Match preview: Enfield Town (H)

Tomorrow, Luke Garrard’s men host relegation threatened Enfield Town in our final home National League South fixture of the regular season, kicking off at 15:00.

Last Season for the Towners

Enfield Town enjoyed a historic campaign last season, earning promotion to the sixth tier for the first time in the club’s history after winning the Isthmian Premier League play-offs. After finishing third with an impressive record of 22 wins, 11 draws and nine losses, the Towners defeated Wingate & Finchley and Chatham in the play-offs to secure a place in the Vanarama National League South.

Form Guide

The Towners are currently unbeaten in their last eight outings in the Vanarama National League South, with four wins and four draws. Thanks to this strong form, they currently sit just outside the relegation zone and are only a point away from confirming their status in the sixth tier for next season.

In their previous match, Enfield Town were held to a 1–1 draw against relegation-bound St Albans City at the Queen Elizabeth II Stadium. The hosts fell behind early on when Zane Banton scored his sixth goal of the season. Fortunately for the Towners, they quickly levelled through Cian Dillon’s 23rd-minute strike, earning a valuable point in their fight for survival.

Last Time We Met

The Wood secured a festive 2–0 victory at Enfield Town, with a first-half brace from top scorer Kwesi Appiah proving enough to seal the win. Although Wood dominated early possession, they initially struggled to create clear-cut chances, while Enfield came closest when Lennon Peake forced a sharp save from Nathan Ashmore. The breakthrough came in the 24th minute, when a superb pass from Femi Ilesanmi picked out Appiah, who calmly slotted home from close range, before doubling the lead just before the break with a well-taken header from a Jon Benton cross.

Enfield responded with spirit in the second half, as Billy Leonard fired narrowly wide shortly after the restart and Harry Hawkins directed a header straight at Ashmore. Appiah came close to completing his hat-trick when he latched onto a Whelan pass, only for his effort to be cleared off the line, while Tom Whelan later forced a fine save after linking up well with Chris Bush and Lee Ndlovu. A teasing Ilesanmi cross just evaded Appiah as we pushed for a third, but despite late pressure from the hosts, a resolute Wood defence held firm to secure a deserved win.

One to Watch

Veteran Towners midfielder Sam Youngs will be a major threat to Gavin Macpherson’s side tomorrow afternoon. Youngs joined in July 2017 from Chesham United and has since made almost 300 appearances, also earning Manager’s Player of the Season during their promotion campaign last season. This term, he has played a key role in Enfield Town’s survival fight, contributing 16 goals in the Vanarama National League South.

The Wood

A win tomorrow afternoon for Luke Garrard’s men would mark four consecutive victories for the first time since January and would guarantee a place in the Vanarama National League South play-offs. An upturn in form since the start of April has lifted the Wood to 10th in the form guide, with three wins and three defeats in our last six outings.

Our most recent match was a commanding 4–2 victory over mid-table side Slough Town at Arbour Park. A quickfire double in the opening 15 minutes set the tone, with goals from Matt Rush and Charles Clayden. Although the Rebels pulled one back in the 33rd minute through John Gilbert, the Wood finished the half strongly as Rush grabbed his second just before the break.

The Rebels started the second half brightly and were awarded a penalty early on, but Gilbert failed to convert, swinging the momentum back in Wood’s favour. This led to a fourth goal, courtesy of Tyrone Marsh’s composed finish. A late consolation from David Ogbonna rounded off an exciting encounter in Berkshire and all but confirmed a play-off spot for the Wood.

Pre-match interview

Ticket information

Ticket information for tomorrow afternoon’s fixture can be found here.

Can’t join us tomorrow afternoon?

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