MATCH REPORT: ENFIELD 3-0 HACKNEY WICK

Enfield secured their passage into the First Round Proper of the FA Vase following a 3-0 victory at home to Hackney Wick.

Dwade James broke the deadlock for the home side in the first half before Jack Grosvenor doubled Enfield’s lead minutes after the restart. Gavin Cockman completed the victory late on with his first goal for the club.

The E’s wasted no time in their search for the opening goal of the game but Dwade James could only strike wide in the third minute. Shortly after, the hosts continued their good start after Aaron Greene fed through James before setting up Ayo Odukoya, who saw his effort blocked. The resulting corner was headed wide by Grosvenor at the backpost.

It was very much all Enfield in the opening 15 minutes with Jamie Cureton’s men coming close to breaking the deadlock. Firstly, James set up Louie Johnson, who fired over the bar before Odukoya misplaced his effort off-target minutes later.

However, on 19 minutes, the E’s took a well deserved lead. Usman Adeniji played the ball down the line to Odukoya, who did brilliantly to shrug off the Hackney defence before setting up strike partner James to tap into an empty net.Enfield almost doubled their lead six minutes later as Alex Warman played through Kieran Bishop, who could only hit the side netting.

Meanwhile, up the other end, Hackney Wick had a rare chance in front on goal. Said Ali’s free–kick fell into the path of Alex Coster, who blazed his shot over the bar. However, the home side continued their search of a 2nd goal but goalscorer James could only head wide from Greene’s perfectly placed cross.

As the match headed towards the closing stages of the first half, Enfield were once again denied the opportunity to make it 2-0. Warman’s corner was headed on by Danny Norton, striking the inside of the post. Nonetheless, the E’s went in at the break a goal to the good.

The home side made the perfect start three minutes after the restart. A perfectly delivery by Warman from the free-kick fellto Grosvenor at the backpost, who slotted home from close range to make it 2-0.

Despite leading comfortably, Enfield weren’t done just yet. Substitute Ibrahim Kehinde played through Odukoya just shy of the hour mark, but the forward was unable to find the back of the net. Midway through the second half, Bishop made a darting run down the right-hand side before picking out Gavin Cockman in the middle, who could only head wide.

With six minutes to go, substitute Samrai Gebrai almost scored off the bench for Enfield after making a scintillating run towards goal only to be denied by goalkeeper Fernando Da Costa. In the closing minutes, the visitors tested ‘keeper Jarvis Monk for the first time as Osman Farah’s free-kick was pushed away by the E’s shot stopper.

Enfield made it 3-0 deep into added time to cap off a comfortable afternoon for the hosts. Norton’s cross fell kindly to Cockman, who headed home from close range for his first goal for the club since joining from Saffron Walden. The E’s will find out on Monday afternoon who they will play in the next round of the FA Vase, which is scheduled to take place in a month’s time.