Harlow Town 5-1 Enfield, Tuesday 1st September 2020

Harlow Town 5-1 Enfield FC, FA Cup extra preliminary round, att. 270

Welcome to....The Harlow Arena!

It’s Tuesday, it’s the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup and the mission was to find a match somewhere on the route from County Durham to London.  I’m driving down the A1, picking up Loko at his place near Ferrybridge, and he’s done the homework: we’re off to Harlow Town v Enfield.  Even better, it’s his mum’s birthday and her and her partner will be joining us too.  This works for me: she’ll take Loko off my hands.  (They only live a few miles away in Theydon Bois.)  

Harlow Arena panorama

The drive down was uneventful, as in, I didn’t nearly fall asleep at the wheel.  Regressing to childhood, my diet was Coca-Cola and Opal Fruits.  Yes!  Opal Fruits.  No, I don’t mean Starburst.  The makers (Mars?) have brought back limited edition Opal Fruits…but the only place I’ve seen them is (whisper it) B&M.  Don’t tell anyone.  For the uninitiated, this means a return to the old flavours of lemon, lime, strawberry and orange.  30 years ago, or more, someone decided it’d be clever to combine the best two flavours, lemon and lime, and bring in blackcurrant as a 4^th flavour.  I hate blackcurrant.  The confectioner has done something very clever too, as every packet I’ve opened (6 and counting) has had way more lemons and limes than the other two flavours.  Obviously the new (old) Opal Fruits will appeal to those who miss the old flavours.  PLEASE let them continue.

Match action in front of a closed Covid-19 terrace.

I digress.  I’d heard of Harlow.  A lady who worked at Hackney Council back in the day commuted from there.  A new town devoid of character, by all accounts.  Nice if you like Milton Keynes or Newton Aycliffe (County Durham) though.  I don’t.  With Loko guiding, we drove down streets with imaginative titles like ‘Second Avenue’, through an industrial estate, to find the ground which was….very tidy, actually.  3,500 capacity, plastic pitch (for hire), one seated stand and a covered terrace opposite.  Everything looked pristine.  I’m guessing 5 years old.

The Main Stand

Covid-19 measures tonite included a one-way system around the ground (which didn’t quite work, given where the toilet block was.  No-one was going to walk around 3 sides of the pitch for that.)  Otherwise, our temperatures were taken on entry and contact details were already taken care of, Loko having ordered the tickets online.  The terrace on the far side was cordoned off too, which was a shame as it would've afforded the best (standing) view.

The closed terrace.

I was intrigued by the opponents tonite.  As Barnsley fans, we know Enfield from a titanic 3^rd round FA Cup battle in 1980/81, the Super Reds winning a replay at White Hart Lane in front of 35,000 fans.  Those days have long gone.  Since then, an argument at Enfield led to the supporters running off to form a new team, leaving the legacy club with a ground and no fans.  Which one do we have tonite?  (It was indeed the fan-led Enfield who’d broken away from the other Enfield in 2001.)  And according to their own club website, they’re currently playing in Bishop’s Stortford, so things can’t be going that well.  Harlow is halfway between Enfield and Bishop’s Stortford, so technically tonite’s game is closer to their spiritual home than their current location.

Outside the ground...a decent sized carpark.

A further intrigue was a name on the teamsheet: Jamie Cureton.  Yes, the very same.  45 years old and still displaying an undoubted hunger to play the game while he still can.  He’s also ex-Barnsley (2 goals in 10, in what we thought was the back end of his career 15 years ago.)  An article in When Saturday Comes recently described how he’d just passed the 1000-game mark and was 16 goals off 400.  Mind, with a scuffed effort for a tap-in and a wasted miscued volley from a good position, he might need to play a few seasons yet.  But respect to him – how many other former professionals can be bothered to carry on once they slide down the leagues?

A. Londontyke finds the right angle for a photo.

Loko looked up what division these two teams were in.  Who were favourites?  Turns out Harlow are in division above, the Isthmian League South Central (tier 8) with Enfield a promotion away in the Essex Senior League.  The gap showed too, as, quite simply, Enfield were bulldozed off the park by a more skilful, more physical, better passing side.  5-1 to the homesters, my own highlights being a cool finish from a defender under no pressure (own goal) and the home keeper coming out and cleaning out an Enfield forward (not Jamie, he’d have broken Jamie).  That was the cue for lots of verbal jousting and variations on the word ‘cant’ (though we northerners pronounce it differently).   The ref was either too deaf, or too scared, to do owt about it.  I’m guessing b).  I wouldn’t mess with Harlow’s keeper either!

The Damage:
£10 ent
£1 Coca-Cola
= £11

**Camden Pale Ale was available at a bargain 4 quid a pop.  Wish I wasn’t driving…

The Tunes:
Implant (Eatstatic)

Measurements for our 'bubble'?

Balls.

Match action in front of the terrace.

The Main Stand.

Home fans, 1st half.

I learnt something tonite.  Harlow's in CM19.

The home fans swapped ends for the 2nd half.