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:
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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
