Enfield kicked off and showed their intentions by pressing forward from the start. Andre Coker looked dangerous on the left hand side of the Enfield attack and the action took place almost exclusively in front of the Regent goal.

Early on in the half Enfield’s Adam Cunnington went down with what appeared to be a back injury and there was a lengthy break whilst he received treatment. Brett Munyard used the time to have an urgent team talk on the touchline with the Regent players.

Regent showed more attacking intent but offered any real threat, whereas Enfield had free kicks in threatening places and showed off a dangerous routine from throw ins where the ball was tossed high and then a back header ended up bouncing off the top of the cross bar.

Half an hour in and Enfield tried the same throw in routine on the far side. This time Regent only managed to half clear the ball to Adam Cunnington on the left hand side of the area. He made no mistake in firing the ball across Carlie Turner and into the far corner of the net.

For the rest of the half Enfield were always on top but were unable to extend their lead further. Regent tried to get back on terms but for most of the half they were simply chasing shadows as Enfield knocked ball round quickly and confidently.

Second half
The rain got heavier during the interval.
Manager Munyard rang the changes at the start of the second half. Dom Locke and Harrison Carnegie came on for Connor Barnby and Oli Sotoyinbo who had both struggled to make an impact.

For ten minutes it looked like this might turn the tide and the two substitutes combined with Sam Jeremiah to create Regent’s best move of the match when they hit the bar.

A minute later Enfield put the match to bed with a simple Route 1 goal from the back when a big punt found the irrepressible Coker in the clear and he doubled the lead.

Things went from bad to worse shortly afterwards when a defensive mistake let Coker in for a second goal and Enfield were three up and out of sight.

There was still time for further action with Dom Locke fortunate only to see a yellow card for a trip on the goalkeeper. Jake Cass, who replaced Cunnington for Enfield, saw a shot rebound off the post but then Lella Della-Verde curled in a fourth for the visitors. Somehow Coker, who had been walking round the touchline after been substituted, escaped a booking for coming back onto the pitch to celebrate the goal.

Moments later Della-Verde got a straight red card for a late tackle on Zak Littlejohn. With that, Enfield were happy to play out the rest of the game with ten men.

Match Verdict
Whilst this is a disappointing result the focus will now to be on Saturday’s FA Cup tie at Waltham Abbey. Oddly enough Regent played better in the second half than the first even though they conceded three goals in the second period.

Enfield, whose side is peppered with players with experience at much higher levels, look to be heading once again for the play-offs.

By Paul Ketchley