Blues 2 Enfield Town 1

A 90th minute goal from Jamie Cureton sealed the points for the Blues and their third successive league victory.

Ben Worman, with his fourth goal in his first four league games for Stortford, had given the hosts the lead and then with 2- minutes remaining the E’s had equalised. The victory left the Blues just two points short of the play-off places.

The Stortford squad was unchanged from that which had beaten Merstham three days earlier except that Luke Callander was on the bench and he replaced Ryan Charles at half-time after “Spider” had been on the receiving end of a poor challenge in the first half resulting in a leg injury and was unable to continue after the break.

It was a gritty determined performance from the Blues who, apart from a short period after Enfield had levelled the scores, looked sharper and quicker to the ball than their opponents.

Stortford made an excellent start by taking the lead in the eighth minute. Ryan Henshaw battled through to past the halfway line before slipping the ball to Nathan Livings. The newcomer then found Worman in some space and the Cambridge United loanee carried the ball to 23 yards out and then thundered a left foot drive past keeper Matt Nolan’s dive and into the corner of the net.

Ten minutes later Marc Weathersione headed in a free-kick from Bilal Sayoud but it was ruled offside and shortly afterwards Ryan Charles had a shot blocked after Nolan had punched a Henshaw cross away.

Five minutes before the break Cureton also had a headed goal ruled out for offside after meeting a Chris Gregan centre. Cureton also went close a couple of minutes later with a strong, first time drive narrowly wide of the target. In the 44th minute Arthur Janata held on to a Mickey Parcell free-kick.

Callander was soon in the action after coming on and hooked the ball close past an upright from a Johnville Renee cross in the 47th minute.

Cureton just missed making contact with his head when a Worman cross from the left flew across the face of the goal. Janata was in action again in the 57th minute to save a Billy Britnell free-kick but Stortford enjoyed a period of play when Renee featured prominently and they should have extended their lead.

In the 57th minute Renee and Sampayo were involved in an attack on the right to set up Ben Worman for an angled shot that Nolan turned round the near post for a corner, while Callander’s shot was cleared off the goal-line by Sam Hatton for another flag kick.

Soon after a Callander header from a Renee cross went agonisingly past the far upright. Cureton, after linking with Renee had a goalbound effort that struck the legs of Town skipper Ryan Blackman.

It was against the run of play when Enfield equalised in the 70th minute with former Stortford favourite Matt Johnson playing a big part in the goal. His long throw from the left into the box was cleared back out to him and from his cross towards the near post Remi Sutton’s shot was helped on into the net by substitute Kezie Ibe.

The visitors seemed to be getting a slight edge on proceedings but the Blues looked dangerous most times that they attacked and in the 84th minute a Worman cross from the left was headed straight at the keeper by Renee at the far post. Stortford were then indebted to Janata who made a full length save to his left to push away a Britnell header from a Matt Johnson cross and Chris Gregan cleared upfield to extinguish the danger.

Alex Warman replaced Livings in the midfield in the 87th minute and the substitute was involved in the winning goal right at the end of normal time. Enfield’s Blackman slipped when in possession of the ball midway inside the visitors’ half and when Warman got control he steered the ball out to Renee who delivered towards the near post where Cureton shot low and wide of Nolan and into the net.

There was three minutes of added time and there was just one moment of danger for the Blues when substitute Josh Davison fastened on to a long clearance and shaking off Ryan Henshaw finished with a rising shot into the side-netting.

STORTFORD: Arthur Janata; Ben Sampayo; Chris Gregan; Sam Robbins; Ryan Henshaw; Mark Haines; Johnville Renee; Nathan Livings (Alex Warman 87); Jamie Cureton; Ben Worman; Ryan Charles (Luke Callander 46). Unused substitutes: Olly Miles, Haaroon Belaid and Jack Thomas.

ENFIELD TOWN: Matt Nolan; Sam Hatton; Mickey Parcell; Matt Johnson; Marc Weatherstone; Remi Sutton; Bilal Sayoud; Ryan Blackman; Billy Bricknell (Josh Davison 85) ; Sam Youngs (Kezie Ibe 68); Karl Oliyide (Junior Mubiayi 78) Unused substitutes: Bradley Empson and Steve Wales

Attendance: 340