The Magic of The Cup lives on... at least at the Grass Roots level, it still does.

The FA Cup, First Qualifying Round – Enfield Town vs. Potters Bar Town

Saturday 2nd September 2023, kick-off: 3pm

Attendance: 555 (it could have been worse - it could have been 666...)

Venue: Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Donkey Lane.

It's been a while since I dragged you all along to Enfield Town FC's QEII stadium. But who can resist The Magic of the Cup? Plus the lure of an encore "Brucie Bonus", at the bitter end...

Enfield Town FC's famous(?) Café Tower is part of a restored, Grade II Listed Building, in the "Art Deco" style. But don't worry, footie fans, that "Café" (ahem!) is primarily a licenced bar, with a very decent range of "refreshments" on offer. You can probably smell it from there. 

For those still unfamiliar with The Old Girl of Donkey Lane, I quote briefly here some explanatory, context-setting text from Wiki:
'In 1939, construction of a new sports venue for Enfield began. The centre-piece was an athletics stadium, with additional space on the site for ball sports and a swimming pool. Due to the Second World War, work on the site was suspended, with the stadium not being completed until 1953.'

The poor old thing was already well out of date, LONG before she opened to the public. The old (open-air) swimming pool is long gone, alas. Global warming means it would have probably have become a most welcome local attraction, if only Enfield Council hadn't been so shabbily short-sighted. As usual!

"At this level..." the devil is often in the detail. Here, the team sheet is wrongly ascribed to a league fixture. Would never happen at Craven Cottage.

Enfield Town (in white shirts, blue shorts) 3

Potters Bar Town 0

Both these sides play in the Isthmian League Premier Division. So it might, theoretically at least, have offered up a close contest. The score line, however (already shared above) reflects an utter dominance enjoyed by the home side on the day in question. Town coulda, shoulda, woulda won by 5 or 6 on any other day.

Enfield were unbeaten and sat 2nd in the league, behind 100-percenters, Chatham Town. While Potters Bar were pointless (in SO many ways!) and sat firmly at the bottom of the same league table. Their early season results had included a home 0-2 reverse to their Cup hosts. So you would probably have got very short odds on a home win, before kick-off.

ETFC's average home league gate had been 491 (after just 2 x home games so far, this season). The sunshine and that famous Cup Magic, therefore, did seem to bring out a few welcome extra fans. Despite relatively modest away support.

In fact, there was quite a family atmosphere in the ground. Not least after a couple of early goals had settled any potential home nerves.

The Towners' #8, Sam Youngs, bravely stoops and "puts his head in" at the near post to score with a glancing header, in the 14th minute - and it's 2-0 already! Spot the ball. Clue: it's goal-bound, and low, in the (neatly mown) 6-yard box.

A number of "Towners" fans are also Spurs fans. So, as news of the latter's mounting Premier League score line at Burnley filtered through, there was also something of an increasingly relaxed party vibe, as well. 🎈⚽🏆

There were 110 x First Qualifying Round fixtures being played over the weekend. But this may have been one of the better ones to attend, at one of the neater,  friendlier, sunnier grounds - at least in the South of England. You're welcome!

I'll take you on a photographic tour of the day. It'll be just like being there...

It's "all smiles", as the club Captains and match officials get the pre-match preliminaries and niceties out of the way, in front of The Cameras



Enfield Town's main "Art Deco" stand is the backdrop to a first-half set-piece routine, just after the half-hour mark. 

As the big flag says, ETFC were the first 100% fan-owned club in the country. Though others have since followed suit. This photo almost has it all: the green, green grass of home, a healthy crowd, floodlights, dug-outs, subs warming up, club stewards, another sunny afternoon in North London. As I said, looking at this picture is just like being there. Almost...

… whereas, the opposite backdrop, on the North side of the ground (here to a second-half set-piece routine) is a little less impressive than the previous one. But it is, at least REAL - and fairly representative of "this level".

Not too many visiting fans are visible in the Away end. Which may help to explain Potters Bar's current plight.

Corner flag and floodlight "porn", for those who like such things. Though the latter aren't switched on, in the warm afternoon sunshine, of course.

Our QEII stadium is such an acknowledged work of football architectural art, that it even attracts actual artists, who enjoy studying it - and taking up the challenge of trying to capture its essence. Strangely, there are typically fewer of them in attendance on a cold, wet Wednesday night in January...

Since that big win, witnessed above, Enfield Town have remained unbeaten in the league. One of just 4 clubs to maintain that status, after 6 x games. Their maintained record includes a home draw, last time out, after coming back from behind twice.  Against a Bognor Town side who were, frankly, far better on the day than their lowly league position implied would be the case. Fully deserving of at least a point. Perhaps unlucky NOT to take more. Read on for your "Brief Brucie Bonus"...

Isthmian League - Premier Division

Saturday 9th September 2023, kick-off: 3pm

Attendance: 560

Venue: Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Donkey Lane.

Enfield Town (in white shirts, blue shorts) 2

Bognor Town 2

What could yet prove to be an invaluable home point was salvaged, in blistering September heatwave conditions, that necessitated regular drinks breaks for all.

The second-half drinks break was welcomed by all.

It was a game that saw the ball spend a lot of its time in the air. Perhaps not one for The Purists amongst us.

But, on balance, the (hot) home faithful were just glad they'd seen two equalising goals and a share of the spoils.

... While the bucolic setting of the local Old Ignatians Rugby Club, opposite the QEII, remained (very sensibly) unused, in the heat.

Alas, I will be forced to miss the next Qualifying Round of The FA Cup, as Enfield Town take on Felixstowe and Walton United, on Saturday 16th September 2023, at 3pm. Watch out for those supposed "underdogs", Towners! 🐶

I wish The Towners well but can only hope, from a distance, that I'll be watching them in the NEXT round of The People's Cup, very soon. 🤞 That could be a very useful and lucrative money-earner for the club.

Meanwhile I have a pre-arranged fixture clash with the long-suffering, distance-travelling, "Yoko-Meshi", in their third glorious season of following lower-league football. So, instead of watching The Towners pursue their Cup Dreams, I will be joining Bill and The Boys to watch WALTHAMSTOW FC v MALDON & TIPTREE FC in the Isthmian League Division 1 North (Step 4, Tier 8) at Wadham Lodge Sports Ground, Walthamstow (Adults: £10, Concessions: £5). Match report to follow. Probably. If you're very, very good...

See an earlier post on this blog page for more background colour on the Yoko-Meshi ("eating rice sideways") group. I previously convened with them for ETFC's late season crushing of Billericay, last season.