"Nowhere are our calculations more frequently upset than in war"*

How very true the above quote might prove to be. As regular readers of this blog will already be only too aware, we have now reached the “business end” of the non-league football season. It is traditional that, at this time of year, fans of Enfield Town remove their shoes and socks to help them in calculating some of the many possible play-off place scenarios that have loomed into view. In the full knowledge that the "war" of football may upset even their most careful maths. Would that looming shape be a soaring, sky-scraper of success, this time; or just another fateful, titanic ice-berg? Enfield Town went into the Bank Holiday weekend on a run of FIVE straight wins, which had kept their hopes of a place in the Ryman Premier League play-offs firmly alive. There would be two games in quick succession, in the space of just two days; after which some of the fog of that end-of-season uncertainty would (hopefully) have started to clear. For the good!

Enfield Town vs. Folkestone Invicta

Saturday 1st April, 2017 - Ryman Premier League,  3pm k-o

First up were well-travelled Kentish opponents Folkestone Town. The Seasiders’ day would involve a demanding 190-mile-plus round-trip (to Donkey Lane); a distance involved in so many of their Ryman match days. This particular journey would be over-shadowed by potential relegation nerves, as The Stripes continued to dabble with the wrong end of the table, at just the wrong part of the season; despite a decent recent form of two wins and a draw in their last 5 outings. The positive prospects were enough to draw a well above average crowd of 623, including a decent away turn-out, given the journey required.

The visitors were on the back foot from the start of the game, though; and they were far too generous to their hosts, after just 4 minutes. At an early corner, Towners Skipper Mark Kirby rose ‘at the back’, on the edge of the 6-yard box. He drove his downward header past Folkestone ‘keeper, Tim Roberts, to open the scoring. It turned out to be just what The Seasiders needed to kick-start their performance. From the restart, they looked to play with more energy and urgency – making far more of a contest of things. They also started to regularly show their skill at controlling the ball with their hands – apparently un-noticed by referee Stuart Cheek. Was he as inept as he seemed? Or perhaps just living up to his name and merely turning the other one - repeatedly?

Kirby (airborne, centre, in white) powers home the first goal.

After a quarter of an hour, Town’s Karl Oliyide made a decisive break on goal; but hit his effort tamely across Roberts’s goal, to groans from the home supporters. After 24 minutes, however, Oliyide made partial amends. He broke through a cluster of defenders before sliding a pass to #10 Harry Ottaway. The big Town forward hit his shot straight at Roberts; but he was lucky enough to see the save bounce kindly back out to him. He needed no third time of asking, establishing a comfortable 2-0 lead with his rebound effort. The score remained the same up to the half-time break; where it became apparent that score-lines elsewhere were also going in the Towners’ favour.

Invicta rang the changes with a half-time substitution: bringing on #14 Joseph Taylor for Sam Hasler. The tactical change proved positive. With improved shape and menace, Taylor scored for the visitors, to finish off a very rapid and incisive break after 66 minutes. Luckily for Town, this came after Dernell Wynter had already added a third for Enfield, after just a couple of second-half minutes. Wynter played a neat 1-2 with Ottaway, whose flick-on found the number 9 running into space. He still had plenty to do; but Wynter did it, with aplomb.

Anatomy of a goal 1: Wynter (right, in white) runs on to Ottaway's flicked return.

Anatomy of a goal 2: Wynter 'checks back inside', before unleashing his shot past the waiting Roberts, in front of an expectant home crowd.

Anatomy of a goal 3: ... and then it's party time, as Wynter celebrates with his relieved teammates. 

 Anatomy of a goal 4: ... and Billy Crook (left) reminds us all who's just scored. As Folkestone's contrasting body language tells more of the full story.

Despite Folkestone’s goal, there was little else but home nervousness to report; and some unkind chanting. The Seasiders seemed to start it off; by booing the injured Town ‘keeper, McDonald, apparently for perceived "time-wasting". They were met with louder jeers from the opposite end; and choruses of “We’re going up; you’re going down” and variations on that theme. Town saw out the game 3-1, before heading for the changing room to see how other results would leave them in the table. The answer to which was that defeats for Leiston, Harlow and Billericay were all good news; and Town found themselves in the final play-off place, after securing their sixth win ‘on the bounce’. They were now level on points with Leiston (whom they are scheduled to play at Donkey Lane on the final day of the regular season) and with a superior Goal Difference of +22 over nearest rivals, Wingate and Finchley, on the same number of points. Two wins from two would see them secure that coveted play-off place, for sure. Meanwhile, Folkestone had sunk back into one of the relegation berths. Should we be surprised that news of Enfield’s epic improvement in form has reached the four corners of … East Anglia? From where, Norwich's budding soccer vlogger Ellis Platten descended on the QEII stadium for this crunch match, in order to include it in his “Away Days” site: https://youtu.be/MN-f6bkjdXg. One day Juventus, the next Barcelona … and then ETFC’s crunch play-off game in the Ryman Isthmian Premier League. "Classico!"

Home fans, behind the visitors' goal, in the newly-sponsored "Old Wheatsheaf" stand, at the Western end of the QEII Stadium.

Enfield Town: Nathan McDonald, Jonathan Muleba, Ricky Gabriel, Harold Joseph, Mark Kirby, Scott Shulton, Tyler Campbell (Mickey Parcell 75), Billy Crook, Dernell Wynter (Nathan Livings 89), Harry Ottaway, Karl Oliyide (Samir Bihmoutine 59). Unused subs: Bobby Devyne, Trey Williams. Booked: Shulton, Parcell.

Folkestone Invicta: Tim Roberts, Callum Davies, Nat Blanks, Liam Friend, Frankie Chappell, Micheal Everitt (Ashley Miller 79), Jordan Wright (Joe Taylor 46), Sam Hasler (Sam Beale 84), Ian Draycott, Nathan Ferguson, Miles Cornwell. Unused subs: Euan Sahadow, Charlie Presnell. Booked: Everitt, Hasler, Miller.

Attendance: 623.

Harlow Town vs. Enfield Town

Monday 3rd April, 2017 - Ryman Premier League,  3pm k-o

So, onwards to The Harlow Stadium, just two days later. Although the hosts had won 3 and drawn 1 of their last 5 games, Enfield Town were now on a roll of 6 consecutive wins, themselves; and perhaps the biggest obstacle facing them in the Essex sunshine would be the home side’s artificial pitch, which had given them such a decisive early advantage in the Ryman South play-off victory, last Spring (see an earlier post of mine, on this blog: Harlow Town vs AFC Hornchuch – April 2016).

A travelling horde of Towners supporters gave Harlow their biggest gate of the season (607, well over twice the size of their average home crowd, of 274). This also gave rise to the first contest of the day: the singing battle. Harlow’s home fans had come prepared to ‘give it some’; but, faced with the scale of the Enfield Ultras’ invasion, there was only one likely outcome. As the Harlow website later acknowledged: ”Your fans were in great voice, best supporters at the Harlow Arena all season” … and it’s true – we were! Luckily, there would be plenty to sing about… eventually. Enfield Manager Bradley Quinton had the luxury of making just one enforced change to a settled and successful Town starting line-up: with Percy Kiangebeni deputising for “the unwell Harold Joseph”

Promoted at the end of last season, Harlow are a well-organised side, with a neat and well-organised stadium. While the half-time score-line of 0-0 may have flattered the home side just a little, Enfield hadn’t done enough in the final third of the pitch to deserve a lead, going into the break. As Town fans checked out the half-time scores from elsewhere around the league, I confidently joked with those around me that it wouldn’t matter how the other sides were doing, by the time we scored our three second-half goals. Was I merely tempting fickle fate?

The two sets of fans do good-natured vocal battle, in the first half. The game would later see more physical, less good-natured battles, on the pitch.

From a strictly administrative perspective, Harlow seemed to have failed to maximise their cash revenue at this, their last home game of the season. Yes, the gate was impressive (thanks to all those travelling Towners fans); and yes, the bar was busy; but the programmes had sold out by the time I arrived, which was well before kick-off. I had to make do with just a quick snap-shot of the team sheet (see above). It’s a tough balance to get right, of course; but how many easy £2 of additional revenue had Harlow lost, by being cautious about the numbers printed? It might have been “a schoolboy error”, given that Enfield have had the 5^th best away support in the division, this term. That is, it might have been IF it hadn't been for the fact that Harlow were charging £12 entry, on the gate - 20% more than the £10 maximum I've paid anywhere else before, "at this level"; including at Donkey Lane. Either they were being opportunistic (the price signs were, after all, just simple A4 printed sheets) OR, if it's an ongoing price premium, that may well account for the club's comparatively low average home crowds.

On the pitch, Harlow also left a little to be desired, considering they had been play-off hopefuls themselves until as recently as a couple of games ago. Those had clearly been “Emperor’s Clothes” that the Essex side had been wearing, though. Only two sides had better home form than Harlow (could that be anything to do with their plastic pitch, perhaps?); while their away form had found them out, throughout the year, on regular FOOTBALL pitches. Enfield Town set about a systematic deconstruction of their hosts’ aspirations, in the second half. Even as the home side’s yellow card count continued to climb, alarmingly.

We were less than ten minutes into the second-half when Town’s Oliyide made a great, surging run on the right, drawing out the Harlow defence and creating space in the middle for #10, Harry Ottaway to ghost into. Oliyide’s low, driven pass was turned in by Ottaway from the six-yard line, under pressure from the Harlow skipper, Craig Pope. It was a great time to score - is there ever, really, a bad time? The home team’s body language spoke volumes; and the visitors (players and fans alike) were visibly and audibly happier about proceedings. The singing intensified ever further; and the momentum of the game swung firmly in Enfield’s favour.

Oliyide (centre-right, in yellow) leaves defenders trailing in his wake before sending in a low, driven cross for Ottaway to stab home from 6 yards.

Just three minutes later, there was a lengthy delay to play; as Harlow’s left-back, Layne Eadie, was helped off the pitch and replaced by Bamba Ngamb – whose name, curiously enough, is an anagram of “Bam, Bam, Bang”. Towners fans were hoping they’d see no feisty fireworks from him; but they almost did. A few minutes after his introduction, the Harlow sub might have earned his side a penalty after he and Town’s Ricky Gabriel tangled with each other on the edge of the area, after Ngamb had made a run on the Harlow right. With enough paperwork already building in his in-tray, Mr. Hancock turned down shrill appeals from both Harlow’s players AND their desperate fans. The hosts kept knocking on Enfield’s ‘door’, trying to get themselves onto the score-sheet and back in the game; but, despite all of their wolfish huff and puff, it was to no avail. They could NOT come in!

Harlow have a decent chunk of higher level experience in their ranks. Club captain Craig Pope has played for Barnet, for instance. More notably, one of Pope’s defensive chums, the Senegalese centre-back Ibrahima Sonko, may be better known to some readers, from his stints over a 10-year period at Brentford, Reading, Stoke City, Hull City, Portsmouth and Ipswich Town – including some top-flight English football. Interestingly, he turned down a one-year contract with Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock this season, to remain in Tier 7 of the English pyramid with Harlow - and to stay closer to his family. Unsurprisingly, Sonko put in a decent and polished shift for the hosts; making some important blocks and interventions at the back AND heading an offensive corner just over. What a difference that attempt might have made, if he was just a few inches shorter than his actual, massive, 6 foot 3 inch frame.

With 14 minutes remaining, an Enfield corner from their left was met by captain Mark Kirby with a powerful header. Harlow’s ‘keeper parried the goal-bound effort; but the rebound found its way to Ottaway, who hit a fierce drive from the edge of the box to make the score 0-2. Any remaining nerves amongst the visitors appeared to be eased. The singing became more joyful; and, in turn, each of the coaching staff and substituted players were asked to indicate the current score-line. In something of a party mood, they all duly did so. "2-0, to the Football Team; 2-0 ...", etc., sang the taunting away fans; as the action got ever more "agricultural".

Ottaway (#10, yellow) wins yet another aerial battle with the later-red-carded, “solid, strong and powerful” - but, ultimately, not very good - Pope. 

When I last visited The Harlow Stadium, a few home "fans" had started a punch-up, just to the side of the pitch, with the coaching staff of the visiting side. Their team went one better this time, by starting a melee ON the pitch with the visiting players, late in the game. The referee, one Mr. Thomas Hancock, decided that it was more or less just “handbags”** and issued a couple of 83^rd minute yellow cards, to calm down everybody’s over-heated emotions – and keep the card count ticking over. He would have a whole mess of paper-work to complete, after the final whistle. Enfield’s Scott Shulton and Harlow’s substitute, Tommy Fagg (no, seriously!) were both booked; but the home player seemed very lucky not to have seen red, being the instigator of the whole messy, retaliatory affair. Luckily, he was punished in another way, by the visiting fans, who sang him ongoing lullabies, for the rest of the match; issuing their own form of rough justice – and referring to him, perhaps a little unkindly, as “The Pikey”. All of which ruffled Home feathers just a little further. Luckily for Enfield, by this stage of the game, they were already in control of the score-line; and their own destiny.

Tommy "Pikey" Fagg (#15, in red, white and blue) continues to remonstrate, long after the event - from behind a safe cordon of his own team-mates.

Enfield continued to dominate possession and territory as the game entered its 8 minutes of required stoppage time. In one late Enfield break, Harlow skipper Pope picked up a second caution for grabbing Ottaway by the neck and hauling him down, when the latter looked to have broken clear on goal. We might have known it was coming. The Harlow website describes their captain as “solid … strong and powerful” - and he demonstrated these properties in wrestling Ottaway to the ground, like a rodeo bull. With just 10 men, Harlow finally crumbled, in injury time; allowing Oliyide to add a perhaps slightly flattering third away goal. At which point the Enfield party went into over-drive in the Jack Chapman stand; celebrations that lasted well after Mr. Hancock’s final whistle.

So, as I’d earlier suggested we would, Enfield DID go on to score three second-half goals; and it really didn’t matter at all how those other sides in the division were doing. Town now needed only to avoid a home defeat to Leiston, on the last day of the season, in order to maintain their promotion push and their play-off place. Our calculations had not been upset by the Battle of Harlow. We left Essex with our shoes and socks placed firmly back on our feet, after our almost-decisive seventh straight win. Come on, you Towners!

Harlow Town: David Hughes, Craig Pope, Layne Eadie (Bamba Ngamb 57), Charlie Dickens, Ibrahima Sonko, Stanley Muguo, Jared Small, Fabion Simms, Alex Read (Tommy Fagg 77), Mario Noto (Jack Curtis 81), Junior Dadson. Unused: Syrus Gordon, Patrick Lee. Booked: Simms, Pope, Noto, Fagg. Sent off: Pope.

Enfield Town: Nathan McDonald, Jonathan Muleba, Ricky Gabriel, Percy Kiangebeni, Mark Kirby, Scott Shulton (Nathan Livings 85), Tyler Campbell (Samir Bihmoutine 74), Billy Crook, Dernell Wynter (Bobby Devyne 84), Harry Ottaway, Karl Oliyide. Unused: Mickey Parcell, Trey Williams. Booked: Campbell, Shulton.

Attendance: 607.

Footnotes:

* Quote from Livy - Roman Historian (59 BC - 17 AD)

** "Handbags" - a technical term used to describe a scuffle between football players which is unworthy of the term "fight". Slightly confusingly, no handbags are normally deployed by any parties involved in such an altercation.