Match report

MATCH REPORT

Enfield Borough 1 Wormley Rovers 2

With games running out quickly, Enfield Borough were left empty handed once again as they lost at home to title chasing Wormley Rovers. A match that was a damp squib of a contest suddenly sprang to life in the closing ten minutes, but Borough ended up losing by the odd goal in three.

 As several of their regular players were required for a major youth cup final on the same day, Enfield had a number of enforced changes from their midweek drubbing at the hands of Hoddesdon. But the revamped line-up, showing a much greater emphasis on defence, provided much harder opposition for the free-scoring Wormley than may have been envisaged. The hosts had the first shot on target but Jadon Anderson’s effort lacked the power to test Ryan Hammond in the visitor’s goal. Ezra Grant-Bolt blazed over having made space to get in a shot while Anderson’s flick from Melih Saglam’s centre was narrowly off target. Wormley’s first chance came when Cav Clarke and Reece Mosanya combined with the former’s cross just too strong for Ryan Asiedu to connect with. Grant-Bolt missed the target once more in a nondescript opening forty-five minutes.

 The second period was more of the same as Enfield’s defence, with Luke Bailey and Gideon Sarpong prominent in the middle, snuffed out danger time and again. But in doing so they failed to support Grant-Bolt who was enduring a thankless afternoon isolated up front. Borough’s debutant keeper Dren Hoti produced a fine save from a Mosanya free-kick, but on eighty-three minutes he was beaten by the same player from a similar range. The lead was doubled inside two minutes as the ball was chipped over the Borough defence to Asiedu who clipped it over Hoti and into the net. Four minutes into stoppage time Enfield pulled a goal back when a long throw was flicked on, Bailey’s shot hit the bar and the ball dropped down for Femi Araba to bundle it home, but there was little time left to find an equaliser.   

 Sadly there was no better news from the youth team who lost in the final of the London Under-18 Saturday Cup Final to Cre8tive Football Academy at Charlton Athletic’s training ground in Eltham on Saturday evening and were then beaten on penalties in the semi-final of the equivalent Middlesex competition on Sunday.