Enfield Town go into tomorrow’s game at Bath City in good spirits despite another week of frustration for the management team in terms of recruitment.

With both Harry Ottaway and Rhys Forster doubtful for the visit to Somerset and an experienced midfielder who was on the verge of signing suddenly injuring his meniscus in training, Lady Luck has hardly been shining on us.

Gavin continues to work tirelessly to improve the squad across the pitch, only for potential signings to slip through his fingers, coupled with unexpected setbacks.

“If it doesn’t rain, it pours,” said Gavin. “You couldn’t make it up. I’ve said this before but I’m working as hard as I can on and off the pitch.”

One win, of course, could completely kickstart our season against a team well fancied this season.

“Bath are very strong at home but we’ve had a great week in training and two excellent sessions working on their strengths and weaknesses,” said Gavin. “Everyone is very positive in the circumstances.”

AW

Our away league game at Hampton and Richmond Borough, originally scheduled for Tuesday, Nov 5, has been brought forward to Saturday week, Sept 28, now that both teams are no longer in the FA Cup. Kickoff is 3pm

Enfield Town 0 Peterborough Sports 1

Report by Andrew Warshaw

There will be no FA Cup run this season after we were knocked by Peterborough Sports courtesy of a lone first-half penalty.

For the second time in four seasons, we were eliminated by the Turbines but we certainly did enough in the second half to warrant a replay after entering the competition in the 2^nd qualifying round.

It was not to be as we couldn’t quite force an equaliser but there was no lack of effort from a  patched-up side hit by unavailability, suspension and players suddenly deciding to go elsewhere after being signed.

To put it all into perspective, because of lack of forward options Lennon Peake was  forced to play up front in a totally unfamiliar position.

Consistency comes with having a settled side but  there have been a number of circumstances beyond the control of the management team. Players need time to gel and once we have settled into a rhythm, there is no reason why we can’t improve our fortunes.

Despite the huge disappointment of being knocked out of the cup so early, we looked more solid at the back than of late, perhaps as a result of the 3-5-2 formation that looks like being the blueprint going forward.

Sadly, however, another defensive error did for us as  Joash Nembhard’s clumsy 35^th-minute challenge on Michael Gyasi led to a penalty which Dan Lawlor duly dispatched though Joash was by no means the only player at fault at what proved to be the winner.

It was no more than the visitors, quicker to the ball and playing to feet, deserved at the time. Indeed, they should have extended their lead when the unmarked Michael Gash planted a free header over from the corner of the six-yard box.

H-T 0-1

The fact that we had made only three first-half forays into the opposition box said everything about the difficulty we were having in breaking down the Turbines.

On 55 minutes, Gavin had seen enough and threw on Billy Leonard whose introduction immediately improved us.

Peake so nearly levelled as he brought a flying stop from Peter Crook. Then, right on the hour, a bursting 80-yard run and cross from Leonard again found Peake but his first-time shot was driven straight at the Sports keeper.

With time running out, the ever-willing Harry Ottaway, who ended up playing the full 90 minutes even though that wasn’t the original plan, flung himself at another cross, only for his effort to be scrambled clear.

 In stoppage time and with Town pushing forward, Gyasi should have put the game to bed, only for Rhys Forster, not for the first time in the game, to pull off a terrific save.

Sadly it mattered little, a bitterly disappointing end to Sam Youngs’ 300^th game for the club – a remarkable statistic for one of Town’s great servants – and a potential opportunity to kickstart our season lost.

“I thought we definitely deserved a draw,” said Gavin Macpherson afterwards. “They were in control first half but they were hanging on at the end. Yes they headed balls out when they needed to but we stretched them and the only reason we are not still in the competition is that we made another mistake for the penalty.”

“It wasn’t easy to fit a side together today but that’s no excuse, we should be having a replay. The boys never ever fault me for effort, it’s just sometimes the quality especially in respect of our defending.  Then at the other end you are asking to Lennon to play up front. I have to go away and think about what’s going and how we change things because it’s got to the stage when we have to.”

Forster; Parcell (Knight, 90), Nembhard, Solomon (Tanner 87); Payne; Thomas, Leshabela (Smith), Youngs, Adjei-Hersey (Onyeagwara, 78); Peake, Ottaway.

Rocked by yet more disruption beyond our control, Enfield Town go into tomorrow’s FA Cup tie at home to Peterborough Sports determined to get our season back on track.

No sooner had the management team brought in Harry Ottaway to play alongside Hisham Kasimu than they had the rug pulled from under their feet by Kasimu accepting an offer from his former club Farnborough.

It was the latest in a series of comings and goings in what is becoming somewhat of a revolving door, preventing us from establishing a settled team.

With Reece Beckles-Richards unavailable tomorrow it leaves us with precious few options up front but that could give the boys extra motivation to advance as we enter the competition at the 2nd qualifying round stage.

Drawn against Step 2 opposition (the Turbines play in National League North) wasn’t ideal and with two of our three recent signings also unavailable — one suspended, the other cup-tied —  the task has hardly been made any easier.

“Suffice to say we’ve done our analysis on the opposition as always do,” said Gavin. “Some might say it’s a pig of a draw but in some respects, a Step 3 opponent might have quite fancied playing us at this moment in time.”

“Having said that, there is no room for manoevre compared with maybe a lesser draw. Peterborough Sports are very strong at set pieces and will probably be no different to some of the sides we’ve met this season. I don’t consider this a respite from the league. It’s a competition I love, the best cup competition in the world.”

All of us will remember how close we got last season to the first round proper, only for Cray Valley PM to gain that plum draw against Charlton at our expense.

“It can be a game-change for clubs at our level,” said Gavin. “It runs a lot deeper than the players maybe getting a chance to draw a league club later on. It’s about exposure if we can get that far.  Not just the badge. The volunteers, fans, everyone who make the club tick and who are the foundation  and soul of this club.”

Gavin acknowledged that losing Kasimu was the latest unexpected blow but refuses to use it as an excuse against a side that knocked us out on penalties four years ago.

“I don’t expect any sympathy from anyone because the support I’ve received during this tough run has been unbelievable,” he said.

“Football throws up adversity and I’ve had it from a week before the season started with the important players we lost. This is another chapter. Yes we have had to change plans yet again right at the last minute given the personnel at our disposal and of course it’s far from ideal. But it’s not insurmountable. What’s happened this week may have dented our chances on paper but I’m not thinking like that. We re-programme, we reset and we go again.”

Link to commentary for Saturday’s game: https://mjl99.mixlr.com/events/3689049. Broadcast will start at 2.50pm, comments will be enabled on the site and I’ll be joined by new pundit Paul Manel (host on Royal Free Hospital Radio and long-term ETFC fan).

AW

Hisham Kasimu has departed the club, with the striker returning to former club Farnborough following an approach last week.

The 27-year-old joined us prior to our opening league game with Torquay United, scoring once and providing one assist in six appearances for the Towners.

We wish him well for the future.

The club and Michael Folivi have mutually agreed to part company, with the striker seeking regular football elsewhere.

Michael made six appearances for the club, scoring once at Truro City. We thank him for his service and wish him well for the future.

---

Meanwhile, a number of the squad have dual-registered in order to gain match fitness. These are:

-Adi Connolly (Crawley Green)
-Lewis Taaffe (Welwyn Garden City)
-Herson Alves (Hayes & Yeading)
-Obi Onyeagwara (Biggleswade Town)
-Nana Owusu (Walton & Hersham)

We welcome winger Demaray Anyadike who has signed for the club, and has dual-registered with Isthmian North side Waltham Abbey.

Enfield Town 1 Maidstone United 4

Report by andrew warshaw

Keep the faith. That’s the key message despite another chastening afternoon which has left us one place off the bottom of the table.

It takes time, especially after getting promoted, for a new-look squad to gel. Plus the fact that having perhaps over-achieved last season, the challenge of Step 2 is even greater than most of us might have anticipated.

That’s not to underplay the disappointment of coming up short for the seventh time in eight outings, again largely due to defensive frailty.

But there were encouraging signs. At one point we were very much in the game and our three new signings gave glimpses of how they might improve us, Harry Ottaway’s heading ability and hold-up play particularly eye-catching when he came on.

Whilst Maidstone hadn’t exactly started the season with a flourish, it’s easy to lose sight of their pedigree and size as a football club.

It certainly wasn’t a 4-1 scoreline in terms of overall play but the main issue is that the opposition at this level is not giving us many openings to exploit, unlike vice versa.

So it was after 20 minutes when the Stones opened the score.  Having already fired narrowly wide and forced Rhys Forster into an excellent stop, it was third time lucky for Matt Bentley, flicking home a cross from the left in Stones’ first real spell of pressure.

Until then we hadn’t been overly troubled apart from an early goalmouth scramble while at the other end, Lennon Peake forced Alexis Andre Jn into a low stop as he raced on to Carl Mensah’s header out of defence.

While no-one would dispute that Carl was liable for one if not two of Maidstone’s goals, it’s harsh to judge him on one display and for the most part, he did the very job he was signed for – using his height to head balls away from goal.

Harley Mills, meanwhile, looked extremely promising until a needless late challenge which earned him a 90^th minute second yellow that will keep him out of our cup tie next Saturday. It’s a sad irony that he was given permission to play in the cup by Peterborough United, only to be ruled out against Peterborough Sports.

Just before halftime, Billy Leonard’s well-drilled shot was bang on target until being intercepted by George Fowler and Town needed more of the same after the break.

H-T 0-1

Instead, six minutes after halftime, Mensah misjudged a spinning ball and Aaron Blair was through on goal.

Town needed a quick response and we were back in the game through Peake’s quick thinking as he darted into the box and smacked the ball home (pictured) after great work by Hisham Kasimu.

But just as we looked to move into the ascendancy, we were undone through two more Blair goals, the first finishing off some clever link-up play, the other capitalising on more defensive culpability as Mensah’s attempted back header sold Forster well short.

Little goes for you when you are near the bottom and earlier in the half Gavin Macpherson was booked after the referee ignored a clear shirt pull on Ottaway that could have earned us a spotkick.

And as the game moved into stoppage time our misery was complete as we were reduced to 10 men after Mills was dismissed for a late challenge on Bivesh Gurung.

Gavin, unusually, had some choice words about the referee but admitted it was not why we lost the game.

“I could regurgitate countless interviews but errors keep costing us,” he said. “Having said that, we were up against another full-time team while we were unable to train fully on Thursday to try and work on things.”

“With regards to Carl, for the most part he did exactly why we brought him in. Obviously he made a mistake but the other goal people might be referring to was a shanked clearance that spun up in their air and he couldn’t re-adjust.”

“Once again, there was hardly anything in the game but the result was the same. How do we address it? I have to go away and analyse things. Every one of us is accountable though I’m the one at the top of the tree. I’ve never shied away from anything in football and I’m not prepared to start now.”

Enfield 4-1-4-1

Forster; Parcell, Nembhard, Mensah, Mills; Thomas (Ottaway 55); Knight (Payne 67), Leshebela, Leonard, Peake; Kasimu

With no professional club football taking place in the top two divisions because of the international weekend, a bumper crowd is anticipated for tomorrow’s eagerly awaited fixture with Maidstone United, last season’s biggest FA Cup giantkillers.

Maidstone’s elimination of Ipswich Town made national headlines while they were also just a couple of games away from promotion, losing in the playoff semifinal to Worthing.

Few Town fans will ever forget that heartbreaking  FA Cup fourth qualifying encounter in 2017-18 when, then a Step One club, Maidstone saved their blushes on home soil with a last-gasp equaliser, only to knock us out in the replay.

Tomorrow’s game represents a very different scenario, of course, but one which takes on its own significance with Town in the bottom three and the Stones, despite pre-season expectations, only two places higher with one win in seven.

Because of technical issues at Thursday’s training session, Town’s preparations had to be cut short but the addition of three new players will have provided a timely boost, including the return of one-time fans’ favourite Harry Ottaway.

“It signifies a bit of intent to push on. We needed some players who can defend our box better and also be a threat in the opponents’ area,” said Gavin Macpherson following the signings of Harry, 28-year-old Carl Mensah from Bedford Town and Harley Mills, 19, from Peterborough, the latter two both defenders and Harley, who can also play in midfield, initially on a one-month loan.

 “Harry and Carl are big characters in the dressing room as well as what they can give us on the pitch while Harley, although only 19, has league experience.”

“I’m particular indebted to (Peterborough director of football) Barry Fry for allowing Harley to be available for next week’s FA Cup tie.”

Gavin is anticipating another momentous challenge against our Kent visitors, not so long ago a league club who are arguably in a false position and are still smarting from a  5-1 home defeat to Chelmsford on Tuesday. A sizeable away following is anticipated for the 3pm kickoff.

“We’re playing another full-time side with every day of the week to prepare so most of the pressure is on them from the point of view of being the bigger club,” said Gavin. “I expect them to be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.

“But the pitfalls are plain. We are also under pressure. The stats on possession and shots tell us there’s been an improvement in terms of some of  the teams we have played more recently but we keep falling the wrong side of the one that matters – which is picking up points. I’ve always said our supporters are the best in the league and we need as many as possible to get behind the team tomorrow.”

AW

We are delighted to welcome three signings to boost the squad ahead of this weekend’s game with Maidstone.

---

Harley Mills

Defender Harley Mills has joined us on an initial one-month loan from Peterborough United. A former youth-teamer with Aston Villa, Harley has been with the Posh since the summer of 2021, making four senior appearances in that time. Primarily a left-back, the 20-year-old is also adept in midfield and is described by his parent club as “extremely energetic and competitive”.

---

Carl Mensah

Another defensive reinforcement, Carl joins us from Bedford Town, where he had spent last season as club captain, guiding them to step 3 after victory – and a goal – in the Southern League Division One playoffs. The 28-year-old brings a much-needed physical presence and know-how to our defensive line.

---

Harry Ottaway

Someone that needs little introduction to many Enfield Town fans, experienced striker Harry re-joins the club for a second spell following a first stint which yielded 26 goals, several assists, and a reputation as a fans’ favourite. The veteran centre-forward has spent the last couple of seasons at step 1 with Dorking Wanderers, and also counts Carshalton Athletic, Dulwich Hamlet and Sutton United among his former sides.

---

Welcome, lads!