Town matchday programme citation

Soccer Club Swap Shop accolade for 2019-20

The club are pleased to note that its 2019-20 matchday programme has been placed 25th in the Soccer Club Swap Shop awards for non-league clubs overall, 2nd in the Isthmian League, and 1st in the Premier Division.

The full list of recognised clubs can be found here: http://thecatalogue.tripod.com/id73.html

Editor Ken Brazier would like to thank Scott Reed and colleagues at Alchemy Creations (design), JJ Sports Promotions (print) and all the numerous regular and occasional contributors over the course of the season. “To start naming them individually would inevitably lead to rudely omitting someone by accident. Sincere thanks to all and hopefully we can pick up from where we left off for some sort of recognisable football season at some point in the future!”

Stat’s all, folks!

2019-20 statistics now available, courtesy of club statistician Jim Cunneen

Club statistician Jim Cunneen, to whom many thanks are due as ever for his ongoing labour of love, has produced another of his annual super-stats spreadsheets to take account of the truncated 2019-20 season.

Chairman Paul Reed announced at a recent Society members virtual meeting (don’t forget, you can join the Society in a number of ways, see: https://etfc.london/calling-all-town-supporters) that the club had decided to incorporate 2019-20 team and player achievements into its historical records rather than nul and void them. The link below takes you to the website’s statistics page, and the 2019-20 spreadsheet is clearly marked. Enjoy!

2019-20 highlights:

Leading appearances:

Nathan McDonald 43

Leading scorer:

Mo Faal 24

Leading assists:

Ryan Blackman 13

Leading MotM:

Ryan Blackman: 7

Milestones:

Nathan McDonald: 200 apps
Sam Youngs: 100 apps
Ryan Blackman 100 apps

https://etfc.london/information/documents

Many thanks, Spurs!

Help with pitch work on Monday 11th May....
The club is extremely grateful to Tottenham Hotspur for helping out with some off season pitch maintenance at the QEII Stadium.
During these difficult times Town's ground staff were delighted to have some very welcome help from the Premier League club in advance of such time as football can safely return.
Spurs were able to bring their high-tech pitch care equipment over from its nearby Training Centre at Hotspur Way. The work carried out involved aerating and top dressing the goal areas, followed by an over-seeding and watering of the surface to give the grass the best possible chance of survival during the summer months.
Town Director Christine Hamilton said: “A big thank you Tottenham Hotspur Football Club for their help with our pitch during these difficult times. Darren Baldwin and his team carried out the remedial works to both goal areas, touch lines and the odd patch in the middle. All areas were aerated, seeded, fertilised and top dressed.
“As a club owned and run by our fans, we are so grateful for this help and support and look forward to continuing our positive partnership in the near future when we come out of the pandemic restrictions".
Enfield Town and Spurs will continue to forge partnership links and Spurs have kindly been able to help with fundraising events, including regularly sending a Development side to the QEII Stadium to compete in a annual pre-season friendly. Many thanks to our neighbours!

Mo, Scott, Liz scoop awards!

MO, SCOTT, LIZ SCOOP AWARDS!

2019-20 accolades…

Despite a truncated season, there has been great interest amongst Society members to nominate their player of the season.  And the players themselves and the management team have also had their say.  Finally, the Board have voted for the Club Person of the Year.

And the winners are….

SUPPORTERS PLAYER OF THE SEASON: Muhammadu Faal

Prior to his move to Bolton Wanderers in January, Mo made 30 appearances in a Town shirt, netting an impressive 27 goals.  In the season just ended, he finished as top scorer with 24 goals in 25 games.  The ever-popular Mo also picked up 7 man-of-the-match awards, 6 of those during 2019-20. He joined the club from Kingstonian in December 2018, having had spells with Dulwich Hamlet and in Italy with L’Aquila, and he made a terrific impact during his relatively short stay at the QEII.

Manager Andy Leese said “I’m not surprised at Mo’s award given what he achieved before he left us. He’s a talented, popular and likeable lad and no one is more pleased with his progress than the management team.

“We agreed some targets with Mo last summer and he delivered on them all before going on to become a full-time professional. Our supporters know a good player when they see one, and this award is a reflection of their feelings for Mo and what he did for us”.

PLAYERS’ PLAYER AND MANAGEMENT TEAM’S PLAYER OF THE SEASON: Scott Thomas

Scott joined us from Royston Town at the start of the season, having previously represented Hemel Hempstead Town, Chesham United, Boreham Wood and St Albans City. He had played for Royston in the Crows’ 2-0 FA Trophy home victory against Town in October 2017. He made 40 appearances for us during the 2019-20 campaign, picking up 3 man-of-the-match awards.

Andy Leese said “Scott has been recognised by both the squad and the management team, and that’s no surprise to me. I knew that Scott was what we needed last summer to knit things together on the field and he’s been a great signing for the club. He allows others around him to play their game and he does a lot of unseen work on the pitch week in, week out.

“He is a model of consistency, no trouble to manage, and is a great character to have about the place. These two awards are very well deserved.”

CLUB PERSON OF THE SEASON: Liz Chowne

This year’s club person, as voted by the Board, is Associate Director Liz Chowne, who has been tireless in her efforts over the course of the season, particularly on match days. And she still has time to stand wearing her Town shirt, supporting the team home and away with husband Michael. Very well done Liz!

Match Secretary John Dolan said “Liz not only helps efficiently with first team home matchday preparation in the office ensuring team sheets are prepared, she will also cover other duties as necessary, including some of mine on occasion!” In the season just ended, Liz also undertook development team matchday duties, including teamsheets, looking after match officials, taking the gate and catering for teams and match officials.”

Vice Chairman Paul Millington said “Liz has also volunteered with Enfield Town Community Sports Development, becoming one of the Charity’s trustees. Helping with essential tasks such as payroll and recently ensuring staff continue to receive pay through the furlough scheme, Liz has also helped out with the administration of collecting subs from parents during the coaching sessions braving all weathers in doing so.”

Let’s hope these well merited awards are followed by a return to at least some club activity before too long. In the meantime, the club will continue to keep in touch during these very difficult times.

So now we know … or do we?

A view on the 2019-20 season by Andrew Warshaw

As part of a planned series of articles for Town supporters during the lockdown, Associate Director Andrew Warshaw has offered a personal view on the ending and outcomes of the 2019-20 non-league season. Many thanks to Andrew; more pieces are scheduled to follow!

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So now we know. Or do we?
The National League have finally voted to end their regular season at its current point, a decision that falls into line with the rest of English non-league football below Step 2. At last some consistency, you might say. Well up to a point. It’s not over yet.

Crucially, in contrast to the Isthmian League, and indeed everyone else below Step 2, the National League and its North and South have controversially left open what happens with promotion and relegation which are still, we are told, “under careful consideration”.

One obvious knock-on effect of this is that it has fuelled an ongoing debate lower down the pyramid, and understandably so. The difference is that whereas all results from day one have been expunged in our league and those at the same level or lower, there has been no clear indication of what the next steps will be in terms of deciding the conclusion of Steps One and Two, including end-of-season play-offs as well as promotion and relegation.

But is this really fair? Because what it means is that season isn’t technically over for the non-league haves as opposed to the have-nots. Several teams in the smaller leagues had already gained promotion but this will now be cancelled as will relegations.
The same may still happen further higher up the scale, of course, leaving National League leaders Barrow for instance to suffer potential heartbreak over missing out on promotion to the dizzy heights of the Football League for first time in 48 years. Or it may not. We should know soon.

Notts County, playing in non-league football for the first time in their 158-year history this season, were third in the National League table at the time football was halted across the country in March. “We would like to place on record our disappointment that the season has been brought to a premature end,” said a statement from their board of directors. “While we appreciate the views of other clubs and respect the overall outcome of this vote as a representation of opinion across the three divisions, our stance has always been that the National League should operate in tandem with the EFL due to the intrinsic link between the two leagues. We were therefore opposed to this vote being imposed.”

County manager Neil Ardley added: “A basic principle of fair play suggests that teams at the top and bottom should be given an opportunity to get what they deserve. At the top, that means play-offs.” York City, top of National League North by two points, agree with this stance. A club statement said: “Throughout the process, York City FC has put forward a strong case to see promotions honoured and will continue to do so until a decision is made.”

Fair enough, but I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. It surely has to be the same for everyone. If the likes of Barrow and York are allowed to go up, those lower down the pyramid will claim they should have been given the same opportunity. Take Northern Premier League Premier Division leaders South Shields, who were set for promotion to National League North with a massive 13-point gap ahead of second place but will now spend another campaign at Step 3. “If it’s applicable to Barrow, it’s applicable to us and numerous other clubs around the country,” bemoaned South Shields chairman Geoff Thompson. “We feel the process has been wrong all along.”

And what about Worthing in the Isthmian Premier who led the league comfortably when matches were called off? “Whenever football is allowed to resume, we could have completed our league in four weeks,” their young chairman George Dowell, told me. “Everyone at the club has worked so hard. Money, time, effort. Getting promotion to National South would have been the highest the club’s ever been. It’s heart-breaking.”

You can understand his frustration. As usual money talks. Just as Premier League clubs dwarf the rest of English professional football when it comes to financial clout, so the top non-league clubs are far better off than other grass-roots teams who have no broadcasting deals and have to rely solely on gate receipts.

It’s a tough equation and there are arguments on both sides which will take some time to abate. But I have a suggestion. During the season we unfortunately lost Bury as a member of the Football League. The club’s demise rendered League Two one club short. That has to be resolved somehow so why not, as a compromise and just for one season, given Covid-19, go back to how football used to be in the old days and reward just the champion? In other words, promote National League Barrow to take Bury’s place and do the same thing pro rata down the pyramid, forgetting all about play-offs etc.

It’s not ideal and I know it would throw up other complications but at least it would reward teams that have ultimately been the best in their respective divisions over a season as a whole. Which surely is what success deserves.

* these are not necessarily the views of Enfield Town FC

Enfield Town FC

An April update from the Chairman…

Dear members and supporters,

I hope you have all had an enjoyable Easter and are keeping safe and well.

It’s been a few weeks since my last update and, as the board are currently meeting via conference link fortnightly, I thought it would be timely to give you a flavour of one or two developments in these unique times.

Firstly I can confirm that that the FA Council have ratified the decision to conclude the 2019-20 season across Steps 3-7 of the National League System, tiers 3 to 7 of the women’s football pyramid and the wider grassroots game. This was, in my opinion and many others at the club, the right decision in the unprecedented circumstances.

When will something that looks like a 2020-21 season begin? I think it’s fair to say that at the time of writing nobody knows. Who will we be playing and in what competitions? Again, who knows. There are more important things in life right now. Having said that, I would suspect that there will be continuing updates from the Isthmian League over the coming weeks that should give us more clarity. I think it might be a good default position to expect the unexpected! Much, of course, will depend on what shape clubs in the non-league game are in by the end of the COVID-19 lockdown.

The QEII Stadium remains closed to the public until further notice, with no matches or social functions, including the previously advertised May outdoor cinema events. There has been some good news in recent days in as much as the club’s application for COVID-19 relief grant funding has been approved. The receipt of this grant has been a huge positive in terms of being able to balance the books and keep the club ticking over during its mothballing.

Our Finance Director Geoff Lee, and other members of the board have been scrutinising our budget and, due in substantial part to a healthy number of kind donations from members and other supporters, our financial situation has improved although it will continue to be exceptionally tight. Thank you to everyone who has renewed their memberships, purchased season tickets and made donations, your generosity has made a huge difference to our club. The board will remain agile throughout the next few weeks to take decisions as necessary to maintain our stability.

The Academy partnership with EDSV due to start in September is still on course, even if there may need to be some adjustments in the way it is administered – for example there could be some of the educational modules delivered remotely. A number of excellent players have already been recruited and we’re confident that there will be some excellent talent coming through the scheme in the next couple of years.

Directors will be approaching our current sponsors to check on their health, financial and otherwise. There is some basic work being undertaken on the playing surface at the Stadium, and around the ground itself. Work is proceeding on making sure that we retain our FA Charter Club status, that our affiliations remain as they were for 2019-20, and that we enter the competitions that we are anticipating competing in at some point during 2020-21.

Andy Leese has indicated in his recent online communication piece that he has spoken to the vast majority of the squad – and I have also been in discussions with some – and they have all indicated that they fully appreciate that the situation we find ourselves in is no different to any other club at our level. Everyone’s health is the overriding factor that trumps everything but, for the time being at least, pretty much all have indicated a commitment to remain at the Town, which is great news.

We’ve recently completed our snapshot supporters survey, which focused primarily on the way the club communicates with its supporters and on the matchday experience. There was a healthy response to this, our first such approach to you for three years. It is heartening to hear that 94% of respondents felt that they are kept in touch with club news as much as can reasonably be expected. This response was up by 8% on last time. It is also interesting to hear that social media has overtaken the club website significantly as the primary source of news for members and supporters. On the matchday experience, 89% of you have indicated that it is as good as can be reasonably expected, which is down by 3% on last time.

In both categories, there have been some very positive and interesting ideas for improvements. The Board will be considering these in the coming few weeks and will get back to members and supporters with some further detail on the survey responses themselves and an action plan based on recommendations which is in line with anticipated resources available. Congratulations to Society member David Pinnington, who was our randomly selected survey participant prize winner this time round – well done David!

Thanks once again to all of your for your continued support and understanding, and an additional sincere thank you to those of you who are continuing to perform background tasks to keep the club’s heartbeat going while it remains inactive as far as matches and other events go.

If you have any questions on Enfield Town FC matters, please address them to: webteam@etfc.london

If you would like to donate to help the club through these exceptionally difficult times, you can either make a BACS transfer to:

ETFC Ltd, Barclays Bank, Sort Code 20-45-45, Account Number 43222942. Please mark any transfer with your name and the word ‘donation’.

Finally, a reminder that memberships and season tickets are already available; please see the previous announcement about this: https://etfc.london/calling-all-town-supporters

Take care everyone, and I’ll be in touch as soon as there are any further updates. In the meantime please do check out our regular social media highlights of games gone by and jog your memories!

Paul

Paul Reed

Chairman

Andy Leese’s pre-Easter thoughts…

On the day that Town were originally scheduled to be playing at Corinthian-Casuals (4th April), manager Andy Leese has some thoughts on the season gone and the one to come…

Hi Andy, first of all, what was your reaction and overriding emotion when you heard the ending of the Isthmian League Premier Division 2019-20 season officially confirmed?

I was a little bit surprised that the decision was made quite so quickly to be honest, but my overriding feeling on reflection was that it was the right decision on many grounds. The health of all of us in the country has to come first and there was no way we could continue to play with no realistic end in sight to the COVID 19 crisis. To have tried to finish this season fairly, and to start next season late maybe, would have potentially spoiled two seasons. We could be playing again in July for example when we would need a pre-season again to finish this season, which is when we would usually be starting pre-season for the 2020-21 campaign.

I can understand the reaction of clubs that think they were definitely in line for promotions and the perceived lost investment for the whole season. We could all argue that we have lost investment. Many were looking for a formula, like points per game, to resolve matters but I am not sure that would have satisfied everyone. Especially not us, as I think we would have finished 6th!

The finances of running clubs also played a part. Clubs with lots of contracts to honour and no income, would probably have had to extend those contracts indefinitely to retain players ahead of the season starting up again. Clubs with nothing to play for in a League could choose to release players on contract and then play anyone just to complete fixtures. All this would all have challenged the integrity of the competition. There are also plenty of other overhead costs for clubs to consider as I know we have at the Town. It’s probably the right decision now and it will be shown to be so in the long run. We all have nothing without our health.

Aside from the disappointing premature ending to it, how did you think the season went as a whole?

I thought it was playing out to be a very interesting finale over the last few games as we were in a good run of form having reverted to a solid basic system again after a few poor performances in February. I believe we would have gone on to make the play-offs with almost everyone back fit and having put a stop to conceding avoidable goals. Despite our great start to the season, we conceded too many, far too easily, from November onwards. Our League form until the end of November was generally excellent and we were rarely out of the top five. We had some memorable cup performances as well, and the Rushden, Braintree and Maldon games stood out for me as complete team performances. The major disappointment was losing at Chichester when a number of injury issues conspired against us, although we could still have got a replay.

It was tough losing Mo when we did, but it was also great watching him in action while he was in a Town shirt as I’m sure it was for supporters. We added players as the season went along, and that improved us, and I would like to think that those players will stick with us and give it a go again. That said, no team in the land of course will know right now what resources they will have when they finally get back to normality.

How are you keeping in touch with the players, and how are they bearing up?

I have spoken to most of them, on and off, since we finished. They are obviously all in the same position, working at home if they can and looking after families. I know they are keeping fit as they do that as part of their usual routine as dedicated semi-professional footballers.

And how are the management team, and what sort of conversations have you been having?

They are all keeping well and in good health. They all have young families which keep them very active! We talk as a group about everything football, but needless to say there isn’t too much happening right now. I have been advising them that I’m getting myself fit and I think they have fallen for it so far!

Have you spoken to other Isthmian Premier managers? What are their thoughts?

I have spoken to a few. They all feel as I do, really – a bit let down that the season should end without a conclusion, but recognising that there was no magic bullet to solve it to everyone’s satisfaction.

What was your most satisfying 2019-20 match and why?

Probably the 2-0 home win against Bognor in February after the Hornchurch debacle the previous week. They were in good form, we had just had been beaten heavily. We gave a complete performance in difficult circumstances and re-set our targets with a satisfying win.

What was your least satisfying 2019-20 match and why?

There were a few! I guess it was the FA Cup game at Chichester because of what was at stake. I am not taking any credit whatsoever away from Chichester, who showed what a good team they were. But we could have taken a draw and I didn’t recognise where we were in the game in the last 15 minutes with the players we had out there on the day. The last 0-1 defeat was a hard lesson to take.

It may well be a very premature question, but do you envisage keeping most of the squad together for 2020-21 (whenever that may start)?

There are a number of key players who have indicated that they want to stay at the club, which is very pleasing. They enjoy it here and can see what we have built. It is impossible to have meaningful conversations with the lads at present as we have no idea when things will start again or the resources that we will have available. No time is wasted though, and we have plenty of time to talk.

How have various recoveries from injury across the squad been going?

James Potton is doing ok. His operation went well and John Abbott is leading him through his rehabilitation. John thinks he will be back for next season which would be fantastic news as he is the one player the fans never saw enough of this term. James is a match winner and I hope we see him back in action.

Lewis Taaffe is ok as well. He has been blighted by injury which affects him mentally as well as physically. The rest now will do him good and I hope he comes back in fit and raring to go. He is another match winner and a great character to have in the squad.

Jack Hockney is also back fit as well after a major operation and working with John to recover over nearly 10 months which takes real discipline. I hope we see Jack back here in action as well, fully recovered, as I know what he’s capable of. I think that’s all the injury updates, although I know Mario is keeping an injury under the radar following a return to action recently in Vets football. He will need plenty of time to recover at his age!

Could you maybe pick out one or two players from the truncated season that pleased you specifically?)

That’s a hard one to answer! Junior has matured this year, has a great attitude and looks a complete player now. Ken Charles started the season well, had a dip with injury, but came back strong and I thought he looked to have stepped on again in the last few weeks. Joe Payne in his first full season had to adapt quickly to playing three games a week and will be all the better for having had almost a full season of playing.

What are your hopes for 2020-21? Do you enviage any changes (specific or wider) in the light of 2019-20 experience?

Well, I hope we see this COVID crisis clear up and not return so we can all get back to some normality. I imagine we will start the League with all the same teams again and our planning will be the same with modifications where we learn what works and what doesn’t work in training, preparation and match days. I am sure we will see other changes around the club with the new Academy in place, but it’s really far too early to know what else will change.

And finally – and many thanks for your time, Andy – a message at this very difficult time for Town supporters?

Keep safe and healthy, not least so you can return to support us when the green light goes on again for football to resume! Football will return, we will get back to winning, we will be successful again, but for now make sure you all look after yourselves and your families. Stick to the rules and we will all get through this!Share viaFacebookTwitterhttps://www.enfieldtownfootbal

Calling all Town supporters!

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the FA and the Isthmian League have confirmed that the 2019-20 season is now over, with all results expunged, and there will be a fresh start for a 2020-21 season (see latest League statement HERE: https://www.betvictoristhmian.co.uk/fa-announcement-season-termination-61688. With that in mind, and with a 2020-21 campaign start date unknown at this time, subscriptions and renewals for the season are being encouraged by the club now, in order to help ease the adverse impact of the current difficult financial circumstances that it is having to manage.

There are a number of ways in which you can help the club by renewing early or taking out a new subscription. These options are essentially the same as for the 2019-20 season, with no price increases. This LINK: https://etfc.london/information/etfc-season-tickets-for-2020-21-season takes you to the full menu of options available for Society membership, #GoToTown subscriptions and season tickets.

Please have a look at the options and consider helping the club by providing funding earlier than might have otherwise been the case. Any questions should be addressed to webteam@etfc.london

Given the current unprecedented circumstances, the club has made announcements about the curtailing of the 2019-20 season and the fact that proportionate refunds on 2019-20 payments cannot be automatically made in respect of the early finish. It has also highlighted the option of providing a donation to help us through the current crisis and to be on a firmer financial footing for when matches do eventually resume.

When you kindly consider renewing an existing arrangement or undertaking a new payment, please bear in mind that if the 2020-21 campaign is significantly delayed or truncated it will be necessary to consider the financial impact of any reduction in the number of games, or the timing of them, as a donation to help with the club’s ongoing stability.

Please note that, for #GoToTown renewals, you do not need to do anything assuming you are keeping the same package – the subscription will renew automatically. Irrespective of whether or not you are able to bring forward payments with 2020-21 in mind please consider a donation to help the club to stabilise itself on as firm a financial footing as possible.

ETFC Ltd
Barclays Bank
Sort Code: 20-45-45
Account no: 43222942

A BACS transfer (marked “donation”) is ideal.

Many thanks to all Enfield Town FC supporters at this difficult time.

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Enfield Town FC Supporters Society Ltd membership: https://membermojo.co.uk/etfcs

GoToTown membership: https://etfc.london

Season tickets: https://etfc.london/information/etfc-season-tickets-for-2020-21-season