They don't come much bigger than this - an away trip to local rivals Enfield Town, both teams occupying a playoff place, with just 2 points between the two North London sides as we head towards the home straight of this thrilling Isthmian Premier League season. We now have 12 fixtures remaining, with our trip to the recently renamed Dave Bryant Stadium being the first of 7 away games between now and the conclusion of the season.
Our Opponents Enfield Town FC was formed in 2001 and is a proudly fan-owned club, progressing from the Essex Senior League upon formation and moving into their current stadium in 2011.
We have shared a division with Enfield Town for ​over 10 years since Enfield's promotion from the Isthmian North in 2011/12. After narrowly missing out on a playoff spot in the two previous seasons, the Towners had their first taste of Isthmian Premier playoffs in 2016-17, coincidentally a season in which Wingate & Finchley also made the playoffs, both sides succumbed at the semi-final stage; the Blues to Bognor Regis and Towners to Dulwich Hamlet. Enfield have had another go at the playoffs more recently, finishing 3rd in 2021-22 but again losing at the semi-final stage, this time to Hornchurch.
Did you know?
This season Enfield are participating in the Fenix Trophy, a European competition for non-league sides, alongside fellow Isthmian Premier side Lewes. Their next fixture is an away trip to face Copenhagen-based side BK Skjold of the Danish 5th division on 5th March. In the home fixture against this side in November, the Towners ran out 3-1 winners.
Head to Head
We saw defeat in the home tie against Enfield Town this season, a 4-1 loss in October. The Blues equalised through Elliot Long after former Wingate man Reece Beckles-Richards gave Enfield an early lead. Three second half goals gave the Towners a deserved three points, but the Blues will be looking to get revenge on Saturday!
Last time Out
Like London buses, the Blues only had 2 draws in their previous 28 matches all season but have now drawn their last two matches on the bounce. First a 1-1 draw at Horsham where Alkeo Bani's long-range strike saw us snatch a late point and then last weekend we welcomed Hashtag United where the sides played out a goalless draw with chances at a premium for both sides.
The Towners' last two results are a carbon copy of Wingate & Finchley's, with a 1-1 away draw at Carshalton thanks to a Marcus Wyllie equaliser followed by a 0-0 draw at home to bottom-placed side Kingstonian on Tuesday night. Over the last 10 matches, Enfield's form is 17th in the form guide with wins in that period only coming against Haringey (1-0) and Canvey Island (3-0).
Players To Watch
As the season progresses towards its conclusion, there are a few players chasing current league top scorer Davide Rodari of Hastings who has 22 goals to his name. Four of the closest in the chasing pack of players are likely to be on display on Saturday, looking to close the gap to the golden boot.
For Enfield Town, Marcus Wyllie and Sam Youngs have scored 19 goals and 16 goals in the league this season respectively. Young forward Wyllie has been a consistent scorer all season and has bagged 4 in his last 4 games, having been signed from the lower divisions by Enfield Town. Sam Youngs, on the other hand, is an experienced campaigner and has been a regular in the Enfield Town midfield for a number of years, consistently chipping in with invaluable goals.
For the Blues, Elliot Long (18) and Ruben Carvalho (15) have also bagged goals aplenty this season, including a brace apiece at the start of this month in a 4-2 win against 2nd place Chatham.
Saturday's match is "woolly hat and scarf day" at Enfield Town so make sure to bring your Wingate & Finchley hat and scarf to cheer the boys in what is an absolutely crucial match in North London.
Photos courtesy of Martin Addison