MATCH PREVIEW: Enfield Town vs Chippenham Town | National League South | Saturday 29th March 2025
Harry Minton previews our trip to the capital.
National League South action returns for our Bluebirds as they take a trip to the Queen Elizabeth Stadium to face Enfield.
Last Time Out
Last time out we played host to relegation threatened Weymouth. A tense first half saw not many chances falling for either side, though the big talking point from the first half was that our boys in blue were reduced to ten men following an error from Leone Gravata. He then dragged his man down when he was through on goal, leaving the referee with no choice but to give Gravata his marching orders.
The second half followed the same pattern as the first, with both teams struggling to create chances, albeit it was the us who did look the more threatening going forward. And that finally paid off for the Bluebirds as after seventy-four minutes they would win a penalty after Tom Owen-Evans was hacked down by Jordan Thompson, who would be shown the game’s second red card. Matt McClure was given the task of slotting the ball home and he did just that, striking the penalty into the bottom corner, sending Will Buse the wrong way in the process. That goal was in fact enough for a huge three points for the Wiltshire outfit as it was a first win for us in six games.
Our Opponents
Enfield Town are a very new club in today’s game, being founded just over twenty years ago in 2001. Their first season in existence was a very successful year for Enfield, in the Essex Senior League, they finished second, and along with that the Towners won three pieces of silverware. The Essex Senior League Cup, the Capital Counties Feeder Leagues Trophy and the Middlesex Senior Charity Cup were the titles won by the team that season in 2001/2002. Enfield were promoted to the Southern League in 2005 after winning the Essex Senior League for a second time, though the first time they had won it in 2003 they were denied promotion due to ground grading issues. It was a great first season for the Towners in the Southern League Eastern Division, where they finished third and made the playoffs. However, the story did not have a fairytale ending as they were knocked out in the semi-finals to Wivenhoe Town.
In the summer of 2006, the team from Greater London were transferred over to the Isthmian League but at the end of the following season the club sadly fell into liquidation. However, the fans acted quickly and together formed a phoenix club called Enfield 1893 and the Towners remained in the Isthmian League. The start of the 2012/2013 season saw the club win some more silverware as they defeated Wrexham by three goals to one in the final of the Supporters Direct Cup. Enfield managed to retain this honour the following year, this time beating Belgian side YB SK Beveren 8-2.
After so many seasons of coming so close and not being able to get the job done and over the line in the playoffs, the Towners finally achieved success last season. Finishing third, once again it was a playoff campaign for Gavin MacPherson’s side, they did in fact manage to overcome Wingate and Finchley 1-0 in the semis before defeating Chatham Town 3-0 in the final to secure promotion to the National League South for the first time in the club’s history. So far for the Towners, life in the sixth tier has seen a lot of ups and downs.
Though recently, it has been a successful period for everyone involved in the club, since the turn of the year Enfield have picked up a total of 27 points, a tally only bettered by the top seven sides in the division and Hemel Hempstead. Currently, the side from Greater London are averaging a better points per game record than a side in the relegation zone and it would be a great story to see them survive their first year at this level of football.
Head to Head
Funnily enough, since Enfield were formed in 2001, the Bluebirds have only faced off against them on one occasion. And that only happened at the start of this season at the Thornbury Surfacing Stadium. In what was a topsy-turvy match which saw our boys in blue trailing by two goals to one going into the final ten minutes thanks to goals from Enfield’s Billy Leonard and Hisham Kasimu. Thankfully, Chippenham completed a dramatic turnaround thanks to two very well taken goals from Owen-Evans and Aaron Amadi-Holloway, the latter’s strike coming in the ninety-third minute to seal the three points back in August.
Ones to Watch
The biggest threat to look out for in the host’s side is no doubt striker Sam Youngs. He has been a massive part in the Towners’ survival hopes with sixteen league goals to his name so far, which currently makes him the joint third top scorer in the whole division.
This will be a tough encounter for Gary Horgan’s side, against a team that seem to be rejuvenated since the turn of the calendar year. But Chippenham do have a right to feel confident after ending their run of six games without a win after getting the better of Weymouth last weekend.
COME ON YOU BLUEBIRDS!!!!
