Enfield Town 3-1 Margate - It wasn't our day today, admits Terry Brown

ENFIELD TOWN  3-1  MARGATE
Ryman Premier League
Tuesday 28^th October 2014
Stephen McCartney reports from Queen Elizabeth II Stadium

MARGATE manager Terry Brown admitted it wasn’t his night after his side crashed to a surprise defeat at Enfield Town.

Enfield Town went into this game sitting in fourteenth-place in the Ryman Premier League table with 21 points from sixteen games, but on an eight-match unbeaten run.

League leaders Margate, meanwhile, who have amassed 43 points from 17 games, squandered an excellent chance to edge four points clear of Maidstone United by falling to their third league defeat of the season.

Margate skipper Charlie Allen had his early penalty saved before Enfield Town deservedly opened the scoring when Margate keeper Nikki Bull punched Nathan Livings’ in-swinging corner into his own net for an own-goal.

But Margate grabbed an equaliser after only 68 seconds into the second half through striker Ryan Moss’s eleventh-goal of the season.

Enfield Town regained their lead through Ryan Doyle’s twice-taken penalty, before Liam Hope came off the bench to wrap up a comfortable victory for the north Londoners.

Margate’s three league defeats have all came on the road in London, having lost to Dulwich Hamlet (1-2), Hendon (2-3) and now Enfield Town.

“We’re bitterly disappointed. We’ve come here as we do every ground looking to get three points,” said Brown.

“Credit to Enfield. I thought they started off a lot quicker, a lot stronger, a lot busier than we did and deserved to go in 1-0 up at half-time.

“I suppose if it’s a game of penalties. We’ve missed ours and he’s (the referee) given them a re-take for an infringement in the penalty area.  You’ve got to be a bit unlucky to get that I have to say and that changed the game.

“Credit to Enfield. They then worked their socks off.  I didn’t feel that we got behind them enough.  I didn’t feel we tested their goalie enough. Overall ours was a poor performance tonight.”

Bradley Quinton’s side fully-deserved their victory as they were the better side on the night and created more chances.

The hosts created their first chance with only 77 seconds on the clock when they hit Margate on the break.

Right-back Jordan Lockie fed striker Corey Whitely, who burst with pace down the right, before cutting in and flashing his right-footed drive wide from 20-yards.

But Margate were awarded a seventh minute penalty after Luke Moore was sent to the deck by Mark Kirby.

Enfield Town keeper Nathan McDonald dived low to his right to keep out Allen’s poorly-executed right-footed penalty.

“Charlie’s scored a lot of goals for us this year and he’s taken a couple of penalties and stuck them away,” said Brown.

“You’re going to score some and you’re going to miss some.  The keeper guessed right as our keeper’s guessed right.”

Margate failed to recover from that set-back and Enfield Town recorded a fine victory.

Livings’ whipped in a cross from the right channel which found an unmarked Kirby at the far post and his downward header was saved well by Bull, low to his right.

Bull then produced a brilliant diving save to tip over Whitely’s stinging right-footed drive towards goal from 35-yards.

“Nikki’s a first-class goalie and we’d hope on a normal night he don’t have too much to do,” said Brown.

“If I look at the game, I’d have to say that we weren’t good enough tonight! I could dress it up however I’d like, but we weren’t good enough tonight.”

But Enfield Town deservedly opened the scoring after fourteen minutes.

Livings swung in a corner from the left with his right-foot which appeared to be punched in to his own goal by Bull.

Ryman Premier League goal-line technology is when an official from the home club from inside the elevated main stand telephoned his mate behind the goal, who confirmed that the keeper had punched the ball into his own net!

Brown said: “It went straight in to be honest. I’ve asked the chap on the post how he never headed it and he said it went over his head!

“It was a hell of a corner and I don’t think he’ll probably be able to do that very often in his career.”

Midfilder Livings squandered an excellent chance to double his side’s lead when he was free inside the Margate box but lashed his left-footed angled drive over the bar.

Margate should have equalised with their second goalscoring opportunity after nineteen minutes.

Midfielder Kane Wills clipped the ball upfield, which was flicked on by Moss and Brett Johnson found himself free inside the penalty area but the central defender dragged his shot past the far post from ten-yards.

“It was on his sweet left foot as well,” added Brown.

“I would hope to do better.  Some days nothing falls for you and it wasn’t our day today.  We weren’t good enough.”

Margate were to be denied by a smart save from McDonald in the 34^th minute following Allen’s amazing 60-yard run with the ball.

The former Gillingham midfielder dazzled the Enfield defence when he ran with the ball at his feet before cutting into the penalty area before his shot was blocked by the keeper.

Allen retrieved the ball on the right hand side of the penalty area and cut the ball back to Lewis Taylor, who blasted his right-footed shot over the bar from 20-yards.

Brown added: “Fantastic save by the keeper! That’s a typical Charlie Allen run and it’s the sort of goal that he’s been scoring.”

Enfield Town winger, Michael Kalu linked up well with Lockie on the overlap and the right-back whipped in a dangerous cross which was cut out well by the diving keeper at his near post.

An impressive Enfield Town first half performance saw them go in at the break with a deserved lead, which clearly disappointed the Margate manager.

Brown said: “I was really disappointed. I felt we had to up our work-rate and we came out full of fire, full of life.”

What was said by Brown during the half-time interval did the trick as Margate grabbed an equaliser after 68 seconds.

Right-back Tambeson Eyong (who was booed by home fans throughout) played the ball into Allen down the right channel and he cut the ball back for Moss to place his right-footed shot past McDonald and into the net from 12-yards.

“Ryan and Charlie have been our leading goalscorers this year so it’s not surprising that Ryan got on the scoresheet,” said Brown.

“I need some goals from other areas, which we’ll have to improve on.”

The leveller didn’t get Margate out of the traps as they had hoped as the Kent side failed to trouble the Enfield Town keeper again.

Wills played a short free-kick inside to left-back Freddie Grant, who clipped the ball into the Enfield box and Moss’s initial header looped up before he received a second bite of the cherry to loop his second header into McDonald’s hands for a comfortable save.

Margate faced a mountain to climb when they went behind for the second time in the 65^th minute.

It appeared that Constant dived to win a penalty off Eyong but referee Neil Davies took a few seconds to decide before pointing to the spot.

Doyle stepped up and at first sight justice was done when his right-footed penalty was saved by Bull, diving to his right, but the referee demanded a re-take and booked three Margate players.

Doyle, however, maintained his composure and went the same way, this time a lot higher up, drilling his right-footed penalty over the diving Bull into the top left-hand corner.

“I didn’t have a good view. I couldn’t say it wasn’t a penalty. I didn’t really see that. What annoyed me was the re-take really. It weren’t going to be our night.”

Brown admitted: “I didn’t think we’ve done enough.  I don’t know what the timing of their penalty was, it seemed to suck a little bit of life out of us!”

Margate substitute Luke Williams whipped in a cross from the right which was headed over by Moss, before Lewis Taylor’s first time right-footed hooked volley from 25-yards flashed just wide of the near post.

But it was Enfield Town who finished the game on the front foot, much to Brown’s disappointment.

He said: “It’s something my players’ have to become accustomed to.  You go and watch a team a week before and they’re alright and you watch them against you and they’re like Derbyshire’s.

“It’s time my players understood that a bit better.”

Kirby released Whitely on the break and the Enfield striker cut in from the left before drilling a right-footed shot over the bar from 25-yards.

Livings was then given time and space to whip in a cross from the right which was met by Whitely’s looping header, which was comfortably caught by Bull.

But Margate defender John Beales, who had earlier come off the bench to replace the injured Charlie Wassmer, gifted Enfield a third with five minutes remaining.

Beales cleared the ball out of defence straight to Livings, who played the ball into Whitely, who swept the ball inside to substitute Liam Hope, who cut inside and drilled a low left-footed drive across the diving Bull for the ball to nestle inside the bottom far corner to the delight of the vocal home fans.

“Disappointed that Charlie Wassmer had to come off. John Beales’ came on and it wasn’t John’s night really because he gave the penalty away and then gave the third goal away.

“After that third goal that we gave away was bordering suicidal.  The boy took it well. You hope you give them an open goal he might be able to stick it in!

“I think we had one of those nights! Whatever could go wrong went wrong and it’s how we bounce back from that on Saturday with an important game in The FA Trophy.”

The fine strike killed off Margate and Enfield Town created more chances towards the end.

Livings lashed his left-footed drive over the bar as the ball fell to him inside the Margate box, before Whitely drilled his shot into the side netting from a tight angle, before hitting a curler which deflected just wide of the far post from eighteen-yards.

Reflecting on Margate’s three capital losses away to Dulwich Hamlet, Hendon and Enfield Town, Brown replied: “As a London boy I’m disappointed with that but I don’t read too much into that other than we’re expected to win every week and we’ve got to bounce back and put a run together now.

“It’s a very, very hard league. We’re playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday every week.

“Every team desperately wants to beat us and look at the energy rate that Enfield had tonight. It’s something we have been there before with Aldershot and Wimbledon and it’s something that you have to live with.”

Brown explained why he will make changes for Saturday’s home FA Trophy First Qualifying Round tie against Slough Town, who arrive at Hartsdown Park sitting in eleventh-place in the Southern Premier.

“I’d like to go as far as we can in The FA Trophy. I’d really like to get as far as we can,” said Wokingham-based Brown.

“They’re a local team of mine. It’s a team that I played for, for years so I know how important it will be for them.

“My job now is to motivate the starting eleven that I put out. There will be some changes from tonight, not because it’s The FA Trophy, but because I wasn’t satisfied with the performance tonight.”

Enfield Town: Nathan McDonald, Jordan Lockie, Phil Kane, Ryan Doyle, Mark Kirby, Stanley Muguo, Joe Stevens (Tyler Campbell 82), Nathan Livings, Corey Whitely, Jon Constant (Liam Hope 71), Michael Kalu (Taylor Hastings 90).
Subs: Jamie Smyth, Shawn Beveney

Goals: Nikki Bull 14 (own goal), Ryan Doyle 65 (penalty), Liam Hope 85

Booked: Joe Stevens 18, Ryan Doyle 24, Phil Kane 45

Margate: Nikki Bull, Tambeson Eyong, Freddie Grant, Charlie Allen, Charlie Wassmer (John Beales 30), Brett Johnson, Lewis Taylor, Kane Wills, Ryan Moss, Jamie Taylor (Zac Attwood 73), Luke Moore (Luke Williams 66).
Subs: Anthony Riviere, Tom Phipp

Goal: Ryan Moss 47

Booked: Freddie Grant 26, Charlie Wassmer 28, Lewis Taylor 63, Brett Johnson 64, Charlie Allen 64

Attendance: 378
Referee: Mr Neil Davies (West Hampstead, London NW2)
Assistants: Mr Chris Potter & Mr Chris Reid