Enfield 4 Sawbridgeworth Town 0

Essex Senior League, Wednesday 7th October 2020 

Wednesday night saw me over at the only Essex Senior League contest of the evening and the final one of this latest round of games as Enfield hosted Sawbridgeworth Town at Woodside Park on the outskirts of Bishop’s Stortford.

The hosts of course were still without a win in five league games and had lost four of those too, but new player boss Jamie Cureton was beginning to assemble a squad he believes will take the club forward, and this particular one selected for this game had a number of Stortford Reserves in it which had been loaned to them, and also the new signing Lewis Francis, who took his place up front with Cureton.

Sawbridgeworth themselves were having a mixed start to the season, having picked up eight points from their six games so far, although considering that was the number of points they had got all of last season before it was curtailed, this season was a rather large improvement from the last. And there 2-2 draw with Walden at the weekend, coming from 0-2 down at the half, would of given them more encouragement coming into this one.

It was the new look hosts though who started the better and after some early pressure they took the lead when a corner was cleared straight to Jamie Baker inside the box and he fired an effort into the bottom corner to give the home side the early advantage.

The hosts continued to dominate proceedings and only a combination of brilliant keeping from Sawbo stopper Michael Bett and wayward finishing prevented Enfield from being further ahead, whilst the visitors could only muster one effort which flew wide of the post.  Enfield also saw headers from Joe McEvoy and Cureton ruled out as they continued to search for that second goal to make things more comfortable.

The visitors did show some signs of life towards the end of the period, with one moment seeing Enfield keeper Jack Wilmott beat away an effort, but the half belonged to the hosts who held a slender lead at the break.

Half Time Enfield 1 Sawbridgeworth Town 0

Those signs of life from the visitors towards the end of the period continued early on in the second period as they pushed their opponents back initially, but Enfield soon began to carve out some openings again, and after Cureton had seen a one on one situation saved by Bett, another effort from the hosts was hacked off the line.

Enfield rifled over another chance as they were now again on the front foot, and with twenty minutes remaining finally found a second goal to double their lead when a dink to the near post saw Cureton use his strikers instincts to nod home from a yard out, and the hosts could now taste their first success of the campaign.

Sawbo almost pulled one back soon after though when a free kick from skipper Jack Cousins was brilliantly saved by Wilmott, a goal back there would have made the final part of the game interesting to say the least.

Enfield introduced Olly Mills for the final part of the contest and he was to have a big impact, firstly sealing the points for the home side with six minutes to go when driving down the right and sending a shot at goal from an angle, and Robins defender Montel Shonubi trying to stop the shot but diverting it past keeper Bett and into the net for number three.

And secondly adding a second goal for himself and four for the hosts two minutes later when curling a delightful effort beyond Bett into the far corner as Enfield were now cruising to victory.

A great evening for the new look hosts then, and a first win for them this season and new player boss Cureton, a win that takes them up two places to 15^th, whilst Sawbridgeworth, who although had their moments, would have been disappointed with this one and they remain tenth after their third loss of the season.

Full Time Enfield 4 Sawbridgeworth Town 0