Worthing 1 Enfield Town 0

Report By Andrew warshaw

It wasn’t the Christmas present any of us wanted but in a game of tight margins, we didn’t quite manage to do enough in front of a bumper 1,500-plus crowd.

Despite keeping Worthing largely at bay and showing commendable application, we paid the penalty for not creating enough in the final third, invariably straying offside when we went forward or overhitting passes on the plastic pitch.

While it was a pleasure to renew acquintances with a smiling Mo Faal, the fact that Mo was hauled off on the hour said much about how our defence coped with Worthing’s front three  for most of the afternoon.

In fact that goal that won the game, frustratingly in first-half stoppage time, was the only shot on target from either team in an uneventful opening 45 minutes.

Having had a penalty appeal waved away by the referee, who was right in line with Bayley Brown’s bruising challenge on Joel Colbran, the Worthing skipper was to soon break the deadlock.

The best cross of the half was supplied by Nicky Wheeler and we didn’t track the run of Colbran who fired home.

H-T 0-1

Anointed Chukwu, making his first Towners start, certainly provided the physical presence up front we have been lacking, chasing down balls and imposing himself on the home defence who at times had to whack the ball to safety.

Sam Youngs played just behind him but there wasn’t enough midfield fluidity to carve out enough clearcut opportunities.

To be fair Worthing, for all their possession, didn’t create much either on their familiar surface though they perhaps should have doubled their lead when Jack Spong brought a one-handed save from Rhys Forster, only for Temilolu Babalola to somehow blast the rebound over.

As the wind receded, Town looked to repeat the previous Saturday’s late, late show at Weston-super-Mare, making a couple of subs by introducing Jake Hutchinson against his old club and Joe Payne, with Lennon Peake moved into a central position.

Brown went close as he forced Chris Haigh into an awkward stop from a tight angle but in truth we didn’t test the home keeper enough and this time we couldn’t fashion an equaliser or turn half-chances into genuine opportunities as the game reached its denouement.

Having taken four points from three away games, now come the holiday fixtures at home to Boreham Wood on Boxing Day and away at St. Albans on New Year’s Day, the latter the mother of all six-pointers.

“We had the better of the second half but didn’t carry enough of a threat,” said Gavin Macpherson. “They’re a side that keeps the football but didn’t trouble us at all apart from taking the one chance when it came.”

“We’re bitterly disappointed because we’re coming to places like this and we’re in the game throughout which maybe wasn’t the case three or four weeks ago. Today was not easy to stomach. We’re moving in the right direction but we need points on the board. We all understand that.”

Town:

Forster; Cox, Benjamin, Hawkins; Parcell, Tuck, Youngs, Brown (payne, 75), Leonard; Youngs; Chukwu (Hutchinson 70)