FOUR MORE SIGN FOR TOWN

Manager Andy Leese has announced that four more players have signed Isthmian League forms as the squad jigsaw continues to come together for the new campaign:

Larry Asare (Forward) Larry returns to the club, having made a handful of appearances under Bradley Quinton, after experience at clubs including Redbridge and Woodford Town. Andy said “Larry has looked good in pre-season with his pace, and he can bring us something different in the way that we want to play”.

Charles Brown (Forward) Charles made 13 appearances last term, scoring once, and was on the scoresheet against St Panteleimon recently. Andy said “I’m pleased Charles has re-signed after taking a break from the game to sort out some personal issues. He’s looked sharp in training”.

Jeremiah Gyebi (Defender) 20 year-old Jeremiah has had experience with Yeovil Town, Poole Town, Ankaran Hrvatini (Slovenia) and IFK Mora (Sweden). Andy: “At over 6ft 4, Jerry will bring some presence to our back line and I’m delighted to get him on board as he continues his development after spells in Slovenia and Sweden”. Jerry’s registration is subject to international clearance.

Junior Mubiayi (Midfield) Junior is of course a familiar face to Town fans, having made a total of 51 appearances, scoring 4 goals in recent seasons. Andy: “it’s great that Junior has agreed to extend his stay with us. He has appeared in a number of different positions for the side and his versatility as a key utility player is a great asset for us as he is developing all the time.”

Further squad additions will be announced over the next week or so in the lead up to the competitive season which begins on 19th September against Lewes at the QEII Stadium.

We have been informed by Barking FC that this match is open to spectators, with a 3pm kick-off at Mayesbrook Park, Lodge Avenue, Dagenham, Essex, RM8 2JR.

Admission prices will be £6 for adults, £4 for concessions, and £1 for U16s – the club are encouraging payment by card, but are able to take cash.

Appropriate signage will be displayed to encourage social distancing etc, and, as was the case for the recent Walthamstow friendly, Barking request that all visitors use the evePASS App for track and trace purposes. You only need register once and check is done using a mobile device. Data is encrypted, secure and protected against misuse. Alternative arrangements will be in place in cases where it has not been possible to use evePASS.

For more information please go to:
https://evepass.app/#download-app where you can register with evePASS, download the app and obtain information on how to use QR Codes.

Barking’s burger bar will NOT be open, however the clubhouse and bar will be open with a one way system in place and signage to indicate directions.

PLEASE NOTE: There is currently extremely limited parking available at the club’s car park, but Barking have now made arrangements for parking in the sporthouse gym car park, which is approx 200 yards from the football club. Entry to the sporthouse gym will be via a small service road almost opposite Neasham Road in Lodge Avenue. Stewards will be offering directions to supporters. Alternatively, please use street parking as necessary.

Directions: If driving take the exit road from the A13 at Beacontree Heath onto the A1153 Lodge Avenue turn off. Barking FC is approximately one mile down on the left. The 368 bus stops outside or opposite the ground – alternatively, buses 145, 364 and number 5 are a short walk from the LIDL supermarket or from the A13 end get the 62 to the bottom of the hill and walk up Lodge Avenue. To reach the ground by train go to Upney station, turn left and at the bottom of the hill cross the road into The Drive. Go to the end of The Drive and enter Mayesbrook Park, go to the left and keep bearing left, the ground is about five minutes walk past the Sporthouse.

ISTHMIAN LEAGUE NEW SPONSOR: ‘PITCHING IN’

The new sponsor of the, Isthmian League (as well as the Northern Premier and Southern Leagues) is Pitching In. For the period of the sponsorship the league will be known as the Pitching In Isthmian League.

Pitching In is a new Grassroots Sports Investment Programme that has today been launched by GVC, the multi-national sports-betting and gaming group which owns Ladbrokes and Coral.

The partnership covers the leagues that make up Steps 3 & 4 of the National Leagues System, who will market themselves collectively as the Trident Leagues.

England footballing legend Stuart Pearce, who played for Wealdstone for five years at the start of his long and illustrious career, has been appointed as official Pitching In ambassador.

Stuart said “I am delighted to be taking up the role of ambassador for Pitching In, as I’m passionate about the importance of investing in grassroots sports and in developing young talent. I started out playing for Wealdstone before joining Coventry City so I understand how important funding is to the non-league game. Grassroots football is facing huge challenges at the moment and many clubs are struggling to stay afloat. GVC’s Pitching In investment will help make a big difference to hundreds of clubs and thousands of players across the country.”

Pitching In has been set up with the objective of supporting, protecting and encouraging grassroots sports in the UK through a range of initiatives.

In addition to financial support, a key focus of the partnership will be to facilitate and encourage members of the community to become volunteers, and in the weeks ahead Pitching In and the Trident Leagues will be announcing further initiatives to provide financial support and opportunities for clubs.

Town U18s make the short journey to Potters Bar in the Preliminary Round of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday 9th September (KO 7pm).

Adults £4; OAP / concessions £2; Children (Under 16) £1.

Due to Covid-19 guidelines Potters Bar are using a track & trace app at their stadium, which means all visitors, spectators and club officials will need to scan a QR code on entry using the evePASS system. Details can be found via https://evepass.app

The winners will be at home to either Hertford Townor or May & Baker Eastbrook Community FC in the First Qualifying Round.

Five more Town players have been registered on Isthmian League forms for the 20-21 season:

Josh Urquhart

Defender Josh made ten Town appearances towards the end of the truncated 19-20 season, having moved to the QEII Stadium from Billericay Town.  Manager Andy Leese said “We’re delighted to have re-signed Josh.  He came in and made a huge impact last year.  He’s a winner, as he’s shown throughout his career, and it’s great to get him committed.  He’s a good character around the place as well”.

Percy Kiangabeni

23 year-old Percy has returned to Town – he has featured as a trialist in a number of per-season friendlies – and this will be his second spell at the club, having made 33 appearances (one goal) under Bradley Quinton. His positional versatility and commitment made him a popular figure with supporters during his time in a white shirt, and he subsequently represented Concord Rangers, St Albans City, Hendon and Hertford Town. Andy said “Bringing Percy back to the club was a no-brainer, to be honest. He is a talented player who also brings character to the group. He loves it here and has settled in really quickly. I am sure we can get the best out of him this season”.

Adam Pepera

Central defender Adam has had experience with clubs including Harrow Borough, Hayes & Yeading United, Hendon, Farnborough, Chesham United and Northwood. He was most recently with Hanwell Town. Andy: “Adam has impressed us in pre-season. He’s an experienced defender who I know well. He’ll bring welcome leadership qualities to the squad, and it’s good to get someone like him on board”.

Malcolm Podier and Patrick Akwasi

Finally, Andy has confirmed that defender Malcolm Podier and midfielder Patrick Akwasi have signed for Town with a view to initially going out on loan. Malcolm appeared for Welwyn Garden City U23s recently. “Malcolm and Patrick have both caught the eye in pre-season, signed for us, and will go out on loan in order to get the game time they need” said Andy. “They want to be at the club but understand that they have work to do to be ready for first team consideration. Head of Football Operations Graham Dodd will be making a number of arrangements like these whilst we also look at our U18 group to see who might be able to step into the first team environment.

Andy concluded “the squad is nearly there in terms of who we want to sign, with possibly one or two other decisions yet to be made. We should have everyone back and available this week, and we’ll be settling down with more detailed work on the training ground as we look forward to competitive action against Lewes on 19^th September”.

The next Enfield Town Supporters Society meeting will be held on Thursday 3rd September 2020 at 7.30pm via a Zoom link. The agenda will broadly cover:

• latest developments at the club;
• Covid-19 precautions and a return to football; and
• The latest on-field news from Andy Leese and the management team.

Members can ask questions in advance of the meeting via the online “Ask The Board” facility: https://etfc.london/information/ask-the-board Please insert “QUESTION FOR 3 SEPT MEETING” in the subject field. An e-link for joining the meeting will be sent to members in time for the meeting.

The last members’ Zoom meeting was a great success and we had plenty of positive feedback. Please join us if you can!

The 2020-21 provisional Isthmian League fixture list has been drawn up, subject to the ongoing public health situation.

Town’s opening fixture is scheduled to be at home to Lewes on Saturday 19th September. A full list of subsequent fixtures appears below. These will be reproduced elsewhere on the website during the course of the next week or so.

In the meantime, you can check the very latest announcements on the Isthmian League’s website here: https://www.isthmian.co.uk/its-fixture-release-day-63280

ENFIELD TOWN – ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
Sat Sep 19 Lewes H
Tue Sep 22/ Wed Sep 23 FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round
Sat Sep 26 Merstham A
Tue Sep 29 Bishops Stortford A
Sat Oct 3 Kingstonian H
Tue Oct 6 Horsham A
Sat Oct 10 Leatherhead H
Sat Oct 17 Corinthian-Casuals A
Tue Oct 20 Margate H
Sat Oct 24 Carshalton Athletic A
Sat Oct 31 FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round
Tue Nov 3 Brightlingsea Regent H
Sat Nov 7 Cray Wanderers H
Sat Nov 14 Cheshunt A
Tue Nov 17 Hornchurch A
Sat Nov 21 Bognor Regis Town H
Sat Nov 28 Worthing H
Sat Dec 5 Folkestone Invicta A
Sat Dec 12 East Thurrock United H
Sat Dec 19 Wingate & Finchley A
Sat Dec 26 Haringey Borough A
Mon Dec 28 Potters Bar Town H
Sat Jan 2 Bowers & Pitsea A
Sat Jan 9 Horsham H
Sat Jan 16 Carshalton Athletic H
Sat Jan 23 Brightlingsea Regent A
Sat Jan 30 Cheshunt H
Sat Feb 6 Cray Wanderers A
Sat Feb 13 Hornchurch H
Sat Feb 20 Bognor Regis Town A
Sat Feb 27 Lewes A
Tue Mar 2 Bishops Stortford H
Sat Mar 6 Merstham H
Sat Mar 13 Kingstonian A
Sat Mar 20 Folkestone Invicta H
Sat Mar 27 Worthing A
Sat Apr 3 Margate A
Mon Apr 5 Haringey Borough H
Sat Apr 10 Leatherhead A
Sat Apr 17 Corinthian-Casuals H
Sat Apr 24 East Thurrock United A
Sat May 1 Wingate & Finchley H
Mon May 3 Potters Bar Town A
Sat May 8 Bowers & Pitsea H

We have been informed by Walthamstow FC that this match is open to spectators, with a 300 ground capacity in place at Wadham Lodge Sports Ground, Kitchener Road, Walthamstow E17 4JP.

The match is not all-ticket, and there is no segregation, but tickets are available in advance via https://www.walthamstowfc.com/product/ticket-v-enfield-town-friendly/ to ease speed of entry.

• Adults: £5
• Concessions: £3 (students, unemployed, armed forces (active and veterans), pensioners, NHS staff).

Tickets (ie order acknowledgments) should be printed or downloaded to a mobile device. Tickets can also be purchased on the day via card or cash, however Walthamstow’s strong preference is for all supporters to purchase tickets online in advance.

As part of Covid-19 safety improvements, and in line with other Essex Senior League clubs’ precautions, ticketholders are encouraged to download “evePASS”, an electronic track and trace system for attendees. evePASS provides easy and secure check-ins upon arrival at Essex Senior League grounds (you only need register once) and check in can be done using a mobile device, with no pen or paper required. Your data is encrypted, secure and protected against misuse. 

For more information please go to:
https://evepass.app/#download-app where you can register with evePASS, download the app and obtain information on how to use QR Codes. If it is not possible for you to use evePASS for any reason, Walthamstow FC are requesting that you kindly have with you piece of paper with your name, phone number and e-mail address on it for alternative track and trace purposes.

Kick off at Wadham Lodge is at 3pm.

Thanks to a terrific response to the club’s appeal for stewards to volunteer for action on Tuesday 8th September and good progress made to develop the Covid-19 precautions required to be in place for the match, the club can confirm that the home friendly match against Chesham United (Tuesday 8th September, 7.45pm) will take place with a limited number of spectators. Further details of the on-the-night arrangements will be issued in the next few days.

The club’s initial announcement about the fixture can be found here: https://etfc.london/possible-spectator-admission-trial-for-chesham-unied-home-friendly-tuesday-8th-september and a full appraisal of the effectiveness of the arrangements for this match will be undertaken in order to hopefully pave the way for opening turnstiles for subsequent home matches.

Separately, and prior to the Chesham match, the next Enfield Town Supporters Society meeting will be held on Thursday 3rd September 2020 at 7.30pm via a Zoom link. The agenda will broadly cover:

• latest developments at the club;
• Covid-19 precautions and a return to football; and
• The latest on-field news from Andy Leese and the management team.

There will be the opportunity to ask questions in advance of the meeting. This option will be available shortly and an e-link for joining the meeting will also be sent to members in advance.

The last Zoom members meeting was a great success and we had plenty of positive feedback. Please join us if you can!

The club has published its Covid risk assessment documentation, in line with DCMS, FA and Isthmian League guidance. You can find the documentation [HERE]

This risk assessment is a living document, which will be subject to regular review. It will be referred to regularly as the club takes steps to open its gates for spectators in an incremental way.

The club will be developing a Covid/ETFC frequently asked questions page in due course. In the meantime, any questions should be addressed via the Ask The Board facility at https://etfc.london/information/ask-the-board.

An article on the initial proposals for the potential opening of gates, with a strictly limited capacity, for the Enfield Town v Chesham United friendly on 8th September was issued on 21st August – including a form to express an interest in essential stewarding, which can be found at https://etfc.london/possible-spectator-admission-trial-for-chesham-unied-home-friendly-tuesday-8th-september. Please help if you can!