Will the rest have done the players the world of good in terms of recharging batteries? Or will the enforced layoff leave us lacking sharpness despite several training sessions?

We’ll find out tomorrow (Tuesday) night when, after having our last two games postponed, Enfield Town take on local rivals Haringey Borough (kickoff 7.45) in the re-arranged fixture from New Year’s Day that was postponed because of the weather.

Haringey may be near the bottom of the table but invariably raise their game against us and are a force to be reckoned with on their day.

The corresponding fixture earlier in the season ended 1-1 and on Saturday, in their latest outing, they gained a commendable 2-1 win over Canvey Island.

“Haringey have beaten Billericay recently and defeated Canvey on Saturday so they will certainly get the respect they fully deserve,” said Gavin Macpherson.

“It’s going to be tough but at the same time we’re ready for the challenge. We’ve haven’t played recently but we’ve kept working hard. It’s important we impose ourselves on the game.

“After Cray it’s also important we faced the reality of why we fell short. It is not the first time we have lost but we’ve always had the ability to bounce back and that is all that matters now. The lads have worked hard at their game over the past week or so, there’s no pressure on them, they are enjoying the challenge.”

As widely anticipated, our league fixture away at Concord Rangers today has been postponed following an early-morning pitch inspection

Details of any rescheduling will be announced as soon as possible

Enfield Town’s next scheduled league game is now our re-arranged Haringey Borough home fixture on Tuesday, kickoff 7.45

Amidst the disappointment of games being called off, we are pleased to announce the arrival of leftback Renedi Musampu.

Renedi has represented both Chelsea and Birmingham at under-23 and under-21 level respectively and was released by Hornchurch in mid-October.

A welcome addition to the squad who is only 24, he has also played for Dulwich Hamlet and under Gavin Macpherson at Met Police and will provide crucial versatility, being able to fit in anywhere across the back line.

“Renedi played in the recent friendly at Ware and has spent much of his footballing life in the pro game, initially with Chelsea and more recently Birmingham,” said Gavin.

“He’s someone I’ve worked with previously, albeit over a short period, and adds fullback competition to the squad as he can play on both sides. With the long-term injury to Carlos (Velasco) this is something we’ve needed for a while.”

Welcome Renedi!

We regret to announce that the Tottenham Hotspur under-21 Premier League Cup fixture versus Bristol City, scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, at 1pm, has had to be postponed.

We had been looking forward to hosting the game at QEII but unfortunately have been beaten by the weather with all the recent rain rendering the pitch unplayable.

Details of any rescheduling will be announced as soon as possible.

Our arrangement with Spurs includes a second game against Peterborough United on Saturday, February 3, kick-off 1pm, and this still stands.

Our home league game against Haringey Borough, postponed on New Year’s Day because of a waterlogged pitch, has been re-arranged for Tuesday next week, Jan 9, kickoff 7.45.

Tickets purchased on the website for the original date will remain valid.

Just a reminder that today’s home derby with Haringey borough has been postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

A fresh date will be announced as soon as possible

Happy New Year to all Town fans. Onwards and upwards

As we enter 2024, no-one can deny that we are in a fantastic position in the table despite the recent setback at Cray.

And although our New Year’s Day visitors from nearby Haringey Borough might be second to bottom of the league, they will certainly not be under-estimated.

Everyone knows how Haringey invariably raise their game against us and having ideally targeted a minimum six points from our three holiday fixtures, Gavin Macpherson knows how vital Monday’s clash will be (kickoff 3pm).

“Games during this period are notoriously difficult, three games in six days represents a very tough ask for teams at our level, that’s why you focus on points rather than performance,” said Gavin.

“ It’s all about getting through with a good points return and minimal impact. We must turn the page quickly from a below par performance at Cray and focus on one of Enfield Town’s toughest games of the season.”

“I’ll be looking for improvements all round, we’re in a good position and winning the match is clearly the main focus, but I’d like us to get back to being a better more fluent version than we have been recently.

Cray Wanderers 2-0 Enfield Town

Enfield Town’s run of three straight league wins came to a dismal halt on Friday evening as they ended 2023 with a 2-0 defeat to Cray Wanderers at Hayes Lane.

Town had James Richmond (rib injury) and Obi Onyeagwara (illness) sidelined, though still named ten of the eleven which had started Boxing Day’s victory away at Cheshunt; Josh Okotcha the single change for Richmond in central defence. They arguably started the brighter, too. Marcus Wyllie had found some early joy down the left and with barely two minutes gone his squared pass fell into the path of Mickey Parcell, but his effort was snuffed out and cleared. Town were pressing high and recycling the ball well enough in the opening stages yet lacked a final product; minutes later Scott Thomas pounced on an errant pass and fed Dylan Adjei-Hersey whose deep cross looped narrowly beyond the far post.

Their best chances of the half – in truth their best of the entire match – arrived on 11 minutes as a fleet-footed counter down the left flank saw Ollie Knight and Sam Youngs exchange passes before Youngs’ guided shot was well parried by Shaun Rowley; Reece Beckles-Richards not quite close enough to turn in the rebound. The resulting corner was attacked well by Okotcha, only for his goalbound header to be nodded off the line by Frankie Raymond, who was well-positioned all game.

An injury to Cray’s Jack Holland on 20 minutes required a lengthy stoppage, and perhaps this disrupted the flow of Town’s game. Perhaps the change of intensity from Boxing Day’s local derby had rubbed off on Enfield. Not that either would have been any excuse to Gavin Macpherson who was seething at the aimlessness of Town’s play for the remainder of the match. Likewise at the manner in which Town ultimately fell behind. A cheap free kick was conceded down the inside-right channel, with Raymond’s flighted ball into the centre met by debutant Tayo Oyebola, glancing his header over a stranded Rhys Forster and in.

Enfield looked to respond in kind as a long ball released Beckles-Richards who could only shank the bouncing ball into the grasp of Rowley from the edge of the box. He was soon involved again but neither he nor Youngs could convert Ollie Knight’s inswinging cross. A stoppage time snapshot from Marcus Wyllie down the throat of Rowley was the only other effort of note as Town’s approach became increasingly direct, playing into the hands of their hosts who had the physical advantage throughout.

Half Time: CWFC 1-0 ETFC

The second half began as the first had ended; Town seeing plenty of the ball but failing to muster any kind of cutting edge, resorting to long passes which were mopped up with relative ease by the Wands defence who were beginning to spring some rapid counters of their own. Gary Lockyer had flashed an effort narrowly wide of the mark before he turned provider for Cray to double their lead on 58 minutes in route one style; Lockyer knocking down his goalkeeper’s punt upfield for Ellis Brown to hammer into the left-hand corner on the half-volley.

Enfield introduced Lewis Taaffe and Jonathan Hippolyte for Adjei-Hersey and Beckles-Richards, yet the pattern continued as Town’s build-up veered between the direct and the desperate. Youngs scuffed an effort straight at the goalie and Hippolyte’s close-range header nicked off a defender before the hosts went close to a third as Sam Wood and Alfie Evans tried their luck from distance. A game of precious little quality had precious little of note as it ebbed away, with Cray seeing out five minutes of stoppage time to record their first league win in six weeks; their first home win over Enfield Town at the sixth attempt.

This was a result which contradicted both sides’ league positions, and a sharp reminder for the Towners of the performance levels required to sustain a challenge for the top five, let alone top spot: “A dreadful game of football but we were the worse team out there”, said boss Macpherson. “It was long ball after long ball… we weren’t brave enough to get on the football today and we shrunk, in truth. Aimless balls down the centre-halves’ throat were never going to work and that wasn’t what was asked of them.”

“That’s probably the poorest we’ve played… unrecognisable from our point of view.
“The only thing we can do now is look forward to Monday and putting it right.”

Town: Forster; Parcell, McKenzie, Okotcha, Payne; Thomas, Youngs, Adjei-Hersey (Taaffe 61’), Knight; Beckles-Richards (Hippolyte 64’), Wyllie

Attendance: 307

The Christmas period is a busy time for everyone, not least our catering partners, Cooking Champions who, as most of you will know, are a registered charity providing food support across the borough and beyond.

 This year, with the demand for food banks across the country continuing to soar, the number of food parcels distributed by the Enfield-based company increased by 45% over 2002.

 Not surprisingly December was their busiest month during which Cooking Champions distributed an incredible 1,041 food packages across Enfield alone including an additional Christmas Eve service.

 The relationship between our club and Cooking Champions works both ways in terms of mutual support.

 So it’s a testament to Gavin Macpherson that when ceo Clare Donovan asked if we could assist by providing a couple of players to help serve meals at their weekly community lunch in Enfield following their admirable Christmas initiative, Gavin personally gave up his time, taking Jonathan Hippolyte with him.

“It’s been a real eye-opener in terms of what Cooking Champions do and how far it extends in terms of feeding people in the local community,” said Gavin during his visit on Thursday as a volunteer (pictured with Jonathan and the Cooking Champions team).

“For me, it’s been an education. There’s obviously a close association between the football club and Cooking Champions and it was an absolute pleasure to be there, quite humbling in some respects.”

 “I’ve probably opened up a little bit more of a career for myself in terms of being a waiter though I’m not sure how good I was!” Gavin joked.

 Jonathan Hippolyte added: “It was a lovely day and it was a pleasure meeting everyone at Cooking Champions.”

Andrew Warshaw

 

We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s’ Premier League Cup fixture against Bristol City on Saturday January 6th, kickoff 1pm.

Tickets can be purchased in advance from the link below:

https://enfieldtownfc.ktckts.com/event/spursu21a/tottenham-hotspur-u21s-vs-bristol-city-u21s-

We have also agreed to host Spurs’ U21s for their PL Cup game against Peterborough United on Saturday February 3rd, kickoff 1pm. Tickets for this fixture will be available at a later date.

The arrangement represents yet another exciting partnership with our near-neighbours and builds on our excellent existing relationship.