Away | 24 October 2026
By | Dave Rees
A Villa side featuring several changes travelled to North London to face Isthmian League Premier Division leaders Enfield Town in the first round of the FA Trophy.
Thanks to promotion, this was the furthest Villa have progressed in the FA Trophy in terms of the round of the competition, but have only needed one win in the competition to this point. With a busy schedule in recent weeks and a grueling month ahead, Villa’s management were cautious about the number of league games on the horizon and opted to rotate the squad.
Josh Casey, Guy Ansah-Palmer, Gio McGregor and Brandon Barzey were rested, while Billy Nutbeam continued his recovery. Joe Adoo-Peters and Ben Geraghty returned from injury, with Jack Timberlake, Remi Onobanjo, Abullah Javaid and goalkeeper Jonny Williams also handed starts.
Enfield had the better of the opening 10 minutes, but Villa’s defence remained resolute, denying the hosts any clear-cut efforts from close range. Villa gradually grew into the game, and it was the visitors who struck first. Elliott Bolton reacted quickest to a ball that came back out of the box, unleashing a fierce shot that Dylan Thompson could not reach.
Villa then enjoyed a spell of possession as the rain lashed down.
As the half progressed, the hosts began to find their feet. Following a spell of pressure, Enfield had two goals disallowed, one for offside and another after the ball had gone out of play. Not only this Villa cleared off the line twice with Adoo-Peters and Geraghty the saviors. However, they eventually found the net through Tariq Al-Sadi, bringing the scores level at 1-1 heading into the break, Villa could be pleased with that first half, but the hosts would be frustrated being denied.
Villa brought on Lucas Defise for Toure Williams at half-time, but the visitors found themselves chasing the game just a couple of minutes into the second half. Al-Sadi fired a precise effort from the edge of the box into the top-right corner, leaving Williams with little chance.
The game then entered a quieter spell. Villa enjoyed periods of possession but struggled to deliver the final ball into the box. Further changes followed, with Glenn Gabriel replacing Joe Adoo-Peters on 52 minutes. On 62 minutes, Charlie Hathaway replaced George Wells, while Michael Harding came on for Haydon Vaughan.
Villa continued to show determination, but Enfield were equally determined to protect their lead. The visitors created a couple of half-chances midway through the second half, but these were dealt with comfortably by the Town defence.
The game was put beyond Villa in the 81st minute when substitute Dan Efobi pounced on the ball in midfield and raced through the Villa defence before going one-on-one and finishing confidently.
Knowing they needed a goal to keep the tie alive, Villa pushed men forward, but few clear chances followed. Enfield then added two goals in quick succession to put the result beyond doubt. Nana Kyei made it 4-1 in the 86th minute before Efobi grabbed his second of the afternoon a minute later, completing the scoring at 5-1.
The final whistle confirmed a 5-1 defeat for Villa, with Enfield Town progressing to the next round in the wind and rain of North London.
Following the match, manager Simon Haughney said:
“I stick by my decision to rest players today and give chances to those who have patiently sat on the bench in past weeks. Some of them performed today and others didn’t.
“It was a tough game against a well-organised Enfield team, but I want to give a quick shout-out to Charlie Hathaway, who came into the team today for the first time this season. He showed true effort when he came on.”
Villa now turn their attention back to the league, with another busy and important week ahead as they face the two teams directly below them in the table.
Tuesday night sees a trip to Chichester City, with a 7.45pm kick-off, before Villa return to Rectory Meadow on Saturday to welcome Plymouth Parkway for a 3pm kick-off.
