Andrew Warshaw on the host of changes happening at Enfield Town FC as the fight to avoid the drop continues

Last month's Enfield Town AGM at Butler's Bar — Last month’s Enfield Town AGM at Butler’s Bar

It’s the business end of the season for Enfield Town with every game a cup final and every point crucial to the club’s chances of survival.

A six-game unbeaten streak augured well for the run-in before ending in mid-February with a chastening 5-0 home defeat to Eastbourne Borough, followed by a surprise 3-1 reverse against Tonbridge Angels. It has heaped the pressure back on the team as they bid to stay in National League South.

The games don’t get any easier, with the 1^st March visit of high-fliers Dorking to The Dave Bryant Stadium kicking off the final two months of a challenging season. While the campaign could easily go down to the wire on the pitch, off it there is plenty to get enthused about as well.

Plans to install the new fully-costed and funded 400-seater stand are at an advanced stage with planning permission granted by Enfield Council and work due to begin in mid-March. Additionally, turnstiles are due to be in place during the week of 10^th March. All of these changes will increase capacity from 2,500 to 3,000.

And while the playing budget has risen by 30%, recruitment has been by far the biggest bugbear since last year’s promotion. “It’s been the biggest eye opener for all of us,” chairman Paul Reed told last month’s annual general meeting.

“Unlike the league below, where you dealt with the player, at step two every player has at least one agent and is talking to different clubs.”

Manager Gavin Macpherson took up the same theme. “When quality players become available you’re immediately battling with other clubs,” Gavin told the membership. “It’s quite clear we’ve got into a totally different bracket of football.

“The difference between the two levels is huge, but the boys have never once come into the dressing room expecting to lose. We are trying desperately hard to keep ourselves in this league. The fans are the heartbeat of this football club.”

There is no doubt that the Towners have looked a far more settled side since having to cope with something of a revolving door earlier in the campaign. Whether it will be enough to retain step two football will not be known for a few weeks yet.

One new face hoping to make a difference is local businessman Andrew Taylor who has joined the board of directors in place of former Enfield mayor Christine Hamilton, who has stepped down.

Warm tributes were paid to Christine at the AGM and while the board no longer has any female representation, Andrew’s business acumen is already proving a valuable asset.

As chief executive of Crews Hill-based Granite Direct, for several years one of the club’s leading sponsors, Andrew explained the thinking behind putting his name forward. “It’s very easy to stand on the outside and say ‘I would do this or that’ to improve matters without knowing what goes on the inside,” he told the Dispatch.

“I knew a couple of the directors but already I’ve learned there’s so much that goes on that some people may not appreciate. There are always hoops to jump through.

“It’s not an easy job and there are a lot of sacrifices because at the end of the day we’re all volunteers. But I’ve felt for a while I’ve got something to add, especially on the commercial side, both to bring money in and save money. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can help.”

Every director at the club has a particular skill-set and running a 25-strong business certainly gives Andrew a head-start in terms of how to strike up personal relationships and general local knowledge. In other words, having contacts who can help, whether it be installing a vending machine, buying a new microphone or helping to bring new funding into the club.

“A lot of my day-to-day work at Granite is overseeing, but occasionally I like to step back and ask myself if we are doing things the right way, whether cost or time saving. Maximising what we are doing, if you like. At Granite we pride ourselves on a family ethic. If one cog in the wheel falls, it affects everyone.”

These are the kind of skills Andrew is already bringing to the Enfield Town board. “We are in a battle to stay up and it’s important to radiate positivity,” he adds. “Hopefully, I can make a difference.”

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