Play-off heartbreak for Wingate & Finchley

Isthmian Premier Division club lose 1-0 to local rivals Enfield Town in tense semi-final, reports James Cracknell

Wingate & Finchley players slumped to the turf as the final whistle blew

There was heartbreak for Wingate & Finchley on Wednesday night as the club lost a tight play-off semi-final to North London rivals Enfield Town.

Wingate & Finchley had finished one place and one point behind Enfield in the league table but showed more confidence throughout a scoreless first half, dominating possession and creating the best of the chances.

In front of a record home crowd of 2,225, a frantic opening five minutes saw both sides test their opposing goalkeepers. But once the game settled down to a steady pace, it was Finchley that made all the running.

After Enfield goalkeeper Rhys Forster made a couple of solid saves during the first 30 minutes, Finchley created a great opening to score in the latter stages of the first half, with number nine Anointed Chukwu racing on to a long ball and playing a low cross into the six-yard box – but none of his teammates had managed to keep pace with him.

Both Chukwu and Rhamar Garrett-Douglas looked dangerous throughout the first half and Enfield’s struggles seemed to deepen when striker Jake Cass went down unchallenged and limped off injured, forcing the Towners into a substitution they hadn’t planned for.

Left-back Joe Payne came on to replace Cass, with boss Gavin Macpherson also opting to change formation in an attempt to counter Finchley’s threat.

Just before the break, Finchley’s number ten Elliot Long had a shot from distance that forced Forster into an acrobatic save. As for Enfield, they had barely mustered an attempt on goal since the opening minutes of the match.

At half-time, Finchley looked far more likely to win the tie, with the Towners players seeming tired and struggling to keep possession. But the second half could not have gone much more differently to the first.

A record crowd of 2,225 watched the game at Dave Bryant Stadium

Enfield came out fighting, and also unleashed a secret weapon – Payne’s long throws. The Towners were able to play on the front foot, forcing Finchley back towards their own goal.

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On the hour mark there was pinball in the Finchley box as a series of shots cannoned off various players, until finally the ball fell to the feet of Dylan Adjei-Hersey who had only just got up off the floor. Perhaps off balance, he was unable to find the net despite an unguarded goal gaping in front of him.

The Towners pressure continued as they threated to score from a series of corners and free-kicks. But, incredibly, it was the throw-ins that caused the most damage, and it was from one such Payne missile that Enfield scored.

The ball was launched into the penalty box and rising highest to get his head on it was Taylor McKenzie, with the ball looping beyond the keeper. The Dave Bryant Stadium erupted with flares being let off in the home end as Towners fans sensed a night of glory lay ahead.

Finchley continued to fight, however, and momentum gradually began to shift back in their favour as Enfield looked happy to soak up the pressure and try to hold on to their lead.

Ahmet Biler got a strong head on a Finchley free-kick cross but Forster, who was having an excellent match, was there again to save it for Enfield.

Frustration was evident among the Finchley players as what worked for them in the first half just wouldn’t work again in the second. Their night was perhaps summed up just before the 90-minute mark when Matty Achuba took the ball past three Enfield players in the middle of the pitch before overhitting his pass out wide, with the ball going straight out of play.

Finchley resorted to desperate long balls in the final minutes but nothing would fall for them, and Enfield in the end looked comfortable as they saw out seven minutes of injury time.

The final will now be between Enfield and Chatham, after the Kent club won their semi-final on penalties.

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