Wingate and Finchley 1 Enfield Town 4
Report by Andrew Warshaw (photo by Michael Michalia)
The wins just keep coming. Enfield Town raced to the top of the table on goal difference on Bank Holiday Monday as they completed back-to-back routs, following up Saturday’s demolition of Whitehawk with another highly impressive goal fest.
Five wins out of six tells its own story but it has been the manner of the performances and the free-flowing style of football that has left Town fans, who made up a vast majority of Wingate and Finchley’s record league attendance, purring with admiration.
Against a side that has given us problems in the past, Billy Holland made three changes from Saturday, one of them enforced with Adam Thompson suffering from tendonitis.
But once again, it was a seamless transition with those who slotted in showing just the kind of adaptability – very much the byword at the moment – that has been the hallmark of our season so far.
Whilst delighted with another outstanding team display, Billy admitted afterwards, not for the first time, that we may not gain a true reflection of where we stand until halfway through the season. But for now, the good times are certainly rolling as we ultimately put Wingate, who had won their previous two, to the sword.
Once again Town got off to a flier when the demon duo, Tommy Avgoustidis and Amrit Bansal-McNulty – the latter back in the starting lineup after recovering from a slight knock – linking up superbly for Amrit to slot home.
Tommy’s sublime back heel to Sam Youngs almost paid off, only for Sam to push his effort narrowly wide. Then Billy Leonard fired into the arms of Charlie Grainger.
A rare fumble by Dylan Thompson in our own goal almost let Wingate back in from a corner before the ball was blocked and cleared.
But Town continued to look the more threatening side, twice going close through Luke May-Parrott. First he shot just wide after a gorgeous one-touch move, then failed to beat Grainger when clean through on goal after Declan Rydings – a lung-busting tower of strength all afternoon – won the ball high up the pitch.
But on 18 minutes Town deservedly doubled their lead when that man Bansal-McNulty sublimely dinked the ball over the keeper.
Town were now very much in the ascendancy and arguably should have gone in at halftime with the game put to bed. Instead, they had the narrowest of leads.
The warning signs were already there when Billy Cracknell inexplicably sent former Enfield striker Anointed Chukwu’s headed assist over the bar and Chuk then blasted over himself from close range.
But right on halftime it had to happen, didn’t it? Town didn’t deal with Wingate’s best player, No 7 Caoilan McGettigan, and Chuk – who else? – had a tap-in to half the deficit.
H-T 1-2
It was an almost identical scenario to Town’s previous away game at Brentwood but once again we didn’t panic and arguably re-emerged even stronger.
On 62 minutes, Bansul-McNulty’s glorious cross took out the whole of the home defence and Shiloh Remy converted at the back post with almost his first touch off the bench.
Billy Leonard’s 20-yard surge through the centre of midfield almost paid dividends after a fabulous one-two with Youngs but the rout was duly completed with arguably the goal of the game, Avgoustidis showing wonderful control with an outrageous lob over the advancing Grainger.
Job very much done and now for the FA Cup first qualifying round next Saturday away at Step 5 Fernford, described as the biggest game in the Essex club’s history but hopefully a banana skin Town will come through unscathed.
Town
Thompson D; Tanimowo (Velasquez 78), Hart, Mensah, Parcell (Domi 69); Rydings, Leonard, Bansul-McNulty (Corrigan 75); Youngs, May-Parrott (Remy 69), Avgoustidis (Kyei 78)