MATCH REPORT
Enfield Borough 6 Halstead Town 0

Enfield Borough overcame a potentially difficult opponent in Halstead Town to progress to the second qualifying round of the F.A.Vase at the Maurice Rebak Stadium on Saturday. The visitors from Essex play at the same level as Borough and are top of their division, but an inspired second-half display from "The Panthers" saw them to a comfortable win.

With Borough on a run of six consecutive victories, manager Shaun Reece made a solitary change to the side that had defeated Wembley in midweek with Tage Kennedy replacing Alie Bangura. Enfield took to the field resplendent in their new red and black kit and were quickly into their stride. After eight minutes they took the lead. Brandon Mckenna's cross was intended for Kennedy, but was intercepted by a Halstead defender. However the ball fell perfectly for Greg Moorse who fired home confidently. Within a minute Kennedy nearly increased the lead as he intercepted Dunlop's under hit back pass, but Cherry was quickly out from his goal to block as Kennedy tried to go around him. Play switched to the other end and Pavett put the ball in the back of Borough's net after a build-up involving Baker & McLintoch, but the assistant referee had his flag raised for offside.

Kennedy was involved in all Borough's best moves. Picking up a short corner, he worked his way infield before firing narrowly wide of the far post. Recognising his threat, when Kennedy next received the ball inside the box keeper Cherry bundled the striker to the floor. Surprisingly the referee saw nothing wrong with the challenge. Moore was next to test Cherry, receiving Mckenna's cross and directing his shot just inside the upright only for the keeper to tip the ball round the post at full stretch. Brian Tshibangu was fortunate to escape with just a ticking off when he lost control of the ball in the Halstead box and his attempt to regain possession caught Dunlop, which necessitated the Halstead defender having to be replaced. While Borough were on top, the second goal continued to elude them. The visitors were far from out of the contest and five minutes before the interval they had their best chance to score. Pavett and Vincent played a one-two to open up Borough's defence. The latter managed to get the ball beyond Jonti Purdom as the keeper dived at his feet, but Tshibangu cleared his lines. The ball arrived back at Pavett whose shot from the edge of the box barely missed the far post.

Borough were back into their stride on the resumption. Cherry had to be smartly off his line to thwart Moore while the striker's first time shot skewed wide off his boot. Borough had the ball in the net after fifty-three minutes when Kennedy netted from a couple of yards, but the ball was ruled to have gone over the touchline before Mckenna centred. The delay was only temporary as within a minute Kennedy made it 2-0. Moore robbed Dallinger of possession and played in Kennedy who held off a defender before shooting past the advancing Cherry. This was the start of a sixteen minute spell in which Borough scored five times. Kennedy was now finding more room on the left and tormented the Halstead defence at will. Twice he saw his shots well saved by Cherry, but just after the hour he struck again. Purdom's long goal kick found its way through the visitor's back line and Kennedy pounced on the loose ball. His cross to Moorse was cut out, but the ball came back to Kennedy who scored from close range. The ball rebounded some way out of the net, leading some fans to believe that he had actually missed the target.

Purdom was forced into a sharp save when Pavett took advantage of the keeper's poor clearance, but it was a rare venture upfield as Enfield piled on the pressure. Three minutes after Borough had scored the third goal, Moore notched his second of the afternoon. After a neat build up by Sivi Bao and Mckenna, Moore was on hand to stab home Richard Oluwatoyin's cross. A minute later he completed his second hat-trick of the week. An impudent dummy by Kennedy allowed the ball to run to an unmarked Mckenna. The midfielder instantly passed the ball across the face of the goal to Moore who slid it past Cherry.

Moorse was replaced by Bangura before the restart, but there was no respite for Halstead. Mckenna's pass to Bangura was cut out, but he regained possession, played a one-two with Kennedy and finding himself inside the box simply dribbled around the keeper and rolled the ball into the empty net. Issac Stevens and Kayne James-Thompson replaced Oluwatoyin and Dervon Hurde and the former was quickly in the action, setting up a chance for Mckenna whose shot was blocked. Kennedy's cross, intended for Bao, was deflected by a retreating defender who only just avoided diverting the ball into his own goal. Bangura was twice denied in the closing stages by the overworked Cherry as the pace of the game finally relented. Credit must be given to Halstead Town for the part that they played in a very sporting contest and even when under the severest of pressure, they never resorted to an over-physical approach.

After the match assistant manager Roy Bleau was satisfied with the win. "In the first-half our decision making was poor at times. Halstead gave us a good tussle. But it was very hot out there today and we know that our fitness levels are more than a match for most teams at this level, so I was not surprised that we got on top after the break. Scoring the second goal was the decisive moment in the match. We played much better in the second-half, but we still had to keep the players on their toes. It is about teaching good habits to the lads and then making these come as second nature to them during the game."

The cup ties continue on Tuesday evening when Borough entertain FC Broxbourne Borough in the Spartan South Midland League Division One Cup at the Maurice Rebak Stadium, kick off 7.45. The game will mark the club's one hundredth competitive match since its formation in 2016.

Team; Purdom, Hurde (James-Thompson), Domi, Mckenna, Chandler, Tshibangu, Kennedy, Bao, Moore (Bangura), Lawrence-Plentie, Oluwatoyin (Stevens).

Enfield Borough FC

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