Men
Isthmian Premier Division Tue 13 November Queen Elizabeth Stadium
Enfield Town
  • Bricknell (72')
1
Worthing
  • Starkey (39')
  • Newton (79')
  • Ajiboye (64', 82')
4
1-4

Adam Hinshelwood largely kept faith with the side that had seen off Chesham United in The FA Trophy three days earlier, with the only exceptions being Zack and Reece back in for Callum and Ricky.

It was the visitors from the South Coast who were first on the attack, as David Ajiboye just failed to get on the end of Jesse Starkey’s cross. Before Reece Myles-Meekums worked a shooting opportunity for himself but, his weak effort didn’t trouble the scoreboard.

Up the other end, it needed a goal-line clearance from Alex Parsons, to keep out a header from the towering Taofiq Olomowewe, while good link-up play between Reece and Zack created a long-range chance for Ajiboye, who could only send his shot hurtling over the bar, towards the neighbouring river. As both sides searched for a breakthrough.

That early lead nearly went to the hosts, as Kleton was called into action to deny Lewis Taaffe, after he’d burst down the left wing and cut inside his marker.

The momentum continued to swing back and forth, when Parsons put over a ball that saw Mickey Parcell sneak in front of his opposite number, Ajiboye and guide it back safely to his ‘keeper. Followed quickly, by Kleton having to get down low to parry an attempt by Towner’s Captain, Ryan Blackman, once Billy Bricknell had got the better of Will Miles.

A Sam Rents free-kick came within an agonising inch of being knocked home at the back stick, by a sliding Miles and James Crane, twice, had to be alert to clear the danger, with the wiley Bricknell sniffing around.

Olomowewe headed wide, after a series of corners concluded with a cross being flung back in by Matt Johnson, before going all Kung-Fu in an attempt to get on the end of Taaffe’s flag-kick.

Then, ten minutes short of half-time, the unthinkable happened; a run and byline pull-back from Ajiboye was side-footed home….brace yourselves….by Jesse Starkey’s….I hope you’re all sitting down reading this….RIGHT FOOT !!

With the away dugout struggling to get the smelling salts round to everyone, it came as little surprise that the fan-owned home team had three chances to capitalise and go in all square at the break. On this occasion, the legs of Kleton came to the rescue, as he prevented Taaffe, again, restoring parity; while Johnson went dangerously close with a low, fizzing cross, that missed the far post by a Warthog’s whisker until Taaffe had the last word, pulling his shot wide of the near upright.

The fast-paced action resumed within seconds of the restart, as Newton’s effort was stopped on the line. Unfortunately, though, Sam Hatton is Towner’s right-back, so he got the showers all to himself but was a relieved man when the actual goalie, Joe Wright, lived up to his name and denied Ajiboye from the spot.

Rents dragged an opportunity wide and Ajiboye’s slide-rule pass to Parsons, left the wing-back struggling to get the ball sufficiently out from under his feet and gave Wright a comfortable catch.

The move for the second of those two close calls, was demonstrated once more, by it’s creator, Mr. Ajiboye, as he left a trail of destruction in his wake, before cutting in from the flank past three more Enfield entity’s and thrashing a drive past Wright, at his near post.

“Flash” was at it again four minutes later; teeing up Starkey, whose effort was beaten out by Wright, while Johnson’s overhit pass provided a respite for Kleton but not the ball boys.

Midway through the half, Rents was deemed to have brought down Bricknell, just inside the box and, the burly centre-forward buried the 250th goal of his career, from the resultant penalty.

Worthing weathered the ensuing storm from a rejuvenated home side and promptly restored their two-goal cushion, as an increasingly profitable left wing proved to be the source for Newton, to tap home Starkey’s lay-off .

By this time, Enfield were effectively down to nine-and-a-half men, with Remi Sutton struggling and, not long after scoring a third goal, the Sussex visitors made it four.

A real team effort, saw Zack lead a counter-attack and, in turn, find number ten, Myles-Meekums, who checked his run and turned back to allow a charging Ajiboye to fire home his second of the evening.

However, the men of North London weren’t going down without a fight, as Bricknell went close to number 251 but could only hit a timid shot straight at Kleton and, a limping Sutton volleyed a tired try into the waing gloves of the former Palace netminder.