Ollie Pearce for Marvin Armstrong was the only change from the last game against Margate, ten days ago. The biggest and most welcome news, however, was the return of Assistant Manager, Aarran Racine – named amongst the substitutes after eleven months and five days out injured.

The first chance of the game brought about the opening goal, after just five minutes. Cameron Tutt played a left wing corner back to a waiting Jesse Starkey, some thirty yards out and his powerful shot proved too hot for Enfield Town ‘keeper, Nathan McDonald to handle and, despite diving bravely at the feet of Callum Kealy to deny the Aussie, Reece Myles-Meekums gobbled up the loose ball to fire the hosts in front.

That advantage didn’t last long though, with Pearce drilling a low free-kick through the wall to double the lead only ten minutes into proceedings. Meekums this time providing the assist when visiting Captain, Marc Weatherstone tripped the winger a fraction outside the ‘D’, following his pouncing on a misplaced midfield pass and burst of pace towards the box.

Town nearly halved the deficit moments later, thanks to Joe Payne getting away down the left flank and sending in an inviting cross that an incoming Junior Mubayi couldn’t keep low enough, under pressure from Tutt.

The experienced, Billy Bricknell forced Carl Rushworth into his first save of the evening with a low effort from twenty yards and Alex Parsons slipped in Kealy, only for the striker to shoot over the angle, as the frantic start continued at both ends.

Tutt wasn’t far away as he let fly on the left but a break for the away side led to Muhammadu Faal coming inside off the opposite wing and pulling his effort wide of the near post.

Town’s top scorer soon found the back of the net though when his and Dylan Jelley’s long legs became entangled and the referee paused, then pointed to the spot. Faal sending Rushworth the wong way to put his team back in the reckoning.

Only quick reactions by the home number one prevented an equaliser shortly past the half-hour mark, as Carl pushed Sam Youngs’ dug out cross onto the bar and over for a corner, which Weatherstone headed over again, for a goal-kick.
Enfield had the bit well and truly between their teeth now and Carl was called into action twice in quick succession to keep out both Bricknell and Mubaiyi, before he had his palms stung by Charles Brown-Bampoe’s well-hit drive.

The final say of the half came from Faal, when his blast took a deflection behind for a flag-kick that the hosts managed to clear to head into the interval still holding on to a narrow superiority.

A scramble in Worthing’s six yard box failed to produce a shot at goal in the opening seconds after the turnaround and Faal managed to miss the ball altogether, then flashed an attempt past the far upright when he did connect at the second attempt, not long after that.

Town’s big number ten was proving to be a real handful, although he couldn’t get the better of Colbran when he found himself through once more, as the North Londoners continued to dominate.

The same player had another go after the unfortunate Ricky Aguiar had inadvertently played him in, only to pull this latest effort the wrong side of the back stick.

Two minutes later, practice finally made perfect as Youngs lifted a delightful ball over the top of the defence for Faal to latch onto and fire home for the leveller.

Darren Budd and Aarran Racine were then introduced in place of Jelley and Pearce and it was the Club Captain, Budd who slipped in Kealy to hit a deflected shot inches past the post.

The pair combined again with twenty minutes to go; except that, on this occasion, the latter couldn’t get himself out of the way of an effort from the former quick enough and the chance went begging.

Faal fired wide from long-range without any undue concern for Rushworth but the home team showed their battling qualities to get back into the match.

Those qualities truly came to the fore when McDonald punched Starkey’s corner out as far as Colbran, who drilled his shot through a sea of legs, a couple of yards outside the six yard box, on the right-hand side of the penalty area.

Red’s two-goal cushion was nearly restored, only for offside sub, Lloyd Dawes to apply the final touch to Kealy’s effort that looked to be going in anyway, after McDonald had spilled Starkey’s free-kick.

Towners tried valiantly to rescue a point but Scott Thomas merely warmed the hands of Rushworth and replacement, Bobson Bawling broke into the box from the left to tee-up Bricknell; only for the bearded frontman to shoot low, across and, ultimately, out for a goal-kick.