Andrew Warshaw on how Enfield Town FC are faring as the business end of the season begins to loom

Towners boss Gavin Macpherson in the dugout at The Dave Bryant Stadium

Enfield Town go into a potentially pivotal month with every point precious as they seek to pull away from the danger zone.

With 17 games to go from the start of February until the end of the season, there is still plenty of time to climb the table, but with four sides facing the drop, the importance of not being cast adrift cannot be overstated.

To boost the club’s chances of survival for a second straight campaign, three new players were drafted in during January – Corie Andrews and Enfield-born Ruben Bartlett-Antwi, both forwards, plus defensive midfielder Yacou Traore, who will provide the tough-tackling attributes Town have at times been lacking.

One advantage perhaps that Town have over the other clubs near the bottom is that they have been here before and know what it takes to mount a late run to ensure survival – as they managed at the end of last season. Having said that, the entire league is stronger and everyone’s nerves will take a battering if the club finds itself in a similar position to last season with a handful of games left in April.

“Would it be the biggest achievement in my management career if we could do it again? A resounding yes,” manager Gavin Macpherson told the Dispatch. “I understand the magnitude of what we have to achieve. Supporters up and down the land always think their club should be doing better than it is.

“I acknowledge there have been a lot of points we should have got but didn’t, but the league has pushed on and it’s a much bigger task this time.”

Asked at the club’s recent annual general meeting (AGM) why Town were prone to conceding so many late goals, he put it down to a mentality issue. “It’s a question of leadership on the pitch and organisation,” said Gavin, who has been without club captain Mickey Parcell for a number of weeks.

Meanwhile, the club has tweaked its board structure to try and reflect certain areas of expertise, with the election of former Tottenham Hotspur commercial manager Adam Pollington. Adam, who is already involved in coaching the Enfield Town under-12 girls’ team and whose wife Laura, a local GP, is Town’s club doctor, held his post at Spurs for eleven years and will bring immense acumen and expertise to the table moving forward.

“I’m looking forward to giving everything I can to the role,” Adam told the club’s packed AGM. “As a lifelong Town supporter, I feel that the time is right for me to combine my professional expertise and passion for the club to strengthen the efforts of the board, supporters and ultimately the team.”

Adam becomes a director, as does Gabriel Meytanis, who rejoins the board after a year’s absence, while Ram Ismail has been re-elected after his term had expired. Co-opted on to the board but not as directors are Lisa Quinlan-Rahman, who is in charge of the ladies section, and Neil Lutwyche, who runs the boys youth teams as well as being responsible for pitch management.

In other matters at the AGM, chairman Paul Reed revealed that sponsorship had doubled and confirmed that discussions over a possible artificial pitch were being put on the back burner – at least for the time being – since the idea was not viable. There are still long-term plans, however, to build a new bar facility.

Although the club has increased the number of contracted players and the budget is greater than last season, recruitment is proving once again to be a challenging exercise. As an example of this, Paul revealed that terms had been agreed with a proven striker during the summer after three weeks of discussions, only for his agent to suddenly demand another 20% just 24 hours before the player, who ultimately signed for another club, was going to arrive. It’s a stark illustration of what Town have to deal with when it comes to competition for established experience at this level.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, 28th February against Bath City, the club is once again commemorating International Women’s Day to showcase the ethos of gender inclusivity. The club is opening the turnstiles free of charge to all women and girls. Among the dignitaries due to attend is Enfield mayor Margaret Greer, Enfield North MP Feryal Clark and a number of visitors from Tottenham Hotspur. Anyone wishing to run a stall on the day should email [email protected].

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