Raingod

It was a much needed win at the weekend - 2 x away wins in a row against teams at the bottom BUT fighting for survival was not straight forward ... Nice little ground .. and new 3g pitch -funny to see the old turf stacked up behind one end! We started well and from a long throw the ball bobbed around before Jake knocked it in.. .. they equalised with a pen (couldn't see what happened but no one seemed to say it was unfair ...) and overall the 1st half wasn't a classic. Started similar vein 2nd half and didn't feel that confident We did create a couple of good chances - great run by Johnville into the box and shot - perhaps he should have passed rather than shot but fairplay as he had created the opening .. Da Silva also got on the end of a good move but thrashed at the shot when again a pass could have been better .. .. but we weren't keeping possession enough ... Hats off to the management with positive substitutions .. Dayton came on and allows us to keep possession well .. and then LDV/Cunns were both thrown into the mix .. Cunns MOM for me as his attittude and desire rubbed off on the rest of the team .. he shouted at Lyle for not anticipating a flick om, then he chased a lost cause, won the ball and crossed it, only for the keeper to dive out and knock it away .. it would have been a tap in for us if he hadnt made it .. .. and then his goal, well I really hope it is captured on video - he took a touch, turned and fired it right into the keepers top left corner - I was right in line with it and could see straight away it was in! Goal of the season for me .. and loved his celebration coming over to the fans! Some queried why bring LDV on rather than Marcus, but I was pleased we did - he showed his experience in winning us the pen - on another day ref may have waved it away ... their no 15 and keeper were trying to psyche out Jake but he was having none of it - and handed the keeper the ball after converting!! Their keepper was decent enough and clapped the fans at the end - their defence was poor though - agree with comments above about the ref - the 16 constantly manhandled Jake and got away with it - 2 arms around him with no ref whistle .. and in the 2nd their 3 clearly cheated when we got away from him and pretended he had a head injury ... They had a serious injury in the 1st half - worrying they struggled to get the ambulance crew through in the ground - it was only 604 in the crowd! On the way home, Jamie O Hara was on Talk Sport talking about Non League Day - and brought up his last minute sending off at our place back in 2016! So 6 to play .. and it's in our hands .. very tough run, but we can get into the play offs .. We will need to use the full depth of the squad, which is why I am pleases Dayton and LDV played their part at the weekend. My only fear in squad depth is defensively - Dequane is not fit - an injury to Lewis or James would leave us short at the back with only Okocha (or Wordwsorth - lacking match fitness) as cover - not sure if transfer deadline has gone or is this friday - if so another defender would be a worthwhile addition - ideally who could also play full back Hornchurch is a big one tomorrow - whilst it wont define our season in isolation, a win (or draw even) puts us more than a win ahead of the chasing pack - and is this a good time to play them - are htey having a blip? Calling it now .. I predict (slightly optimisticall?) We finish 5th and beat Stortford in the semi - they will be deflated after losing out on the title, we'll be on a high ... Aveley beat Cray and we win at their place in the final - the venue of our last trophy win in 2019!!!

Wasn't there yesterday so be good to hear people's views on the game? Crowd of just 207 so hope someone on here was there? To score 3 and a clean sheet is all we could ask for against a team battling at the bottom .. Yes most sides around us won so doesn't change much, but both Stortford and Hornchurch forums have been expressing concerns over their form ...

Hi CC .. yes it will be tough .. but still in our hands ... At 1st glance the predicted table is worrying to look at ... but when you look at all the predicted results - if those results all happened but we simply beat Stortford 1-0 rather than lose 0-1 to them as they predict, we would jump up from 6th to 2nd in the table! Hopefully our blip ends with a win at Corinthian on Saturday ...

Thanks for this 4WF - what was I thinking! OK last 4 seasons finishing points for 5th place: 21/22 Cheshunt 76 pts 18/19 Merstham 70 pts 17/18 Leiston 79 from 46 games = 72 pts from 42 16/17 Wingate 75 from 46 games = 68 pts from 42. So 3 out of 4 occasions 72 pts is enough - that is 4 wins from 8. We have a very tough run in but with so many teams involved lets hope everyone drops against others (except for us!) Still all to play for .. hoping Jake can be back in action sooner rather than later .. perhaps Liam Hope as a deadline signing to come off the bench for us??!! And if Dequain has a hamstring issue do we need another defender to ensure we have the back 3 option? Remembering last seasons final when Chappell and Smith were unavailable did mean a last minute change ..

wasnt there yesterday so be good to hear from those that were ... listened to most of the 2nd half on their radio show - doesnt sound like we had much in the way of chances, and reading their forum and seeing the 3 mins of highlights seems to back this up, an LDV free kick being our best chance Why was Dequain out of the squad? Injured? Did we change the formation? Be good to hear I have just looked back at the last 5 seasons that have been completed ... and 76 points is enough each time (I have converted 46 match seasons to 42) So that means 16 points from 10 games - which should be acheivable in anyone's book ... Shame that in a season where there is no "Worthing" that we didnt keep pace at the top, but the play offs are very much still there ..

Lee Protheroe resigned as Potters Bar manager at the weekend

I went last night .. thought that Hastings were leaving their ground end of this season but apparently a week ago it was announced they stay an extra year. Had I known I may have decided not to spend 5 hours in the car getting there and back but glad I did! Ground no 144 for me! Nice ground, 100 year old stand, very friendly fans and stewards all happy to talk to you pre game! We continued with 3/5 at the back with Cunns taking over from the injured Cass (hearing it's not a major injury which is great news) My 1st view of the 2 new signings and both impressed .. it was Johnville who attacked down the right and crossed for Adam to head home .. (live scores initially had it down as Chaz who was on the bench?! After scoring we did start to sit back a bit - Nathan made a fantastic save - Hastings twitter said how did he keep that out?! .. and then they equalised just before the break. Second half we were solid and had a couple of 1 on 1s, as well as a great cross that had the keeper not touched we would have tapped in. They had far more of the possession. Credit to the management - attacking subs to try and win the game - Coker on for Dequaine moving to a back 4, followed by the intro of Taaffe and Chez. Both teams continued to attack to the end Overall well worth a point, they may say they had a lot more of the ball but we did have some good chances .. and players all appreciative of the support at the end .. Think the back 3 is working well - Okotcha is our only back up should we get an injury though and he wasnt on the bench? Going into this run of 3 I would have taken 5 points from 9, so far so good, especially after our mini blip .. Horncnhurch seem to be the team to beat now and are on great form .. I see Jo Wright isnt in goal for them at the mo - is he injured or been replaced? Remi also went off injured last night and they seem to have a small squad so maybe this could affect them? Overall though they are 6 pts clear of us with a game in hand so I think its theirs to lose Stortford going through their blip - their forum is saying they lack a goalscorer at present .. then there are many other sides in the mix all around us .. down to Lewes in 11th I would expect anyone feels they have the chance of the playoffs So finishing top 3 is the key for me to ensure a home crowd for the play off semi .. 6 of our last 9 games are agaisnt teams still with aspirations of play offs .. so not there yet .. Given so many big games coming up .. hoping we can tweak the lineup a bit to keep players from getting rusty LDV, Deyton are not playing much and we will certainly need to call on them for example ...

Surprised no more comments on the game? Thought I'd put something in as I always enjoy reading others views when I cant make it My first game for a few weeks and yes it was a bad day at the office .. only made the decision to go last minute and heard the whistle for kick off as I was walking round outside Lots of singing and a drum .. but then I realised it was the Canvey Ultras! Very scrappy first half - we had 3 chances of note ... a great shot from Isaacs that was tipped over, a chance when Joe Payne got it on the edge of the area - Coker had been taken out and we should have got a free kick on the edge of the area .. and there was a cross from LDV that evaded Cass and the follow up (Sam?) could not be put on target .. 1st half was scrappy but even .. second they did better than us The opener - we had a set play which they cleared and broke from down our right .. Dequaine slipped I think .. They then went down our right again to get the 2nd - we didnt seem to get our challenges in on the by line .. The 3rd was awful - unmarked from a free kick/corner .. Ref accidentally showed a red card to one of our players but no one went off so we assume it was an error!! Joe Payne was MOM for me .. overall we werent good enough on the day Cass ran his socks off but was just too isolated Tactics wise, strong wind, by the coast - if you are going to go direct then start Adam up top in my view Probably not the right conditions for the likes of LDV .. Coker was quiet by his standards After scrappy 1st half I think we should have changed things around a bit then .. Its an open league - and Stortford & Hornchurch look the teams to beat (I am told Hornchruch spent 40k on their latest striker!) but we should be making the play offs ... Hopefully an off day and we get back to winning ways tomorrow .. I think we need to shake up the line up a bit .. Marcus, Adam, James D ..?

Jo ellul joins sittingbourne

Josh Hill now out on loan at Hemel ....

Thanks FJ .. was unsure whether I'd visited Northwood's ground or not! Another quick one if I may - a pre season away against Met Police sometime between 2007 and 2011 - but wasnt at their normal ground - do you have this as well ? Thanks!

hi all We played a pre season friendly - it was either 2011 or 2012 - at a school near rickmansworth - does anyone know who we actually played and what the school was called? thanks

Brad Quinton takes over at Hemel today - let’s hope he doesn’t nick our whole squad off us again 😂

In answer to the above questions Coker and Hamilton were not selected in the squad on Saturday - I think Coker has come back this season a far stronger player and think he is in our strongest team McLean has left - Witham I believe, and I hear Scott is still around but is doing a lot of coaching at West Ham

A very frustrating day yesterday .. and could have major rammifications on our season,,, first half I thought we were pretty poor .. they seemed to dominate possession and Nathan was far busier .. don't get why with the players at our disposal we can't hold the ball more Only real chance I remember was when we crossed it across goal but no one was there to tap it in ... Taaffe has been on great form- in my view was our best player at Haringey, but he wasn't as effectual yesterday. And Lyle - on his day arguably our best player and I love him playing for us - but he didn't have a good game - I think he misplaced the first 5 or 6 times he had the ball ... I didn't see the 2nd half incident - will explain why below - but as I understand it the Stortford player punched our player first - and regardless in a brawl like that how can you penalise one side more than the other? Ironically this stirred up the players and the crowd and we had our best spell - Cass had a shot well saved, then a header from the corner, then he shot wide in what seemed like a great chance .. I wouldn't call it outstanding though (see David S post match interview with Andy) The disallowed goal was the right call - Wordsworth bundled the keeper over - I was right there - and the Cold End has tweeted footage that shows this .. and then got a booking for kicking the keeper's water bottle away I get why you would sub Cunns - probably need our fastest fittest players on the pitch, and with Cass away soon makes sense to protect him - but to me keeping him on for long punts would have made sense .. Good to see Sam back after injury and doing his absolute best to salvage something from the game Overall though they deserved it .. I'll be interesting to see whether we appeal or not any of the reds - if they are just then extremely unprofessional of us - I have never seen both centre backs sent off at the same time in an off the ball incident! And Wordsworth who slotted into defence when we were down to 9 being sent off at the final whistle seems to be a stupid action .. and I believe Andy's was for swearing at the ref - again unecessary .. Apparently the suspensions won't kick in til after Aveley on Friday, and Potters Bar are hopefully going to implode having lost their manager and lost 5-2 yesterday .. but this is now an even trickier month .. days after we release Nathan and Ryan K we have only 1 centre back for 3 games? If Nathan has been training with us then surely get him straight back? If not we need a CB and quick - dont believe we've had any youths on the bench that could step up? Loved the Cass interview in the programme yesterday and his commitment to Enfield - I think he is now in my all time favourite ETFC XI after less than a season with us! And the reason I missed the sending offs was because I spent over FORTY minutes in the queue for food - if you are going to have a lunchtime kick off then expect to have more people buying! Lots of moaning and people walking away from the queue - and you cant see the game properly for where it is positioned - llots of lost income yesterday .. So a bad day but hopefully Aveley on Friday will get us back on track ...

Thanks LS .. wasn't there but listened to the live commentary courtesy of David and Ram! Sounded like a deserved win with lots of chances, although against weaker opposition on paper. Great to hear about our playing style and really pleased LDV is back to his best! Looking forward to seeing the highlights Shame we conceded 2 still - any feedback on the defence/the debutant? I personally have been really impressed with Braithwaite this season so was surprised he was dropped. And shame Marcus was ill or would have surely kept his place after last week at Cray Not quite at our target of 2pts/game - but we are up there and now need to go on a run .. Oh and sorry to see Bilal go - really wanted him to succeed as a player with us - but aguably needed to bulk up a bit so not pushed off the ball as much - hope he does well at Walthamstow

Hi All, Thought I'd post up my thoughts on yesterday for those not there. Think my 6th Enfield game of the season, and yes I was at Lewes last week for comparison. So a few changes from the previous week's line up show who Andy was unhappy with from the previous game. First half I would say we shaded it - Nathan made a couple of really good saves but I think overall we created more. Hercules and Wyllie on the wings -Wyllie made some good runs, and at one point was ruthlessly hacked down by their 10 year old looking no 2 who got a booking .. Hercules had a few positive forward touches, but 1st priority seemed to be support the defence rather than get forward .. assume this was a management instruction? Jake chased everything, challenged for everything and led the line well - he's vital to the cause this year, as is Sam, who came close with a shot, as well as being unlucky with a diving header when the ball was launched back in after being cleared from a corner. We made the breakthrough at the start of the 2nd half with Wylie picking up the ball, moving into the centre and driving it home - really impressive! It did feel like we switched off a bit after that, and Cray had more of the play before equalising - from outside the area, allowed too much time. I would like to have seen us push on and look for a 2nd .. Scott was replaced by Dayton (not sure if due to injury) and then Taafe and Hercules were replaced by LDV and Andre .. Taafe had an ok game after being out the side for a while, but no 2 goal heroics like the last time we were here in January! Although I thought the subs should have been earlier, showed attacking intent and we had a few chances to win - Coker shot tamely, and a Cass shot he created himself was well saved. A draw was probably a fair result - thought Lewes last week looked far stronger than Cray did .. Defence held up pretty well - one bad slip up from Richmond gave them a chance, but we did try pass the ball around more - but still think we have the players to do this even more ... Harold wasn;t playing for them - the guy on the gate said he's torn his manuscus and is out long term - but had been playing really well for them. Billy Crook was an unused sub for Cray, but appreciated the Ultras singing about the team of Billy Crooks (!)whilst warming up, and he came over to the Enfield fans at the end - everone was asking him to come and rejoin us - I would love it to happen! With no one running away with it, play offs still need to be the aim and I would argue slightly easier this year with less stand out teams? So an improvement on Lewes; let's hope we can continue to build on this ..

So pleased for the team .. can't wait to see Margate's hghlights!

Hmm .. no comments on this one so I'll start .. to be honest a pretty dire game .. I watched from the side as I was with a friend with his daughter, seeing us defend ..- and in the first 15 mins we were opened up 3 times ... a simple ball over the top and Kouassi was clean through .. Nathan made a number of good saves and would have been my choice for MOM.. We tightened up .. and can be pleased with the clean sheet overall, but we didnt really create much. I wondered it we had reduced the width of the pitch, given the number of times we passed it out of play !! Defence was solid overall - Bray won lots of headers, Braithwaite looks good at CB, and Payne & Spencer both performed well - but we don't pass the ball out enough - hopefully Josh is OK after his appearance back in the friendly - he is great at doing that ... Second half was more even, but I would say if anyone deserved the win it was Canvey - they were an impressive outfit who passed it well Last 10-15 we did make efforts to nick a winner, with Cass and Bilal coming on - and created a few half chances .. I did think though that we had no other attacking options on the bench .. with LDV suspended for 3 big games and not sure where Taaffe was? Would have liked to see Kian Wilkes on the bench ... or do we have anyone else in the squad who is attacking? So an improvement on our meeting 2 weeks ago, but we need to be winning our home games against most if we are to be up there ... Can we sign Kouassi? Surely we are a bigger club than them!