile our physio John Abbott is to remain at the club while Ian Hart will also continue to be involved.

“I’m bringing a really experienced management team with me,” said Gavin. “Deano is worth his weight in gold while John has been my right-hand man and is a fantastic coach and role model who works diligently to improve players whether they are 35 or 15.”

Gavin, whose track record speaks for itself at Met Police where he had tremendous success despite the lowest budget in the league, agreed with the chairman that that the Isthmian League Premier will probably be the strongest it has ever been next season but said he was determined to give us a team to be proud of.

Renowned for his attacking style of play, he has studied countless videos of our playing style and made it clear that everyone would be given a chance on merit, regardless of age. How we work as a team off as well as on the ball will be a crucial part of training sessions.

He admitted he was offered terms by another club but immediately got a feel for the Towners, not least our unique fan-owned ethos, and didn’t need any convincing.

“The fan base has massively invested in the club and I’m very humbled to be here,” he said. “I’m going to give it absolutely everything.”

Whilst being realistic about the strength of the division next season, Gavin said he would relish pitting his wits against the sides who are expected to have the most financial weight behind them.

“Potentially we need a bit of a reset but that is not a bad thing. I think we under-achieved last season but the players are a bunch I was keen to keep hold of, obviously with one or two tweaks.”

The eagerly awaited return of fans’ favourite Mickey Parcell from Hornchurch is one of those tweaks while incoming winger Ollie Knight was described by Gavin  as “the best deliverer of the ball I have ever seen at this level, with an engine to die for.”

Discussing the attributes of our new goalkeeper Rhys Forster, who replaces the departing Nathan McDonald having played at Step 2 Slough for the first part of last season before going on to the win the FA Vase with Ascot Town, Dean Hurlow told members: “Rhys is a very positive guy who plays very much on the front foot. He’s someone I hold in high regard and he’s a character. You will all like him, I’m sure.”

We are very pleased to welcome central midfielder Louis Birch to Enfield Town.

A solid, deep-lying midfielder, Louis has spent the past five years with Metropolitan Police and re-joins his former manager, as well as ex-teammates Ollie Knight and Rhys Forster, in joining the Towners. Prior to his time at the Met, he had spent time with Welling United.

“Louis is a strong competitive holding midfielder who goes about his business quietly”, said Gavin. “He is comfortable on the ball and is someone I trust implicitly to do his job consistently. Often an unsung hero, Louis is a model professional and a player, and I’m delighted he has agreed to sign for Enfield Town”.

We are extremely pleased to confirm that we have retained the services of Sam Youngs and Jake Cass.

Long-serving midfielder Sam is rapidly approaching 200 appearances for the club, and scooped ETFC’s Manager’s Player, Players’ Player and Goal of the Season in 2022 as we secured a highest-ever league finish. His 25 man-of-the-match awards are the fourth most in the club’s history.

“We have re-signed a fantastic player and a fantastic person”, said boss Gavin Macpherson.

“Like many of the players Sam is a player I’ve admired for a while and he’s one that you look to build round. Although Sam has been here for a while it’s still exciting news. As a new Manager these are exactly the type of signings you want to be announcing.”

“As soon as I met with Gavin I knew that I wanted to stay with the club”, said Sam. “After hearing his ideas I am very excited for the new season and challenge ahead”

Popular striker Jake, meanwhile, is the club’s Golden Boot holder, having hit 20 goals last term; 18 in the league, and was delighted to commit to the club: “Irrelevant of who was taking over as manager, as long as they wanted my services as a player, I was always only ever signing for Enfield”, Jake commented. “It’s the only club I even consider playing for, I love it here and wish to help bring us the success we deserve. Fortunately, I’m in Gavin’s plans, I’m hopeful and confident he’s going to do a very good job for us and I can be a big part of that. Up the Town.”

“Jake is a proven goal scorer. His qualities will suit the way we play, and the number of chances the team will create”, added Gavin. “He is a player who can link well with current players in the squad. I’m focused on creating an environment in which Jake can thrive, it’s massive and exciting news.”

We are very pleased to welcome wide midfielder Oliver Knight to Enfield Town.

Another familiar face to gaffer Gavin Macpherson, 26-year-old Ollie came through the academy at Forest Green Rovers before representing Cirencester Town and Frome Town. He has spent the last five seasons with Metropolitan Police; twice helping them into the play-offs – including chipping in with 14 assists in 31 appearances during the 2021-22 campaign. He also spent a brief stint at fellow Isthmian Premier side Horsham last year.

“I’m so pleased to bring Ollie to Enfield”, commented Gavin. “Ollie was one of my first signings as a manager and has been an instrumental player with my previous club. Ollie is a versatile player and is one of the best deliverers of a football I’ve worked with. He also brings quality, fitness and energy to the group and will give us another dimension to our playing style.”

Meanwhile, as you may have seen elsewhere, Andre Coker has parted company with the club. The popular forward man notched 18 goals and 6 man-of-the-match awards in his 66 ETFC appearances – we wish him all the best on his next steps.

This Tuesday 6th June, there is an opportunity for members/owners to meet our new manager Gavin and his management team at 7:30 PM in Butlers Bar at the QEII Stadium. 

Some of you may need to renew your membership before Tuesday; others may want to take the opportunity to sign up now – remember, membership means you own your share of the club, and earn voting rights & access to events such as these – without its members, there would be no Enfield Town FC!

You can sign up for ETFC Membership by clicking here.

We are delighted to announce the exciting signing of a new goalkeeper in 24-year-old Rhys Forster.

Rhys, who has bags of experience for someone of his age, played the first eight months of last season at Step 2 Slough Town before moving on loan in February to Ascot United where he went on to lift the prestigious FA Vase.

Among his various other clubs, Rhys played for 18 months at Met Police under our new manager Gavin Macpherson who is thrilled to have landed his man.

“Rhys is an excellent keeper. He has fantastic technical ability and most importantly, he’s someone who can make big saves at big moments,” said Gavin.

“He’s extremely hard working and someone who’se worked with us before at the Met. Having played at Slough Town last season he’s really looking forward to joining us at Enfield. Rhys is a good size for a keeper and a brilliant character. I am delighted to have him on board.”

Welcome Rhys.

In other news Andre Coker has announced his intention to move on. We wish him well. 

UPDATE: Our previously promoted First Team trials are now fully subscribed and we are not accepting any further applications.

The torrent of applications received over the weekend was immense – thank you to all who applied. The process of finalising squad sizes for the trials will now take place.

The club are delighted to announce that we have re-signed fan favourite Mickey Parcell.
Right-back Mickey needs no introduction to the Towner faithful; a local lad who featured on 193 occasions during his first spell with us, participating in the 2016-17 playoffs and playing a key role in our 2018-19 Velocity Trophy against Hornchurch. Since then, he has gone on to enjoy four hugely successful seasons with the Urchins, including a remarkable 2021 FA Trophy win and – individually – being named in the Isthmian Team of the Season for the last two years running.

Boss Gavin Macpherson commented: “To announce Mickey as my first Enfield signing is massively exciting. As we all know he is a quality, fully committed player who is excellent to have around the club. Mickey will drive standards within the group and, with him being one of the senior players, bring leadership qualities which any Manager will look for. I believe he will add heart and desire to what we are looking to achieve, it’s one of my best ever signings.”

Chairman Paul Reed was equally buoyant: “we’re thrilled to welcome Mickey back to the club. We all know what a fantastic player he was during his first spell with us and he has only improved during his successful time at Hornchurch. We know this news will be very well received by everyone at the club and we can’t wait to see Mickey in a Town shirt again.”

As the club enters a new era we are relaunching our GoToTown scheme. We have various packages in place to suit all – from those who watch all or most games to those who are less regular visitors.

All of the packages provide you with membership of the ETFC Supporters Society, making you an owner of the club. It also gives you the right to attend and vote at the AGM and on other important matters and to stand for the Board if you wish.

The packages allow you to spread the cost of supporting your club during the course of the year through monthly payments. Online matchday programmes are provided so you don’t miss any of the latest news plus you will receive weekly emails updates covering everything Enfield Town. You also are given a credit to help buy the latest shirt or anything else in our well-stocked Club Shop. The Gold membership provides everything you need to support the club for a whole season. It even provides you with a free pint at every home game!
Importantly, the Gold package gives you a saving of over £150 during the course of the season.

•Gold – £35 per month
Society membership, Season Ticket, admissions to home friendly and cup competitions, access to main stand, online and hard copy matchday programme, free drink in Butlers Bar for each home game, £40 Club Shop credit.

•Silver – £23 per month
Society membership, Season Ticket, online and hard copy matchday programme, £30 Club Shop credit.

•Senior/Student – £17.50 per month*
*For over 65’s and students 16 and over.
Society membership, Season Ticket, online matchday programme £20 Club Shop credit.

•Out of Towner – £12 per month
Society membership, tickets for 5 home league games, online programme, £20 Club Shop Credit.

Please support your club by signing up to one of the packages today! Click below to Join Us:

As our new manager Gavin Macpherson builds his squad ahead of the new campaign starting Aug 12, we can confirm the following pre-season friendlies have been agreed, subject to change.

3 PM Saturday 15 July QPR B — Home

QPR B are the club’s under-21 Side and play in the Professional Development League Two South.

7:45 Tuesday 18 July St Albans City — Home

Last season St Albans finished 6th in National League South and reached the Play-Off final before losing to Oxford City.

3 PM Saturday 22 July Bracknell Town — Home

Last season Bracknell finished second in the Southern Premier South, with 90 points, but lost to Truro City in the Play Off Final

7:45 PM Tuesday 25 July Welwyn Garden City — Away

Welwyn are managed by former Towner Marc Weatherstone and play in Southern League Central Division

3 PM Saturday 29 July Waltham Abbey — Away

Abbey also play in the Southern League South

3 PM Saturday 5 August Grays Athletic — Home

Grays finished 5th in Isthmian League North last season and were beaten by Sudbury in the Play-off Semifinal

We are hoping to add Tottenham Hotspur’s U21s to the list of friendlies but at the moment we don’t have a date for this fixture.

All the best to Adam Cunnington and James Dayton, who have departed the club. Ex-professional James was our first signing of the 2022-23 season, and he chipped in with six assists and a man-of-the-match award v Potters Bar during the campaign. Fans’ favourite Adam was first choice striker for a lengthy period last season and overall registered 14 goals in his 80 appearances in a blue and white shirt since joining in December 2020. His blockbuster against Herne Bay was voted by fans as Goal of the Season for 22-23.

In case you missed it, Lyle Della-Verde has also moved on. Lyle, who enjoyed two spells with us since initially joining in December 2019, notched 104 appearances, 7 man-of-the-match awards and 29 goals in a Town shirt – the majority of which were from the proverbial top drawer.

We thank them all for their services and wish them the best for the future.

Farewell, Macca!

Yesterday, Enfield Town stalwart Nathan McDonald also announced his intention to move on. Macca played 321 times across two spells with the club between 2014 and 2023, making him our second-highest appearance maker ever. Last season, he kept 12 clean sheets and was twice voted man-of-the-match as he picked up ETFC’s Players’ Player and Supporters’ Player of the Year awards. We are immensely grateful to Nathan for his contributions over the years, and wish him all the best!

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Gavin Macpherson as manager of Enfield Town FC.

Gavin joins us after parting company with Met Police FC, where he spent over twenty years as a player, assistant, and manager.

Following a playing career for Barnet and Carlisle, as well as spells at Wealdstone, Slough Town and Woking, Macpherson took the managerial reins at the Met for the 2018-19 season after the resignation of Jim Cooper, guiding them to victory in the Southern League playoffs – only to be denied promotion at the final hurdle against Tonbridge Angels in the ‘Super Playoff’. With another play-off campaign, as well as a couple of Surrey Senior Cups to his record, he is a widely-regarded coach who has gained a reputation for moulding highly competitive squads.

Chairman Paul Reed said: “I’m delighted that we have reached an agreement with Gavin and his team. We had a number of impressive applicants, but Gavin was our clear favourite. His short-term and longer-term intentions as manager align closely to ours and he certainly fulfilled the criteria set out at the start of our recruitment process. He brings with him a very strong track record and considerable expertise at step three. I am very much looking forward to working with him and his coaching team.”

We hope to announce a ‘Meet The Manager’ event in due course.

Everyone at Enfield Town FC wishes Gavin and his team a warm welcome, and every success moving forwards!

The club invites applications for the post of first team manager. The preferred candidate will have experience of managing at a similar level or above and be able to demonstrate a proven track record of success in their career to date.

Please submit your application to chairman@etfc.london

After six years at the helm, manager Andy Leese and the club have agreed to part company with immediate effect.

Andy took over in May 2017 and steered the Town through an initial rebuild and the two Covid interrupted seasons before guiding the club in to the play-offs and our highest ever league finish in the 2021/22 campaign. He also steered us to Isthmian League Cup success in 2019, the 4^th qualifying round of the FA Cup in his first season and a record run to the 3^rd round of the FA Trophy in 2021.

Chairman Paul Reed said “Both personally and on behalf of the club I would like to thank Andy and his staff for all of their efforts during his time at the club. He’s given us many highs and fantastic performances, putting together a team that our supporters could be proud of. Andy has always proven himself to be a honourable, hard working and talented manager who has constantly had the best interests of the club at heart. On a personal level we have enjoyed an excellent working relationship and I truly appreciate his enormous contribution to our club over the past six seasons.

The club wish Andy and his staff all our best wishes for the future.

Huge congratulations to all those who won our season-ending awards, presented after Saturday’s final game.

Nathan McDonald (pictured with skipper Scott Thomas) picked up two prizes —  supporters’ player of the year and players’ player for a series of outstanding saves made throughout the season.

Adam Cunnington won the management’s player of the season while Marcus Wyllie took the young player award.

Jake Cass took the Golden Boot award for his 18 goals while Ian Hamilton deservedly won the club person of the year award, having been an invaluable volunteer in a variety of different roles, all of them crucial – not least on the turnstiles.

Well done, each and every winner!

Enfield Town 1 Aveley 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Despite a healthy 600-plus final-day crowd, there was an inevitable sense of anti-climax on Saturday as we ended the league season in a disappointing ninth position, having taken just three of a possible 18 points during a tough run-in.

No-one can fault the players or the management team for their sterling efforts throughout the season and whilst no-one wanted or anticipated this outcome after we spent so long in the top 5, it gives everyone a chance to take stock and come again in the summer.

Lewis Knight was missing with an achilles problem but James Richmond returned after illness while Adam Cunnington was restored to the starting line-up.

 Set pieces have been our downfall for much of the season and after starting slowly we were punished again on 13 minutes when Ryan Scott rose highest to head home a freekick.

Harry Gibbs headed another freekick just wide before we had a couple of dangerous moments ourselves, first when Andre Coker wriggled his way into the box but was stopped before he could get a shot away, then when Khale da costa ran on to a long ball upfield but was ruled offside.

We just couldn’t get going in the final third, however, and as Aveley continued to probe, Temilolu Babalola got in front of his marker but thankfully shot weakly wide.

H-T 0-1

With the supply line to our forwards frustratingly off-key, we just couldn’t test Jonathan North enough.

Until, that is, the 67^th minute when Sam Youngs sent North the wrong way from the penalty spot (pictured) after substitute Lewis Taaffe was impeded after slaloming  his way into the box.

That should have been the springboard for Town to burst into life. Instead, on 70 minutes, Babaoloa got his head to an inswinging corner to win the points for Aveley who finished fourth and can look forward to a semifinal against Canvey Island.

To compound our frustration, Taaffe received a straight red with 10 minutes remaining after he was adjudged to have lunged in dangerously on Emannuel Ogunrinde though it looked to many like he slammed the ball into Ogunrinde’s midriff.

Town

McDonald; Renee, Richmond, Wilson-Braithwaite, Payne; Thomas, Youngs (Cass, 77), Da Costa (Bakare, 63), Isaac (Taaffe, 61); Cunnington, Coker

Anyone who anticipates the team lacking fight in our final fixture of the season at home to Aveley on Saturday (3pm kickoff) after agonisingly missing out on the playoffs can think again.

As the management team pointed out after last weekend’s gut-wrenching disappointment at Bishop’s Stortford (to whom we extend our congratulations for winning automatic promotion), we want to end the campaign on a high even if everyone hoped for different outcome over the season as a whole.

Fourth-placed Aveley have taken one point from the last nine but have otherwise been in consistently decent form and have the luxury of knowing that they will definitely finish in the playoff places.

The Millers squandered a two-goal advantage in the dying moments of a thriller against high-flying Canvey Island in midweek but will be keen to showcase their ability as they bid for back-to-back promotions.

After a tough season when we came so close to achieving our goal, we need as many supporters as possible to get behind the Town and give the best possible rousing send-off to the players and management team for all their efforts in trying to secure a top-5 place, ultimately just falling short.

All fans are then invited to remain after the game for the end-of-season awards which include Supporters’ player of the season, players’ player, manager’s player, goal of the season and best club person.

Bishop’s Stortford 4 Enfield Town 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Enfield Town’s playoffs dreams were finally extinguished on a sobering afternoon on Saturday – yet at one point it might easily have gone down to the last game.

Just after we equalised in a dominant 15-minute spell in front of a bumper 1,300-plus crowd at the champions elect, we were very much in the ascendancy.

Stortford were wobbling at that point and had we scored the next goal, who knows what might have happened.

But three goals in 13 second-half minutes left us crestfallen, beaten in the end by an excellent side  who are strong in all areas of the pitch and are where they are for a reason having now won six on the bounce.

None of that, of course, will ease the gut-wrenching  disappointment of Town having taken just three points from the last 15 – and 16 from a possible 45 — as we attempted to cement fifth place in the latter stages of the season.

It’s not what any of us wanted but the fact that our final outing against Aveley on Saturday is now redundant should not disguise the fact that the players and management have tried their hardest to bring about a different conclusion.

In a game we effectively had to win, the management used virtually every attacking option at our disposal whether in the starting line-up or on the bench though Adam Cunnington missed out because of last weekend’s knock.

More crucially over the 90 minutes, perhaps, James Richmond was conspicuous by his absence at the back because of illness

The first half was all about digging in and repelling Stortford’s series of well delivered set-pieces in front of an expectant crowd.

 Nathan McDonald was twice called into action early doors while Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite made a timely interception to thwart the dangerous Frankie Merrifield.

It looked like we would go in level after standing firm but on 35 minutes all our good work was undone when we conceded straight from a curling Darren Foxley corner that evaded everyone and nestled in the corner.

Just before the interval, having snuffed out most of Stortford’s attacks, we had a chance ourselves only for  Michael Bakare to be flagged just offside from Jake Cass’ through ball

H-T 0-1

Whatever was said to the players at halftime we came out a revitalised team and levelled two minutes later.

Chez Isaac’s through ball found the experienced Bakare who showed fantastic composure by rounding the keeper to score the first goal Stortford had conceded for six matches (pictured).

 Suddenly we started to burst forward with renewed vigour and Sam Youngs headed just over from a corner.

The next goal was always going to be vital but frustratingly it went Stortford’s way,  Anthony Church converting after we lost concentration at a long throw.

Stortford now had their tails up again, playing through the channels with plenty of invention. A Merrified drive flew just over and on 65 minutes the hosts made the game safe as Foxley got goal-side of his marker to thump a bullet header past McDonald.

It might have been four when Merrified was clean through, Nathan somehow saving brilliantly with his legs.

But on 71 minutes another troublesome long throw by former Towner Matt Johnson was only half-cleared back into his path and from the resultant chip, Ryan Charles volleyed home.

The dejected look on all the Enfield players’ faces at the final whistle said everything about the sense of anti-climax after a season that for so long promised another playoff finish and another crack at  promotion.

“You can’t sugar coat it, we haven’t been good enough from perhaps the early part of February and we showed that again,” said an understandably downcast Andy. “We conceded from three set plays after having spent all week working on that.”

“It’s sad because in the end it’s a difference of three or four points. It’s bitterly disappointing but we haven’t been good enough in both boxes. There’s a whole myriad of reasons why we’ve messed it up and it’s tough to take.”

“It’s a collective thing and I’m not just looking at the players. It has to start with me and the management team. I still maintain we have a squad that should be in the top five. I can only apologise to the supporters because we put ourselves in a great position.”

There’s still one more game, of course, and we now need as many fans as possible to get the behind the players and management team on Saturday and give them a rousing send-off for their efforts.

Town
McDonald; Renee, Knight, Wilson-Braithwaite, Payne; Thomas (Taaffe, 73), Youngs, Isaac, Dayton (Coker 63); Cass, Bakare (Wyllie 78).

If the home game on Easter Monday against Haringey was our biggest game of the season until then, this Saturday is now even more important with just two fixtures left.

If we can cause an upset at  league leaders Bishop’s Stortford and/or Cray Wanderers plus those just below us slip up, then a playoff place is very much back in play.

The title will in all likelihood be won by Saturday’s  opponents or Hornchurch or Canvey Island  but of  more concern to us is the five-horse race for fifth  place and the final play-off spot between ourselves, Cray, Lewes, Horsham and Hastings United.

Cray may be favourites on paper but it may well go to the last day of the season on April 22.

The challenge for us, one point behind Cray, couldn’t be much greater.  Runners-up last season, then beaten in the playoffs like we were, Stortford have won their last five games without conceding a goal and could clinch the title and win automatic promotion on Saturday if results go in their favour.

Of course we don’t want to give them that luxury at our expense and are well capable of stopping them in their tracks if we reproduce our best form which we may need to do to stay in the hunt. Our chances will certainly be boosted by a strong following in our final away game of the regular season.

Directions to the ground:

Meanwhile, congratulations to our Under-12 Side who won an international tournament in Italy over the Easter weekend beating Posilipo Santa Maria 4-0 in the final. We will be inviting them as our special guests to the Aveley fixture so we can all show our appreciation of their efforts.

Enfield Town Player of The Season

If you have not done so already vote for your Enfield Town player of the season using the link below.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for our right-back Juevan Spencer who hasn’t been able to walk freely, work or play football since suffering a terrible ACL injury playing for Town at Billericay in February.

Andre Coker has set up the page for Jueven who was in fantastic form at the time of his injury and has been a significant loss to the squad.

Jueven risks being out of action for up to two years unless funds are made available for him to receive treatment privately.

Andre explains:  “After waiting on the scan results, Juevan has been told he would need two operations to rectify his injuries.

“Due to the current circumstances in the NHS, he was advised he faced a minimum of 10 months on the waiting list with an additional 9-12 months for full rehabilitation and recovery. Essentially, Juevan could be looking at 2 years of not being able to walk freely, work or play football.”

“Our aim, hopefully with the support from family, friends, the club, and the football community, we hope we can come together to raise enough money so that Juevan is able to receive private treatment and care and reduce the time he is waiting by half.”

“Not only is football a huge part of Juevan’s life but it is also a source of income for him and his family and the thing he loved doing the most. We appreciate times are hard but we would be grateful for any help and support to get Juevan back fit again.

Please donate to Juevan’s GoFundMe page if you are in a position to do so:

Horsham 3 Enfield Town 1

Report by Martin Bentley

Enfield Town’s play-off hopes took a major hit at the Camping World Community Stadium as defensive errors, as well as a brilliantly executed freekick, saw a disciplined Horsham side take the three points.

 Town are still clinging on to fifth but are now just one point ahead of the chasing pack fronted by Cray, with three daunting-looking final games remaining.

Town welcomed back skipper Scott Thomas to the starting line-up, with Josh Okotcha replacing an ill Lewis Knight at the centre of the defence.

The game started with a bang with both sides squandering a good chance in the opening five minutes, Jake Cass for Town, and Jack Mazzone for the home side.

Apart from Mazzone’s 16^th minute deflected effort that was gathered by Nathan McDonald, the main feature of the ensuing period were yellow cards for Andre Coker and Horsham’s Chris Sessegnon for a goalmouth dust-up, and one for Cass, following an incident involving Town’s centre forward and the home keeper Taylor Seymour’s water bottle.

Five minutes before half time though, the home side got their noses in front. Joe Payne pulled back Tom Kavanagh as he raced into the box, and Mazzone sent McDonald the wrong way from the penalty spot.

The second half saw Town introduce Adam Cunnington in place of Coker, and they got themselves back on level terms after eight minutes, Cass volleying in Payne’s right wing corner.

Five minutes later though, Town found themselves behind once again. Okotcha conceded a freekick 25 yards from goal, and home skipper Kavanagh proceeded to whip an unstoppable effort over the wall and past a helpless McDonald.

Once again Town chased an equaliser, their best opportunity falling to Cass, whose effort was well saved by Seymour.

Andy Leese introduced Khale da Costa and debutant Michael Bakare up front late on, but the home side made the game safe ten minutes from time, James Richmond’s miskick presenting Charlie Hester-Cook with an unmissable opportunity from ten yards.

 It was a frustrating end to a disappointing Town performance, and immediate improvement is required to cement that final play-off place, starting with arguably our most crucial game of the season at home to Haringey Borough on Monday.

“Defensively today we weren’t good enough,” said Andy afterwards. “Bitterly disappointing and it’s made it harder for us. It’s still in our hands but we’re going to have to be a lot better than we were today.”

Town: McDonald, Renee, Payne, Thomas (Bakare 76), Okotcha, Richmond, Taaffe, (da Costa 76) Youngs, Cass, Dayton, Coker (Cunnington 45).

Saturday’s trip to Horsham marks the first in an eagerly anticipated Easter double header for Town as we bid to hold on to fifth spot and potentially climb even higher, with Haringey Borough to visit us 48 hours later on Easter Monday.

Eighth in the league and still in with an outside chance of a playoff position themselves, Horsham can be a tough nut to crack as last weekend’s surprise win over Hornchurch illustrates.

Horsham were trailing 2-1 with less than 10 minutes to go when Hornchurch had a a goal disallowed for offside. Video footage suggests there was nothing wrong with the goal and Horsham scored twice more in the last  seven minutes.

Nearly 1,300 were at the game and a similar attendance is expected this weekend with a significant Town contingent.

The crowd is expected to be boosted by a kids go free for Easter policy.

In midweek, Horsham’s last chance of silverware vanished when the Hornets crashed to a 4-1 loss at Hastings to exit the Sussex Senior Cup at the quarter-final stage. 

But that should perhaps be viewed in isolation given their league position.

For any Towners planning to travel on Saturday, there is a supporters’ coach leaving at 11am prompt.

Departure Point: QE II Stadium, Donkey Lane, Enfield, EN1 3PL

Departure Time: Leave 11.00.a.m. PROMPT

Cost: £18.00.

For Bookings please contact Les Gold on 07979727563

or lesgold@enfieldtownfootballclub.co.uk

For those travelling independently, use the following link.

Enfield Town 1 Cray Wanderers 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

If you can’t beat one of your nearest rivals, make sure you don’t lose.

So it was against Cray on Saturday though there was a sense of frustration at conceding an equaliser late on.

Cray, riding a four-game winning streak, will feel they did enough to deserve a point and the neutrals may agree with them. But nothing changes as far as the playoff places are concerned, meaning we remain in the box seat.

After the battle of fifth versus sixth, we still have a four-point gap in front of Cray and Lewes – who also drew – with four games left, every one of them a cup final.

With so much at stake for both sides it was a niggly, fragmented affair with several mini flare-ups off the ball, not helped by a heavy pitch, which passed a morning inspection.

Neither side could muster much rhythm in a war of attrition but the flow of the game wasn’t helped either by a spate of unnecessary stoppages caused in part by a referee making his Step 3 debut who was clearly out of his depth.

It wasn’t only the fact that he brandished a series of highly questionable bookings – five of them to Town and almost all them soft, yet now resulting in a financial sanction.

He also waved away at least two possible penalties and possibly a couple of red cards.

As for the game itself we got off to the perfect start on six minutes when visiting keeper Shaun Rowley, after making a superb double save moments earlier, proceeded to fumble a routine corner and Adam Cunnington pounced.

Cunns then appeared to get an elbow in the face, for which nothing was given, while a decent penalty shout for a Cray handball was waved away.

In a stop-start game of few clearcut chances, Town, unchanged from the impressive display against Hornchurch in midweek, might have been further ahead at the break.

The Wands offered little in the opening period and Freddie Carter was fortunate to only receive a caution for a late lunge on James Dayton.

Cray worked themselves back into the game in the final  minutes of the first half but there was little at halftime to suggest we couldn’t go on and win the game.

H-T 1-0

Perhaps it was inevitable, however, that we would drop off given the heavy pitch and that fact that Tuesday sapped a lot of our energy.

Whatever the reason, Cray started to move the ball quicker and commit more men forward.

Cue a timely double substitution by the management to try and help us get over the line.

It very nearly worked, only for the visitors to grab an 81^st minute equaliser.  A goalbound Dan Bassett volley was blocked and when Cray kept the ball alive, Harrison Sodje followed up to unleash a sublime low effort into the corner from 25 yards.

James Richmond, who put in another excellent shift, came to our rescue by getting his body in the way of a Destiny Oladipo effort from eight yards but in the last 10 minutes we came again and so nearly snatched a winner.

Rowley tipped away a goalbound inswinging corner, then did even better in a goalmouth scramble to pull off a terrific close-range save from Khale da Costa who in the ensuing ruck of players appeared to be impeded.

Andy Leese rued the late equaliser. “Nothing changes in terms of the table but it’s still incredibly  frustrating,” said Andy. “I didn’t think we were going to concede. The lads tell me it was a foul on Khale at the end but we didn’t get beaten and now we go again in the last four games.”

Town:

McDonald; Renee, Knight, Richmond; Payne, Dayton (Isaac, 60), Taaffe (Della-Verde, 86), Youngs; Cass, Coker (De Costa, 60), Cunnington:

Having put on a superb display in the 1-1 draw against Hornchurch in midweek, Enfield Town go into the final three weeks of the regular season with arguably an even more important six-pointer against Cray Wanderers tomorrow (kickoff 3pm)

In what is the crunch game of the day, fifth meets sixth separated by just four points — weather permitting, it has to be stressed.

Last Saturday’s 5-3 win over Horsham made it four wins out of four for free-scoring Cray, an indication of just how tough the encounter will be at QE11.

Cray are level with Lewes on 63 points with the Wands having a slightly better goal difference but any team down to Carshalton in 10^th still have a realistic chance of making the play-offs.

 In the reverse fixture in October, we drew 1-1 with Cray, Marcus Wyllie netting for the Town, and although a similar result would keep our noses in front, a win would give us a terrific boost and keep us in pole position going into the final four games of the campaign.

Usually games with Cray have tended to be high scoring affairs and with plenty of fire power in both sides, Saturday promises to be a mightily significant as well as entertaining affair.

Every game now is like a cup final for us and your support will once again be invaluable as we edge nearer to achieving our goal.

There will be a pitch inspection at 10:30 AM on Saturday morning because of the rain we have been experiencing.

In the event the game is postponed it could be arranged for Tuesday 4 April.

We are pleased to confirm that we have signed two players to help us negotiate a tough run-in to the season in our quest for a playoff place.

Hugely experienced forward Michael Bakare, whose international clearance didn’t come through in time to him to play against Hornchurch, has played for a plethora of clubs, most recently Helsinki IFK.

“We felt that was an area of the pitch where we needed to have more options,” Andy Leese said in the Hornchurch match programme.

We have also secured the services of Carlos Velasco, a Spanish rightback who has been training with us and has gone to Welwyn Garden City on a dual registration.

Welcome, gentlemen!

Enfield Town 1 Hornchurch 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

What a fine advertisement this was for Step 3 football.  Two teams going for it, individual battles all over the pitch, Town brave on the ball and in the end the points shared.

In terms of our run-in, it was extremely heartening, the only slight frustration being we couldn’t quite get the win against the league leaders.

The game plan, however, worked extremely well with two holding midfielders to close down space that might otherwise have been exploited by Hornchurch, combined with a counter-attacking system in which Andre Coker, especially, excelled.

Controlling the tempo of the game and matching our high-flying opponents augers well for what is in a sense an even bigger game on Saturday against Cray, the nearest play-off challengers below us who are now four points behind.

In what was effectively our game in hand – twice previously postponed due to the big freeze and county cup games – the rain that lashed down prior to kick-off thankfully survived a pitch inspection.

Town rewarded James Dayton for his excellent display against Herne Bay with a place in the starting line-up while Adam Cunnington was selected up top alongside Jake Cass.

Town started on the front foot and Tom Wraight was booked for a late challenge on Sam Youngs. After 11 minutes, a 25-yard Joe Payne freekick couldn’t have got much closer as it skimmed the top of the bar.

Payne was then called into action at the other end as he somehow cut out Liam Nash’s first-time shot.

Next came a chance for the visitors’ Jordan Clark who found space on the edge of the box but thankfully placed his shot too close to Nathan McDonald.

As the end to end action continued, McDonald dropped on the ball in a goalmouth scramble whilst for the Town James Richmond saw his goalbound header cleared away.

 James Dayton went into the book for a foul on Sam Higgins but on 37 minutes Coker produced a moment of magic, turning inside his marker before lashing a shot goalwards, only for Joe Wright – one of three ex-Towners in a red shirt – to turn it aside.

Hornchurch appeals for a Lewis Knight handball went unheeded and as half time approached, so both goals came – within 30 seconds of each other.  

First, Nash converted a Clark cross from the left but before Hornchurch could celebrate, we equalised straight from the restart.

Johnville Renee, who spent most of the evening looking after chief dangerman Ade Youssef,  made a rare foray forward, exchanged passes with Coker and fired home (Pictured).

H-T 1-1.

Not surprisingly, given the frantic pace of a breathless opening 45 minutes, there was a quieter start to the second period which brought two more yellow cards, firstly for former Towner Mickey Parcell and then Lewis Knight.

Urged on by the 600-plus crowd, we kept probing and midway through the half Coker broke clear but was stopped by a fine Rickie Hayles tackle. At the other end Richmond did brilliantly to fend off Yusuff.

With 15 minutes left, we made a double change – Khale Da Costa replacing James Dayton and Lyle Della-Verde for the tiring Coker.

Della-Verde was quickly involved with a pair of freekicks centrally placed just outside the area.

Against most opponents, at least one of them would have gone in. But Hornchurch had done their homework and both efforts were  headed off the line by another former Towner, Remi Sutton, though from the second one – in the final minute of normal time — Cunnington so nearly converted the rebound to win the game, Joe Wright coming to the rescue.

Seven minutes earlier, Hornchurch themselves might have snatched a late advantage when Higgins, taking advantage of the offside flag inexplicably staying down, shot towards the far corner, only for McDonald to thankfully save with an outstretched leg.

It was that kind of game but the fact that we had double the shots on target says much about how we performed and Andy Leese was delighted.

“I thought we were excellent,” said Andy. “Probably a spell in the first half where we lost our way a little but the second half I thought we dominated. Really heartened by today’s performance: disciplined, battling. We just lacked a little bit of quality at times but generally really pleased.”

Town:

McDonald; Renee, Knight, Richmond, Payne; Taaffe, Youngs, Dayton (Da Costa, 74), Coker (Della Verde, 74); Cunnington, Cass

It’s finally come round and promises to be a cracker.

Tuesday night we entertain league leaders Hornchurch  (kickoff 7.45) at the start of a tough six-game run-in that will determine where we end up in the league.

It’s a game we have all been waiting for, with three ex-Towners possibly in their starting line-up, and has been given extra spice by the fact that the Urchins lost at the weekend while our confidence has been boosted with back-to-back away wins.

Victory tomorrow night in what is effectively our game in hand will put us just two points behind Canvey and Aveley, who are third and fourth, and we are expecting a bumper crowd, probably our biggest of the season.

Hornchurch’s shock 3-2 home defeat to Margate on Saturday after being two goals in front was their first in the league for 12 games stretching back to the end of January.

In the corresponding match against us at the start of the season, we narrowly lost 3-2 at their place. We all know about their fire power but on our day we are a match for anyone and will be out to avenge that result as well as the heartbreaking playoff semifinal loss at the end of last season.

With sixth-placed Cray Wanderers to come at the weekend – another massive six-pointer – it’s all about maintaining our resolve during what promises to be a nail-biting finale over the next month when we play four of the top six.

COYT!

Herne Bay 1 Enfield Town 3

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Three inspired substitutions from the management team and a couple of magnificent saves from Nathan McDonald got us over the line against a side who looked far from relegation material.

So, it has to be said, did an absolute worldie from Adam Cunnington to restore our lead after we had been pegged back by a team that had won three of their previous four despite their perilous league position.

Winning back-to-back away games cannot be under-estimated  in terms of restoring confidence and has set matters up beautifully for our game in hand on Tuesday night against  leaders Hornchurch and a chance to avenge last season’s playoff semifinal defeat.

Some things, however, are more important than football. We can only wish Herne Bay captain Laurence Harvey well after he was stretchered off with concussion and a suspected broken jaw following a sickening accidental early clash of heads that required immediate and then lengthy medical treatment.

Bay appeared to recover well from the setback but on 21 minutes we took the lead playing into the wind in yellow and white. A Joe Payne long throw was flicked on by Jake Cass and when Sam Youngs laid the ball back into his path,  Jake thumped it home.

As Bay rallied, a superb block by Lewis Knight thwarted the dangerous Jerson Dos Santos, playing only his second game for the Kent side.

Yet one minute later some clever interplay between Dos Santos and Mike West resulted in the former being tripped by Knight. Up stepped Marcel Barrington to send McDonald the wrong way from the spot to level at 1-1.

With their tails up, the hosts almost snatched the lead on the stroke of halftime when Barrington worked his way into a scoring position, only for his shot to be blocked for a corner.

H-T 1-1

Despite being forced into another substitution during the break, the home side came within a whisker of a second goal when a well-worked free kick found defender Dan Johnson who fired narrowly over from close range.

Cue the first of three Town changes, James Dayton replacing Mo Kamara and bringing stability and composure to the centre of midfield.

Johnville Renee saw his delicious low centre evade everyone in front of goal while Cass, a handful all afternoon for the home defence, carried the ball 30 yards before playing in Khale da Costa who blasted over.

The next goal was always going to prove crucial and Herne Bay might well have had it, only for McDonald to keep the scores level. First he managed a spectacular finger-tip save to keep out Jack Sammoutis’ low 25-yard effort. Then he pulled off an equally brilliant flying stop to deny Barrington.

On came Cunnington and Lyle  Della-Verde and the game quickly swung our way.

On 76 minutes, just after Harry Brooks had been forced into a double save, Cunnington found himself in a pocket of space and unleashed an unstoppable 25-yard screamer that almost burst the net (pictured).

Now it was a question of making the game safe and with time running out, Della-Verde was blatantly tripped as he outpaced his marker while bursting into the area from the right.

It was the 14^th penalty Bay had conceded this season and Cass smashed it straight down the middle to the delight of a healthy Town following in the 604-strong crowd on Non-League Day.

“Another important win as we challenge to secure a top-five place,” said Andy Leese. “We had to weather a couple of spells of pressure as you’d expect away from home.”

“They didn’t really trouble us much apart from two stops from Nathan. We made changes at a good time in the game and all the subs made a significant contribution to the result. It sets us up nicely for this week with two more difficult games to come.”

Town McDonald;  Renee,  Knight, Richmond, Payne; Taaffe ( Della-Verde 69’), Youngs,  Kamara ( Dayton 59’), Da Costa (Adam Cunnington 69’

Town make their first ever visit to Herne Bay on Saturday for what promises to be an eagerly anticipated occasion at both ends of the table.

Just as we need maximum points to stay in the hunt for a playoff place with the mother of all run-ins to come, so Herne Bay are fighting for their lives at the bottom and are making a serious fist of trying to hold on to their Step 3 status having been promoted at the end of last season.

This is the last of five successive away league games for the Town and three points would set us up nicely for next Tuesday’s mouth-watering home tie with Hornchurch.

The Bay may be currently 19th in the table but are only two points behind Kingstonian and had a great result at Carshalton last Saturday, winning 3-1 with goals from top scorer Marcel Barrington (two) and Finn O’Mara.

In fact they are in a timely rich vein of form having won three of their last four including home wins over Bognor and Horsham, breezing past the latter 3-0.

In the corresponding game back in October Barrington also scored twice but wasn’t enough to stop us running out 4-2 winners.

If you’re travelling to Herne Bay you may find this link helpful

The Club will also be running a coach. The Details are:

Departure Point: QE Stadium, Donkey Lane, Enfield, Middx. Departure Time: Leave 11.00.a.m. PROMPT.  

Cost: £18.00

For bookings please contact Les Gold on 07979 727563

lesgold@enfieldtownfooballclub.co.uk

COYT

Corinthian Casuals 0 Enfield Town 3

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Enfield Town got back to winning ways on Saturday as we comfortably dispatched relegation-threatened Corinthian Casuals in what was a must-win game to get us back on track after recent disappointments.

Despite a couple of fresh injuries, we deservedly took the points against a side for whom another defeat meant the departure of the manager who was shown the door almost immediately afterwards.

There was a determination and enthusiasm about Town straight from the off, with Sam Youngs moving back into a holding position and Mo Camara and Lewis Taaffe further forward.

Any nerves the players might have felt were settled after just eight minutes as we went in front, aided in part by home goalkeeper Callum Coulter. A poor clearance was pounced on by Camara whose curling effort came back off the woodwork and was finished off by Khale da Costa for his second goal in as many games.

Simba Kudiywa shot into our inside netting but most of the attacking was in the opposition’s half and Taaffe, frequently finding space near the back stick, had one shot cleared off the line and half hit another  when racing unmarked into the box. Thankfully Lewis was not seriously hurt when clattering into the flimsiest of perimeter fences at one point.

We did have a serious let-off when Joe Halsey put a great chance wide but just after the half-hour mark we doubled our lead when Jake Cass got to the ball before Coulter who had no option but to bring him down.

It was a clear spotkick and Jake did what he does best by smashing the penalty into the roof of the net.

It was almost three when successive flicked headers from Cass and Adam Cunnington set up Johnville Renee who bent his effort just over.

McDonald had to be alert to palm an accidental back-header by James Richmond away for a corner before Casuals’ Shaun McAuley lashed inches wide. But the hosts couldn’t shoot straight and we were well worth our halftime lead.

H-T 0-2

A grimacing Cunnington had to stagger off early in the second half but we continued to pose the greater threat as Da Costa dragged his shot just wide after more fine work by Cass whose hold-up play was excellent all afternoon.

There then ensued a brief halt in play as the referee intervened following a complaint by Nathan that he had been slapped by a couple of frustrated Casuals behind the goal.

Thankfully the incident wasn’t serious and a steward was put in place to avert any more disturbances.

Substitute Andre Coker and Cass both had further efforts to extend our lead before linking up to make the game safe with a gorgeous goal on 70 minutes.

Coker cleverly dummied his marker when collecting a raking Lewis Knight pass, played a one-two with Cass and dinked the keeper with a sublime finish (pictured).

Knight preserved the clean sheet with a fantastic double block late on, much to the delight of the travelling Town faithful, who made the trip despite one of the least enjoyable car journeys at the best of times being made all the longer by the train strike.

With a rapidly improving Herne Bay to come next Saturday, followed by the toughest run-in of all the playoff contenders,  Andy Leese was a satisfied man after a professional job in the fourth of five successive away league games.

“Pleased to see us defending better today and taking some of the chances we created,” Andy said. “They didn’t really trouble us in the second half after a change of shape.”

“We had some better performances today and it was good to have Cass back fit.  It was important to win with everybody else around us winning.  The result helped our goal difference which will be important in a few weeks’ time. Hopefully this restores some confidence to the group for the remaining games.”

Town: McDonald; Renee, Richmond, Knight, Payne; Taaffe, Youngs, Kamara, Da Costa (Della-Verde 73); Cass (Wyllie, 82), Cunnington (Coker, 56)

Eight games to go and the toughest of run-ins. Which makes tomorrow’s fixture at Corinthian Casuals, the fourth of five consecutive away league games, so important.

Disappointing though our Middlesex Senior Cup exit might have been, we are still in those vital playoff positions but we need a win to boost morale.

What better chance to collect three valuable points than our visit to a Casuals team languishing near the foot of the table?

Make no mistake, they are just as keen as us to grab a maximum points haul and as we know very well, sides near the bottom are fighting for their lives.

Last Saturday, Casuals lost 1-4 at home to Carshalton and haven’t actually won in the league since Jan 2 — over two months ago.

But home draws against Hornchurch and Canvey Island prove they can be a formidable challenge on their day.

So, of course, can we and we can only hope the injuries we sustained on Tuesday are not too serious as we approach the business end of the season.

Due to limited demand, we will NOT be running a supporters’ coach to this game

Here is the link for those hoping to travel by road, given tomorrow’s train strike

:     http://www.corinthian-casuals.com/getting-here.html

Enfield Town 1 Harrow Borough 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Enfield Town’s recent inconsistency cost us dearly on Tuesday night as we bowed of the Middlesex Senior Cup in the semi-finals with another indifferent performance.

Hopes were high that we could reach the final of the only cup competition left to us this season but despite taking a first-half lead, we allowed our visitors back into the game and never recovered.

To make matters worse, we suffered a number of injuries with no indication yet as to the extent of their seriousness.

On a cold, wet and windy night there was no indication in the first half that we would have any difficulty dispatching an under-strength Borough who are in the lower reaches of their division, also in Step 3.

Khale da Costa, signed a few hours earlier from Step 2 Chelmsford, showed what a strong asset he will be for us with several penetrating runs.

And it was Khale who gave us a 25^th-minute lead on his debut, following up to score after a Joe Payne shot was parried but not held by Harrow’s 19-year-old keeper (goal pictured).

We had several other gilt-edged chances, notably two James Richmond headers and Marcus Wyllie thrashing the ball over from close range.

A limp Harrow team offered little apart from a dangerous Benjamin de Lacey Turner shot on the counter-attack, saved by Nathan McDonald.

H-T 0-0

With Payne taking a knock, he was replaced at halftime by Joshua Okotcha while Scott Thomas came on shortly afterwards for Chez Isaac, only for the luckless Scott to last only a matter a minutes before he, too, had to be substituted.  

Harrow themselves had brought a couple of their big guns off the bench for the second half but there was still no reason for our sudden capitulation.

On 64 minutes, Lewis Knight was dispossessed as he  waited for the ball to go out of play and from the resulting move, Anointed Chukwu laid on De Lacy-Turner to drive home the equaliser.

Goals change games – none more so than this as Harrow unexpectedly took control. 

Chukwu’s turn and shot saw the ball come off the bar, De Lacy-Turner thankfully steering the rebound inches wide. McDonald’s hands were then stung by a 30-yard Moore piledriver, Richmond just managing to clear the rebound from under the nose of Kai Omoko Brosnan.

Two more decent Harrow efforts were blocked by a defence that was beginning to work overtime. And just as it looked like we might force penalties, we lost the game in the final minute of normal time.

A needless foul by Lyle Della-Verde just outside the box saw Moore dummy over the ball and Quaine Bartley smash home the freekick via a wicked deflection off the wall.

It may have been a cruel way to go out but we were the architects of our own downfall.

Win the next two games, however – both away at relegation-threatened sides – and we can look ahead with renewed confidence for the difficult league run-in.

Town: McDonald, Da Costa (Coker, 68), Payne (Okotcha, 45), Camara, Knight,  Richmond, Taaffe, Isaac (Thomas, 48; sub Youngs, 52), Dayton (Cunnington, 70), Wyllie, Lyle Della-Verde

We are very pleased to announce the signing of winger Khale Da Costa from Chelmsford City. Khale, 29, is a former Fulham and Luton youngster with plenty of experience at the higher end of the non-league pyramid with the likes of St Albans, Braintree, Concord Rangers and Tonbridge Angels.

Gaffer Andy Leese said: “We are pleased to welcome Khale to the club. He is well known to us and will bring experience and quality to the squad. He’s been playing at step two with Chelmsford this season but has experience at step one as well. He was keen to come here which is what we like and will boost the squad for the run in. Please welcome Khale as he goes into the squad for tonight’s game”

Welcome, Khale!

Tomorrow evening sees us take on Harrow Borough  for a place in the Middlesex Senior Cup Final against either Hayes & Yeading or Brentford B (kickoff 7.45).

This is a welcome relief from our exhausting league campaign and gives us a fantastic chance to stay on course for a significant trophy.

Like us, Harrow are in Step 3 and play in the Southern League Premier Division South.

They may be in the lower reaches of that division but have had some eye-catching results this season, not least in the FA trophy where they took National League Halifax Town to penalties before exiting in the fourth round.

Lewes 1 Enfield Town 0

Report by Martin Bentley

A lifeless Enfield Town performance at the Dripping Pan saw them slip to defeat at the hands of Lewes, with a 41^st minute strike from Deon Moore sufficient to secure the three points.

With all of the teams around them, Bishops Stortford excepted, managing to win, Town dropped to fifth place in the table and further into the chasing pack aiming for a play-off place.

Town lined up with Johnville Renee playing against his old team (pictured) and recalled Chez Isaac and Andre Coker to the starting line-up. Reverting to a 4-3-3 formation they began slowly, with the home side’s slick passing game a marked contrast to Town’s more direct approach.

Lewes, however, had only a couple of blocked and off-target efforts to show for their endeavours, and Town slowly grew into the game.

Coker was off target with a 13^th minute effort, but clear chances were at a premium until the 40^th minute. A Scott Thomas corner was cleared by the home defence to the industrious Moore near the halfway line. With Town short-handed at the back, the Lewes striker was able to run through and beat Nathan McDonald from the edge of the box.

H-T 1-0

No-one, however, suspected that this would prove to be the last meaningful effort on goal in the entire game.

The second half saw the home side control possession for long periods without troubling McDonald further, and Town had to wait until the 85^th minute for their only shot on target, Lyle Della Verde’s freekick looping off the defensive wall to be flipped over the bar by home keeper Lewis Carey.

Apart from Lyle’s effort, the final ten minutes of the game were truly bizarre, with Lewes content to retain possession in their own half, and Town seemingly content to watch them do so. Definitely a game to file under ‘must do better’!

Town: McDonald, Renee, Payne, Thomas (Kamara 74), Knight, Richmond, Isaac, Youngs, Cunnington, Wyllie (Della Verde 57), Coker (Taaffe 79).

After a thrilling draw at Hastings on Tuesday, we are back on the road this Saturday with an important trip to our friends and promotion rivals Lewes.

And we come into it off the back of a three-game unbeaten run as we look to revive the flawless form that has got us so far up the table.

Versatility will be key for Town as it showed on Tuesday. With top scorer Jake Cass still nursing an injury sustained last weekend at Bognor, Adam Cunnington provided the attacking spark and opened the scoring with a header. Wing-back Johnville Renee could also prove important; until this month he had been a Lewes player.

Town will have to be wary of the dangerous Joe Taylor in the Lewes frontline. Having already scored 23 goals this season, 13 of which have been in his last 12 games, he is someone that the Town defence will need to carefully marshal all afternoon. Winger Razz Coleman-De Graft has 10 goals for the season and was among the scorers when Lewes earned a 4-2 win at the QEII in October.

Lewes are without a win in five and will be eager for the points, but they are a potential banana skin for Town, having won the sides’ last three meetings, scoring 4 times in each. Remarkably, the Rooks have not lost on their own patch all season – 8 wins and 7 draws, so the traveling support will need to be in fine voice to spur on the boys to inflict their first home defeat of the season and hopefully bring home 3 points!

• Address: The Dripping Pan, Mountfield Rd, Lewes BN7 2XA
• Tickets: Adults £12/Concessions £8
• By Train: 3 minutes’ walk from Lewes Station, served every 30 minutes from London Victoria.
• Food/Drink: Loaded Fries & Hotdogs and Pie & Mash are available from Lewes’ two food kiosks. The Rook Inn bar down the stairs of the main stand is well-stocked with craft beers, ciders and soft drinks.

Hastings United 1 Enfield Town 1

Report by Glyn Smith

The 50-or-so hardy Town supporters who made another long trip to the Sussex coast were rewarded with us gaining a valuable point in a highly entertaining game against a very good Hastings side.

With Jake Cass absent due to the hamstring strain he suffered on Saturday,  Adam Cunnington came into an otherwise unchanged starting eleven, who again lined up in a 5-3-2 formation. James Dayton took Cunnington’s place on the bench for a game that was rescheduled after being called off in January because of the big freeze.

In temperatures almost as cold as back then, Town started on the front foot and in the ninth minute a run into the box by Sam Youngs ended with a good save by Louis Rogers in the Hastings goal to prevent Marcus Wyllie scoring from 10 yards out.

 Eight minutes later and great work by the very impressive Johnville Renee saw his deep cross to the far post headed home by Cunnington (pictured) to put Town one up.

Renee continued to be an attacking threat for Town but Hastings responded to going behind with some impressive passing moves without really threatening an equalizer until the half hour mark. Town failed to fully clear their lines following a Hastings freekick and Ben Pope curled a shot from around 30 yards that was destined for the top corner until Nathan McDonald brilliantly dived full length to tip the ball away for a corner in what is probably the save of the season so far.

Four minutes later Town lifted some of the increasing pressure with a cross by Wyllie that saw Cunnington slide in and narrowly miss the target from 10 yards.

The equalizer that had been threatened came two minutes before halftime.

A slick free-flowing passing move from the hosts saw Smith slide the ball into the onion bag with great aplomb past an exposed McDonald.

H-T 1-1

Almost immediately from the restart Cunnington put Wyllie though on goal but his shot was saved well by Rogers at the expense of a corner. Gbode for Hastings responded with a low cross that was well held by McDonald.

A 56^th minute cross by Mo Kamara saw Cunnington again thwarted at close range, but with Hastings gaining more of a foothold Andy Leese replaced Dequaine Wilson-Braithwaite with Andre Coker and changing to a 4-3-3 formation.

Coker made an almost immediate impact by putting Cunnington through on goal, but as with Wyllie’s earlier chance Rogers again saved the one on one. Hastings broke quickly from the resulting corner and James Richmond was booked for fouling the dangerous Smith.

With 20 minutes remaining Lewis Taaffe came on for Wyllie and his free kick shortly after saw Richmond’s header easily held by Rogers.

As the game became more stretched Chez Isaac replaced Kamara and with 10 minutes remaining another quick break by Hastings saw a low 30-yard drive held by McDonald. Isaac, though, was booked shortly afterwards for a foul on the edge of Town’s penalty area, but fortunately the freekick was curled over the bar.

As the game went into stoppage time another good low save by McDonald from a long shot, and subsequent block by Lewis Knight maintained the status quo.

In a final twist deep into stoppage time Hastings gained a throw in level with the edge of Town’s penalty area. They immediately made their final substitution by bringing on Ollie Black, and his long throw into the middle of the box was back headed over the bar and on to the roof of the net by a Hastings player.

Town – McDonald, Wilson-Braithwaite (Coker 59), Payne, Thomas, Knight, Richmond, Kamara (Isaac 77), Youngs, Cunnington, Wyllie (Taaffe 70), Renee. Unused substitutes Dayton, Della-Verde.

Six weeks after the original fixture was called off because of the big freeze, our rescheduled game away to Hastings takes place Tuesday night in what promises to be a challenging encounter.

Three days after our much-needed victory over Bognor, we return to the Sussex coast to face a U’s team who are slowly climbing the table and are now just four points behind Town in seventh place.

On Saturday Hastings, who we beat 1-0 in the reverse fixture in November, were held 1-1 by improving Wingate & Finchley, conceding a late equalizer after Joe Gbode had given them a first-half lead.

But they have only lost one of their last five encounters and seem likely to have another bumper crowd to spur them on in what should be a fantastic atmosphere.

Bognor Regis 0 Enfield Town 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Two excellent first-half goals, coupled with clubs around us dropping points, made it a highly satisfying  journey to the  West Sussex coast for Town as we got back to winning ways in the first of five successive away league outings.

Playing in a 3-5-2 formation and with both new signings making their debuts, we totally dominated the first half, then showed the other side of our capabilities by digging in after the break.

Town came flying out of the blocks as Jake Cass burst through, only to smash his effort over the crossbar.

A late challenge on Johnville Renee, playing as a right wingback on his Town debut, resulted in  an early yellow card for Joe Rabbetts – Bognor’s player of the month for the last three months.

Cass saw another effort deflected  past the post before James Richmond missed from a mere two yards as he came up for a corner, holding his head in his hands as he somehow wellied the ball over when it seemed easier to score.

New boy Mo Camara, in central midfield alongside Scott Thomas, fired straight at the keeper before Joe Payne went into the book for a late challenge on Alfie Bridgman.

On 35 minutes, Town got what their attacking play deserved. With Bognor screaming for a penalty after Nathan Odokonyero went down in the box, we surged up the end  and Cass played the ball across for Marcus Wyllie – a threat all afternoon – to supply the finish and wheel away in celebration (pictured)

Three minutes the lead was doubled, with scorer and provider reversed.  Matt Rowley spread himself to keep out Wyllie’s effort but Cass showed fantastic control to thump home the rebound on the volley.

Sadly for Jake and the team, he had to be replaced just before halftime with a hamstring injury, the extent of which was being assessed.

Cameron Black’s toe poke moments later, clutched on the line by Nathan McDonald, was the closest Bognor had come to scoring  in a half we comfortably controlled.

H-T 0-2

Although Bognor looked far more menacing after the break, they didn’t carve out the clearcut chances their possession had threatened.

Dan Gifford diverted a corner over our bar when unmarked on the back post while Isaac Olaniyan’s dangerous cross evaded everyone.

We were still threatening on the counter and Richmond’s flicked header found Adam Cunnington whose own header was directed straight at Rowley.

 Kamara’s physical presence was eye-catching throughout for Town, his only blemish coming when he went into the book.

As Bognor’s desperation grew, so they threw men forward but got little change out of our defence, back to performing as a composed unit.

And there was still time for substitute Andre Coker to twist and turn his way into the box before forcing Rowley into a smart save.

“A much-needed win and better performance from us,” said Andy Leese after we cemented fourth spot and put pressure on those above us, with two more long trips to come this week.

“We adapted our shape and it gave us what we wanted. Bognor may have had the possession in the second half but I felt we defended well and created a few decent opportunities ourselves. Pleased with Mo and JV on their debuts. Both slotted in really well after just one session with us. The win sets us up nicely for a hugely challenging week.”

Town:

McDonald; Wilson-Braithwaite, Knight, Richmond; Payne, Youngs (Isaac, 67), Thomas, Camara, Renee; Wyllie (Coker 76), Cass (Cunnington 44)

After a three-game blip that didn’t thankfully do us much damage as far as the table is concerned, we aim to get back to winning ways on  Saturday with the first of five successive away league fixtures.

We travel to Bognor Regis who are currently 15th in the table with 37 points from 33 games. Back in October we drew 1-1 at the QEII Stadium, Jake Cass equalising from a penalty after Nick Dembele had given the visitors an early lead.

Bognor are one of those teams who have definitely under-performed this season and have lost their last four in the league.

 Yet they beat Bishops Stortford and Haringey in early February and we may well need to keep concentration for 90 minutes to take maximum points before another long haul to Hastings three days later.

Bognor were given a strong confidence boost on Tuesday by thrashing Bexhill United 6-1 to reach the semifinals of Sussex Senior Cup.

If you are travelling on Saturday the information on the link below maybe helpful.

There is also a supporters’ coach to both Bognor and Hastings. You can book your seat by contacting Les Gold on 07979 727563 or email lesgold@enfieldtownfootballclub.co.uk

As some of you will know we have signed versatile midfielder Mohammed Camara on a dual registration basis from Concord Rangers. Andy Leese described him as a great boost to our squad and he should be available for selection on Saturday

We are delighted to announce that versatile midfielder Mo Kamara has joined us from National League South Concord Rangers on a dual registration

“We are delighted to welcome Mo to the club, he’s a player we know well from his impressive performances against us and he’ll provide a fantastic boost to the squad as we approach the business end of the season,” said Andy Leese.

“Thanks to Rob Small and Concord Rangers for their help and professionalism in getting this over the line.”

Enfield Town 0 Margate 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

 (with contributions from Jake Coburn)

Frustration was the name of the game for Town as we were held by a battling Margate despite being in control for long periods.

The good news is that we are still fourth with plenty of games to go in our quest for another playoff place and even automatic promotion.

And the fact that we welcomed almost 650 spectators on our annual Women and Girls Day that created a real feelgood feeling.

The not so good news is that we have taken only one point from nine, have failed to score in open play  in five outings and now face five away league games in March.

Conditions weren’t easy on a bumpy pitch in a biting wind, rendering chances few and far between though it was clear from the very outset that Margate came looking for a point.

Town were unlucky to lose Andre Coker to injury on 20 minutes after he went down for the third time and limped off holding his right leg.

His replacement, Lyle Della-Verde, almost gave us the lead seven minutes later,  latching on to a neat pass from Sam Youngs before shifting the ball onto his favourite left foot and unleashing a venomous strike that was palmed round the post by Daniel Jinadu.

The only other notable incident in the first half were the theatrics of Margate’s Phillip Roberts, booked for simulation after tumbling in the penalty area on the stroke of half time.

H-T 0-0

For some reason – maybe as a result of those back to back 3-0 defeats —  we just didn’t have enough confidence on the ball and were therefore short on spark and invention.

Our best chance came on 53 minutes as a Joe Payne long throw was flicked on by the tall presence of Adam Cunnington and fell to Lewis Taaffe, whose low shot was brilliantly saved by the feet of Jinadu. Cunnington also had a shot blocked by Nathan Wood (pictured).

Margate’s only real threats  came either side of the  hour mark. First Roberts flashed a left-footed cross beyond everyone in the area when all it needed was a touch goalwards. Then  Roberts was teed up on the edge of the box by Harvey Smith but his fierce effort was bravely blocked by James Richmond.

That was all Margate delivered and as the clock ticked down, Town threw on top scorer Jake Cass in the hope of finding a late winner.

His first touch very nearly did so, a header from a Taaffe corner dropping agonisingly wide of Jinedu’s goal.

And in the 82^nd minute Cass was denied again by a timely challenge from Sinn’ Kaye Christie as he was about the pull the trigger.

All that was left was for the referee to book four players, two from each team, following an ugly brawl in stoppage time.

One piece of encouragement for Town was the solid performance of Josh Okotcha who was given a rare start in the absence of Lewis Knight – not permitted to play against his parent club – and showed what a useful member of the squad he is.

“Very frustrating performance yesterday. We dominated possession but it counted for nothing in the end,” said Andy Leese.

“Only positives were that we didn’t concede and gained a point. We have this week to reset ahead of a crucial run of away games.”

Town: McDonald; Wilson-Braithwaite (Cass 67), Okotcha, Richmond, Payne; Thomas, Isaac (Wordsworth 73), Youngs, Taaffe; Cunnington, Coker (Della-Verde, 20)

Saturday’s home game against Margate is important in so many ways.

Firstly we need to bounce back after rare back to back defeats against Canvey Island and Folkestone.

Secondly it’s our last home league game until we meet Hornchurch at the end of March.

But perhaps most importantly of all, to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8, we are opening our turnstiles free of charge to all women and girls to mark our Annual Ladies Day.

We would like as many female fans as possible to come and watch in a safe, fun and affordable environment and to join our club whether as players at adult/youth level, members, supporters or volunteers.

Margate will be without midfielder Sam Blackman, as he completes a two-game ban, as well as defender Emmanuel Oke who starts a three-match suspension while midfielder Cameron Brodie has been recalled by parent club Dartford.

But that will allow other players to step up to the plate and the club will have been buoyed by their midweek win over Cray Valley PM to reach the last four of the Kent Senior Cup.

In the league Margate are 16^th and although they have taken two points out of a possible 15, they only narrow lost to Bishop’s Stortford in mid-February and have proved at times this season they can be formidable opposition on their day.

Kick-off on Saturday is 3pm and we are hoping for another bumper attendance to match our Public Services Day.

Folkestone Invicta 3 Enfield Town 0

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.

H-T 0-1

Whatever Andy said to the players at halftime, we came out with loads more energy and urgency and almost levelled straight away as Patrick Ohman in the Folkestone goal scrambled 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 (pictured).

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), Payne, Thomas (Lyle Della-Verde, 78), Knight, Richmond, Isaac, Youngs, Cass, Taaffe (Coker, 68), Marcus Wyllie

Following our disappointing defeat last Saturday, we have an ideal opportunity to immediately bounce back tomorrow, Tuesday, when we visit Folkestone Invicta on the Kent coast

Folkestone are currently mid-table following their 3-2 win over Corinthian Casuals on Saturday but have taken seven points from their last three games and are perhaps one of those sides who are under-performing in the division.

In the reverse fixture, our very first game of the season, we drew 1-1 at home and will be looking to hopefully improve on that at the The Buildkent Stadium, kickoff 7.45

COYT

Canvey Island 3 Enfield Town 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Canvey Island was the birthplace of Dr. Feelgood, one of Britain’s best-loved rhythm and blues bands.

But there was precious little of the feelgood factor to take away from Town’s visit to that particular corner of Essex on Saturday.

With skipper Scott Thomas’ three-match ban overturned two days previously, there was every reason to be optimistic of a positive result at The Movie Starr Stadium.

Instead we came away well beaten after one of our most disappointing displays of the season.

Make no mistake, this is one of the toughest grounds to get a result – as both Hornchurch and Bishop’s Stortford have discovered this season.

But after an even first half of few clearcut chances in windy conditions, there was little indication we would come unstuck so badly.

Chez Isaac had arguably the best chance of the opening 45 minutes with a speculative 25-yard drive that was brilliantly tipped over by Bobby Mason while at the other end, Conor Hubble flashed a shot inches over our bar.

H-T 0-0

The first goal was all important and unfortunately it went to the Gulls on 56 minutes.

Straight from a set-piece of our own, Evans Kouassi – who troubled us all afternoon just as he done in our 5-1 FA Cup defeat on the same ground earlier in the season – got the better of Wilson-Braithwaite and slid the ball into the area for the on-rushing Joe Paxman to fire home.

Canvey’s lead was doubled four minutes later, again following a move down our right. Somehow we didn’t deal with Kouassi’s driving run and when he cut the ball inside, Bradley Sach swept it home.

Had we pulled a goal back, who knows what might have happened and we so nearly did,  Mason pulling off a world-class save to keep out a Sam Youngs header (pictured)

Sadly with seven minutes remaining, it went from bad to worse for Town as we lost concentration at a Hubble freekick and allowed Rob Girdlestone to convert at the near post.

There was still time for the referee to brandish a red card to Lewis Knight for two bookable offences, only to realise his mistake and change his mind.

Even then, it wasn’t clear whether he had booked James Richmond instead or had in fact yellow-carded Canvey’s number six Elliott Johnson though in the end it hardly mattered.

All teams lose games though the manner of the defeat was clearly not what we wanted.

On the plus side we are still in fourth spot and handily placed. The challenge now is to pick ourselves up for Tuesday’s long trip to Folkestone.

Town: McDonald, Wilson-Braithwaite, Knight, Richmond, Payne; Youngs, Thomas, Isaac; Della-Verde (Taaffe, 76), Cass, Coker (Cunnington 68)

The games come thick and fast and tomorrow we are away at Canvey Island who have surprised some pundits by consistently being in and around the playoff places after being promoted from Step 4.

The Gulls are currently in sixth place on goal difference from Cray in fifth, four points behind Town having played a game more.

They are certainly in decent form having won four of five in 2023 including an upset 3-1 win at Hornchurch.

In the reverse fixture earlier in the season we drew 0-0 having previously been trounced 5-1 at their place in in the FA Cup when  Evans Kouassi notched a hat-trick.

Frustrating though our cup exit was, it is now a distant memory and after grinding out a win over Brightlingsea on Tuesday,  we are arguably the form side of the division.

It certainly promises to be a mouth-watering encounter at the Moviestarr Stadium, kickoff 3pm.

Admission Prices
Adults – £12
Concession – £7
U16s – £2

Address: The Movie Star Stadium, Park Lane, Essex, SS8 7PX

We have been drawn at home to Harrow Borough in the semifinal of the Middlesex Senior Trophy on Tuesday March 14, kickoff 7.45

Like us Harrow Borough are a Step 3 side and play in the Southern League Premier Division South where they currently lie in 18^th place. Earlier this season they beat Hayes & Yeading and Step 2 Concord Rangers en route to the FA Trophy Fourth Round, where they were only beaten on penalties by Halifax Town of the National League.

On behalf of the whole club, we would like to wish our manager Andy Leese a very happy 60^th birthday today, Thursday.

Here’s to Andy having a fabulous day, followed hopefully by a strong result at Canvey on Saturday.

Many congratulations, Andy!

Enfield Town 2 Brightlingsea Regent 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

A brace of penalties, one in each half, pushed us up to third with three valuable points on a night when the opposition at times made life awkward.

Just like the previous home game, it wasn’t always easy against another of those sides scrapping for everything near the foot of the table.

Our first half performance alone, during which we totally controlled proceedings,  justified the win as Brightlingsea hardly laid a glove on us.

After the break, it was a more even contest as Brightlingsea, who had to wear Town’s green kit after their own kit man got caught up in heavy traffic, fought desperately to get something from the game.

The management team made two changes to Saturday’s starting lineup with Jake Cass and Lyle Della-Verde coming into the side — and both more than played their part.

Kick-off was delayed for 15 minutes because of Regent’s travel issues but once the action got under way, we immediately imposed our superiority.

Sam Youngs almost converted an early Lyle freekick while Jake, onside, saw his powerful shot cannon off a defender for a corner.

Town were the team very much in the ascendancy and went ahead on 20 minutes.

Cass stole an underhit backpass away from Regent’s new keeper Lewis Ridd who proceeded to bring him down. The teenager then had no chance with Jake’s confidently struck penalty.

Sam Youngs looked to have doubled our lead as he slotted home beautifully to finish off a glorious  team move but was ruled offside.

Regent’s only threat came when dangerman Jesse Olukolu almost took advantage of us losing possession in midfield, only for Nathan McDonald to pull off a smart save.

H-T 1-0

A Cass turn and shot was pushed away as we started the second half in the same vein.

Scott Thomas, in his last game before a three-match suspension pending appeal, then twice let fly from 25 yards, the second time bringing a superb tip-over save.

Suddenly, however, Brightlingsea got a foothold in the game as they started to pass to feet.

Nathan made a super stop from Andrew George before Zack Littlejohn headed home an excellent left-wing delivery just before the hour.

Town needed to regain the momentum and got the perfect break on 69 minutes with a second spotkick. Andre Coker was blatantly tripped as he weaved his way into the box and was given the penalty honours this time, going for placement rather than power (pictured).

Thereafter it was a case of hanging on to what we had as Regent pushed us back without capitalising on their second-half possession.

“It was a really important three points. Brightlingsea made it really difficult,” said Mario Noto. “Maybe the 10 men for 60 minutes on Saturday didn’t do us any favours.”

“We started really brightly and Jake led the line really well. The performance may not have been the best but we ground out a win. That’s sometimes what you have to do against teams who are fighting for their lives.”

Town: McDonald; Dequane-Wilson, Knight, Richmond, Payne; Isaac (Taaffe, 76), Youngs, Thomas, Della-Verde; Cass, Coker (Wyllie,73)

We are delighted to confirm that we have managed to extend Lewis Knight’s loan period until the end of the season.

This runs up to and includes May 1 which is the date of the playoff final

Lewis has been outstanding at the back for the Town since his arrival from Margate as well as scoring crucial goals at the other end of the pitch.

Manager Andy Leese commented: “I’m absolutely delighted. Fantastic player, great acquisition.”

Onwards and upwards, Lewis!

What better place to be on Valentine’s Day than supporting Enfield Town.

Following last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Wingate and Finchley, we entertain another of the division’s lower teams tomorrow (Tuesday) when Brightlingsea Regent are the visitors, kickoff 7.45.

Brightlingsea are one place off the bottom with only four wins to their name but as Maz said after Saturday’s game, the teams at wrong end of the table are scrapping for their lives and can pose a serious threat if we are off the pace – like we were in the first half against Wingate and Finchley.

Scott Thomas plays his last game (if selected) before a three-match ban kicks in following his sending off on Saturday.

Although Brightlingsea lost to Herne Bay in a relegation six pointer last weekend, they have done well against some of the higher-placed sides in recent weeks without necessarily getting their just reward.

With Andy Leese back to direct matters in the dugout following his one-match ban, victory could push us back into the top three ahead of a potentially tricky visit to Canvey Island on Saturday.

Enfield town 1 Wingate and Finchley 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

High-flying Enfield salvaged a late point in a feisty derby despite playing almost an hour with 10 men after skipper Scott Thomas was shown a straight red.

Scott was dismissed around the half-hour mark after the referee adjudged he grabbed Ben Siggers by the throat as he reacted after having being fouled himself.

The man in the middle admitted at halftime that he should have booked Siggers too. But that was of little consolation to the home fans who made up virtually the entire 700-strong crowd including many who took advantage of our Public Services Day.

Despite having won six of seven going into the game, we were strangely passive in the first half and the visitors, in their florescent green away kit, deservedly went in front having already gone close through Akeo Bani’s bending freekick that came back off our crossbar.

And what a worldie their goal was from Antonis Vasiliou, who has hardly shone this season but once again saved his best when playing against Town, showing incredible technique with a sensational overhead kick on the volley.

Town’s best first-half effort fell to Sam Youngs but our quality was poor and Scott’s sending off (he now misses three games starting next weekend) appeared to only make  matters worse.

H-T 0-1

Credit to the management, however, as we brought on Jake Cass to play alongside Adam Cunnington,  sacrificing Marcus Wyllie in the process,  switched to a 3-4-2 system and took control.

Without discernably troubling Wingate keeper Ben Goode whose handling throughout was excellent, it was Town who now looked the team with a one-man advantage as we pushed Wingate back.

The visitors started to resort to giving away a number of freekicks outside their area, one of which rebounded into the path of Youngs who blasted narrowly wide.

We were getting closer and with five minutes of regular time to go,  our courage with 10 men finally paid off.

Numerical parity was restored when Ola Williams was dismissed for a second yellow for a foul on Youngs.

Much to the anger of the crowd, Williams took an eternity to leave pitch-side but Town had the last laugh. From the resultant freekick, Della-Verde produced what he does best with another of his scorching left-foot freekicks, this one deflecting in off the Wingate wall (pictured).

With Andy Leese serving a one-man ban up in the stands it was left to assistant Mario Noto to sum up proceedings.

“We hadn’t really got a foothold in the game and even after the sending off had to go positive so we decided to go two up top in the second half,” explained Maz.

“In the end we might even have nicked it. The boys off the bench did really well to impact the game. Definitely a point gained. It’s not always easy against these teams who are fighting for their lives. But we need to get three points against Brightlingsea on Tuesday.”

Town:

McDonald; Wilson-Braithwaite, Richmond, Knight, Payne (Della-Verde, 68);  Thomas, Isaac, Youngs; Wyllie (Cass, 46), Cunnington, Coker (Taaffe, 68).

Tomorrow we entertain one of our nearest rivals Wingate and Finchley at the QEII Stadium, kickoff 3-pm, hoping to make it seven wins in eight league games.

In the corresponding fixture at the end of November, we won 2-0 with goals from Lewis Knight and Jake Cass.

 Wingate are currently 17th in the table with 25 points from 17 games, just two points clear of the relegation zone.

However, last Saturday against the odds they defeated playoff hopefuls Cray Wanderers 1-0 with a goal from Ben Siggers.

Just a reminder that the game is our public services day.

That means free admission for all those who provide our various public services.

These include those employed in the NHS and Care sector, Ambulance Service, Postal Service, Police Service, Prison and Probation Services, Fire Brigade Service, Councils, Schools, Nurseries and Colleges, Transport Services, HM Forces and Voluntary Sector Organisations.

Hopefully we can treat them to another fine performance and maintain our excellent form among the leading positions.

COYT

Following several enforced postponements, our home game against Hornchurch will now take place on Tuesday, March 28, kickoff 7.45

Hopefully this time we can get the game played at what is likely to be an even more exciting time of the season with only a handful of fixtures remaining thereafter.

To add to the anticipation, it will be our only home league game in March.

There has been some suggestion that we already know our semifinal opponents in this competition so just to clarify, the draw has not yet been made.

The semifinal lineup will be completed by Feb 22 following multiple postponements.

It is anticipated that the draw will then be made before February 24, with the semifinals ideally taking place by the middle of March depending on each team’s schedule.

Yet again, our eagerly awaited home fixture against Hornchurch has had to be postponed because of cup commitments.

The game, already switched twice, was due to take place on Tuesday 28th February.

But because Hornchurch have an Essex County Cup semifinal that night, a new date will again have to be found.

We will of course keep all fans posted.

Northwood 1 Enfield Town 2

Report by Martin Bentley

It was hellishly cold, and the football was, for the most part, not pretty.

But Enfield Town successfully negotiated a tricky Middlesex Senior Cup tie at Northwood to secure their passage into the semi-finals.

Town fielded a much-changed side, and gave competitive debuts to Tom Payne and Lucas Jordan.

They started off at a gallop, taking the lead after only four minutes, Jake Cass driving a close range effort past home keeper Andrew McCorkell at his near post (pictured).

Northwood were also looking threatening in the early stages, and debutant Parris Mason levelled after 20 minutes with a smart close range finish.

The remainder of the half was largely uneventful, although the home side had a decent-looking penalty shout when Sandro Costa went down under Jon Muleba’s challenge.

 Town then regained the lead after 38 minutes with a goal from Lyle Della Verde that trod that fine line between genius and fluke (this writer, for the record, favours the former option).

The Town winger received the ball on the right from Lewis Taaffe and curled a brilliant/lucky effort over the scrambling McCorkell and into the far corner of the net.

A lively second half was notable only for the almost complete lack of shots on goal. For Town, Jordan had an effort ruled out for offside, Cass was denied by McCorkell when put through on goal, and Taaffe pinged a 25 yarder deep into the cemetery behind the goal.

The home side threatened frequently from wide areas, but the Town defence coped well with a string of accurately delivered crosses and corners and held on for the win, the relieved travelling faithful trooping

 off in search of somewhere a bit warmer.

Town line-up: Mc Donald, Muleba, Joe Payne, Tom Payne (Youngs 78), Braithwaite, Okotcha, Taaffe, Dayton (Isaac 65), Cass, Jordan (Coker 74), Della Verde.

Unused subs: Richmond, Wyllie

On behalf of everyone at Enfield Town FC, we would like to wish Tony Gibbs a huge happy 80^th birthday .

Tony is one our longest serving fans and follows us home and away as well as giving up his spare time volunteering the supervision of our various Young Children Disability coaching sessions.

Tony, who epitomises the spirit of our club, acts as the liaison link between the parents, the club and the NHS at three six-week sessions per year staged at the club’s 3G training pitch.

“I’d never been involved in anything like this before but I thrive on it,” Tony told The Enfield Dispatch in a recent interview.

“When you are doing voluntary work, it’s so rewarding. You get back far more than you are able to give. It’s extremely positive not just for the children but also the adults and carers.”

You’re a credit to our club, Tony. Happy Birthday. Here’s to many more….

We have identified this Saturday’s home game with Wingate and Finchley (ko 3pm)  as an opportunity to say thank you to those who provide our public services.

We will allow all those who work in those services to attend this fixture for free.

These include those employed in the NHS and Care sector, Ambulance Service, Postal Service, Police Service, Prison and Probation Services, Fire Brigade Service, Councils, Schools, Nurseries and Colleges, Transport Services, HM Forces and Voluntary Sector Organisations.

An e ticket is available for people to claim their free ticket but you will also be able to gain entry on production of appropriate ID on the day.

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/brand/match-tickets

Use the NHS link.

Please share information about this day widely among friends, family and colleagues.

The club does not want to detract from the marvellous support it receives both home and away. The players certainly appreciate the atmosphere created and again yesterday at Billericay supporters played their part. The club recognises football is a passionate game and we are lucky to have the support we do. We want that support to continue and grow but there are lines that cannot be crossed. The abuse of our opponents and officials is not acceptable. Our support is at its best when it is focused on supporting our team. Sadly yesterday there were a couple of incidents that the club will not ignore and will take action on. Firstly the club apologises to Billericay staff who were subjected to abuse. The identity of the main protagonist is known and will be dealt with. We would ask all supporters to either challenge anti-social behaviour or seek the assistance of a board member or a steward. As a supporter-owned club we all have a responsibility to represent our club in a positive way.

The club also urges supporters not to bring any pyrotechnic or smoke devices into grounds. This could be a criminal offence and result in banning orders. The FSA article on this issue is well worth reading –  English football launches new measures to curb pitch incursions and pyro – Football Supporters’ Association (thefsa.org.uk) 

Billericay 0 Enfield Town 4

Report by Andrew Warshaw

It doesn’t get much better than this. Against a team that had won its previous four home games, Enfield Town put on the ultimate complete display to maintain our push not just for a playoff place but for automatic promotion.

Superb to a man, Town’s teamwork, cohesion and penetration swept Billericay aside in front of a 1000-plus crowd – including a terrific away support — to secure the league double over our Essex opponents in the space of just 10 days.

With six wins in our last seven outings, second-placed Town are very much the form team in the division. With 16 games still to go, it would be foolhardy to get carried away but with the best goal difference in the league and only two points behind leaders Bishop’s Stortford, there is a growing belief that we have as good a chance as anyone of going all the way this time.

Billericay’s manager churlishly remarked after our 2-0 win in the corresponding fixture that the way we played was a crime against football even though for long periods they didn’t lay a glove on us.

On Saturday the only crime that we that didn’t score even more goals in what seasoned observers said was one of the most professional collective displays for many a year, the only downside being what could be a serious knee injury to Jueven Spencer.

Right from the off Town were on the front foot, winning second balls and attacking down both flanks and the middle. Sam Youngs curled a shot just wide while Marcus Wyllie unleashed a glorious left-wing strike that came back off the post.

In between there were two lengthy stoppages for accidental head clashes, one of which resulting in Lewis Knight being bandaged up.

Soon afterwards Juevan, who has been so consistent all season, had to be helped off the pitch by two sets of arms, returning later to the dugout on crutches.

Such is Town’s strength in depth that his replacement,  Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite, slotted in seamlessly at rightback.

In fact shortly after the enforced change, Town took the lead on 28 minutes as Wyllie latched on to Adam Cunnington’s header and fed Andre Coker who finished with aplomb.

Wyllie then came close to converting  a glorious Scott Thomas pass while at the other end, in a rare Ricay counter, Nathan McDonald pushed away  an Anthony Jeffrey’ effort.

H-T 0-1

For much of the game Billericay’s raids were largely speculative whereas there was an intent and purpose about Enfield’s play.

Only in the first 15 minutes of the second half was our dominance threatened as Ricay came out with more urgency.

It  needed a magnificent tackle by Wilson-Braithwaite to prevent Eze Ebuzoeme from equalising but on 58 minutes we got the all-important second goal.  A trademark Joe Payne long throw  wasn’t cleared and Chez Isaac rushed forward to smash the ball home (pictured).

Now Enfield regained the ascendancy and before long the game was made safe following a pair of inspired substitutions by the management.

When a 25-yard Payne freekick rattled the underside of the bar, Jake Cass was first on hand to head home the rebound. Then Lewis Taaffe’s scuffed effort across goal was turned into his own net by a Billericay defender.

“Another fantastic all-round display form us today,” said Andy Leese. “Apart from a spell after halftime I felt we controlled the game. We were unfortunate not to be further ahead at halftime with some great attacking play.”

“Yet again our substitutions changed the game and we cruised to a well-desered three points. It keeps us in the promotion mix but that’s all  it does with so many games left to play. Some great individual performances today as well especially from Chez and overall as good a team performances as we’ve had all season.”

Town:

McDonald; Spencer (Wilson-Braithwaite, 25), Knight, Richmond, Payne; Thomas (Cass, 71), Youngs, Isaac; Wyllie, Cunnington, Coker (Taaffe, 66)

Just 10 days after our 2-0 win over Billericay, arguably our best performance of the season, the return fixture takes place tomorrow in front of what is expected to be a bumper crowd that could get close to four figures.

Goals from Joe Payne and Lewis Taaffe secured our victory over Ricay last time out and we visit the New Lodge for the corresponding away game in confident mood after an excellent run of form marred only by the loss to Kingstonian.

Billericay started the season slowly but have steadily improved and are currently ninth in the league table with 41 points from 28 games.

Although they have lost their last three games, two of them in the league, their home form is hugely impressive having won four on the spin scoring 13 goals in the process on their artificial pitch.

Having been relegated from Step 2, they will be keen to take revenge on us as we bid to maintain our position amongst the leading contenders for which huge credit goes to the management team and the entire squad.

Admission to the Stadium – which operates a cashless system —  is £12 adults, £7 concessions £5 Young Adults (12-17 years) and £1 under 11’s.

We are excited to announce that just over a year since their sell-out gig in Butler’s Bar, the Cinelli Brothers, one of the UK’s most explosive and dynamic blues bands, are coming back on Friday, 7th April to support ETFC with their third fundraising gig. 

To put the Cinellis’  remarkable talents into perspective, they have just played in Memphis where they succeeded in coming 2^nd out of 150 bands representing the UK in the International Blues Challenge, and are currently touring across Europe at major festivals and individual gigs.

The Cinellis project was born out of a common passion for electric Chicago and Texas blues from the 60s and 70s showcasing Chess, Stax and Motown.

With the Cinellis now in big demand, this is a veritable coup as well as an extraordinary gesture by the four-piece band formed by Italian brothers Marco and Alessandro Cinelli who have developed a fanatical fan base.

The band have released several albums – tasty originals as well as finely crafted covers — and have won a number of awards.

Early bird tickets, capped at 50 and priced at a remarkable £10, can be purchased using the following link:

Tickets will also be available in the club shop and on the night – if there are any left. Once Early Bird tickets are snapped up, tickets will cost £15.

Doors open 7.30pm with the band likely to start around 8pm.

Ware 1 Enfield Town 0

By Martin Bentley

A hastily arranged Tuesday night friendly at Step 4 Ware resulted in a 1-0 defeat for Town but game time for squad members was far more important than the result.

 Town were able to give valuable minutes to players not currently in the starting eleven for league matches, as well as those returning from injury.

With the team being topped up by triallists and players from the Level 7 Academy, Town were still able to offer a team of a decent strength.

Ware were also in need of game time following a string of recent postponements, and fielded arguably a stronger starting eleven than Town.

For what it’s worth, Liam Dulson’s close range finish on 26 minutes gave the home side victory.

 For Town, Anthony Wordsworth was outstanding in midfield, and Jonathan Muleba marked his return to the fold with some characteristic high-speed gallops down the right wing.

 The home side grew stronger following the obligatory procession of second-half substitutes, and Adi Connolly was required to make a number of smart saves to keep Town in the game.

Town line-up: Connolly, Muleba, Triallist, Wordsworth, Braithwaite, Okotcha, Taaffe, Dayton, Cass, Jordan, Della Verde.

Subs: Tom Payne, Samual Thomas, Asamoah, Fraser, Triallist

Tomorrow (Tuesday), with no midweek league game,  we have arranged a friendly at Ware, kickoff 7.45.

Looking ahead, our recently postponed game away to Hastings has now been re-arranged for Tuesday, March 7, kickoff 7.45

Enfield Town 4 Carshalton Athletic 1

Report by Ken Brazier

Town moved into pole position on goal difference in the Isthmian Premier table with an emphatic win against the Robins who played their full part.

Manager Andy Leese opted to stick with the same starting XI that had been so impressive against Billericay Town four days earlier, and the hosts got off to the best possible start in the first minute when a dipping cross from the right from man-of-the-match Marcus Wyllie was headed home by Andre Coker.

The ball just crept over the line despite the efforts of keeper Danny Bracken to claw it out.  Curiously, Coker had achieved the same feat of scoring in the first minute at Bowers & Pitsea a fortnight previously.  

The visitors’ early reverse kick-started a decent spell of possession for them, and they would have counted themselves unlucky when Nathan McDonald, making his 302^nd Enfield appearance between the sticks, thwarted former Towner Kurtis Cumberbatch with a fine save.

Adam Cunnington headed wide from Wyllie’s cross and Coker attempted an overhead kick from a good position inside the Carshalton box, but Enfield gave themselves some breathing space when quick feet from Coker produced a great cross for Lewis Knight to head home after 26 minutes.

Carshalton, who had been in good form coming into the game, continued to press and caught the eye with some accurate deliveries in the final third which kept McDonald on his toes under his crossbar, but overall Town were probably worth their half-time lead.

HT: 2-0

Carshalton emerged from the break in determined mood and, after fashioning a couple of chances which were either saved or blocked, deservedly reduced the arrears when Tommy Bradford was quickest to react to and convert a loose ball which had come back to him off the post.

There followed a 15-minute spell for the Surrey outfit which looked ominous from a home perspective, and there were a number of blocks and deflections but the introduction of Jake Cass as a 68^th minute substitute ultimately triggered a Town response.

 In the 76^th minute, Cass managed to squeeze the ball home amongst a sea of legs following a Joe Payne throw on the left.

Substitutes Lewis Taaffe and Lyle Della-Verde both fired over the top as the game became increasingly stretched but in added time Sam Youngs set up a hungry-looking Cass to get past Arthur Lee and Bradley Williams and finish emphatically low into the far corner past the diving Bracken (pictured).

No-one is getting carried away with such a long way to go but after five wins in six outings, it’s all getting very exciting in the race for automatic promotion with no single runaway team. With a settled side, Town are certainly in the mix.

 “It’s been a tough week. Following on from the Billericay game Carshalton made us work extremely hard for this win, and I thought it was another complete all-round performance like we had on Tuesday,” said a beaming Andy Leese. “Defensively, we look better than we did last season and the goals are being spread around the team. I couldn’t be more delighted. A big shout out to our supporters who were again top class.”

Team:  McDonald; Spencer, Knight, Richmond, Payne; Youngs, Isaac, Thomas, Wyllie (Della-Verde, 81); Coker (Cass, 68), Cunnington (Taaffe, 75).

After four wins in our last five games, Enfield Town attempt to maintain the momentum tomorrow by adding in-form Carshalton Athletic to our recent list of scalps.

With our hugely impressive midweek win over Billericay still fresh in  the mind, Town go into the home game against the Robins with understandable confidence but will certainly not take the opposition lightly.

Carshalton are currently 6th in the table with 44 points, one behind Town but having played two games more.

Back in November we won 3-1 in the corresponding fixture with goals from Sam Youngs, Jake Cass and a Bradley Williams own goal.

But since then, Carshalton, emerging as a surprise package this season, have put together an excellent run with only one other defeat in 11 league games, including an away draw at Hornchurch.

Their top goal scorers are Tom Beere with 10 goals and Fem Akinwande with nine.

Saturday’s game has been designated a Woolly Hat/Scarves Day and we ask all supporters to wear either a Town Hat or Scarf to create a sea of blue and white around the QE II Stadium.

The event was warmly embraced last season and the club have stocked up on items to meet demand. So if you don’t already have a Town hat or scarf visit the club shop before kickoff.

As well as Saturday’s excellent programme you will be able to buy a paper copy of the Billericay Programme from the Club Shop.

Enfield Town 2 Billericay Town 0

 Report by Andrew Warshaw

Backed by raucous support from first whistle to last, Enfield Town produced one of their best performances of the season – if not THE best – on a freezing but highly satisfying night that pushed us up to third on goal difference.

Against a side who were in Step 2 last season and were unbeaten in their last six games, Town produced a quality display – capped by two glorious goals — to delight a more than decent midweek attendance of 415, especially given the conditions. Hats off to the ground staff for getting the game on.

As an advert for Step 3 football, it was right up there, with much of the game played on the deck on a surface that was not easy to cope with.

It was hard to pick out any one player, with everyone putting in a shift and, crucially, covering for each other when necessary.

 Town were defensively strong with bodies on the line when needed,  aggressive in midfield and lively up front – all important factors against dangerous opponents who posed a genuine threat in the first half but didn’t lay a glove on us in the second.

With our last two games having been postponed, Town were eager to get straight on the front foot.  Andre Coker twice went close while at the other end we managed to clear a Ricay effort off the line, followed by Nathan McDonald making a superb double save.

In an end to end opening period, Marcus Wyllie twice blasted over and both Coker and Adam Cunnington had further chances while for Ricay, at times slick on the ball,  dangerman Bradley Stevenson and Alfie Cerulli were narrowly off-target.

The deadlock was broken on 36 minutes courtesy of a sublime Joe Payne freekick. Billericay were furious at Marvel Ekpiteta being penalised for holding down Cunnington and Payne made them pay with the sweetest of strikes.

In the final move of a highly entertaining opening half, Stevenson weaved his way into the box, only for Nathan to preserve our lead.

H-T 1-0

Billericay have invariably been a second half team but not this time as we took complete control.

Wyllie so nearly doubled our lead from Chez Isaac’s glorious pass, only for Harry Seaden to pull off a fine stop, and the Ricay keeper was quickly on hand again to push away Joe Payne’s effort.

All it needed to round of a terrific display was a second goal – and what it goal it was.

Shortly after coming on as a sub for the evergreen Scott Thomas, Lewis Taaffe jinked his way into the box on 82 minutes, left two defenders floundering (pictured) and picked his spot with a fabulous finish.

There was still time for the luckless Wyllie to misplace a header from six yards out but Andy Leese was understandably delighted with the display.

“We got the goals at the good times and the second half performance was outstanding,” said Andy who is building formidable teamwork and camaraderie as we enter the second half of the season – as well as competition for places.

“Billericay are a very good possession team so the players deserve all the credit.  It’s not easy leaving out good players. The hardest part of the job is keeping everyone happy.”

“Mo’s goals last season were huge but perhaps disguised some of our weaknesses elsewhere on the pitch which we no longer have. I’m not sure we’d have got that result in the second half of last season.”

Town:

McDonald; Spencer, Knight, Richmond, Payne (Wilson-Braithwaite, 86); Youngs, Isaac, Thomas (Taaffe, 79), Wyllie; Coker (Cass, 82), Cunnington

The Club has made great strides since its formation but the board recognise it cannot stand still and that the infrastructure has to therefore support the ambition of playing at the highest sustainable level.

 It is an indication of the progress made that attendances have improved to the degree where our facilities at times struggle with providing supporters with the services they deserve.

On the pitch we are knocking on the door of Step 2 football and our community activities have expanded enormously extending the awareness of the club within the borough. 

Our academy has been very popular and demand for places exceeds classroom space. Recent planning permission for further cabins to house much needed additional classrooms require us to provide a permanent provision within the next 5 years. The main building at the stadium is iconic and loved by us all but it simply does not have the room to allow the club to grow further.

The directors have therefore decided to explore the possibility of an additional facility within the stadium that will allow us to provide improved matchday facilities, additional classrooms for the academy and a centre for our community activities.

The first step has been to commission the drawing of plans to utilise the area adjacent to the turnstiles and behind the current cabins used by the academy. The club is extremely grateful to Pellings for their support in providing the drawings for the potential new facility to get this exciting project off the ground. 

Chair Paul Reed said: “It essential for our future success that we align our growth both on and off the pitch. Given the progress of our football and community activities it is vital that we have the right infrastructure in place to support the development of our club moving forward. With aspirations for our first team to be playing at Step 2 and with a thriving education programme, youth, ladies and community development sections, we feel that now is the right time for new facilities to enable the club to continue to thrive.  It’s fantastic to be working with such professional and enthusiastic partners in Pellings and the board have been incredibly impressed with the plans drawn up for us and appreciative of their support. Whilst it’s still early days we’re hopeful that with the support of our local council and other partners we can make this dream a reality”

Pellings’ support has also extended to sponsoring our Community Sports Development specialised coaching sessions for children working with our local NHS Community Paediatric Physiotherapy Teams.

Mark Brown, Managing Director at Pellings, said: “We are extremely proud to have had the opportunity to support such a fantastic charity and to work with Enfield Town Football Club. At Pellings, we thoroughly enjoy delivering projects that positively impact local communities, which is why we are pleased to help provide football sessions that make a difference to young people in Enfield. We look forward to continuing to fundraise for the team at our upcoming events and promoting the team and their work via our social media channels”. 

Trustee of ETFC Community Sports Development Paul Millington said: “Pellings support for these sessions is very welcome. Providing the opportunity for children of all abilities to enjoy the game is so important. We have seen at first hand the benefits these sessions have”.

The club will be showing the plans for this exciting new venture at its AGM for Society members on Thursday 2 February at 7.30pm. Membership is open to all supporters and can be purchased on the night.

The match referee has deemed the pitch playable for tonight’s home game against Billericay Town, and the game will go ahead as planned; 7:45pm kickoff.

Our league game with Folkestone, originally scheduled for Jan 17 but postponed because of a frozen pitch, has now been officially re-arranged for Tuesday Feb 21, kickoff 7.45

Travel arrangements and further details to come

After successive away postponements against Folkestone and Hastings, Town are hoping for third time lucky tomorrow, Tuesday, at home to Billericay, kickoff 7.45.

The temperature forecast doesn’t look great in terms of the pitch being passed fit (watch for news on that) but fingers crossed.

Town could certainly do with a competitive fixture after all the recent frustrations, the latest being Saturday’s late postponement in East Sussex despite Hastings doing their best to get the game on.

Billericay lie seventh in the table after 26 games having been relegated to Step 3 last season. But they are in a rich vein of form having won four and drawn two of their last six games

Their most recent encounter was a 5-1 trouncing of Kingstonian on Saturday, one of five games to beat the freeze.

They always travel with a healthy following so if the game is on, it is certainly one not to miss with fourth-placed Town looking to consolidate their place among the leading teams.

After the frustration of having our midweek fixture with Folkestone called off, Enfield Town return to competitive action tomorrow with what should an enthralling battle at Hastings United, kickoff 3pm

Promoted from step 4 last summer, Hastings are one of the best supported sides in the division and a bumper crowd is expected for the visit of Town with just four points and three places separating the teams.

Considered very much one of the league’s dark horses, Hastings may have lost their last home game against Hornchurch but the fact that it was their only defeat in nine league matches says everything about how dangerous they can be.

In fact before Hornchurch we were the last side to beat them in the league with a 1-0 victory in November.

With Town in confident mood and good form – three wins from four games and players back and fighting for selection – it promises to be a mouth-watering occasion at the TGS Pilot Field in East Sussex as we attempt to secure the double over our hosts.

A reminder that the club are running a coach so if you haven’t sorted travel for Saturday, and would like a return ticket for just £18, please contact Les Gold on 07979 727 563 – or email lesgold@btinternet.com to book.

A reminder that the club are running a coach to our next Isthmian Premier Division match away at Hastings United this Saturday, 21st January 2023.
There are still a few spaces on board, so if you haven’t sorted travel for Saturday, and would like a return ticket from door to door for under £20, please call Les Gold on 07979 727 563 – or email lesgold@btinternet.com to book.

The coach details are:

• Destination – Hastings United FC, Elphinstone Road, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 2AX
• Departure – Leaving 11AM SHARP from the QEII Stadium, Donkey Lane
• Tickets – £18.00 each [payable in cash on the journey]

Tonight’s game at Folkestone has officially been called off due to a frozen pitch, the latest in a series of postponements beyond our control . We will have news of a new date in due course.

This means that our next fixture is the away game with Hastings on Saturday, weather permitting

Bowers and Pitsea 1 Enfield Town 4

Report by Andrew Warshaw

What a way to bounce back as Enfield Town recovered from the recent blip against Kingstonian  with a resounding win in Essex on Saturday to move up to third pending the result of today’s Cray-Bishop’s Stortford showdown.

Town’s regular centreback pairing of Lewis Knight and James Richmond returned after suspension and were rarely troubled while Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite moved seamlessly into the rightback spot with  Juevan Spencer missing out with a knee injury.

Also back in the starting line-up was Andre Coker who looked sharp and hungry on both wings while Jake Cass took his place on the bench after a period of unavailability.

It was Andre who put us in front in the very first minute, pouncing on defensive hesitation to jink his way into the box and finish with aplomb (pictured).

From then on we never looked back on an artificial surface that had the ball zipping about following a pre-match downpour.

Appeals for a penalty for shirt pulling on Sam Youngs went ignored but the next time Sam was impeded in the box after 34 minutes, the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Sam was actually running away from goal when tripped by Bola Daowuda and dusted himself down to double our lead, Joseph Osafhae diving correctly but only managing to get a faint hand to the ball.

Adam Cunnington had already sent a bullet header wide from a Scott Thomas freekick while Coker came close to converting a Jo Payne long throw.

Almost everything Bowers tried went through former Towner Billy Crook but Oscar Shelvey’s header off target was all they could show in the opening 45 minutes.

To add to their  frustration, both manager James Collins and one of his coaching staff were shown yellow cards for haranguing the referee at the interval though Town were well worth their lead.

H-T 0-2

Any chance of a home comeback was firmly snuffed out on the hour when Youngs cleverly nipped in with an outstretched leg to convert a glorious cross from Marcus Wyllie, another who had an eye-catching afternoon.

Five minutes later we were out of sight as Richmond fired home via a deflection from 12 yards after great work by Coker. Dexter Peter was unable to keep it out despite a last-ditch attempt.

Without ever losing our shape and being physically far stronger, only in the last 15 minutes did we take our foot off the gas allowing Bowers a consolation goal through debutant Francis Jno-Baptiste.

With tough away games to come against Folkestone and Hastings, Andy Leese was a happy man.

“A much better performance form us today at both ends of the pitch,” said Andy. “We stuck to  a game plan and had a great start.  We continued in the second half and made the game safe.”

“It was good to have a fuller squad to choose from and to have some players back to something close to full fitness. It’s a confidence boost for us as we go into a challenging run of games.”

McDonald; Wilson-Braithwaite, Knight, Richmond, Payne; Coker, Thomas (Taaffe 70), Youngs, Isaac, Wyllie (Della-Verde 66); Cunnington (Cass, 70)

Our eagerly awaited home fixture against Hornchurch has had to be moved once again because of their Essex Senior Cup Quarter Final tie at home to Billericay Town on 31st January.

It will now be played on Tuesday 28th February 2023, 7:45pm kickoff.

By Andrew Warshaw

 Having the opposition watched before matches is a vital part of a team’s preparations, even at non-league level, and Enfield Town are no exception.

Almost every Saturday, whilst the first team are in action, Howard Cowley – Town’s chief scout in all but official name — is invariably taking a close look at a future opponent before providing manager Andy Leese with all he needs to know about particular strengths and weaknesses.

Few are more qualified to do the job than Howard who has almost half a century of non-league experience  behind him, much of it on the management and coaching side before switching to scouting when, as he put it, “I’d done as much as I wanted but really wanted to stay involved in some way.”

The result was linking up with Andy when he was manager at Chesham United and helping to contribute to the club’s success, not least in the FA Cup.

“When Andy moved to Enfield a few years ago, it was a natural progression to come across with him,” Howard told The Dispatch. “I’m 74 now and although I don’t do every game for Enfield, I’m out almost every Saturday and a lot of Tuesdays. You should see the black book I have with all the details on hundreds of players.”

To give you an example of Howard’s detailed analysis, he watched Hornchurch no fewer three times before their scheduled December fixture with Enfield which ultimately had to be postponed because of the big freeze.

“I always write a report for Andy with a breakdown on each individual player and give my thoughts on how Enfield can best handle them,” Howard explained. “I try and work it out two or three weeks in advance in terms of which team I can catch where.”

It’s a unique insight into just how important the scout is when it comes to a club’s training programme, advance planning, team talk, etc.  

“You can’t over-complicate things even if players are intelligent blokes. You have to keep it simple and straightforward,” explained Howard who, like so many people involved in non-league football, does it for pure enjoyment.

“I spend countless hours thinking about what I’m going to write and to be fair to Andy, he pays considerable attention to what I say. I try to get him my reports before a Thursday training session so he can use them to prepare for the Saturday game.”

Sometimes, of course, all the advice in the world doesn’t necessarily work out.

“A game plan can last 90 minutes or 90 seconds. You have to be able to think on your feet. Just because I see a side in action in one game doesn’t necessarily mean they will line up the same way. Luckily some sides have a core of a players who play every week.”

Howard is characteristically modest when it comes to what kind of difference he feels his input makes.

“As a previous manager, I know the best preparation in the world may not always work if the game plan isn’t followed, or if the opposition changes its shape. I can only provide what I’ve seen.”

Hastings is one example of how his scouting report paid dividends. “I watched them twice and thought they were very impressive. Then Enfield went and beat them. Ultimately it’s down to the players on the pitch but in general I’d like to think the information I give Andy helps him prepare fully. My mantra is that I give Andy the best information I can and it’s up to him what he does with it.”

His only regret is that by the very nature of the job, he can’t get to enough of Enfield games.

“It’s useful to watch them because if I know their own strengths and weaknesses, it helps with what I can provide in terms of dealing with the opposition.

“On the other hand, it’s very hard for me to watch Enfield sometimes if they are doing something wrong, bearing in mind I know the opposition inside out. I feel I have to keep away from the dugout, it’s not for me to get involved. But it can be hard emotionally to disassociate myself which of course doesn’t happen when I’m watching the opposition.”

After suffering an unexpected setback against Kingstonian, Enfield Town aim to bounce straight back this Saturday at lowly Bowers and Pitsea.

Just a reminder this is a 2pm kickoff so those making the trip need to plan accordingly.

Bowers may be third from bottom of the table but they are fighting for their lives and have actually only been beaten three times in the league on home soil.

On their day they can be dogged opposition although in their most recent outing they lost 1-2 at home in midweek to neighbours Canvey Island in the Essex Senior Cup.

One familiar face in the Bowers line-up could be former Towners favourite Billy Crook who joined the club in November from Cray Wanderers.

Town defenders James Richmond and Lewis Knight have both completed their three-game bans while Jake Cass could also be back after a period of unavailability.

The game marks the first of three successive away trips for Town with tough fixtures to come against Folkestone and Hastings.

Three points in Essex on Saturday would be a fantastic springboard from which to go into those games as we aim to maintain our place among the leading positions.

Directions to Bowers can be found here:

Our re-arranged Middlesex Senior Cup quarterfinal against Northwood – postponed Tuesday because of a waterlogged pitch – will take place on Tuesday, Feb 7

This date has now been officially confirmed. Kickoff details to come

Tonight’s Middlesex Senior Cup quarterfinal has been postponed because of a waterlogged pitch

We will inform you as soon as there is a re-arranged date

Enfield Town 0 Kingstonian 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

A great opportunity missed is how manager Andy Leese described Saturday’s result – and few would disagree.

Having secured those back-to-back derby wins over the holiday period and with teams in and around us all dropping points apart from Hornchurch, victory could have pushed us even further up the table.

Instead we allowed visitors who hadn’t won  in 15 away games to claim victory despite a second-half rally that on another day might well have yielded a positive outcome.

Before kick-off, as the sun made a brief appearance on a generally wet afternoon,  a minute’s applause took place in memory of club life vice-president Keith Wortley who sadly passed away recently.

With Josh Hill having returned to Dulwich after his loan spell (he has since moved on to Hemel Hempstead) and James Richmond and Lewis Knight both serving the last of their respective three-game suspensions, the management team was forced into yet another central defensive partnership, Anthony Wordsmith coming in alongside Dequane Wilson- Braithwaite.

Things didn’t go much better in terms of personnel because by halftime, both Anthony and James Dayton were back in the dugout having been forced off through injury.

To make matters worse, Town  were a goal down as a result of Great Evans’s freekick which skimmed off the wet surface and beat Nathan McDonald who appeared to help the ball over the line.

Evans had already fluffed the best chance of the half when he was through on goal but shot straight at Nathan.

H-T 0-1

There is little doubt that Kingstonian, for whom midfielder O’Shane Stewart and striker Joe Boachie were especially eye-catching, deserved their interval lead.

But having created very little in a flat first half, Town came out with renewed urgency and intensity.

Sam Youngs and Lewis Taaffe both went close while Marcus Wyllie’s cross from Chez Isaac’s chipped ball just had too much pace for Adam Cunnington who again led the line relentlessly (pictured).

After weathering a 20-minute Enfield spell, Kingstonian twice missed a golden chance to put the game to bed on the counter.

Thereafter they were fortunate not to pay the price as they rode their luck in the final quarter.

Not once, not twice but three times we hit the woodwork, first through Marcus Wyllie’s angled left-foot drive against the far post, then Jueven Spencer’s 30-yard thunderbolt and finally, deep into eight minutes of stoppage time, through Lewis Taaffe.

In between, Kingstonian skipper Rob Tolfrey tipped over a rasping Youngs effort but in truth Tolfrey should have been tested far more often  over the 90 minutes.

“I’m as upset as I’ve  been all season today,” said Andy. “We got what we deserved.  It was a great opportunity had we applied ourselves properly but the first half was way too passive.

“One or two players today clearly weren’t fit. We’ve also got as number missing and it clearly caught up with us. It’s a real blow, a disappointing day all round but good teams bounce back starting on Tuesday night at Northwood in the Middlesex Senior Cup.”

Town: McDonald; Spencer, Wilson-Braithwaite, Wordsworth (Okotcha, 17), Payne; Wyllie, Thomas (della-Verde, 66), Dayton (Taaffe, 37), Isaac, Youngs; Cunnington

After two superb back-to-back wins over the holiday period without key players, we aim to make it three a row tomorrow, Saturday, when we entertain  Kingstonian at the QEII Stadium, kick-off 3pm.

 Back in August we drew 0-0 with the K’s at their latest temporary home of Tooting & Mitcham.

Perhaps unsurprisingly because of their situation the K’s have had a challenging season to date and are only one point above the drop zone in 18th place with 19 points from 21 games.

Recent results have not helped – not least failure to win in 15 away games – though they suggest K’s have come close to taking points off clubs in the promotion race.

They only lost by the odd goal against both Cray and Carshalton and picked up a 0-0 draw away at Aveley.

 Tickets for all our January home games can be purchased here

After our confidence-boosting derby wins, we are now in fourth place, only four points behind leaders Hornchurch and with games in hand over other playoff contenders.

It promises to be an exciting second half of the season with every point proving invaluable and tomorrow, despite us still being without James Richmond and Lewis Knight who are serving the last in their three-match bans, Anthony Wordsworth is available for selection again following his two-match suspension.

Next Tuesday, Jan 10, we visit Northwood, South Central League leaders, in the last eight of the Middlesex Senior Cup, 7.45 kickoff.

It’s a trophy we’d very much like to win and your support will be much appreciated. Address is  Chestnut Avenue, Northwood, HA6 1HR

Haringey Borough 1 Enfield Town 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

On a ground where we invariably get scant reward and with several key players still missing, Town made it back-to-back derby wins on Monday to round off a thoroughly satisfying Christmas and New Year period.

In front of over 800 fans, a significant number of whom were Towners fans making the short journey, we moved up to fourth in the table as other results went in our favour.

Following the Boxing Day rout of Potters Bar, this was always going to be a different encounter altogether against a team who invariably raise their game against us.

After controlling the first half, we at times had to dig in but Nathan McDonald was largely untroubled by Haringey’s pacey forwards.

Skipper Scott Thomas, with another outstanding midfield display, led by example while all those around him put in a committed shift. The management team now have the proverbial nice selection head-ache when those unavailable are back!

After a minute’s applause to celebrate the life of Pele, we got straight down to business and deservedly took the lead on 19 minutes.

Sam Youngs, with an audacious piece of improvisation, forced a tip-over save from Luke Mewitt and from the resulting short corner, Josh Hill – arguably man of the match – powered home a header from James Dayton’s cross (pictured, right).

Town continued to dominate and although clearcut chances were in short supply we were well worth our halftime lead.

H-T 0-1

Haringey have a habit of never lying down and almost restored parity within two minutes of the restart when the teenage Stefanos Georgiou cut in from the left and skimmed the bar.

Two Borough freekicks in dangerous positions then ensued, both of which thankfully came to nothing, while Town suffered a blow when Dayton had to be subbed with what looked like a hamstring or groin problem.

His replacement, Lyle Della-Verde, almost doubled our lead when he dribbled past his marker and saw his left-foot shot flash just wide.

Town needed that second goal to halt Haringey’s quest for an equaliser and got it on 85 minutes courtesy of some neat interplay. Della-Verde played in Youngs and his low cross was knocked home by the tireless Adam Cunnington.

That should have been that, only for a nervy, blood and guts finale as Borough halved the deficit.

On 90 minutes, Jueven Spencer, who otherwise put in a faultless display, was adjudged to have up-ended Kaylen Hinds who sent McDonald the wrong way from the penalty spot.

In the ensuing melee as Haringey’s players sought to grab the ball with time running out,  Nathan was booked and Haringey’s ex-Towner Olu Durojaiye shown a straight red card for a headbutt for which he can have no excuses.

Down to 10 men, Haringey arguably had their best period but we managed to see the game out and might have added a third with the very last action.

With every one of Haringey’s players committed forward, the ball was deflected into Della-Verde’s path but after running half the length of the pitch unchallenged, his shot was pushed to safety by Mewitt, followed by the final whistle.

“I felt we controlled the game today,” said Andy Leese who must have been delighted with the commitment from everyone in all-blue and another eye-catching display from new signing Chez Isaac. “We scored from a well-worked corner and withstood some Haringey pressure in the opening period of the second half.”

“The last 10 minutes were more fraught than they needed to be but we had the cushion of the second goal by then. A great three points in the context of the other results around us. A successful Christmas period where we have adapted and coped with the loss of some key players.”

Town

McDonald; Spencer, Hill, Wilson-Braithwaite, Payne; Dayton (Della-Verde, 51), Thomas, Isaac, Youngs, Wyllie (Taaffe, 76); Cunnington

The club are incredibly saddened to learn the news of the death of club life vice-president Keith Wortley.

Keith had a huge influence on football in Enfield, firstly as secretary and director at Enfield FC during their heyday before helping to set up Enfield Town FC in 2001, again taking the role of secretary.

He played a huge role in the successful delivery of the project to move to the QES in 2011, utilising both his professional and football experience to ensure the move was a huge success. Following his stepping down from the secretary role, we were honoured when Keith accepted a life presidency in recognition of his tremendous work for the club.

Keith (pictured here receiving his award from ETFC director Christine Hamilton when she was mayor of the borough) was the epitome of a true gentleman who had so many friends throughout the football world.

Chairman Paul Reed said: “It’s impossible to overstate how important he was to football in the Borough. I’ve known Keith for pretty much all of my life and am very proud to have been able to call him a friend.

“What he didn’t know about running a football club wasn’t worth knowing and he offered me great advice and insights during my first few years as chairman. His legacy at the club is certainly the QES and we are forever grateful for his incredible work in making our dream of a ground of our own a reality. Keith was the most honest, fair, professional and diligent man you could ever meet, always doing things the ‘right way’ whilst still maintaining a wonderful sense of humour. Myself and all of his friends will miss him greatly.”

Keith is survived by his wife, son, daughter and grandchildren. He will be sorely missed by everyone at ETFC. The club will pay a special tribute at our home game against Kingstonian on 7th January.

Congratulations to Nathan McDonald who won the Pitching In Isthmian Premier Golden Gloves Awards for November

Nathan won the award, sponsored by AB1 Goalkeeping, after conceding just one league goal  in November.

He received his prize from esteemed Enfield Town director Les Gold before the Boxing Day derby with Potters Bar.

Our home game with Billericay, due to be played on Tuesday January 10, has now been replaced with the Northwood Middx Senior Cup QuarterFinal at Northwood. Kick off  7:45pm

The Billericay game has been rescheduled for Tuesday 24th January 7:45 pm KO.

Enfield Town 4 Potters Bar Town 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

What a way to end the year!

Despite missing a string of players through suspension and unavailability, Enfield Town treated a bumper 600-plus Boxing Day crowd to one of our best performances of the season as we swept aside our near-neighbours.

From one to 11, Andy Leese’s men were superb, negating Bar’s renowned strengths to move up to fifth in the table, capped by a Sam Youngs hat-trick.

Before the game Nathan McDonald was presented with a pair of gloves for winning the AB1 Golden Gloves Awards for November. Well done, Nathan!

Potters Bar arrived five points ahead of us having played a game more. But apart a decent spell either side of their equaliser, the Scholars were second best, especially throughout the second half when we looked like scoring every time we went forward.

The addition of new signing Chez Isaac in midfield had an instant impact in terms of composure, reading the game and picking a pass. The combination of Chez, skipper Scott Thomas and James Dayton across midfield worked a treat, allowing Sam to take up an advanced role in which he flourished.

His first goal, with supporters still coming through the turnstiles,  came with only two minutes on the clock, a close-range swivel and shot after Adam Cunnington — a handful all afternoon for the visitors’ defence — had dummied Marcus Wyllie’s cross.

Stunned into a reaction, the visitors carved  out a couple of freekicks in dangerous positions, both of which were blocked, whilst Town were indebted to Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite for a timely clearance to thwart Nick Dembele.

At the other end, Marcus Wyllie latched on to a terrific long ball by Youngs, only for his shot to be cleared for one of a string of Town corners over the 90 minutes while Isaac and Cunnington also went close to doubling our lead.

For the most part, we denied Bar space to play but on 32 minutes we paid the price for backing off their much-touted skipper Mo Kamara who rifled a 20-yard effort into the corner for 1-1.

Kasim Aidoo then cut through our defence but fortunately lost control at the vital moment before a pivotal passage of play ensued.

Right on the stroke of half time, former Towner Wraynel Hercules, who otherwise had a quiet game and was given trademark stick by the Town faithful behind the goal, saw his looping effort come back off the woodwork with McDonald beaten.

Straight from the restart and in stoppage time,  a four-man Town move ended with Isaac scoring on his debut via a wicked deflection – off Hercules!

H-T 2-1

In the first attack of the second period, Dembele might have equalised with a toe poke but Town were brimming with confidence and quickly crushed any hope of a Bar recovery.

On 54 minutes, Youngs, who hardly trained while he recovered from his ankle injury,  crashed home a penalty after Cunnington was bundled to the ground. Two minutes later he completed his hattrick, sneaking into the box to head home the cross of the game from Jueven Spencer.

Town weren’t done yet and might well have ended up with at least a couple more.  Cunnington sent a header against the bar before we were awarded a second spot kick.

With Youngs (pictured alongside former Towner Wraynel Hercules) already substituted, his replacement Lyle Della-Verde, having been taken out by Joe Russel, stepped up to take the penalty only for Dante Baptiste to pull off a terrific save.

There was still time for Baptiste to make  another flying stop, again from Della-Verde, to round off a thoroughly satisfying afternoon masterminded by the management team and carried out to the letter by the players.

“We decided on a flatter, tighter midfield three and allowed Sam to get forward,” explained Andy. “The first half was a bit passive but second half we took off and dominated them. I know what Sam is capable of. He keeps himself in fantastic shape, recovered from injury quicker than we expected and loves being here.”

“There were five starters missing from that team today and we had to adapt. So what we did was doubling pleasing.”

“We’ve hardly been out of the top five for the whole of 2022 and I’d like to pay credit to the board for their support.”

Credit goes to Andy, too, as well as the rest of the management team. Onwards and upwards, with our visit to Haringey Borough up next on Jan 2.

Town: McDonald; Spencer, Wilson-Braithwaite, Hill, Payne; Dayton (Taaffe, 72), Thomas, Isaac; Youngs (Della-Verde 79), Cunnington, Wyllie (Okotcha, 85).

We are delighted to announce the signing of experienced midfielder Chez Isaac who has been at St Albans City this season and played most of his career in the National League.

Hatfield-born Chez, who began his youth career at Watford and has represented a string of Step I and Step 2 clubs, is available for selection for Monday’s Boxing Day fixture against Potters Bar.

“I tried to sign Chez in the summer but it didn’t work out so I’m delighted to get him in now,” said Andy Leese. “He will give us options in the middle of the park and brings huge experience with him.”

“Going the other way to Hendon on a dual registration arrangement is Hamilton Antonio. Ham needs to play and will get game time at Hendon. We wish him well.”

In other news, we now have a rescheduled date for our postponed home fixture with Hornchurch.

The match will take place on Tuesday, Jan 31, so please make a note of it.

Merry Christmas and COYT

Potters Bar are our visitors on Boxing Day for what should be a tasty derby against our local rivals, 3pm KO.

To add spice to our final game of 2022, The Scholars may well field Wraynel Hercules who they recently signed from Town.

This is a potentially pivotal six-pointer and not to be missed.

While you’re at the game, why not grab a ticket for our New Year’s Eve party in Butler’s Bar featuring live music. Tickets are just £10 for adults and £5 for under-16s and can be purchased from the club shop.

Merry Christmas everyone and COYT

Following an early pitch inspection, tomorrow’s game with Hornchurch is off due to a frozen pitch.

Details of the rescheduled fixture will be announced in due course.

 The Club Shop will be open on Saturday morning between 10am and 12 noon for all your Christmas gifts.

Aveley 1 Enfield Town 1

Report by Martin Bentley

Town returned from Parkside with a nasty case of Friday night frostbite and a useful late point gained from a hard-fought encounter.

Unfortunately, the game provided very little in the way of entertainment, leaving the hardy 203 in attendance more concerned about the sub-zero temperatures than events on the field.

The quality of the first half oscillated between tedious and unwatchable, with the teams managing to conjure up one decent chance each, Aveley’s being comfortably held by Nathan McDonald and Town’s effort, from Adam Cunnington, being deflected narrowly wide.

After the break, the ugly mess of midfield scuffling and overhit long balls continued.

The home side were gaining territorial advantage however, bombarding the Town defence with a string of corners and free kicks that were competently dealt with by Lewis Knight and debutant Josh Hill.

Aveley succeeded in getting their noses in front after 62 minutes with a rare moment of quality, George Sykes finding room on the edge of the box to curl a shot beyond McDonald.

Despite introducing three substitutes, Town were still struggling to make any meaningful headway, until coming up with an equaliser five minutes from time, with Scott Thomas’ cross from the right being converted by Cunnington with a looping far-post header.

Both sides chased a winner to little effect, despite a late appeal for a penalty when Lyle Della-Verde went down in the box.

Ultimately, a draw was a fair outcome though, with both sets of fans happy to head for a warmer place to scrape the icicles off their extremities.

Town: McDonald, Spencer (Dayton 81), Payne, Thomas, Knight, Hill, Wordsworth, Youngs, Cunnington, Wyllie (Cass 72), Hercules (Della Verde 72). Unused: Taaffe, Braithwaite

We are delighted to announce the loan signing of Dulwich Hamlet central defender Josh Hill.

Josh, 31, will be with us until Jan 3 and will be available for several key games over over the next few weeks, providing vital cover in a position where we have lost two suspended players.

Although Dulwich signed Josh from Dartford in the summer, he hadn’t been able to play until recently as he recovered from knee surgery.

He finally made his debut for The Hamlet on Nov 26 in a friendly with Chelsea U21s and made his competitive debut for the club four days later in the London Senior Cup against Cray Wanderers, both times as a second-half substitute.

Despite his relative lack of game time, Josh brings a wealth of experience having played more than 200 National League and National League South games for Dartford (two spells), Boreham Wood, Hemel Hempstead Town, Havant & Waterlooville, St Albans City, Chelmsford City, Wealdstone, Braintree Town and Welling United.

Welcome, Josh!

(photo courtesy of Rob Avis)

Interview by Andrew Warshaw

You might assume that Jake would have had a special incentive to do well against his old club on Saturday.

Yet, despite the unfortunate way in which he left Stortford to join the Town just under a year ago, Jake was insistent that his penultimate home game before he takes a short break was like any other fixture. “It’s true I left under deeply controversial circumstances but it is what it is,” said Enfield’s number nine with commendable frankness. “I have not lost any sleep over them and probably vice-versa.”

“Things sometimes don’t work out in football. The only incentive I have to do well against them is the fact that they are in the playoff positions with us.”

In mid-December, straight after the Hornchurch game, Jake is due to fly off for a long-planned vacation, missing several vital fixtures, though Town’s fortunes during his time away will not be far from his mind. “It’s been a very tough year for me personally for all kinds of reasons,” Jake revealed. “When we lost the playoff semi-final, I was heartbroken.”

“I knew I’d miss the whole of pre-season because I have to travel a lot due to work, and then four weeks at Christmas. I told the gaffer that if my level of commitment was not acceptable, I’d completely understand.”

“We’re a big club with a good level of football and the last thing I wanted to do, which is still very much the case, is take liberties. I was very transparent with my circumstances.”

It’s precisely because of his love for Town that Jake expressed that kind of honesty. It’s all about the team. “I know the situation is not ideal. The manager has to do what he has do. If I can’t get back in the team and have to sit on the bench, I just have to accept it. I’m either going to play for Enfield or no-one.”

That’s some statement but Jake talks like he means it. “When I come back in January, I think I’ll be in great shape. I’m only 29 and feel I’ve still got a lot to give.”

“I love everything about Enfield Town. I’ve played non-league football for over a decade and this is by far one of my favourite dressing rooms and by far and away the best fans. There is no other walk of life where you can replicate that level of appreciation.”

It’s important to note that Jake has also become a member of the club as well as one of its key performers. “I just love the community concept of the club, the unique aspect in terms of no barrier between players and fans. Whether or not I’d been selected regularly this season I still would have become a member. It’s certainly 20 quid well spent.”

“Great club, great cause, great people and long may it last. I’m just pleased to do my bit.”

And looking ahead? “With the players we’ve brought in, I genuinely believe we’re in a better place than we were last season. The spine of the team is strong, so onwards and upwards.”

__________

This piece originally appeared in the Enfield Town FC Matchday Programme. Pick up your copy on home matchdays, or subscribe to GoToTown to receive each edition as a digital or hard copy.

Enfield Town 0-1 Bishop’s Stortford

Report by Ken Brazier

Bishop’s Stortford earned a fourth consecutive win against play-off rivals Enfield Town, a run stretching back to March 2020, and leapfrogged them into third place in the table whilst Town dropped to sixth.

The opening period was a somewhat subdued affair, with the visitors having spells of possession and, not for the first time this season, Enfield found it difficult to get a foothold in the game in the opening 45 minutes.

David Olufemi had a shot blocked, and Nathan McDonald was becoming increasingly busy, firstly cutting out a dangerous low cross from Donell Thomas and then dealing with a free kick from the eye-catching Darren Foxley. Soon afterwards Frankie Merrifield fired just wide from Foxley’s square pass while, at the other end, Jake Cass was way off target with his left foot.

After Foxley had forced McDonald into another save, Cass went on a great run down the left, but his low ball across the edge of the six-yard box just eluded Adam Cunnington.  Then on 37 minutes, the lively Donell Thomas found space on the edge of the home box and fired low past McDonald’s outstretched right hand for what turned out to be the winning goal.

Half-time: 0-1

A couple of minutes into the second half, Cass was played through but, as he elected to flick the ball past the onrushing keeper Jack Giddens rather than take an early shot, the ball was cleared by a covering defender from near the goal line and the chance was gone. Then around the hour mark, a slow-burning touch paper was ignited by a major skirmish in the centre circle.  Once the dust had settled, the officials opted to red card Lewis Knight and James Richmond for the hosts and Harry Beadle for the visitors, despite there being a number of other players heavily involved in the melee.

Another Foxley free kick was saved by McDonald, but Town showed great spirit for the remainder of the half despite their numerical disadvantage.  In the 71st minute, Cass tested Giddens with a crisp volley which was tipped over. From the ensuing corner Giddens then made an even better stop from the same player’s bullet-header from close range. Many Town fans felt aggrieved a few minutes later when a well-flighted Scott Thomas free kick from the left drifted over Giddens’ head and nestled in the back of the net, but an infringement had been spotted by referee Benjamin Bowles.

Stortford saw out the rest of the game with few alarms, although as McDonald came up for a late corner and a cluster of Town heads connected with the ball, it dropped agonisingly wide of the post from a Town perspective just as the referee blew for full time to end a game which the Blues had managed well on the day.  Town’s misery was compounded when, in addition to manager Andy Leese during the second half, referee Bowles also red-carded Anthony Wordsworth in the tunnel after the match had ended.  

“On the balance of the first half, it wasn’t good enough. The second half probably, unfortunately, has to be consigned to the bin”, said Andy Leese. “The consequences of today are pretty dramatic for us. We’ve huffed and puffed and created two or three chances when we’ve gone down to nine men; at that point you have to salvage whatever you can from the wreckage … but not a good day all round.”

Town: McDonald; Spencer, Knight, Richmond, Payne; Della-Verde (Youngs 66), Thomas, Wordsworth, Taaffe (Wilson-Braithwaite 63); Cass, Cunnington (Hercules 74).

Blues: Giddens; Olufemi, Henshaw, Beadle, Porter; Foxley, Johnson, Church (Jack Thomas 76), Charles (Giles 86); Donell Thomas (Peters 81), Merrifield.

Attendance: 530.

We are pleased to confirm that central defender Lewis Knight will be staying at Enfield Town for a further three months, following an extension of his loan agreement with Margate.

Lewis, who has won all four league games he has featured in so far, has been a key component of the squad over the last month; also chipping in at the other end of the pitch with five goals in his last seven games in all competitions.

“We are extending Lewis knight’s loan today for 3 months. We’re pleased we could get it done as Lewis has been great since he came in”, said Town boss Andy Leese. “He wants to be here which is important as well. Thanks to Margate for their cooperation and to the Board for backing the move at a key time in the season.”

Andrew Warshaw talks to new Town signing and media wannabee Anthony Wordsworth

In recent years more and more professional footballers have made the switch to television and radio on their retirement from the game.

Now Enfield Town has its own would-be Gary Lineker in the form of new signing Anthony Wordsworth (pictured left).

Late last month Anthony graduated with a first in sports journalism from Staffordshire University after a three-year course, mainly on-line, which he combined with playing in the lower leagues of the professional game.

Anthony started out at Colchester United, before embarking on a career which has taken him to the likes of Ipswich Town, Southend United, and AFC Wimbledon.

He has also represented Barnet, League of Ireland side Waterford and, briefly, Cheshunt, and brings a wealth of experience to Enfield as the club embarks on a busy December schedule ahead of the second half of season.

Anthony was able to complete his degree thanks to financial assistance from the Professional Footballers Association which funded a large chunk of the course.

“I’ve always been interested in journalism,” Anthony explained. “It’s something I’d really like to do after football.”

“When I was at Wimbledon, I became really friendly with the media team there. I probably spent more time in their office than I did hanging around with the lads. I used to come up with ideas and they encouraged me to get into it when I stopped playing. I’d ultimately like to be a presenter.”

To keep his hand in, Anthony co-commentates for Wimbledon whenever he can, provided it doesn’t clash with his commitments for Enfield.

Despite having represented a plethora of league teams, Anthony – who counts England and Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale as among his best friends — was pleasantly surprised at what he found when he arrived at Enfield, on and off the pitch.

“I’m not just saying this but I can tell you that Enfield Town is a very well run football club,” he says. “I noticed that from the first second I walked into the club. Things like having their own kit man and a physio. Everything is done properly, it’s run like a professional club.”

It helps, of course, that Anthony was already friends with the likes of fellow Town midfielder Sam Youngs and former club favourite Lee Chappell. He also knew current first-team coach Ian Hart from when both were at Southend though he had no intention of joining Enfield until he actually saw the set-up.

“Basically, I just wanted to get fit and asked if I could come in and train. Initially I had no interest in signing but I was so impressed with how things were done that when it was mentioned, I said yes straight away.”

At 33, Anthony, a father-of-four who can play both as an attacking and defensive midfielder, brings invaluable know-how to the club having worked with a string of established coaches such as Mick McCarthy, Paul Lambert and Aidy Boothroyd.

“We’ve got such a good squad at Enfield. The boys are such a good bunch and the coaching staff are superb. To be honest, I don’t see that much difference with the professional game in terms of the level of detail. At this level, I don’t think you can get a better coaching set-up.”

And his hopes for the season?

“That I can bring the experience I had at a higher level. But I also want to win the league. I’m not here for a jolly-up.”

Wingate and Finchley 0 Enfield Town 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

A solid workmanlike performance earned three well-earned points at our lowly neighbours on Saturday to set us up for a mouth-watering December against all the other leading sides in and around us.

Lewis Knight (yes, him again!) struck with our first attack of the game and it was a lead we never relinquished, doubling it halfway through the second half to send us up to fourth – leapfrogging Bishop’s Stortford, our next opponents.

With James Richmond having to cry off ill and Sam Youngs only starting training again this coming week, Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite seamlessly slotted into the back four against opponents who were neat and tidy but lacked authority in the final third.

With a minute gone on the clock, a Town corner was half-cleared and Marcus Wyllie’s deflected cross looped up in the air for Knight to head home.

Wingate replied with Daniel Emovon’s snapshot that flew over the bar and rest of the half was fairly even, Wingate carving out a succession of corners but Town going closest – first through a spectacular Jake Cass volley, then when Wyllie dragged a low angled shot just wide.

H-T 1-0

Wingate almost drew level when former Towner Dernell Wynter lashed a shot over the bar and there was cause for concern when man of the match Juevan Spencer needed lengthy treatment following a late challenge by Emmanuel Yeboah who, bizarrely, escaped a booking.

Shortly afterwards a melee ensued halfway inside the Wingate half following a clash between Adam Cunnington and Emovon.

The result was a 65^th minute freekick to Town, curled in by Lyle Della-Verde for Cass — who started his career at W and F as a youth player – to rise above the home defence and bury a powerful header (pictured).

Thomas Stagg had a sniff of chance to draw Wingate level but was offside anyway and the hosts lost heart as we played out the final quarter with relative ease.

Town

McDonald; Spencer; Wilson-Braithwaite, Knight, Payne; Thomas, Taaffe, Wordsworth; Della-Verde (Dayton 69), Wyllie (Cunnington, 59); Cass (Hercules, 86)

All the best to defenders Ryan Kirwan and Nathan Smith, who are no longer registered to the club.

Nathan made 43 appearances in a Town shirt, scoring five times; while Ryan featured 45 times, chipping in with six assists. Ryan leaves to join Isthmian Premier side Brightlingsea Regent.

Both were central figures in last season’s squad which reached the playoffs – we would like to thank them for their efforts and wish them well for the future.

“Nathan hasn’t featured since last season having picked up injuries. He’s been back in with us recently but with the squad settled now, we agreed there won’t be too many opportunities for him to play”, said manager Andy Leese. “My thanks go to Nathan for his time here. He’s a consummate professional who set standards when he was here. He wants to carry on playing and we have amicably agreed that will be elsewhere. Best wishes Smudger.”

“I have discussed with Ryan that he needs to be playing having come back from playing at Walthamstow. We have agreed he can get games with Brightlingsea to keep him match fit. We will monitor the situation, but hopefully Ryan does well for them.”

Haringey Borough 2 Enfield Town 2 (Haringey win 4-3 on penalties)

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Enfield Town exited yet another cup competition on Tuesday night, this time via the curse of penalties in the Velocity Trophy 4th round, leaving us to concentrate on the league for the rest of the season.

But the players can feel a touch unlucky after dominating our nearby opponents for large spells of the game, not helped by some questionable officiating.

In the end it came down to profligacy in front of goal and two of our spotkick takers missing the target, reminiscent of several past shootout disappointments.

Except for the absence of Sam Youngs, still recovering from the knock he took at Carshalton, we fielded virtually a full side against opponents missing three regular defenders.

And apart from a dangerous spell just after they equalised for 1-1, it was Town who imposed their game on the opposition in a tournament we had genuine hope of winning.

On another day Jake Cass may have had a hattrick but left his scoring boots at home but he wasn’t the only one guilty of a string of near-misses.

It all started so well with a composed finish after 13 minutes by Marcus Wyllie (pictured) who is rapidly becoming a fans’ favourite.

It was almost two when the Haringey keeper flapped at a Joe Payne long throw but after struggling to keep the ball, the hosts hit us with a sucker punch seven minutes before the interval.

From an Enfield corner, they surged up the other end  in a three-man move that beat us for pace, Anthony Mendy providing the finish.

Suddenly we found ourselves on the back foot, Nathan McDonald somehow keeping out a close-range effort from Ou Durojaiye that slammed into his face.

H-T 1-1

It was Town who again began the second half in the ascendancy, creating chances as we pushed Haringey back, the best falling to Cass, whose header inexplicably missed the target.

Jake deserved a goal for all his usual tireless running off the ball but on 67 minutes we fell behind. Juevan Spencer’s driving run was halted in its tracks and as Haringey  burst into the space left vacant behind him, Kylan Hinds made us pay.

Luckily not for long. Five minutes later Lewis Knight, rapidly becoming our surprise go-to goalscorer, got his head to Lewis Taaffe’s freekick to restore parity.

For some reason, the officials didn’t spot a blatant off the ball challenge on Joe Payne that might well have resulted in a red card.

As the clock ticked towards penalties, Lyle Della-Verde hit the post, Cass couldn’t quite convert the rebound, and substitutes Wraynal Hercules and Andrew Coker, the latter with almost the last kick of the 90,  went agonisingly close.

And so to spotkicks with Haringey netting four of their five – including  one fortuitously retaken after originally being saved by Nathan who was bizarrely adjudged to have been off his line —  and both Della- Verde and Coker missing the target for Town.

It rounded off a what-might-have-been evening with only the Middlesex Senior Cup left in terms of cup competitions.

“A bitterly disappointing night,” said Andy Leese. “We had enough chances to win two games and it was frustrating to watch. The penalty shootout saw us continue to miss the target.

“We have to regroup now and move on to the important league games we have. We only have ourselves to blame for exiting the League Cup.”

Town

McDonald; Spencer, Knight, Richmond, Payne; Della- Verde, Thomas, Wordsworth, Taaffe (Coker 78), Wyllie (Hercules, 82); Cass

Our eagerly awaited home fixture with Hornchurch will now take place at 3PM on Saturday 17 December and not Monday 12 December as previously proposed.

This became possible because Folkestone, our scheduled opponents, are involved in the FA Trophy that day as are Bognor, who were due to play Hornchurch.

The Board felt a Saturday would be more appropriate for such an important fixture which could now attract our biggest crowd to date this season.

Massive credit to our match Secretary John Dolan for making the necessary arrangements.

Carshalton 1 Enfield Town 3

Report by Martin Bentley

A solid, professional performance, combined with some charitable donations from the home defence, saw Enfield Town bank a comfortable three points at in-form Carshalton and move up to fourth.

With Anthony Wordsworth making a first start in midfield, Town started brightly, and raced into a two- goal lead in the opening 22 minutes.

Town made good use of the low sun that rendered visibility difficult for the entire first half, and first benefited after six minutes.  Lyle Della Verde’s cross from the right disappeared into the sun, and then reappeared for Sam Youngs to jab the ball into the corner for his first league goal of the season (pictured).

Jake Cass nearly doubled the lead two minutes later with an audacious effort from the centre circle that passed a foot over a relieved Danny Bracken’s crossbar.

The second goal wasn’t long in arriving though. Cass set off optimistically after a long ball, arriving just in time to see home keeper Bracken and defender Ollie Cook make a complete mess of the clearance, leaving the Town striker, who loves chasing seemingly lost causes, a free run at an empty net.

The first half then played out amidst a flurry of yellow cards and few efforts on goal.

H-T 0-0

Not surprisingly Carshalton began the second half positively, and reduced the deficit 10 minutes in. Town uncharacteristically lost possession on their left, and the resultant low cross was turned in by home skipper Tom Beere.

At this point though, the home side’s propensity for unsolicited gifts kicked in once again. Under no apparent pressure, defender Bradley Williams nodded a long ball past Bracken, to the travelling fans’ disbelief – and delight.

Town saw out the remainder of the game without difficulty, although injuries to goalscorers Youngs and Cass are a concern; at least we have a ten-day cushion before our next fixture. Town now appear to be gathering momentum in time for a tricky set of fixtures in November and December.

Town: Mc Donald, Spencer, Payne, Thomas, Knight, Richmond, Taaffe (Coker 81), Youngs (Antonio 69), Cass (Wyllie 73), Wordsworth, Della Verde Unused: Braithwaite, Hercules

This Saturday we travel to in-form Carshalton Athletic for what looks likely to be a hard-fought encounter. Their address is: War Memorial Sports Ground, Colston Avenue, Carshalton SM5 2PW

The Robins are currently sixth in the table with 25 points from 14 games, one point behind Town with a game in hand.

Carshalton have won five and lost one of their last six fixtures in the league.

Save yourself £1 by getting your ticket here: https://www.carshaltonathletic.co.uk/tickets

How to get there: https://www.carshaltonathletic.co.uk/find-us

Trains from Victoria at 11 and 41 minutes past the hour will get you to Carshalton in 30 minutes from Central London.

Velocity Trophy

Meanwhile we have been drawn in the fourth round of the Velocity Trophy away at Haringey Borough whom we visit on Tuesday Nov 22 for a mouth-watering derby.

Enfield Town are into the next round of the Velocity Trophy after a dominant first half display set them on their way to a 2-1 victory over Felixstowe & Walton United.

Downpours which had hit the Suffolk coast earlier in the day had subsided by kickoff, making for a slick, moist pitch at Delwood Avenue – with Town playing some neat football throughout and perhaps a shade unfortunate not to register more than the two goals they did. When this slick build-up was brought to an unceremonious halt down the left flank after a shove on Marcus Wyllie 12 minutes in, Enfield threatened as Lewis Taaffe’s inswinging free kick was glanced goalwards by Wyllie, but gathered by goalie Callum Robinson.

Two minutes later, the hosts would eventually be undone from a similar position. This time Taaffe sent a low shot bouncing against the base of the post, though the loose ball was smartly recycled by James Dayton, whose clipped cross was guided superbly into the far corner by Lewis Knight on the volley – the centre-back’s third goal in his last four.

Town’s tails were firmly up now, looking menacing in the wide areas, and almost immediately Dayton flighted a similar cross to the back stick, though Wraynel Hercules sliced over the crossbar. Off the ball, the visitors’ pressing was also excellent – with the defence, as well as a midfield which included debutant Anthony Wordsworth, sweeping up well when called upon. Just shy of the interval, Knight was withdrawn out of precaution after going down in discomfort, making way for another new arrival in centre-half Joshua Okotcha.

Not that Town lacked a threat when the goalscorer departed. On the 45-minute mark, Jake Cass’ looping header across goal was retrieved by Wyllie, who shifted and drilled a finish beyond Robinson and in via a defender to double the Towners’ advantage. Felixstowe were somewhat fortunate to go into the break just the two down as an apparent trip in the area on Wyllie, who attempted to stay on his feet, was inexplicably waved away by the officials.

Half Time: FWUFC 0-2 ETFC

The second half began in frantic fashion as the industrious Taaffe advanced from midfield and twice was unlucky not to find the target, again striking the foot of the post before forcing an excellent two-handed stop to Robinson’s left on the edge of the area. A fleet-footed counter attack followed minutes later, started by Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite at his own corner flag, and very nearly ending in Taaffe converting from Wraynel Hercules’ square ball. Wyllie was cynically brought down after bearing down on goal, yet for all their graft, Town were unable to find a third. A series of substitutes would follow, with Sam Youngs brought on in an advanced role after Cass and Wyllie had both been taken off.

Mere moments later and the hosts pulled one back seemingly out of the blue, as a long ball bounced straight through the centre and was lofted over Nathan McDonald by Samuel Ford. McDonald was alert to thwart Ford again shortly after, but now the mood had shifted, with Town having to repel several Seasiders set pieces. With four minutes of injury time, ‘keeper Robinson was sent upfield in hope, but it was Joshua Hitter’s late, curling free kick which was the closest the home side came to snatching an equaliser; McDonald parrying clear to secure Town’s passage into Round 4, and an away tie at Haringey Borough in two weeks’ time.

“A difficult game; they’re playing well. I was really pleased with the first half, I thought we were excellent”, said Andy Leese.

“We got the measure of them, and got two good goals to put us in a winning position. There were a couple of enforced changes as well [Knight; Dayton] but it didn’t really affect us.” “Second half I think we started really well, though the amount of changes we made caused us to stutter a bit. But then last 15 with all those changes we saw it out well. It was all about getting a result tonight and that’s what we did.”

Town: McDonald; Wilson-Braithwaite, Knight (Okotcha 39′), Richmond (Thomas 65′) , Payne; Wordsworth, Taaffe, Dayton (Antonio 45′) ; Hercules, Wyllie (Youngs 73′) , Cass (Coker 65′)

Attendance: 209

Enfield Town 1 Hastings United 0

Match Report by Usayd Tai 

(Partially rewritten and edited throughout by Andrew Warshaw)

It was always going to take something special to settle a tight game and Town managed to find a way through late on to make it back-to-back wins.

There may have not been many fireworks but for an unlikely hero, it certainly was a Nov 5 to remember with a sparkling winner.

Hastings substitute Chinedu McKenzie had just seen his angled shot come back off the post when, in virtually the very next move, recent arrival Lewis Knight moved up from the back to produce a 25-yard thunderbolt (pictured) and take the points for Town after 87 minutes, in the process moving us up to fourth.

Town started positively, looking especially dangerous down the right with Lyle Della-Verde giving the Hastings leftback a difficult afternoon.

The first chance fell to Andrew Coker , who was put through on goal, but his shot was scuffed and cleared by the Hastings defence.

A half full of long throws by each team’s specialist produced a string of half-chances. Enfield skipper Scott Thomas, in his 100^th appearance for the club, set up arguably set up the best chance of an attritional opening period, Della-Verde drilling the ball just wide on the stroke of halftime while James Richmond saw his effort fly over.

Despite a few bright cameos, it was a half to forget as neither keeper was really tested.

H-T 0-0

Town picked up some momentum at the start of the second half as they looked to break the deadlock, new signing Hamilton Antonio showing his effectiveness in support of Sam Youngs.

 A lovely move saw Della Verde play in the overlapping Jeuvan Spencer but his cross was put behind for a corner by Louis Rogers.

Three minutes later, another corner whipped in by Della-Verde was headed goalwards by Richmond only for Rogers to pull off a magnificent save.

As the rain started to lash down on an increasingly soggy surface, control became difficult.

Jake Cass was inches away from converting a right-wing cross but suddenly Hastings, well drilled despite missing three players, started to believe they could win it.

On came supersub McKenzie with 20 minutes to go and he threatened to turn the game.

Put through down the left he shot narrowly wide, then was presented with an even better chance in the 84th minute but hit the post from six yards out.

Those  chances came back to haunt Hastings  as a long throw was cleared, only to fall to Knight who, with a striker’s instinct,  hit a beauty into the top corner. Shortly afterwards, Hastings keeper Louis Rogers was lucky to stay on the pitch after pole-axing Wraynel Hercules.

“I couldn’t really see where a goal was going to come from,” said Andy Leese afterwards. “We couldn’t really find a way through so I’m absolutely delighted. I didn’t really expect to sign a centrehalf who has now got two in three games! The composure to bring the ball down and bend it in like that was nothing short of incredible.”

A Knight to remember, you could say, and a big three points.

Town: McDonald, Spencer, Payne, Thomas, Knight, Richmond, Coker (Hercules 73), Youngs, Cass, Antonio (Taaffe 67), Della-Verde (Wyllie 79) Unused : Wilson-Braithwaite, Dayton

Anthony Wordsworth

We are delighted to welcome midfielder Anthony Wordsworth to Enfield Town. Anthony started out at Colchester, before embarking on a professional career which has taken him to the likes of Ipswich Town, Southend United, and AFC Wimbledon. He spent last season with League of Ireland side Waterford.

“We have taken the chance to sign Anthony after he has been training with us”, said manager Andy Leese. “A fantastic professional career means he brings quality and very high standards to the group, along with a winning mentality which will all help the younger players especially. Anthony gives us another option in midfield where we are stretched with the current schedule of games. He’s a local boy as well which we like. Please welcome Anthony to the club when you see him today.”

Rian Bray

We would also like to thank central defender Rian Bray for his efforts as he departs the club in search of regular football. Rian (pictured) made 53 appearances for the Town, scoring once, and was an important part of last-season’s squad which reached the playoffs.

“We have agreed to part company with Rian Bray. Rian didn’t feel he would get the opportunities he wants with our recent signings so we agreed he can look elsewhere to play his football”, added Andy. “I understand Rian’s desire to play as he’s been a regular here for us. We part on good terms and I’d like to personally thank Rian for his contribution last season especially.”

Once again we are holding a New Year’s Eve party in Butler’s Bar with live  music from Ray Macfarland

Tickets £10 (£5 under-16s and under-5s free)

To book please contact:

Christine Hamilton:  07949 071 587 –  ianchrisham@hotmail.com

Alan Medlock: 07963 196 224

Please book your tickets in advance as soon as possible so we can make an informed decision regarding numbers. 

We are happy to announce two new faces to our squad as of this week. The first is defender Lewis Knight (pictured), whom you may have seen feature – and score on his debut – in our 4-2 win over Herne Bay on Saturday afternoon. Lewis joins on a month’s loan deal from Margate, and brings with him prior experience at Step 2 with St Albans, Concord Rangers and Maidstone United.

The second is Hamilton Antonio, who joins having last featured for Herne Bay. He is a central midfielder whose other previous sides include Corinthian-Casuals and Walton Casuals.

“Lewis has joined us on loan from Margate to strengthen our defensive options and is a player we have liked for a while”, said gaffer Andy Leese. “We have also added Hamilton Antonio to the squad this week. He was playing at Herne Bay this season and last year helped them to promotion. We need to bolster the midfield area with our demanding schedule at the moment and Hamilton will do that with his energy and physicality. We hope to see him in action tonight when supporters will get a chance to welcome him into the club.”

Welcome to Town!

Enfield Town 4 Herne Bay 2

Report by Martin Bentley

In front of a bumper crowd of 678 celebrating our annual Whole Club Day, Enfield Town and Herne Bay served up a highly entertaining end-to-end game that could easily have ended with twice the number of goals scored.

From the Town’s point of view, the game saw a welcome return to winning ways –their first victory in five.

The action exploded into life with two goals in the first quarter-hour. Just five minutes had passed when Town were awarded a freekick in that area of the pitch that should really be known as ‘Lyle’s Office’ – 25 yards from goal and just right of centre.

Mr Della Verde curled the kick deliciously into keeper Josh Strizovic’s top left hand corner – we were up and running.

The visitors attacked boldly in search of an equaliser, with Tashaun Walters firing a shot wide and Keiron Campbell stinging Nathan McDonald’s palms after cutting in from the left. They found their equaliser after 15 minutes, the outstanding Marcel Barrington latching onto a poor defensive header and belting the ball past McDonald.

The game continued at a lively pace. Sam Youngs missed badly from 12 yards and Barrington had a shot well saved at the other end before Town went back in front on the half hour, Della-Verde’s right-wing cross being turned into his own net by right-back Che Krabbendam.

Four minutes later Town were awarded a penalty following a foul on debutant centreback Lewis Knight. Unfortunately and rarely for him, Jake Cass’s spot kick flew wide.

A frantic half concluded with Campbell forcing another decent save from Mc Donald.

H-T 2-1

The second half continued in much the same vein, and Town extended their lead on 56 minutes. Once again it was a Della-Verde special, this time low to Strizovic’s right – wonderful to watch.

Three minutes later Barrington forced an error from James Richmond to reduce the arrears, and the Town faithful were once again feeling a little concerned.

But after seven more minutes, we were all breathing a little easier. Della-Verde had a shot deflected wide, and from the resulting corner, Richmond headed down at the far post for Knight to turn the ball over the line.

The pace of the game slowed a little after that, as Town were able to see out matters for a much-needed three points.

Town: McDonald, Spencer, Payne, Thomas, Knight, Richmond, Taaffe (Hercules 80), Youngs, Cass, Coker (Dayton 72), Della Verde (Braithwaite 86) Unused: Bray, Cunnington

“We have had to find game time for a number of players recently as they have come back to fitness. A number have gone across to Walthamstow to help Nick Ironton as he builds a new team. We are grateful to Nick as it helps us as well. The players have dual registered which allows us to call them back at any time.

Josh Urquhart needs games now he is fit and we will monitor how he does in the next few games. Te Wihongi, Ryan Kirwan and Kian Wilkes have all done the same. Alex Solomon has also done the same with St Neots. Graham Dodd will be watching them and keeping an eye on progress for us.

Rian McLean has gone to Witham where he played last season. He wasn’t getting the game time he wanted. We have agreed we will keep in touch. Wynford Marfo has joined Cray and Gucci’s loan has ended now so he is back with Sutton Utd.

It’s the hardest part of management keeping all your players happy and these moves allow us try to do that. The squad is under constant review as we seek to get the right balance and quality to push us on. We also have to balance the books which is a challenge we face every year.

As regards Bilal Sayoud, he  has also gone to Walthamstow so he can get regular football as we could not guarantee the game time he wants. We wish Bilal the very best and thank him for his contribution in his second spell with us.”

Andy Leese

This Saturday is a very special occasion when all sections of the club come together for our annual Whole Club Day.

All the teams – men’s, ladies, youth and disability – will gather for a mass photoshoot before the game against Herne Bay

At the end of the game everyone will be asked to stay on for a Hallowe’en Party in the bar until around 9pm.

Feel free to invite all your friends and work colleagues to what should be a memorable day for everybody – and hopefully three points!

Gates will open at 12.30 for what will we anticipate will be a bumper crowd.

Nightingale Cancer support will be attending the game and will set up a stand to give out leaflets and also will carry out a bucket collection during the afternoon.

Cray Wanderers 1 Enfield Town 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Frustration seemed to be the byword amongst the Town players after a fast-paced encounter which, on another day, we might have won.

The celebration among the Cray team at the final whistle said much about how they felt about sharing the points in a tight game that saw us drop to fifth.

With the teams in and around us – most of whom have played fewer games — picking up three points, there was a sense of disappointment after we had taken the lead through Marcus Wyllie’s first competitive goal for the club, only to be pegged back shortly afterwards.

But this was a big improvement following the Lewes debacle, particularly in terms of players covering each other all over the pitch and the amount of the possession we carved out.

The management team made three changes from the Lewes game but kept the defence in tact and to be fair, for large periods of the game we were relatively untroubled.

This fixture so often produces a goal fest but not this time, with defences on top for much of the game.

On 19 minutes, Jake Cass, who chased lost causes all afternoon and was a constant threat, let fly from 25 yards, narrowly missing the target.

Cray almost took advantage of a rare James Richmond slipup, only for Nathan McDonald to save with his legs.

Nathan produced an even bigger stop to keep out a point-blank Jalen Jones header from a freekick but in a half of few clearcut chances, Sam Youngs almost broke the deadlock on the stroke of halftime as he held off two defenders before swivelling and shooting just wide.

H-T 0-0

Four minutes into the second period, we took the lead as Wyllie pounced on a weak defensive header just outside the Cray box and strode forward to fire a delicious right-foot effort into the corner sparking huge celebrations (pictured).

Cass almost made it 2-0 but couldn’t quite keep control before Cray hit back.

Nyren Clunis had already gone close to an equaliser after being put through by skillful teenager Ben Krauhaus when the ball was played into the path of Dan Bassett and his low shot seemed to squirm under Nathan’s body.

The home side briefly threatened to turn things round as they upped their game but we held firm and finished the stronger with three pairs of fresh legs on the pitch.

Cass and Wyllie combined to set up ex-Wand Andre Coker down the left but his shot lacked sufficient power. And in the dying moments, Cass so nearly won it with an audacious piece of skill and strength that was kept out by Rowley.

Neutral observers will feel the outcome was just about right but perhaps looking back it was a game from which we might easily have come out on top.

“Much, much better performance from us today… a much different performance than we’d given the previous two Saturdays”, said Andy Leese. “We had to deal with Cray and the way they play, which I felt we did really well… just a little bit disappointed we didn’t capitalise – we created lots of chances.”

Town: McDonald; Spencer, Wilson-Braithwaite, Richmond, Payne; Thomas (Dayton, 64); Hercules (Della-Verde, 72), Youngs, Taaffe (Coker, 72), Wyllie; Cass.

This Saturday we visit Cray Wanderers in need of a positive result after a disappointing outcome to our last league game.

 Cray are currently fourth in the table on the same points and games as Town, separated only by goal difference. A game therefore between two playoff contenders?

Cray’s most recent result was a 4-0 win against Brightlingsea on Tuesday which included a hat trick from Ben Krauhaus.

Directions below

Enfield Town 2 Lewes 4

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Another four goals shipped, a shellshocked manager yet still third in the league and more than handily placed so it’s certainly not all doom and gloom.

But it’s undoubtedly been a rollercoaster few weeks for the Town after Saturday’s latest debacle.

Lewes have become something of a bogey team as they followed up last season’s convincing double over us with another dominant display that belied their lowly league position.

That we managed to pull two goals  back after going 0-4 down restored a certain amount of pride and respectability, especially after the rare sound of being booed off at halftime, albeit by a tiny minority of supporters.

But this shouldn’t hide the fact, as Andy Leese admitted afterwards, that there were worrying deficiencies that need rectifying to keep us on track in the upper echelons of the league.

After Tuesday’s improved display against Bognor following the Chesham humiliation in the Trophy, what unfolded was as alarming as it was unexpected, leading to an unusually flat atmosphere.

Lewes hadn’t won in the league since August but were slicker on the ball, more cohesive as a unit and in Razz Coleman De-Graft had a player who ran the show.

The Rooks were almost ahead within the first minute when Coleman De-Graft curled a cross-shot just over the bar from the edge of the box and it was no surprise when they took the lead six minutes later. Michael Klass played a one-two with Coleman De-Graft and Deon Moore lashed the loose ball into the roof of the net.

Lewes’ game plan was clearly to try and pull us out of shape, making it hard for us to keep the ball especially against their five in midfield and forcing our wide players to sit too deep.

It wasn’t until the 22^nd minute that we had our first real chance as James Dayton almost made Jack Cass’ backheel count. Cass came  even closer, only to find goalkeeper Lewis Carey in Lewes’ goal before Carey just held on to Joe Payne’s 30-yard piledriver.

Lewes continued to look the more threatening side, however, and Jamie Mascoll doubled the lead on 35 minutes when the wall failed to deal with his direct freekick.

Lewes’ third just before halftime was criminal from a home point of view. Marcel Elva-Fountaine was allowed to run unchallenged for 25 yards before firing into the far corner.

H-T 0-3

The management team decided to keep faith with the starting eleven and we almost reduced the deficit within two minutes as Lewes kept out a Cass header and Bilal Sayoud’s follow-up.  But it soon went from bad to worse as Coleman De-Graft curled a beauty into the corner of the net at the other end.

Even though it seemed there was no way back, we at last started to get in Lewes’ faces as the management made a triple substitution.

Cass’ superb header on 57 minutes from Sayoud’s sublime cross brought it back to 1-4. Then James Richmond rose to head a rebounded corner into the net to half the deficit (pictured).

The damage may have already been done but it made for an exciting finish as our support play improved and we stopped giving the ball away.

Lyle Della-Verde hit a golden opportunity down the keeper’s throat and both Sam Youngs and Scott Thomas had further chances to pull off a miracle.

Ultimately, however, it was too big a gap to bridge.

A clearly shell-shocked manager didn’t mince his words afterwards. “Absolutely horrendous first half, men against boys,” said Andy. “We simple weren’t good enough from one to 11 and let them do what they wanted.”

“I can only apologise again to the fans. I could hear all the barracking which I understand. Most of it’s aimed at me which I also understand. It was totally unacceptable and there are obviously going to have to be some changes.”

“Strangely we probably created 10 to 12 chances. But they didn’t really have to get out of second gear. It was a very chastening afternoon and lots of worrying signs which we have to address. We need people who will run for the cause and die for the cause. Today again, some players didn’t want to do that. We’ve got some very good footballers but some of them just seem to be lacking the basics.”

Town

McDonald, Spencer, Payne, Thomas, Wilson-Braithwaite, Richmond, Sayoud (Coker 74 mins), Youngs, Cass (Cunnington, 75 mins), Dayton (Wyllie 74 mins), Della-Verde

Our next fixture is against Lewes tomorrow, Saturday, kickoff 3pm, the last in a run of consecutive home games.

Our visitors are surprisingly 17th in the table, but have played fewer games than most.

Their most recent result was a 1-4 defeat at Herne Bay and Lewes have not won in the League since they beat Bishops Stortford 2-1 back in August.

Town are currently third in the table, two points behind league leaders Bishops Stortford and Potters Bar,  and a win could take us top if other results go in our favour. A hugely anticipated encounter is in prospect.

Advance tickets can be purchased here

Everyone who witnessed Bilal Sayoud’s stunning strike at Margate a couple of weeks ago marvelled at the sheer technique. But no-one was the least bit surprised, writes Andrew Warshaw.

Bilal may not start every game but his ability on the ball has never been in doubt.

“I do have that in my locker, sometimes it’s just about the confidence in taking it on,” says Bilal who is relishing his second spell at the Town.

“When we lost Mo, some people wondered where the goals would come from. But Lyle had double figures last season as did I, albeit not at Enfield. We also have Jake and Marcus, who is champing at the bit. Plus Sam of course.”

Ever since returning to the Town, Bilal has enjoyed every moment, whether starting or coming off the bench. The phrase impact player is a compliment he recognises though obviously he would prefer more.

“It’s not really a tag I would like to stick because obviously like any player I’d ideally like to be starting games. But the competition now is fierce.”

All teams have their wobbles but Bilal is confident Town can mount a consistent challenge.

“We’ve got so many options around the squad now. Two or three wins in this league puts you right up there.”

As for his own footballing experience, Bilal could be forgiven for wondering what might have been after being on Coventry City’s books for over two years when the club were in League One.

But it’s not something he bangs on about and is getting just as much pleasure out of playing non-league football. “I don’t really bandish the Coventry thing about because I don’t dwell on the past. But if I’m 100 percent honest, I didn’t feel secure in myself there.

“It taught me a lot about professional football and how cut-throat it can be. But on the plus side, also about high standards and how to treat your body. You watch football on tv and think ‘I can do that’. But some people don’t realise the daily grind.”

It wasn’t difficult, after spells at Met Police, Wingate and Hendon, for Bilal, who works for a charity, to make the decision to return to Enfield.

“It gives me far more satisfaction than when I played professionally. I’ve always loved the club. When I left the first time I wanted to get more experience. But most of the teams I played for were never really challenging come the end of the season. I came to realise you want to be up there.”

Religious faith,  as many of you will know, is a huge part of Bilal’s life as a staunch Muslim. Before the season started he went on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia for three weeks.

“It wasn’t easy trying to keep fit. I knew some players were leaving and I wanted to stake a claim. But it took longer for me.”

Managing to combine playing football with his religious faith has become second nature to Bilal who prays five times a day.

“We all have our different faiths and beliefs. The club has been nothing but supportive and accommodating, always offering me a room to pray in, whether before games, halftime or in the middle of training. It’s that kind of club.”

Enfield Town 1 Bognor Regis Town 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

First things first. This was a massive improvement after Saturday’s ignominious FA Trophy exit, with each and every player showing hunger, purpose and desire.

That we  didn’t pick up all three points was more down to the strength of the opposition than any particular failings on our part though critics will doubtless point to our lack of fire power up front and the absence of sufficient midfield creativity.

Overall a draw was a fair result which keeps us extremely handily placed on the coat tails of Bishop Stortford and Potters Bar.

Early days still of course but victory over Lewes in another home game on Saturday could send us top if other results fall in our favour, albeit with only a quarter of the campaign completed and other sides having played fewer games.

The management team made three changes to the starting line-up, including the return of James Richmond who brought composure and stability to the back line.

Right from the off, Town showed intent with Jake Cass twice going close but it was the visitors who took the lead on 15 minutes when a risky squared clearance fell to Bognor frontman Nick Dembele who finished well.

Bognor’s movement and transition play was always a threat but right on halftime  James Dayton almost levelled when a corner was headed back across goal and his header was hit straight at the keeper.

H-T 0-1

We haven’t always had the rub of the green with decisions this season but got back in the game from a softish penalty on 51 minutes.  Dayton was adjudged to have been obstructed by  Nathan Odokonyero and Cass made no mistake from the spot (pictured).

Thereafter, as the game opened up,  both sides had chances to win the game though the Rocks arguably had more.  

Luckily for us, Odokonyero screwed his shot just wide of the upright when it looked certain he would score on 75 minutes. And  five minutes later, Alfie Bridgman blasted wide with only Nathan McDonald to beat.

But Town might well have snatched it late on through Dayton and Richmond, both of whose efforts looked easier to score.

Bognor claimed they would have won the game but for the officiating and poor finishing . At times we did ride our luck but we fully deserved a share of the spoils for application and effort.

“I’m pleased with the response after Saturday,” said Andy Leese. “A difficult game tonight. Bognor are young, well-drilled and energetic. At times they stretched us. I clearly would have preferred a win – it could have sent us top which would have been a boost – but really pleased.”

Town: McDonald; Spencer, Richmond, Wilson-Braithwaite, Payne;  Thomas (Wyllie, 70), Youngs, Della-Verde (Hercules, 81), Coker (Sayound, 63), Dayton; Cass

Enfield Town 0 Chesham United 4

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Enfield Town’s exploits in this season’s two main cup competitions are well and truly over after we crashed out at the first hurdle in the FA Trophy – just as we did in the FA Cup.

A similar horror show to the one at Canvey saw us put to the sword by the Generals who, despite also being at Step 3 (in their case Southern League Premier Division South ) were far superior in every department.

Chesham put on a commanding display to make it a miserable afternoon for Andy Leese who spent a decade in their own dug-out where he had two memorable cup runs.

Not this time, though, and while we can now put all our energies into the league campaign, everyone connected with the club will be disappointed that there are no more special FA Cup or Trophy days to look forward to – or the revenue stream they provide.

Once again, understandably after three straight wins, Town were unchanged. With a strong bench and players coming back from injury, there was every hope of a good performance even though Chesham are flying high in their league.

Instead it was a chastening display, at times too one dimensional and easy to defend against and Andy was refreshingly honest about the performance as a whole afterwards.

Having said that, for the first 20 minutes we looked up for it as we took the game to Chesham, only to be caught cold when Jordan Edwards hit a low freekick through the wall against the run of play.

Try as we might to respond, we simply couldn’t get any change out of a disciplined and well organised unit who got back in numbers at the slightest hint of a threat – and were devastating on the counter.

Five minutes before halftime Edwards was almost on target again as his 35-yard piledriver crashed against the angle of our post and bar.

Right on halftime, the visitors doubled their lead at the worst possible time for us. After we failed to clear a corner, Jeanmal Prosper pounded on the loose ball and lashed it home.

H-T 0-2

Cue an immediate halftime substitution with Jake Cass replacing an out-of-sorts Wraynel Hercules but as we chased the game, the visitors almost made it three when Shaquille Hippolyte drilled the ball wide of an open goal.

 Andre Coker’s neat finish on 53 minutes  – our first shot on target – so nearly put us back in the game, only to be ruled offside. And perhaps we knew it wouldn’t be our day when Cass somehow missed the target from four yards as he planted a header wide (pictured).

It was a chance we were left to rue as, on 73 minutes, Francis Jno-Baptiste’s pace took him surging into our box and he finished with aplomb.

Lyle Della-Verde came off the bench to see his 35-yard freekick tipped over the bar and from the resultant corner, a Sam Youngs snapshot flew wide.

But unfortunately Chesham weren’t finished yet.  Jno Baptiste too quick for Rian Bray who, with no defensive cover,  had little option but to pull him back inside the box.

Nathan McDonald brilliantly saved the penalty, only for T’Sharne Gallimore to force home the rebound. To  complete our misery, Rian became our latest player to be shown a straight red card.

“It was just a complete and utter disgrace but take nothing away from Chesham,” admitted a furious Andy Leese.

“A totally disrespectful performance, a complete capitulation. No fight, no application to the game plan. Performances since the Canvey Island debacle have been absolutely fine but it looks like we have ability to throw in that kind of performance.  I’ve got to wear it, they’ve got to wear it, and we’ve got to try and get things right for Bognor on Tuesday. That’s the challenge.”

Town:

Mcdonald; Spencer, Bray, Wilson-Braithwaite, Payne; Hercules (Cass, 45) Thomas, Youngs, Dayton (Della Verde); Cunnington, Coker (Sayoud, 71)

Huge congratulations to our assistant manager, Mario Noto, who completed Sunday’s London Marathon in a time of four hours, 16 minutes, writes Andrew Warshaw.

Mario has managed to raise over £5,000 including a healthy donation from those who attended our league game against Corinthian Casuals.

The money will be split between the Royal Papworth hospital and Haven House Children’s Hospice, the former having performed a life-saving heart transplant operation on his godfather.

Mario, who had trained for the race since July, hit the notorious pain wall around the 15-mile mark when his calf started to cramp up but he was determined to continue.

“I may have torn it but I just gritted my teeth and kept going,” he explained. “I wanted the time to be a bit quicker but it was an amazing experience so I can’t be too down on myself.”

“I had all my family there and even saw a few people I knew during the race including one lad I even used to coach. Everyone got behind everyone else regardless of gender, race or anything else. There was a proper community feel about it with so many people coming out to support.

“It’ll probably take me around a week to feel my body is back to normal but I’d definitely do it again.”

Well done Maz from everyone at Enfield Town FC

Scandinavian  football fans are renowned for flying over to the UK to watch Premier League fixtures at the weekend, writes Andrew Warshaw.

But it isn’t every day they opt exclusively for the non-league game instead.

It was therefore both a surprise and a pleasure to welcome seven Danish fans and 17 Swedes for our recent 2-0 home win over with Corinthian Casuals.

Both trips were organised entirely separately and provided an international feel to the game which was also attended by two Italian supporters. Enfield Town’s reach is obviously stretching far and wide!

All the Swedish fans were members of a so-called “brothers in sport” society and supporters of first division club IFK Norrköping .

They chose to come and watch us as the first in a three-match weekend itinerary and afterwards both clubs exchanged pennants.

Gunnar Hagberg, who helped organise the Swedish trip, explained: “We go to England on a regular basis to watch football but we always tend to go to clubs like Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal.”

“This time we wanted to look for the roots of the game, to find football’s true soul, something we think has been lost in top-division football.”

Luckily for Gunnar and his friends, we just happened to be playing on a Friday night since they had already made arrangements for Saturday and Sunday.

“I checked through the fixture list and saw Enfield were playing on Friday. We couldn’t miss that instead of going out somewhere in London,” said Gunnar. “We had a brilliant time. The rain was perfect for football! We really enjoyed it and everyone was so friendly. It’s been a real treat.”

Needless to say, both the bar and the club shop did a roaring trade among our Scandinavian guests!

Although we are in step 7 of the national pyramid, Gunnar (pictured with another Swedish fan) says we could hold our own much higher up in Sweden. “I was talking to some of our coaches who came with us and they reckon Enfield Town would be the equivalent of the Swedish third division.”

“They were surprised and impressed how intense the game was.  We will definitely be spreading the word!”

Enfield Town 2 Corinthian Casuals 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

If ever the expression “job done” was appropriate, this was it.

Any club in any division would look a trifle leggy after having to play three games in six days so huge credit to the players for grinding out another three points that have pushed us to within striking distance of the top.

Players and management now deservedly have a week’s rest before the eagerly awaited FA trophy tie with Chesham, basking in the knowledge that they have responded superbly to the FA Cup debacle at Canvey Island with three straight wins and an increasingly healthy competition for places.

 This fixture was originally due to take place on Saturday at Casuals but was reversed to Friday at QEII as a result of a tree falling on the Casuals clubhouse.  As a result, Enfield played in light blue because the only kit Casuals could muster was one with white shirts.

The swirling rain hampered ball control but Town’s opener on 38 minutes defied the conditions, recent  signing Wraynel Hercules, who had missed two earlier chances,  unleashing a stunning strike (pictured) that dipped markedly at the last moment.

The goal was as spectacular as it was unexpected given what had gone before which wasn’t very much as both teams defended in depth and tried to hit the opposition on the break. A timely clearance by Ruben Carvalho prevented Adam Cunnington pouncing on a whipped-in Andre Coker cross while a trademark Joe Payne long throw was almost turned in.

As for the visitors, Elijah Simpson fired just wide while Rian Bray’s interception prevented Mohamed Diallo from getting in a shot.

H-T 1-0

 Soon after the break, Casuals appeared to have a decent penalty shout waved away, only to concede a spotkick themsleves on the hour. Coker was bundled over by Benjamin Checklit and got up to confidently double our lead.

Andre almost made it three, spooning over the bar from six yards, while substitute Lyle della-Verde’s run and shot whistled past the post.

At the other end Dequane Wilson-Brathwaite brilliantly cleared of the line as Casuals tried to respond while Mohamed Diallo’s bullet header whistled narrowly wide.

The visitors will rue a string of crosses being dealt with efficiently by Town’s defence which was arguably the best part of our game on the night.

“Not the best of games but they’re the sort of fixtures you just have to dig out,” said Andy Leese. “Especially in our position – three games in six days effectively. We weren’t at our best tonight but we’ve done what mattered. And kept a clean sheet.”

Town:

McDonald; Spencer, Wilson-Braithwaite, Bray, Payne; Hercules (Sayoud, 68), Thomas, Youngs, Dayton (Della-Verde, 75); Coker (Wyllie), Cunnington

Enfield Town 2 Horsham 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Enfield Town followed up Saturday’s confidence-boosting win at Margate with three more points to leapfog Horsham and move into fifth place in the table.

Tuesday’s fixture was the re-arranged game that was postponed because of the death of the queen and we took full advantage against another of the pre-season playoff hopefuls.

Horsham have stuttered somewhat after a fine start to the campaign but play the game the right way and had their moments against an unchanged Town.

But on clearcut chances, we were well worth the win and could go even higher if we can make it three in a row against Corinthian Casuals on Friday – a game that has been switched to QEII after a tree fell on the Casuals’ club house but for which we have precious little recovery time.

Enfield started the game with a bang and should have gone in front straight from the kickoff. Wraynel Hercules was played in down the right but panicked somewhat as he advanced on goal and put his shot on the running track.

But on 12 minutes we went in front when a cross into the box was only half-cleared  and Andre Coker shot low into the corner for yet another early-season goal.

The Hornets managed to fashion a number of promising positions without being able to supply the final touch and on 26 minutes our lead was doubled.  Coker’s shot was well saved and Adam Cunnington (pictured) — a tower of strength all evening, dribbling past fullbacks, turning goalkicks into corners —  forced home the rebound.

In the final action of the half, Lucas Rodriquez curled a 20-yard freekick over the wall but Nathan McDonald was on hand to make an excellent save.

H-T 2-0

The second half was just a couple of minutes old when Horsham, hit by a lengthy injury list, halved the deficit. Jack Mazzone whipped in a fierce low cross and Rian Bray, in trying to clear, only succeeded in knee-ing the ball into his own net.

Suddenly Horsham gained a new lease of life and started to winning second balls. Mazzone  narrowly cleared the bar from 25 yards and the defensive side of our game, so improved in recent matches, was frequently called into action.

But still we had the better chances – four in particular. When Sam Youngs took advantage of Michael Beeney’s punched clearance, his goalbound chip seemed certainly to make it 3-1, only for Tom Day to rush back and produce a miraculous  goal-line clearance.

There was more to come in the shape of substitute Bilal Sayoud who had three golden opportunities in quick succession to add to his sublime strike at Margate.

First, he struck a freekick fractionally over. Then, in the dying moments, he probably should have done better when pulling his shot narrowly wide, and got even closer by striking the post as Horsham pushed forward.

“In the first half we smothered them in midfield and they couldn’t get out,” said Andy Leese. “2-0 is an awkward scoreline and we started the second half exactly as we did at Margate.”

“At times we then had to dig in. There were some tired legs. We are running harder than we’ve ever done to get to where we want to be but it’s taking its toll on one or two.  I have to give a  special mention to Cunns for yet another outstanding shift. I’m absolutely delighted with the outcome. We don’t have much recovery time before Friday and may have to freshen things up but then we have a full week.”

Town:

McDonald; Spencer, Bray, Wilson-Braithwaite, Payne; Hercules, Thomas (Soulya-Osekanongo, Youngs, Dayton (Wyllie, 79); Coker (Sayoud, 67), Cunnington.

Additional Reporting By Martin Bentley

We can now confirm that our away game with Corinthian Casuals, originally set for Saturday, has been switched to   Enfield because of a problem with the Casuals stadium where a tree recently fell on the clubhouse.

The game will be played at QE II stadium this Friday, ko 7.45, instead of Saturday.

Before then, Horsham are the visitors on Tuesday. They are currently fifth in the table two points ahead of Town but have played a game more.  

Their most recent result was a 0-2  home defeat to Bishops Stortford. Only one win in their last five but will provide a stiff Test for Town. 

Match Tickets are available here

Margate 2 Enfield Town 5

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Anyone leaving the ground after 20 minutes at Margate yesterday – or even at halftime for that matter – could not possibly have imagined how the game would pan out.

We simply hadn’t been at the races, didn’t get close enough to the opposition, especially in midfield, and Towners fans feared the worst.

But as the old cliché goes, goals change games and once we levelled for the second time on the Kent coast, there was only going to be one winner as the hosts collapsed in spectacular fashion.

Missing the likes of Lyle Della-Verde (still suspended) and Jake Cass (injured), the fact that we managed to score five – albeit one an own goal – backs up the theory that we have goals all over the pitch despite Mo’s departure.

And there were a stack of positives, with Adam Cunnington simply outstanding in the air, a hungry Andre Coker again looking like a new player and an excellent debut on the right wing for Wraynal Hercules.

But it was an ominously worrying start.

Not once, not twice but four times in the opening period,  we escaped by the skin of our teeth as Margate came charging out of the blocks, prompted by their captain Ben Greenhalgh who actually has a Champions League medal on his CV.

It was no surprise when they took the lead on 22 minutes, Cameron Brodie rifling home from 20 yards after pouncing on a loose ball.

Our response was immediate with our first effort on target and a stroke of good fortune. Hercules mishit a cross-shot, bamboozling the Margate keeper who saw the ball squirm into the net at his near post.

Coker almost gave us the lead with a sublime strike that clipped the top of the bar but Margate had certainly been superior in the opening half.

H-T 1-1

We needed to up our game but within two minutes of the restart, we fell behind again as Greenlagh’s low, left-footed freekick was touched home by Harry Hudson.

But instead of capitalising on their chances, Margate  again left the door open at the back and Joe Payne, who had another fine game, was left unmarked to lash home our second equaliser.

Now the whole pattern of the game changed as the momentum switched. Within a minute, James Dayton’s excellent cross was side-footed home by Coker to put us 3-2 up  and as the home defence panicked, Hudson’s own goal gave us a fourth.

The best was still to come courtesy of two substitutes.  On 79 minutes, Marcus Wyllie showed great control to set up Bilal Sayoud for the sweetest of curling efforts (pictured) that had the purists purring.

There was still time for Nathan McDonald to make a flying stop from Greenhalgh but by then we were out of sight and celebrating a well-earned, hard-fought three points that can only boost confidence.

It’s not easy replacing so many quality players and although we may not look totally settled yet, we are now sitting in seventh with back-to-back home games to come, starting on Tuesday against Horsham.

“I thought we were dreadful for the first 25 minutes,” conceded Andy Leese. “It was a hard-earned 5-2 win but I thought the way in which we saw the game out was top class.”

“If you look at their results at home we knew it would be difficult down here. But really pleasing to come away  and score as many goals as we did. That 35 minutes in the second half we were excellent. We are slowly getting back to how I want us to play.”

Town

McDonald; Spencer, Bray, Wilson-Braithwaite, Payne; Dayton, Thomas, Youngs, Hercules (Wyllie 72); Coker (Sayoud, 78), Cunnington (Urquhart 81)

We are excited to announce that we have signed former Brentford B winger Wraynel Hercules who featured prominently in our recent friendly against Beaconsfield

You may remember Wraynel, who has also played for Barnet under-18s and is still only 20, scored twice against us for St. Albans in pre-season

“Wraynel has been working with is in training and gives us another option up front with his direct style and pace,” said Andy Leese.

“He’s been in the professional game at Brentford, he’s a local boy, he’s young and we think he can develop with us.”

Welcome, Wraynel

Tomorrow we make the trip to Margate hoping to avenge our last-minute defeat in the corresponding fixture last season.

Margate are currently 14th in the early-season table with eight points from six games.

Last Saturday they bowed out of the FA Cup losing 1-2 late on at Dulwich Hamlet in front of a crowd of 1,725.

 In the League their most recent result was a 4-0 home win against Herne Bay.

You can purchase tickets here

The club are laying on a coach for Margate, Departure Point: QEII Stadium, Donkey Lane, Enfield, Middx

Departure Time. – Leave 10,45. a.m. SHARP

Cost: £18.00

For Bookings please contact Les Gold on 07979 727563

– lesgold@enfieldtownfooballclub.co.uk

Casuals Switch

There is a possibility next weekend’s fixture may be moved to Enfield because of a problem with the Casuals stadium where a tree has fallen on the clubhouse.

 The favoured option by both clubs is that the game is moved to the QEII Stadium next Friday 30 September , but we are currently waiting for the League to sanction this change. Obviously we will let you know as soon as we can.

Congratulations to Town central defender Alex Solomon, who was recently called up to Cyprus’ Under-21 squad. Alex (right of image) , who recently re-signed for the club following a spell with Swedish side Ytterhogdals, has joined up with his national teammates for their upcoming match against Malta. Συγχαρητήρια!

The Club will be running coaches for our next two Isthmian League Premier away matches at Margate F.C. & Corinthian Casuals F.C.

Match 1 – Margate F.C.

·       Date: Saturday 24th September 2022 – 3pm kick-off

·       Address: Hartsdown Park, Hartsdown Road, Margate CT9 5QZ

·       Departure Point: QEII Stadium, Donkey Lane, Enfield, Middx

·       Departure Time. – Leave 10:45 am SHARP

·       Cost: £18.00

Match 2 – Corinthian-Casuals F.C.

·       Date: Saturday 1st October 2022 – 3pm kick-off

·       Address: King Georges Field, Queen Mary Close, Hook Rise South, Tolworth, Surrey, KT6 7NA

·       Departure Point: QEII Stadium, Donkey Lane, Enfield, Middx

·       Departure Time. – Leave 11:00 am SHARP

·       Cost: £18.00

For bookings, please contact Les Gold on 07979 727563

email:  lesgold@enfieldtownfooballclub.co.uk

or leave your details at The Club Shop

It is essential that bookings are made through either of these contacts only.

Early reservations are essential to avoid disappointment

Enfield Town 0 Canvey Island 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Frustration and disappointment were the key words used by Andy Leese following Tuesday’s distinctly underwhelming display.

After scoring nine goals in our previous two games, albert one of them a friendly, we were surprisingly toothless in the final third and would probably have lost but for several timely saves from Nathan McDonald — aided and abetted by some resolute defending across the back four.

The game was preceded by a minute’s applause in honour of the late Mike North, a life-long Town supporter who sadly died recently.

When the action got going, it was as if Canvey had been given a proverbial kick up the backside following their 3-0  home loss in the FA Cup on Saturday – one round after ironically inflicting a heavy defeat on us.

Just as in that fateful cup tie, Evans Kouassi was again their danger man, troubling us with his lightning pace and trickery before we got to grips with him and managed to stop his runs.

Twice in the first 20 minutes, Koussi broke clear to force excellent saves from Nathan, then whipped in a cross that was headed wide.

A Canver penalty claim when Luca Albion went down left the referee uninterested but the visitors remained a threat going forward, Bradley Sach’s opportunist effort bringing a another finger-tip save from McDonald.

Our two best half chances of the first half fell to Marcus Wyllie whose touch let him down – as it did, to be fair, with the rest of our attacking players.

H-T 0-0

Adam Cunnington managed to finally get a Town effort on target but frustratingly our passing wasn’t up to scratch as we invariably chose the wrong options whenever we had the ball.

But when you don’t take your chances, you can pay for it and the visitors almost did. In what looked like a Town training ground routine, Sam Youngs sped down the left to collect Coker’s freekick and his centre flashed across goal before being cleared off the line. Substitute Bilal Sayoud then forced a decent save from Bobby Mason.

But even a switch to 4-2-4 couldn’t produce any serious creativity for us, compounded by the absence of Lyle Della-Verde serving the first of a three-game ban.

 Luckily for Town, Canvey proceeded to waste a couple more opportunities, not least when Albon lashed wide.

“Hand on heart we didn’t do enough to win the game,” said Andy.  “After Brightlingea and Saturday’s friendly when we were full of attacking intent, we weren’t going past people or putting balls in the box. Our decision making in the last third was poor.”

“I’m frustrated and disappointed. We’ve got to be winning those sort of games at home if we want to be doing anything this season. The one real positive was another clean sheet.”

Next up a visit to Margate on Saturday and a chance to avenge  last season’s agonising last-minute defeat on the Kent coast.

Town:

McDonald; Spencer, Bray, Wilson-Braithwaite, Payne; Thomas, Dayton (Cass, 73), Youngs; Wyllie (Sayoud, 63), Cunnington, Coker

The Blues Chapter fundraising gig in Butler’s Bar on Oct 7 has regretfully had to be postponed.

The band are hugely apologetic and we very much hope to book them again in the near future.

Anyone who has bought tickets in advance should contact Christine Hamilton for a refund

We get the chance to avenge our FA Cup defeat when Canvey Island visit the QEII Stadium Tuesday night, kickoff 7.45

Canvey have made a similar start to ourselves in the league with 8 points from 6 games. Their most recent league result was a 1-1 draw at home to Haringey but on Saturday they bowed out of the FA Cup losing 0-3 at home to St Ives Town in the second qualifying round.

Our last two results – a 4-0 away win at Brightlingsea and Saturday’s demolition of Beaconsfield in a friendly – give us plenty of cause for optimism

Tickets are available on line at https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/

Enfield Town 5 Beaconsfield 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

It may only have been a friendly but Saturday’s dominant display against fellow Step 3 opponents was another sign of things moving in the right direction in the wake of our cup humiliation at Canvey Island.

Building on our 4-0 demolition of Brightlingsea in midweek, there was an air of resolute determination about the way in which we went about our business – combined with some superb goals.

Thoughts are already  turning to taking revenge on Canvey in the league on Tuesday night after the tables were turned on the Gulls when they too were knocked out of the FA cup on Saturday, albeit in the second qualifying round.

We can certainly take confidence from Saturday’s showing as we blew Beaconsfield away in a rampant first half.

Sam Youngs opened the scoring after 10 minutes and Scott Thomas doubled the lead with his first ever goal for the Town,  an unstoppable 25-yard thunderbolt (pictured)

On the half hour, Youngs’ through ball found former St Albans winger Wreynell Hercules who drew the keeper before squaring to Adam Cunnington for number three. And right on halftime,  Andre Coker, clearly relishing playing again, made it four.

A flurry of substitutions ensued including the welcome return of Josh Urquhart — back in a Town shirt after his lengthy injury layoff.

Beaconsfield pulled one back but with time almost up Lyle Della Verde – who now misses three games because of his dismissal at Brightlingsea – exchanged passes with Kian Wilkes and unleashed another of his trademark screamers.

Town starting line up:

McDonald; Spencer, Bray, Wilson-Braithwaite, Payne; Thomas, Youngs, Soula-Osekanogo; Cunnington, Coker, Hercules

With no league fixture this Saturday, we have organised a friendly match at home to Beaconsfield Town FC. Beaconsfield also play at Step 3, in the Southern League Premier South, so it should be a competitive game.

Kickoff is at a slightly earlier time of 2pm – so supporters will be able to catch neighbours Spurs in their match at 5:30. Admission prices are £5 adults, £3 concessions, £1 under 16.

Brightlingsea Regent 0 Enfield Town 4

Report by Martin Bentley

Now that’s better. A dominant Enfield Town performance resulted in four goals and an emphatic win over a Brightlingsea side who started the evening one point above Town in mid-table.

Andy Leese shuffled his pack following the heavy FA Cup loss at Canvey Island, reverting to a flat back four with Juevan Spencer given a first start at right back and Joe Payne making a second, indeed arguably a third, debut following his recent move back to the Town from Cheshunt. There were also starts for Andre Coker and James Dayton, giving the Town line-up a radically different look.

The Town were into their stride from the first whistle, with Coker fizzing a shot over, Lyle Della-Verde hitting the side netting and Sam Youngs heading against the top of the bar, all in the opening 20 minutes. The first goal arrived after 27 minutes, with Adam Cunnington’s shot being deflected past home keeper Charlie Turner. Payne then had a shot well saved, and Della-Verde curled a free kick just wide as Town concluded the half well on top.

The home side enjoyed a spell of possession early in the second half, and fired a warning shot across Town’s bows nine minutes into the half, Luke Woodward heading powerfully against Nathan McDonald’s cross bar from a right wing cross. Within a minute, however, Town doubled their lead; McDonald’s long kick caused confusion in the home defence, and Coker ran on to the loose ball to beat Turner with a powerful finish. Coker repeated the dose six minutes later with an equally emphatic effort from the other flank, and Town were out of sight.

Still Town pressed for more goals, with substitute Jake Cass hitting the foot of Turner’s post before Della-Verde added a fourth with a curling effort from Sam Youngs’ lay-off. Unfortunately, the game ended on a sour note for Della-Verde when he received a straight red card for a late tackle on the home side’s Zack Littlejohn. The decision seemed harsh, with referee Hursey seemingly making no allowances for the greasy surface, and having previously punished a similar-looking offence at the other end by Regent’s Dominic Locke with only a yellow card. Town comfortably played out the remaining ten minutes without alarm, however, and completed an excellent win that saw them jump to eighth place in the table.

Town: McDonald; Spencer, Bray, Wilson-Braithwaite, Payne; Thomas, Youngs, Dayton (Sayoud 85); Coker (Wyllie 74), Della-Verde, Cunnington (Cass 64).

Unused subs: McLean, Shulton.

Before tonight’s league game at Brightlingsea, Town are very pleased to announce two returning faces to the squad, as defenders Joe Payne and Alex Solomon have signed on at Donkey Lane.

“We decided to bring Joe back to the club to give us competition in the left back position”, said manager Andy Leese.

“Joe can also play centrally. We didn’t want to lose him when he moved , on but he comes back more experienced. Alex is in the same position. He went off to play professionally in Sweden and comes back with some games under his belt. He’s versatile for a young player and we will see how he gets on when we have international clearance for him.” Welcome back both!

In light of recent events, there will be no football this weekend as a mark of respect to HM Queen Elizabeth II.

All Isthmian League matches have been postponed. Our match with Horsham, originally scheduled for Saturday, will be played at a later date.

Canvey Island 5 Enfield Town 1

Report by Martin Bentley

Enfield Town’s FA Cup campaign lasted for only 90 painful minutes as they were dumped out of the competition in the first qualifying round.

Town were strangely lifeless for much of the game, only succeeding in competing meaningfully in the final half hour.

Ex-Towner Evans Kouassi enjoyed himself more than most, bagging a hat-trick against his former employers.

With Marcus Wyllie replacing Adam Cunnington in the only change from last Monday’s loss at Potters Bar, Town were forced onto the back foot from the opening salvo.

Nathan McDonald had already made two decent saves before the first goal arrived on 19 minutes, Kouassi converting Danny Parish’s astute pass from close range.

Four minutes later it was 2-0 when Parish ran onto Reiss Chandler’s long ball as Town’s defence failed to react.

As the half progressed, Canvey continued to find vast amounts of space on both flanks while Town struggled to get a foothold in the game.

We did manage a couple of shots on target, with both Lyle Della Verde and the industrious Wyllie having efforts well saved by Rhys Byrne in the home goal.

Two minutes before half time, however, the game was over as a contest when Canvey added a third, Jamie Salmon flicking in a near post header from a left-wing freekick.

Town made two substitutions at half time, but things did not get any better, Kouassi adding a fourth after 50 minutes. Two minutes later, Conor Hubble rolled a shot against McDonald’s left-hand post, leaving the disbelieving travelling support fearful of the eventual final score.

 Town succeeded in mustering a few attacks, with Wyllie having another shot saved by Byrne, and Jake Cass having a header tipped over from Bilal Sayoud’s free kick.

After 70 minutes though, Kouassi completed his hat trick with a rebound from McDonald’s parry to compound Town’s misery.

To their credit, Town managed a consolation goal within two minutes, Cass converting substitute Juevan Spencer’s low cross.

Unforunately even the goal carried a sting in the tail for Town, as Cass collided with Byrne and had to be helped off in obvious pain from what looked like a knee injury.

With Town down to ten men having made their subs, Canvey promptly replaced both their strikers, and the remainder of the game was largely uneventful.

Not a lot of positives to be gained here. Truly a dreadful day to be a Town supporter.

Town line-up: McDonald, McLean, Braithwaite, Shulton, Bray, Taaffe (Spencer 45), Youngs, Cass, Wyllie (Cunnington 58), Della Verde (Dayton 45), Sayoud. Unused subs: Thomas, Connolly, Marfo, Coker

We may not have a game on Saturday Oct 8 but don’t miss out on our latest fundraising gig the night before in Butlers Bar.

On Friday, Oct 7, the five-piece Blues Chapter bring their unique brand of driving Texas hotshot blues to the club with a mixture of their own compositions and covers of the likes of Gary Moore, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joe Bonamassa.

Tickets priced £10 can be purchased in advance by emailing  Christine Hamilton at  ianchrisham@hotmail.com. The bar opens at 7.30 and tickets will also be available on the door depending on how many are left.

These guys really know how to tear up a stage, led by the rasping vocals of charismatic front man Sky Wood and the brilliant guitar playing of Jesse Thomas.

It might be best to book early for this one since people have been known to have been turned away in the past for Blues Chapter gigs. They are, quite frankly, probably the finest young blues band in London – and all left-handed to boot!

Save the date!

We enter the world’s oldest domestic knockout tournament on Saturday with a tough fixture away at Canvey Island

With the winners receiving £2,250 in prize money, both teams would probably have hoped for an easier draw but this promises to be a fascinating cup tie.

Canvey were promoted via the play offs to the Isthmian Premier Division last season.

Their opening fixture was a 1-3 home defeat to Horsham but since then they have won 5-1 at Brightlingsea, lost 0-1 at Cray Wanderers, beat Hornchurch 2-1 at home and most recently drawn 1-1 at Bowers and Pitsea.

These results suggest Canvey will more than hold their own in the Isthmian Premier and may even be one of perhaps a dozen teams who could challenge for a play off spot.

Address on Saturday is the Movie Starr Stadium, Park Lane, Canvey Island, SS8 7PX, kickoff 3pm

If a replay is necessary it will be at the QEII Stadium on Tuesday 6 September.

Potters Bar 2 Enfield Town 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

There sometimes ain’t no justice. Despite our best performance of the season to date, we came away with no points on Bank Holiday Monday and scant reward against our local rivals after dominating the second half.

Potters Bar may be top of the league but got lucky with a late winner on a day when our approach play and running off the ball deserved more.

The Scholars may argue they hit the post but with a 3-4-1-2 system that for large parts negated their physicality, we were left ruing what might have been and now have to pick ourselves up for the all-important FA Cup clash at Canvey Island on Saturday.

In the first meaningful attack of the game, the skillfull Quentin Monville, who will be a handful for most opposition teams this season, burst through and  saw his shot flash wide of our goal. Then Bar’s Kasim Aidoo was booked for diving when claiming a spotkick.

Once we absorbed early pressure, we settled down and grabbed the lead on 13 minutes with, yet again, another peach of a freekick from specialist Lyle Della-Verde.

If Saturday’s strike against Bowers was a thing of beauty, this was 30 yards out and even more sweetly struck (pictured). The keeper got a hand to it but only succeeded in pushing it on to a post and into the net.

Unfortunately the lead lasted a mere seven minutes as Mo Kamara, Bar’s midfield dangerman, was given space to line up a shot and unleashed an unstoppable drive into the top right corner.

As  the action began to get tasty, as happens in derby games,  it all went off in front of the dugouts as players on both teams waded in. Luckily the referee gained control of the situation.

As the half progressed, a great freekick by Bilal Sayoud, who enjoyed a fine afternoon, almost produced dividends as Adam Cunnington connected  at the back post but only succeeded in sending the ball across goal.

Just before the interval, Rian Bray handled whilst struggling to deal with a hanging ball but the result was rightly yellow rather than red despite howls of Potters Bar protests.

H-T 1-1

On 55 minutes we got into something of mess defensively and were fortunate to see Joe Boachie’s angled shot come back of a post.

But from then on, it was one-way traffic as we pushed the hosts back and carved out a string of corners and half-chances.

A sweeping Town move ended with Scholars defence just getting in a block. Then a 35-yard Della-Verde freekick cannoned off the wall.

Our one big chance of the half came on 73 minutes when Cunnington dived full length to meet a Lewis Taaffe cross but steered his header narrowly wide.

The introduction of Marcus Wyllie and Andre Coker provided further hope of a Town breakthrough only for the hosts, who had  defended stoutly, to snatch victory with two minutes left, much to the disappointment of Town fans who made up the majority of the 531 attendance.

Town failed to adequately clear a throw-in and when the ball fell to Monville on the edge of the box, he took a touch and fired a shot into the bottom right hand corner via a deflection to undo all our good work.

“A sucker punch really,” said manager Andy Leese. “I thought we set up really well and defended really well in an even first half..”

“But I thought second half we came out and dominated proceedings.  There may have been few clearcut chances but what chances there were fell for us.”

“It’s massively disappointing, we certainly didn’t deserve to lose. We were missing one or two but I’m not going to complain about that – we’ve good a squad with plenty of depth. We’ve got to dust ourselves down now, focus on the FA Cup on Saturday and then start getting some points on the board as quickly as we can. If we play like we did against Potters Bar, I think we’ll be fine.”

Town

McDonald; McLean, Bray, Wilson-Braithwaite; Taafe, Youngs, Shulton, Sayoud (Coker, 80); Della-Verde (Wyllie, 76); Cass, Cunnington

Enfield Town 2 Bowers and Pitsea 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

A much-needed first win of the season was achieved courtesy of two set pieces – one in each half – and some solid defending against a Bowers team who have changed their entire playing squad this season.

Town may be some way off last season’s playoff form but this was the ideal boost ahead of Monday’s local derby at table-topping Potters Bar.

Despite plenty of endeavour, some neat interplay and a couple of spells of pressure, Bowers didn’t unnecessarily trouble us and had more bookings, six in all, than they did shots.

Nevertheless we hardly set the world alight as an attacking force either in what was often a scrappy game.

Town lined up without Marcus Wyllie who was rested as a result of slight hamstring issue.

 Jake Cass, who worked tirelessly all game,  led the line and was almost on the end of a Lyle Della-Verde pass early doors, the ball just running on to the keeper.

Twice in the first 20 minutes, Della-Verde whipped in dangerous freekicks to the back post, both of them eluding Town’s forwards.

But it was third time lucky on 28 minutes from a slightly more favourable position outside the box. Cass was bundled over and Lyle produced another of those trademark left-foot beauties that flew past Kie Plumley (pictured)

Bowers tried to respond and Freddy Moncur had a goalbound shot blocked but with James Richmond putting in another eye-catching display in central defence, the visitors’ moves came to nothing.

In fact only a timely interception to thwart Cass prevented Town doubling their lead on the stroke of halftime.

H-T 1-0

Bilal Sayoud’s header forced a low save from Plumley who minutes later produced an even better stop, also from Bilal, saving with his legs after Town’s best move of the afternoon.

In between, Bowers had two decent chances but Nathan McDonald generally had little work to do such was the protection he received from the defence, who switched to a back three for the final period of the game.

Bowers never looked out of contention, however, and it was with some relief when the game was made safe on 85 minutes as Cass lost his marker at a Lewis Taaffe  corner and guided his header into the ground and up into the net.

The one disappointment for Town was having fullback Ryan Kirwan sent off for a second yellow literally seconds from the end, theoretically meaning he will miss Saturday’s tricky FA cup tie at Canvey Island.

Yet it is a game Ryan was unavailable for anyway.

“I’m pleased with a clean sheet following on from last Sunday but in attacking sense we weren’t at our best today, not at our most fluid,”  said Andy Leese.

“Really pleased with the outcome and our defending, such as it was, just a little disappointed with our attacking play. But then whatever way the goals come, I’d take another 20 of those results today.”

Town: McDonald; McLean, Bray, Richmond, Kirwan; Sayoud (Cunnington, 66) , Shulton, Youngs, Dayton, Della-Verde (Taaffe, 83); Cass

Kingstonian 0-0 Enfield Town

Enfield Town are still searching for their first league win of the campaign after slugging out a forgettable goalless draw with Kingstonian on a stiflingly warm Sunday afternoon.

With the conditions and unusual scheduling impacting the quality of football on display, in truth neither side threatened seriously to break the deadlock; Ks enjoying large but ultimately ineffective spells of possession, and Town taking a particularly direct approach that paid very few dividends.

After a ragged start from both sides, the hosts had the first shot in anger on 8 minutes as Kenny Beaney drove a long shot over the crossbar, before Jake Cass centred for Marcus Wyllie to head into the grasp of Ks custodian Rob Tolfrey at the other end. The game’s flashpoint – if ever there was one – arrived two minutes later as Cass collected a flighted through ball down the inside-left channel, skipping past his marker and around Tolfrey before falling under contact from defender Jack Strange. Referee Paul Stratton whistled, only to signal for a Kingston free kick; an incredulous Cass booked for perceived theatrics.

Lee O’Leary’s side were starting to grow into the game, working space out wide and afforded time to pick out some neat passes, if ultimately coming to nothing. With 26 gone, Korrey Henry’s well-struck effort across Nathan McDonald from the edge of the Enfield box was smartly tipped away; Henry again unable to force a loose ball beyond the goalie from a floated cross a few minutes later. Town themselves struggled to find any real rhythm to their build-up play. Nonetheless, they threatened just shy of half time as Wyllie’s persistence in the press won possession in the final third, yet neither he nor Cass could muster a final product as their goalward efforts were crowded out.  

Half Time: 0-0

Town arguably had the better of the second period, although the visitors continued to lack any real cutting edge. Ten minutes after the restart, they were almost gifted a bizarre opener as a relieved Tolfrey watched his clearance ricochet against Jake Cass but fly narrowly wide of goal. A series of crosses were overhit or collected by the Kingston goalkeeper, and several hopeful long forward passes were returned with interest by the Ks defence. The home side’s best chance of the half came on 68 minutes, with McDonald remaining sharp to thwart Gabriel Ajuchi’s deflected shot at the end of a buccaneering run. With time ticking away, Lyle Della-Verde twice went close from carbon-copy chances; cutting in from the right and producing a couple of low, driven efforts which were well repelled by Tolfrey’s outstretched left boot.

“A point is a fair result”, said Andy Leese. “It was a bit of a nothing game. We didn’t do enough to win it, likewise we didn’t deserve to lose. I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t get to grips with Kingstonian’s style of play, and we lacked a bit of composure when we had the ball.”

“I’m pleased with a clean sheet away from home but we could and should do better.”

__________

Kingstonian: Tolfrey; Pascal (Jones 81’), Skura, Strange, Ogundega; Gogo (Shomotun 80’), Owen, Beaney; Collins, Cadogan, Henry (Ajuchi 63’).

Unused: Bonnett-Johnson, Maragh

Town: McDonald; McLean, Bray, Richmond, Kirwan; Riley-Snow (Soulya-Osekanongo 75’), Youngs, Cunnington (Taaffe 80’); Della-Verde, Wyllie (Sayoud 70’), Cass.

Unused: Spencer, Dayton

Attendance: 275

Hornchurch 3 Enfield Town 2

Report by Andrew Warshaw

A pulsating encounter that was a wonderful advert for Step 3 sadly brought little reward for Town who succumbed to two late Hornchurch goals, rekindling those painful memories of our playoff semifinal defeat.

One point from two games may not be the start we wanted but it is doubtful we will have too many tougher challenges and Nathan McDonald (pictured) must feel aggrieved and frustrated in equal measure after pulling off four or five stunning saves.

It could certainly be argued we deserved something from the game for a battling performance that said everything about our spirit, industry and camaraderie.

 We also had more than a few good chances of our own but Hornchurch, with one of the most dangerous forward lines in the division,  would argue they were the superior team over 90 minutes and carved out more clearcut opportunities.

Having said that, we got off to a lightning start. With virtually the first attack of the game, Jake Cass was unlucky to see his looping header come back off the bar while former Towner Mickey Parcell cleared another effort off the line.

Rian Bray picked up an early booking before our luckless captain Scott Thomas had to leave the field with what looked like a bad shoulder injury and was replaced by Lyle Della-Verde.

The change didn’t phase us, however, and we took the lead on 22 minutes, Cass beating another former Towner Joe Wright from the penalty spot after Della-Verde was fouled.

It was almost 2-0 when the increasingly promising Marcus Wyllie just missed the target from a narrow angle but our lead lasted a mere four minutes, Liam Nash getting the final touch in a goalmouth scramble after we failed to clear.

As Hornchurch upped the ante, McDonald pulled off the first of several smart saves to thwart Tom Wraight. Then Joe Christou skimmed the crossbar but on 38 minutes we were back in front.

Kenny Clark was booked for a foul on Della-Verde, who got back on his feet to  thump home a sumptuous trademark freekick which came off both posts before nestling in the net.

Sam Higgins, scourge of Town in the playoff defeat, saw his bullet header miraculously parried by McDonald who moments later pulled off a remarkable double save with his legs. In between, Wyllie’s snap shot was pushed away at the other end by Wright.

H-T 2-1

With Hornchurch hurting us through the middle, we needed to keep the ball better and began the second half in precisely that vein.

A Sam Youngs header was mysteriously disallowed for offside, then Sam turned provider for Della-Verde whose shot was saved by the feet of Wright, Wyllie hitting the rebound just over.

But just as in the playoff ,the game turned on a Hornchurch substitution, Ola Ogunwamide causing havoc for the last 30 minutes.

Our resistance was finally broken on 77 minutes when the last in a flurry of home corners was flicked on for Nash to finish at the far post.

 Now it was a question of hanging on although James Richmond, who put in another commendable shift at the back,  could have put us immediately back in front, only to plant a header over from a rare Town corner.

A series of last-ditch blocks seemed to have got us over the line for a point . But with six minutes left of riproaring encounter, Ogunwamide sent over a pin-point centre which Wraight finished off with a glancing header.  

Still we weren’t finished with both Wyllie and Cass coming close to snatching a draw that would have been reward for all the hard work against an extremely accomplished side.

“We put in a good shift, I’m not going to complain,” said Andy Leese. “We had to reshuffle a bit with Scott going off which was a blow. There were just lapses of concentration, I guess much like the playoff semifinal.”

Town:

McDonald, McLean, Kirwan (Sayoud), Thomas (Della-Verde 14) , Bray, Richmond, Taaffe (spencer 86), , Youngs, Cass, Riley-Snow, Wyllie

Tonight we visit Hornchurch in our first away league game of the season, kickoff 7:45 pm.

Their address is The Stadium, Bridge Avenue, Upminster RM14 2LX 

Admission Prices: – 

Adults £12.00

Concession £7.00

12-16 £3.00

Under 12 Free

Programme £2.50

Tickets available here:

https://hornchurchfc.ktckts.com/brand/match-tickets

Directions to the ground:

https://www.hornchurchfc.com/club-information/club-and-directions/

Hornchurch lost their opening game at Bognor Regis 0-1 on Saturday despite dominating the second half.

Our last meeting with the Urchins, the playoff semifinal defeat, is still painfully fresh in the memory for Town fans but in the corresponding league fixture we won 2-1. A similar result tonight would be a real coup but this is probably going to be one of our toughest games. 

Enfield Town 1 Folkestone Invicta 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Despite the scorching conditions, two sides seeking nothing less than a playoff place come the end of April served up a commendably fast-paced encounter, with the points deservedly shared as the new season got under way.

Huge credit has to go to the ground staff who have worked tirelessly during the summer to present a playing surface to be proud of.

Our visitors, who won the corresponding fixture 3-2 last season and finished in sixth place just outside the playoff places, had half a dozen newcomers in their starting line-up including a couple of eye-catching forwards.

But just like last season when we reached the playoff semifinals, Town showed tremendous tenacity and spirit and had chances of our own to take all three points.

Invicta stormed out of the blocks with three quickfire chances,  the second of which brought a magnificent one-handed tip-over save from Nathan McDonald who later admitted it was probably one of his best ever. In between, Lyle Della Verde’s run and shot whistled past a post.

After growing into the game, we took the lead on 24 minutes shortly after the first drinks break.  Ryan McLean, given the nod at rightback, dispossessed  Folkestone dangerman Ira Jackson and his glorious ball over the top found Jake Cass who had only returned from a long-haul trip six hours before kickoff but kept his composure to round the on-rushing keeper and finish wonderfully from a tight angle (pictured).

One minute later we got lucky when Jackson’s angled shot looked all the world like an equaliser, only to bounce back into play off the post with McDonald beaten.

At the other end, one of many fouls on Cass led to a yellow card for Ian Gayle but Della Verde’s freekick was charged down.

 Folkestone thought they had levelled when Jackson’s long throw from the left was nodded home by Gayle but McDonald had clearly been impeded.

In an end-to-end half, another Della-Verde effort  was deflected away before a second drinks break was allowed with just minutes to go to halftime, much to the annoyance of our our visitors.

H-T 1-0

Folkestone again started on the front foot but we always carried a goal threat.

Invicta’s new keeper Bailey Vose kept them in the game with a terrific reflex stop from Lewis Taaffe, set up by Marcus Wyllie who had a highly encouraging league debut for Town after moving up from Step 5, not only going forward but also helping out defensively.

Just before the hour mark, however, it was 1-1. Kadell Daniel wasn’t closed down and cut inside two Enfield players before curling in an unstoppable equaliser despite Ryan Kirwan’s protestations that he had been fouled in the build-up.

Cue a trio of Enfield subs including Adam Cunnington and Blaise Riley-Snow, the latter having just signed forms on a dual registration shortly before the game.

 Only in the last quarter did the energy-sapping conditions get to the players, with crosses understandably overhit and chances drying up although Bilal Sayoud saw his goalbound drive deflected for a corner. All in all a good point against a strong side .

“A fair result in the end between two very good sides going at it,” said Andy Leese afterwards. “They are stronger than last year and their front three are as good as anyone’s. First half we were about even on chances but we could have been a couple of goals to the good. Second half we didn’t get as tight on Jackson and Daniels but after their goal they didn’t really trouble us.”

“Jake and Adam had only just come back from holiday yet I thought they were running scared of Jake. It was a great finish. I always say don’t lose to the teams around you and I think Folkestone will be one of those teams.”

Town:  McDonald; McLean, Bray, Richmond, Kirwan; Thomas, Taaffe (Riley-Snow, 64), Youngs, Della-Verde (Sayoud, 80 ); Cass (Cunnington, 60), Wyllie

We are pleased to announce that Kyri Neocleous has been appointed First Team Goalkeeping Coach. Kyri is no stranger to Enfield Town as a former manager of Enfield Town Ladies, and was most recently GK Coach at National League South side Braintree Town. We wish all the best to Jake Murphy, who has departed the club.

Andy Leese commented: “We’re sorry to lose Jake but delighted to secure Kyri as an experienced coach.”

Town are pleased to announce the signing of Blaise Riley-Snow on a dual registration from Cheshunt FC

Twenty three year-old defensive midfielder Blaise spent last season in Scotland, playing for Raith Rovers and Alloa Athletic having previously been a professional in Spain. Welcome to the club, Blaise.

Further to our dispute with Cheshunt with regards to Ben Frempah this summer, both clubs have now spoken and are keen to move on having accepted that mistakes were made around the registration of the player. As a club we recognise and thank Cheshunt for their help in allowing us to complete the dual registration of Blaise in a speedy fashion. Whilst the player has signed league forms, we wait to receive clearance that he will be eligible to play tomorrow.

After what seems like no time at all, the new season gets under way tomorrow (Saturday) as we entertain Folkestone Invicta in our opening league game, writes Andrew Warshaw.

 Last season Folkestone finished sixth, just outside the playoff places, and look likely to again feature in the promotion race.

 In the corresponding fixture last season we suffered a rare home defeat losing 2-3 in front of a crowd of 501 in early December.  

Our visitors have enjoyed a good pre-season concluding with a 1-0 win over National League south Dover Athletic and a 4-2 win over Ashford United. 

Tickets for Saturday’s home league game with Folkestone are available at

In the build-up to the game, we are delighted to announce that Bilal Sayoud and Lyle Della-Verde have both re-signed for Town and George Rankin from our Academy has also signed.  Both Bilal and Lyle are available to play Saturday.

Manager Andy Leese says the bulk of the squad are now back from work or holiday commitments with only one or two absentees on what is certain to be an energy-sapping afternoon in the heat.

“It all starts again tomorrow in what will be a very difficult challenge,” said Andy. “Folkestone look to have built an even stronger squad  than they ended last season with, and in addition the weather will challenge the fitness of both teams.”

“We are good to go after some hard work on the training ground and we hope to have everyone available barring a couple of players absent on holiday, not just the starting 11 but the bench as well. We are in good spirits, ready to go and looking forward to seeing the stadium in good voice. We want to pick up where we left off last season and we need your support as always to do that.”

Our away fixture at Kingstonian, scheduled for Saturday Aug 20,  has been switched to the following day, Sunday Aug 21.

The reason is that Kingstonian’s landlord Tooting & Mitchum have a home cup tie on the Saturday.

Kickoff time remains at 3pm

Enfield Town are very proud to be partnering with The Big Step this season to support their campaign to remove gambling advertising in football. The Big Step are part of the Gambling with Lives Charity. More information on their campaign can be found here. 

the-bigstep.com/home

Our Chairman, Paul Reed said: “We know that gambling can and does have a huge detrimental impact on individuals and family life and as a community club we are proud to be associated with Gambling with Lives and the Big Step. “

Enfield Town 2 Berkhamsted 0

Enfield Town’s final pre-season friendly resulted in a low-key 2-0 victory over a well-organised Berkhamsted side, writes Martin Bentley.

The stifling heat resulted in a slow-paced game that will undoubtedly bear little resemblance to next Saturday’s opening league fixture against Folkestone, although Town’s overall performance was encouragingly efficient.

Neither side succeeded in troubling the goalkeepers in the opening half hour, although Lewis Taaffe shot narrowly over, and Marcus Wyllie missed inexplicably from five yards after being set up by Ryan Kirwan.

The first on-target efforts came from the visitors, both being dealt with well by Nathan McDonald, but Town got their noses in front after 41 minutes, with Lyle Della Verde curling a trademark sublime freekick past visiting keeper Craig Hill.

The second half continued in similar soporific vein, not helped by the inevitable procession of substitutions. Taaffe had a shot well saved after being set up by Wyllie, and Della Verde shot narrowly over before Town scored a second after 79 minutes. Once again the assist came from the industrious Wyllie, his pass being converted by a triallist from close range.

Town line-up: McDonald, Spencer, Kirwan, Thomas, Bray, Richmond, Taaffe, Youngs, Wyllie, Triallist, Della Verde.

Subs: Braithwaite, Connolly, Marfo, Sayoud, Smith, Wihongi, Wilkes, Triallist

The club continue to get the QEII ready for the eagerly awaited start of the season. Back in May we were joined by first-year players from Spurs Academy.  The under 18s teamed up with our band of volunteers to help out with a range of jobs, from sweeping the terraces to weeding.

After meeting volunteers and getting to grips with a range of jobs across the stadium site, the players met with Vice-Chairman Paul Millington and his team to learn more about the important role the community plays in supporting grassroots football. 

Speaking after meeting the players, Paul Millington, Vice-Chairman of Enfield Town FC, said: “It was fantastic to welcome the boys to Enfield Town FC and great to see them getting stuck into their jobs with such enthusiasm. 

“Clubs like ours depend on the incredible support we’re lucky to receive from a committed band of volunteers within the community. It was great to show the boys first-hand the work that goes into running a Club at this level.” 

Anton Blackwood, Senior International Football Development Manager at Tottenham Hotspur, said: “The boys were a credit to the Club and showed a huge amount of willingness to help out and work together with volunteers.  

“We have long been a Club embedded within our community – both in Tottenham and Enfield – and it was brilliant to see the players enjoy playing an active and important role in the local area”.  

Our thanks to Spurs and we look forward to welcoming them to the QEII again soon.

(picture produced with the permission of THFC)

We are pleased to announce another three additions to Town’s squad for this season, who you may have seen in recent pre-season action:

Centre-back James Richmond has joined us for 2022-23. The 27-year-old had been skipper at Merstham for the last three seasons and was previously at Burgess Hill Town, where he was voted their Player of the Season in 2017. He’s also had stints with Carshalton, Kingstonian and Leatherhead.

Another central defender to sign with us for 22-23, who will likely be familiar to a number of you, is Rian McLean. 23-year-old Rian started out with Leyton Orient’s academy and enjoyed an initial stint with us in 2018 following an impressive trial period, before signing a deal to join Doncaster Rovers. He has also represented Hendon, Margate, Sheffield FC and most recently Witham Town.

The third signing to bring you is young midfielder Kian Wilkes, who has progressed from Enfield Town’s U19 academy to the first team this pre-season. He has spent the past couple of seasons with Leverstock Green – winning their Young Player and Manager’s Player of the Season awards last term – and he came off the bench to set up our first goal on Saturday at Hayes & Yeading.

Welcome, lads!

Hayes and Yeading United 3 Enfield Town 2

The scoreline may have flattered us somewhat but there were more than a few mitigating circumstances surrounding Saturday’s defeat to fellow Step 3 opponents in our penultimate pre-season friendly, writes Andrew Warshaw

Firstly Hayes and Yeading, who lost in the Southern League Premier Division South  playoff final last term, were a week ahead of us in their preparations, kicking off their league campaign next weekend.

Secondly, they had almost  a full-strength side. Perhaps most importantly of all, we were missing at least EIGHT players who might ultimately be considered members of the first-team squad.

Certainly at one stage it looked as if we might be overrun by a slick, quick-thinking, one-touch-passing H and Y side, reminiscent of that 7-1 drubbing almost exactly a year ago.

Yet it must be emphasised we are still a work in progress and one could only feel for the management team in terms of planning with so many key players absent for one reason or another.

However superior H and Y were for long stretches, there were definitively positives to take away from the game, not least another eye-catching performance from young Marcus Wyllie who is surely getting ever-closer to playing his way into consideration for a starting spot on Aug 13.

Hayes were quickly out of the blocks and twice came close in the opening couple of minutes though Town, too, could have gone ahead had Bilal Sayoud produced a stronger shot when rounding the keeper.

 The deadlock was broken on 16 minutes when Keano Robinson’s 20-yard strike was hit so powerfully, Nathan McDonald could hardly react.

 A great block by Juevan Spencer, who again looked to be an excellent signing, prevented a second goal while at the other end Lewis Taaffe was through on goal but lost his footing at the vital time.

The hosts doubled their lead on 25 minutes when Cole Brown took advantage of defensive hesitancy and curled a sublime effort  into the far corner.

Town then survived no fewer than three more gilt-edged H and Y chances before the break including a Mo Bettamer freekick that  smashed through the wall and almost pole-axed McDonald who somehow managed to stand firm.

H-T 2-0

Both sides made a flurry of halftime changes but it wasn’t long, despite us switching formation, before our hosts made the game safe, Robinson curling another unstoppable effort beyond McDonald for 3-0.

Whilst it might be argued that H and Y took their foot of the gas, Town commendably never gave up and finished the stronger. On 79 minutes,  Wyllie superbly held off his marker to reduce the deficit with a composed finish.

Appeals for a H and Y penalty were waved away before, six minutes from time, Wyllie turned provider for Bruno Tavares to slot home.

“A good workout against very strong opposition who begin their league campaign in a week but frustrating that we don’t have anything like the squad we will have available in two weeks,” was Andy Leese’s assessment.

“Some good performances across the group we had available, and a chance to familiarise some combinations but still lots of work two do before we start in two weeks.”

Town starting line-up

McDonald; Spencer, Bray, Richmond, Kirwan; Thomas, Shulton, Taaffe, Tavares; Wyllie, Sayoud

Subs: Connolly, Jordan, Marfo, Wilson-Braithwaite, Wilkes, Smith, McLean

Ware 1 Enfield Town 4

Enfield Town recorded a comfortable 4-1 win over Ware in their latest pre-season friendly, played for the Sean Mynott Memorial Shield, writes Martin Bentley.

 In an open encounter, with Town again fielding a mixture of available regulars and newcomers, a hat-trick from the unlikely source of Lewis Taaffe saw the Town home after being matched for more than an hour by their hosts.

Town succeeded in getting their noses in front after only four minutes when Lyle Della Verde’s 30-yard free kick deflected off a home defender, leaving the Ware keeper wrong footed, frustrated, and standing by the wrong post.

Ware gained the upper hand for a while, stretching the Town defence on the flanks but only managed shots off target. For Town, Marcus Wyllie had a shot well saved, and Ware’s keeper did well to cut out a number of dangerous crosses, before the home side levelled after 43 minutes, from a penalty that can only be politely described as ‘soft’.  Ex-Towner Sam Chaney sent Nathan McDonald the wrong way from the spot.

H-T 1-1

The second Town goal arrived after 56 minutes, with Wyllie’s perseverance after his shot was saved resulting in a cut-back to Taaffe and an excellent finish.

The home side were unlucky not to be level again on the hour when McDonald brilliantly tipped a 20-yard first timer onto the crossbar.

Town eventually made the game safe with two goals in three minutes from a goal-hungry Taaffe, the first a looping far-post header from Wynford Marfo’s cross after 71 minutes; the second a neat lob from the excellent Wyllie’s headed pass.

There was still time for an excellent save from sub keeper Adi Connolly near the end, but by then the Town win was confirmed.

Town line-up: McDonald, Marfo, Braithwaite, Thomas, Richmond, McLean, Taaffe, Youngs, Wyllie, Tavares, Della Verde.

Subs: Shulton, Wilkes, Bray, Jordan, Whyte, Connolly

Three defensive reinforcements to bring you; with one retained and two new signings who you may have seen in recent pre-season action.

Firstly, versatile defender Josh McLeod-Urquhart – gradually back on the road towards recovery – has signed on for the 2022-23 campaign. He started last season well with three wins and two clean sheets before a season-ending injury at the end of August. He will be looking to add to his 27 appearances and three goals for the club once fully fit again. Welcome back, Josh (pictured with Andy Leese)

We also welcome two defensive additions to the club in Wynford Marfo and Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite. Dequane spent time with Carshalton Athletic and Potters Bar last season, and has also turned out for Welling Town and Maldon & Tiptree. Right-sided defender Wynford was a regular in Leyton Orient’s Under-18s side before most recently representing St Neots Town.

Andy Leese commented on the two: “Both are really good lads; good characters; good pedigree. Both have been with professional clubs: Dequane’s been at Spurs and then Luton, and Wynford’s been at [Leyton] Orient. They’ve come out of the professional game and into non-league clubs – they were at St Neots last year together, for example – but they’ve been very impressive. They’re disciplined boys, they work extremely hard, and they’ve come in and really impressed us with their ability and versatility. Thanks to Mark Salton at 12 Mountains Agency for helping get them in.”

The club are delighted to confirm that striker Jake Cass has agreed to stay at Enfield Town for the 2022-23 campaign.

The ever-popular Jake joined from Bishop’s Stortford mid-way through last season and hit 10 goals in 18 appearances for the Town.

Welcome back, Jake!

The club has recently discovered an issue concerning the registration of a player.

This has been raised with the Football Association who will rule over the matter in due course. The other club involved is Cheshunt.

Given the dispute the club has decided not to partake in the tournament at Theobalds Lane this Saturday.

The club apologise for any inconvenience caused and will make donations to the charities connected to Saturday’s event.

Enfield Town FC are proud to support  The Big Step,  a campaign to end all gambling advertising and sponsorship in football, led by those who have been personally harmed.

The Big Step are part of Gambling with Lives,  a charity set up by the families and friends of young people who have taken their own lives as a direct result of gamblin