Enfield Town vs Worthing

Worthing started brightly and took the lead with just seven minutes on the clock. Ollie Godziemski picked up a loose ball on the right flank and slipped a pass in behind for Hutchinson, who produced a tidy finish across goal that nestled in off the far post for his first goal of pre-season.

Enfield grew into the contest after the initial shock. The hosts' best chance of the first half fell to Thomas Avgoustidis, whose first-time effort three minutes after the restart was deflected onto the post by the outstretched leg of Worthing goalkeeper Taylor Seymour.

Seymour kept Worthing ahead with another vital intervention just past the hour mark, backpedalling to parry away a looping 35-yard effort from Amrit Bansal-McNulty.

The pressure finally told in the 67th minute. Billy Leonard's shot from the right side of the area was parried by Seymour into a dangerous area, and substitute Kyei reacted quickest to blast home from close range.

Enfield nearly turned the game on its head moments later. Leonard raced through one-on-one but rolled his effort against the foot of Seymour's left post, then glanced a header agonisingly wide from the rebound.

Seymour's save from Leonard's initial shot in the 67th minute — parried straight into the path of Kyei — proved decisive. The goalkeeper could do nothing about the follow-up, but the goal triggered a period of sustained Enfield pressure that nearly produced a winner. Leonard hit the post and missed a header within seconds of each other shortly after the equaliser.

Billy Leonard (Enfield Town) — The versatile attacker played three different positions across the 90 minutes and was the game's most dangerous player. He created numerous chances, hit the woodwork twice, and was central to everything Enfield did well in the second half.

Taylor Seymour (Worthing) — The Rebels' goalkeeper made three crucial saves, including a deflection onto the post from Avgoustidis and a long-range parry from Bansal-McNulty, before being beaten by the rebound that led to the equaliser.

Dom Hutchinson (Worthing) — Opened the scoring with a composed finish inside seven minutes on his first start of pre-season, continuing his encouraging form after scoring against Frome Town earlier in the summer.

The 1-1 scoreline flattered neither side. Enfield created nine or ten clear opportunities — remarkable given they played without a recognised number nine — and hit the woodwork three times. Worthing dominated possession in the opening exchanges but created relatively few clear chances after the early goal. The hosts' second-half output substantially outweighed their first-half output, reflecting Billy Holland's tactical adjustment at the break: Enfield sat off for the first 15 minutes to study Worthing's patterns, then pushed higher and pressed more aggressively.

This was Enfield Town's fourth pre-season friendly under new manager Billy Holland, who took over after Gavin Macpherson's departure following relegation from National League South. The Isthmian League Premier Division side have shown clear progress in each outing and face Hornchurch next.

For Worthing, this was their final away friendly of pre-season before their National League debut away to Carlisle United on 8 August 2026. The Rebels have been unbeaten in pre-season, with draws against AFC Bournemouth U21s, Frome Town and Enfield Town complementing wins over Selsey and QPR U21s.

The match also held historical significance: 24 July 2026 marked exactly 25 years since Enfield Town played their first competitive fixture.

A competitive pre-season contest that offered genuine insights for both managers. Holland will be encouraged by Enfield's second-half performance and their ability to create chances without a recognised striker. Hinshelwood's Worthing showed good early control but will need to manage games better when leading away from home in the National League. The final pre-season fixtures — Worthing host Brighton U21s, Enfield travel to Hornchurch — will be the truer test of readiness.