Enfield Town boss Gavin Macpherson speaks to Andrew Warshaw about the club’s survival in National League North

Gavin Macpherson receives a bottle of bubbly from Rick Howlett of sponsors Vanderpump Sykes (credit Phil Davison) — Gavin Macpherson received a bottle of bubbly from sponsors Vanderpump Sykes after Enfield Town survived relegation (credit Phil Davison)

Never has a 5-1 defeat been so wildly celebrated.

It may not have been how they envisaged their survival to unfold but the party atmosphere after Enfield Town’s final game of the 2024/25 season said everything about the massive achievement of staying in National League South.

Having pulled off the ‘great escape’ after being rock bottom at new year, it was only natural that emotions ran high both in terms of a pitch invasion and long into the evening at The Dave Bryant Stadium’s bar.

Town’s step two survival after gaining promotion a year ago always seemed probable going into the final round of fixtures, but you could nevertheless touch the tension. Both St Albans and Salisbury had to win if Town were to slip but, in the end, neither did – ensuring Town were safe.

“We were everyone’s tip to go down so it’s an unbelievable feat by the players for all their hard work and they deserve all the plaudits,” manager Gavin Macpherson told the Dispatch.

Having achieved their goal of staying up, now it’s all about consolidation in a league that will be even tougher next season with the likes of Dagenham and Redbridge and Maidenhead United joining an already high-quality field.

Gavin freely admits it took time for him and his management team to adjust to the rigours of National League South. But lessons have been learned and Town’s performances in the second half of the season augur well for the future.

The planning starts now with a clutch of existing players having already committed their futures to the club, including experienced ex-Northern Ireland international Adam Thompson – whose displays at the back were instrumental, as much as anyone’s, in keeping the Towners up – plus fellow defender Henry Hawkins and young winger Billy Leonard, who picked up the management player of the season award.

More are expected to follow, supplemented by some key new faces. Others will invariably look elsewhere.

“The recruitment role will be different, making us much stronger as a club, and so will the profile of player in terms of energy and physicality,” Gavin revealed. “I did a lot of homework this time last year but I misjudged a few things in terms of certain players not coping with the level.”

Has knowing what he knows now made the job any easier?

“Not really, because the league has gone up another notch in terms of quality.

“We’re not going to get anywhere near all those we have identified because we’re battling against a load of clubs chasing the same pool of players and whose offers we can’t possibly match. So you have act smart, which is what we’ve always done.

“We need to show progress and I’m confident we will. If I get assurances from certain players from the second half of last season, we’ll have a good foundation to go with any additions. Consolidation is the bottom line, hopefully better than that.”

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.