Llantwit Major 1 Enfield Town 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

In a howling wind and on a pudding of a pitch that made passing and control nigh impossible, Enfield Town secured the point they needed to guarantee a trip to Lake Garda next month for the Fenix Trophy Final Four.

In conditions more akin to a Sunday league parks game, Town fortunately came away from Wales unscathed from our final group fixture and can now concentrate fully on cementing our league playoff place before thinking about the climax of our European tour.

Perhaps the only downside was that having fielded  somewhat of an experimental scratch side, Gavin Macpherson was forced to throw on the big guns to up the pace and avoid defeat.

But that’s, of course, exactly why the likes of Marcus Wyllie and Sam Youngs were on the bench in the first place and the risk in the end proved fully justified.

In front of a crowd of 456 – roughly double their usual attendance and including a healthy Town following  – Llantwit made things awkward for us in the opening half as we played into a ferocious gale-force wind that blew even some of the most well-intentioned passes back over our heads.

That, nevertheless, was not entirely fair on our hosts who, in their final home game of a generally disappointing league season in the second tier of Welsh football, played the conditions on their own patch far better than us.

Llantwit’s Matthew Kimmins headed over from three yards out when the offside flag stayed down but on 16 minutes, the hosts took a shock lead with what can only be described as a speculative worldie, Sean Kelly almost bursting the net with a 30-yard, wind-assisted screamer.

On the spongy, bobbly surface, we found it hard to respond and almost went further behind when Adi Connolly spilled a freekick, only for the rebound to be  put over the bar.

Jonathan Hippolyte almost restored parity but the conditions were proving a great leveller at the break.

H-T 0-1

Gavin wasted no time in introducing Youngs and Bernie Tanner and moving defender Sam Robbins – signed on a dual registration with Bishop’s Stortford —  from left to right as we reverted to a back three.

With the wind now behind us, Connolly was virtually a spectator in goal as the chances began to come our way.

It took until the 70^th minute, however, to get back on level terms. Wyllie, who had just come on, saw his shot parried but not held and when it seemed harder to miss, Hippolyte just managed to squeeze the ball over the line off the post (pictured).

Despite players on both sides struggling to find their footing as the pitch cut up even more, in the final stages we could easily have gone on to win it before everyone retreated to the bar for some friendly exchanges with our hospitable hosts amid several renditions of  “Que Sera Sera…We’re Going to Italy.”.

“It was tricky to navigate for so many reasons,” said Gavin after we topped our group with 10 points from four games. “You’re leaving half your squad at home and then you have to factor in the pitch which was as bad as I’ve ever seen.”

“We had a team thrown together so you expect it to be a bit disjointed. But we completely changed things at halftime knowing they would have to contend with the same conditions. We didn’t really have our shooting boots on but where I’m coming from is that we’re home and dry and now we can now put this competition to bed until May.”

Town:

Connolly; Filho (Tanner, 45), Okotcha, Adeoye (Youngs, 45), Robbins; Adjei-Hersey, Soulya-Osekanonko (Thomas, 85), Turner, Onyeagwara (Wyllie 65); Hippolyte (Davies, 90), Alves.

 Enfield Town’s final group game in the Fenix Trophy takes place tomorrow as we head to Wales to face Llantwit Major (kickoff 5pm) needing to avoid defeat to guarantee a place in the eagerly anticipated “Final Four” on Lake Garda in May.

Whilst we are virtually qualified anyway following our 3-2 win in the corresponding fixture, giving us maximum points from three games and a healthy goal difference, mathematically we still need to get something on Tuesday to avoid the group going down to the last match between the Welsh club and already eliminated BK Skjold at the end of the month.

With our all-important playoff place in the league taking priority, Gavin Macpherson seems likely to go deep into the squad  whilst at the same time fielding a side to get us over the line.

Town’s visit represents Llantwit’s final home game of the season with two away league fixtures to come as they battle for survival in Cymru south, the second tier of Welsh football.

With the competition having generated huge publicity for us in the national as well as local media, qualifying for Italy would be a wonderful way to cap off the season. But first we have to make sure.

“Some of our bigger players are not available Tuesday so there are bound to be changes,” said Gav. “Based upon our position in the league, it’s a massively difficult fixture now to navigate and I’m going to have to try and piece things together.  I’ve got to look at it really carefully.”

AW

Our founding Chairman Dave Bryant will be laid to rest this Thursday 11th April following his recent passing on the 17th March.

Dave’s family have asked for donations to be made to the Enfield Town FC Community Sports Development, which is a Charity very close to Dave’s heart, in lieu of flowers.

We have set up a Just Giving page for this purpose.

Thank you in advance

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/davebryant?fbclid=IwAR3U77uNt1fPWTsKe5JdEYqHufVbE9eYefURauXnGqtpmP6rSHWYo9m9tt0_aem_AWpLAd1o6Bv-m6_I-ov__LQlfqjX2QPvdy0YJyqwbq0BQTZHx5HmQp8fv24_sftsBO2vVh1i0Carlm37HJ1gO3Ft

For the live stream of the service, please see below:

Name	DAVID RICHARD BRYANT
Location	Enfield Crematorium – South Chapel
Date & Time	Thursday 11/04/2024 11:30
Requester	Roya Collins – Roya Collins, Celebrant (A Way With Words)

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Event Number

1319953 – please quote this on all correspondence and when calling

Dulwich Hamlet 0 Enfield Town 4

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Sensational, electrifying. One could run out of superlatives to describe just how good Enfield Town were in demolishing Dulwich as we stretched our unbeaten league run to 11 matches with arguably the best all-round performance of the season.

Yes the hosts lost their top central defender to injury in the warmup, reducing them to a shadow of the team that had put themselves in the playoff mix in recent weeks.

But if Gavin Macpherson was worried that being named Manager if the Month would end up being a curse, he needn’t have. He and his team are building something special and the fact that Dulwich, in front of a 3,300-plus sellout, didn’t lay a glove on us or have a single shot on target from start to finish says everything about our momentum as we edge closer to the finish line.

 With one of two other results going for us, finishing third and getting a home semifinal playoff draw is now very much in our own hands whatever Horsham do in their two games in hand. Even finishing runners-up to newly crowned champions Hornchurch has suddenly  come into the equation.

If that smacks of getting ahead of ourselves, Gavin will certainly not let that happen. With four games to go, it’s still incredibly tight with any unexpected loss of form potentially proving catastrophic.

Town lined up in  a highly effective 3-5-2 formation but were fortunate not to go behind early doors. Scott Thomas lost control near halfway but Josh Shinibare wasted a golden chance to capitalise  by shooting wide when clean through on goal.

It was the Hamlet’s best chance of the entire match, a measure of just how comfortable we were thereafter.

Ollie Knight and Marcus Wyllie both tested Will Lakin before Marcus lost his footing when presented with a fantastic opportunity by Bernie Tanner’s long clearance.

The deadlock was broken on 23 minutes when Dulwich failed to clear a long throw and Sam Youngs powered home a sublime half-volley on the edge of the box for his 22^nd league goal of the season.

Whenever Dulwich did foray forward,  they were thwarted by a defensive togetherness in which Tanner, newly nicknamed “the Enfield Maldini”, was superb.

With Dulwich dangerman Luke Wanadio largely kept quiet, it was only a matter of time before we tightened  our grip on the game. Knight saw another goalbound effort pushed away and on 43 minutes we doubled our lead as Marcus, played in by Jake Cass, rode two tackles before placing his shot in the corner for league goal number 28.

H-T 0-2

Any belief left in Dulwich was quickly extinguished and within nine minutes of the restart we were home and dry.

Lakin had already come to his team’s rescue once again by saving with his legs from Marcus but in the very next move he was beaten again. Youngs headed a corner against the woodwork and when the ball rebounded to Cass, he made no mistake with a sweet left-foot strike through a ruck of players (pictured), peeling away in joy – understandable given the type of season he has had.

Only now, far too late, did Dulwich show any genuine intent, largely through substitute Anthony Jeffrey, though without really troubling Rhys Forster.

A tiring Jake and a limping Dylan Adjei-Hersey were both replaced but we weren’t finished yet. On 84 minutes Marcus latched on to a fantastic Tanner ball, got the better of his marker and tapped home.

There was still time for Bernie to go on a surging run and flash a shot narrowly wide as the hosts were again badly exposed, their playoff hopes crushed for good.

“We did our analysis and  went with a bold system but the boys still had to carry it out,” said Gavin.

“You rely on the personalities out there to put their trust in us. If they do that and it goes wrong, it’s my fault but today we got it spot on.

“Dulwich have a very experienced squad and management team and are a side we all thought would be challenging not only for a playoff place but perhaps the title.”

With four games left, Gavin reserved particular praise for the central defensive partnership after a second straight clean sheet. “Bernie and Taylor both have different attributes but have formed an excellent relationship.”

“I don’t like looking at the table and we’re not there yet. This is a massive step obviously but we still have work to do against some very good teams.”

Town:

Forster; Parcell, McKenzie, Tanner; Adjei-Hersey (Beckles-Richards, 80) , Thomas, Youngs, Taaffe, Knight; Cass (Turner 69), Wyllie (Hippolyte 88)

Thirty-seven played, five to go.

Gavin Macpherson will hope  his thoroughly deserved manager of the month award for March does not end up being the proverbial curse when we visit Dulwich Hamlet tomorrow in front of what will surely be by far the league’s biggest gate.

Gavin and his team have steered us into a 10-match unbeaten league run but Dulwich, one of the division’s big hitters and relegated from Step 2 at the end of last season, are still very much in with a shout of a playoff place if results go their way and will be a tough nut to crack on their own patch.

Despite losing both their Easter fixtures, the Hamlet were in strong form up that time, winning five of their previous seven as they bid for an immediate return to National League South under Hakan Hayrettin.

“It’s another in a long line of very tough games,” said Gavin as we prepare to make the trip to Champion Hill stadium.

“There are very few teams in the league as it stands who don’t have anything to play for and Dulwich are still very much in the mix.”

“Hakan has assembled a very experienced squad with plenty of quality in the ranks. We understand the task ahead but see it as quite simply as another step towards our aim no matter the opposition. The boys have worked hard all season and will continue to do so.”

AW

Enfield Town 3 Cheshunt 0

Report by Andrew Warshaw

Dave Bryant would have been so proud. In front of our record league gate of 1,271 and despite only 48 hours’ preparation, Town swept aside neighbours Cheshunt in the so-called A10 Classico to complete a maximum six-point haul over the Easter weekend.

In what was a case of breathtaking finishing at one end and a “thou shalt not pass” mentality at the other, Town stretched their unbeaten league run 10 games with five fixtures remaining.

With all the main playoff contenders winning, it’s very much a case of “as you were” as we battle to stay in the top three and secure that home semifinal draw, nothwithstanding Horsham’s two games in hand.

Much of the post-match chat was about which goal was the best. It’s rare enough to have one worldie in a game, let alone three, as we put the game to bed by halftime to bury any chance of an Ambers comeback.

Even before kickoff, there was a buzz of excitement around the ground with the teamsheet showing Jake Cass in a starting role – his first since that terrible injury back in August.

Joe Payne went for goal with an early freekick that totally deceived Cheshunt keeper Woody Williamson  before hitting the side netting but on 11 minutes we took the lead. Off his line, Williamson directed a miskick  straight into the path of Lewis Taaffe who showed wonderful skill in curling an audacious lob into the far corner of the net from 25 yards (pictured celebrating).

Skipper Scott Thomas, on his 34^th birthday, rifled a corner narrowly over the bar before we doubled our lead on 23 minutes when Taaffe squared for Sam Youngs to unleash a sublime side-foot finish.

With only two changes from Saturday’s 4-2 win at Bognor, it was inevitable we would not have things all our way but a combination of two excellent saves by Rhys Forster and several last-ditch blocks by the back four snuffed out Cheshunt’s goalbound efforts.

As we continued to be a threat going forward, Marcus Wyllie flashed a header wide before extending our advantage with another stunning goal, putting one Cheshunt player on his backside before sidestepping another and bending his shot into the net.

In the final action of the half, the excellent Mickey Parcell cleared off the line from Antonis Vasiliou whose team must have realised it was never going to be their day.

H-T 3-0

With some tired legs out there, it was now a question of managing minds and bodies as well as the scoreline.

Jake completed 65 minutes before being substituted and after Cheshunt missed a golden chance to pull a goal back, a glorious rainbow provided the perfect backdrop to our first home game since Dave Bryant sadly left us.

With such fierce rivalry between the two sets of fans, the usual mutual goading was to be expected but there was no need for flares being thrown on to the pitch at the Cheshunt end which briefly held up proceedings.

Eight minutes of stoppage time were added on accordingly during which Cheshunt, who had previously played the game in a good spirit,  were reduced to 10 men.  Vasiliou was upended by Taaffe who duly received a yellow card before the Ambers front man was shown a straight red for what looked like a punch in retaliation.

There was still time for 10-man Cheshunt to carve out and promptly miss another chance to reduce the arrears. But it was anyway too little, too late.

“Great goals and a clean sheet but there were still things I thought we could do better, particularly  from long throws and set pieces,” said Gavin Macpherson, ever the perfectionist. “I didn’t want us conceding scrappy goals.”

“People may have been surprised by Cassy starting but it gave us that extra ability to secure the ball and he brought a physicality this particular game needed. I also felt that after Saturday it would have been a long day for Marcus being up there on his own.”

“Given such little time between games the players had to understand, if you like, a  training session on the tactics board and they deserve huge credit for putting it into practice. If Horsham win their games in hand and end up above us, so be it.  But we’re in a good place.”

Town:

Forster; Parcell, McKenzie, Tanner, Payne (Okotcha, 73); Knight, Youngs (Alves 83), Thomas, Taaffe; Wyllie, Cass (Turner 65)

Bognor Regis Town 2 Enfield Town 4

Report by Andrew Warshaw

A sublime Marcus Wyllie hat-trick and a Sam Youngs penalty ensured three momentous points on the Sussex coast that extended our unbeaten league run against a Bognor side that had only lost twice at home in the league.

The celebrations at the end of a pulsating encounter showed just what it meant to the players as we remained in third spot with six games remaining.

Bognor may have been without four key players but have been excellent at home and the management’s game plan of splitting the central defenders where possible worked a treat.

It was always going to be a case of outscoring the opposition and even though they equalised twice and battled hard even when pegged back to 4-2, we were committed to a man and ran out deserved winners to set up a blockbuster of a derby with Cheshunt on Easter Monday – our first home league game since the death of our beloved Dave Bryant.

With Lewis Taaffe unfit, Ollie Turney came in for his starting debut and we were ahead within four minutes as namesake Ollie Knight’s penetrating cross was diverted home by Marcus.

It was clear early on that Bognor’s dangermen were Lucas Pattenden on the wing and Matt Burgess in midfield and they set up the large majority of the Rocks’ openings.

In a whirlwind start by both teams, Rhys Forster had already saved from Pattenden when the referee adjudged the Bognor man had his shirt pulled by Joe Payne. Up stepped  Tommy-Lee Higgs to shoot low and hard and in off Forster’s diving boot

That was on 11 minutes and goals kept coming. Ten minutes later, a routine Bognor clearance was blocked by Ollie Knight and although the ball fell kindly to Marcus, he still had an awful lot to do as he rounded Joe Rabbetts before keeping his composure to fire past Ryan Hall (pictured).

Mickey Parcell went into the book for a late challenge but the entertainment continued. Three times we tried to lob the keeper and twice Marcus got himself into a shooting position, only to stray offside.

But Bognor aren’t strong at home for nothing and once again restored parity on 31 minutes as  Harvey White, on his return from injury, stormed forward unmarked to smash home a corner as we switched off.

Once again, however, it wasn’t long before we caught the hosts out again as Sam Youngs shouldered the ball into the path of Marcus who this time was onside and slotted home.

Right on halftime, a glorious cross-field ball from Turner picked out Dylan Adjei-Hersey but his 40-yarder  was always rising before Bognor’s Whyte had to come off deep into stoppage time with a foot injury.

H-t 2-3

Every Town fan in the ground knew we needed a fourth to take the sting out of Bognor  and it duly arrived on 51 minutes.  When no Bognor outfield player reacted fast enough to an Ollie Knight run, Hall tried to block him but instead proceeded to bring him down.  Youngs of course made no mistake from the penalty spot but had to strike it perfectly beyond the keeper’s diving reach.

Marcus so nearly had his fourth when Bognor were again exposed in a dangerous area but despite beating the keeper shot against the post.  In fact he may well have had five, hitting the other post when it seemed harder to miss.

As Bognor rallied with a decent spell, Pattenden’s cross flashed across the goal with no teammate to convert, the same player then blazed over the bar with the goal at his mercy and Forster spread himself to keep out Higgs.

But with a two-goal cushion Town were not to be denied, switching to five at the back late on to see out the game, a credit to players and management alike for a terrific team effort especially in the first half.

“We looked at their home record and it’s a massive performance,” said Gavin Macpherson. “Sometimes the players don’t listen properly, sometimes the management team get it wrong. Today, everyone came together having done our homework and Marcus’ goals typified how we wanted to go about things.  We knew they were an expansive side and it was no fluke.”

“Bognor have a young talented side especially down the flanks so we needed to be right at it.  Okay there were a couple of bumps in the road but offensively we did the job we came to do.”

“It’s still in our hands which is very different to chasing.  Hopefully we can get into the playoffs with momentum and give ourselves a chance.”

Now on to Cheshunt who will have had far longer to prepare, their Saturday fixture having been called off whilst we have only 48 hours to get ready.

“It obviously doesn’t work in our favour but I can’t change it. It’s the way the cards have been dealt,” said Gavin. “But if Cheshunt are focussing their entire season on playing us, then it’s not been a great season for them.”

Town:

Forster; Tanner, McKenzie, Tanner, Payne; Adjei-Hersey, Turner (Okotcha, 77), Thomas (Alves, 86), Youngs, Knight; Wyllie (Cass, 91)

Following last Saturday’s draw at Margate and the postponed fixture at Whitehawk in midweek, Town face another long away trip tomorrow as we visit Bognor Regis Town, weather once again permitting.

With just a month to go before the end of the regular season, a top-5 playoff place is very much in our own hands though to gain a home semifinal draw we will need to finish second or third, the latter being more realistic barring a late Chatham slip-up.

With Horsham and Wingate also battling for that home draw and the likes of Dulwich, Carshalton, Billericay and Hastings tucked in just behind and pushing for a playoff spot, every one of the seven remaining games are cup finals, every point vital given how tight things are.

 Even 10^th-placed Bognor are still in it and are unlikely to give an inch judging by their comeback against Wingate in midweek.

To be where we are at this stage of the season represents a massive achievement by the players and management team alike when you consider the resources at some of the chasing pack.

The key now is to keep the momentum of our eight-game unbeaten league run going, not just at Bognor but 48 hours later with the tasty Easter Monday derby at home to Cheshunt.

“We’ve got plenty to think about with a longer injury list than we’ve seen all season but the boys are in good spirits and trained well last night,” said Gavin Macpherson.

“The bank holiday weekend will be a massive test of our resolve and it starts against a very good Bognor side. 

“We have two very different but difficult tests, as a management team we’ve been working hard to plan and prepare, we’re unbeaten in a few games so the lads are really upbeat.”

AW

Please note full details of Dave’s funeral service and reception for Thursday, April 11

Just to let you all know that Dave’s funeral has been arranged for 11.30 am at Enfield Crematorium on Thursday, April 11.

More details to follow when we have them

RIP Dave