2022/23 Table Position: 9th
2022/23 Top Scorer: Jake Cass (20)
Manager: Gavin Macpherson
Nickname: Towners
2022/23 average attendance: 495
This Saturday, Concord Rangers get their 2023/24 Isthmian Premier Division campaign underway with a trip to Enfield Town.
This summer has seen a huge change both on and off the pitch at the Aspect Arena ahead of a first season at step three level in a decade.
Following relegation from the National League South in April, manager Rob Small departed the club after six months at the helm. He was then replaced by former player Sammy Collins.
Enfield have also seen a change in the dugout with former Metropolitan Police boss Gavin Macpherson replacing Andy Leese.
Since taking charge of the Towners, Macpherson has brought in ten new recruits; five of which played step two football last season, namely: Rhys Forster (Slough Town), Kyle Bailey (Hungerford Town), Dylan Adjei-Hersey (Eastbourne Borough and Hungerford Town), Sami Bessadi (Weymouth) and Reece Beckles-Richards (Cheshunt).
On the other hand only two of Concord's 13 summer signings played step two football last term with Alfie Cue and Khale Da Costa turning out for Cheshunt and Chelmsford City respectively.
Both sides have a glittering open day record that makes for positive reading.
Concord do have the better in the head-to-head record and Collins will be looking to keep that going as he makes his competitive debut in the Beach Boys dugout.
Key Player
Jake Cass
A man who knows where the goal is at this level, Jake Cass notched 20 goals last season having bagged a combined total of 25 for Bishop's Stortford and Enfield in 2021/22.
Previously of Braintree Town and Chelmsford, Cass ended last season positively with three goals in his final four games.
They've played for both
Three members of the current Enfield and Concord squads have represented both clubs.
Enfield left back Joe Payne, 24, made the move to North London in September 2022 from Cheshunt. Prior to this, Payne spent a year with Concord and was part of the Beach Boys side that lost the 2020 FA Trophy final to Harrogate Town.
Now starting his fifth campaign as a Towners player, experienced midfielder Lewis Taaffe, 31, joined Enfield from Concord in 2018. The midfielder has enjoyed two spells with Rangers. The first was from 2014 until 2016 and the second from 2017 till 2018 with a stint at Hemel Hempstead Town in between.
A man who has also played for Concord across more than one spell, Khale Da Costa rejoined the Beach Boys from Enfield this summer. The 29-year-old first donned the yellow and blue of Concord during the 2018/19 season before turning out for Enfield at the back end of last season following his departure from Chelmsford.
We've met before
23/03/2013: Concord Rangers 3-0 Enfield Town
05/03/2013: Enfield Town 0-1 Concord Rangers
27/10/2012: Concord Rangers 0-2 Enfield Town
On this day
In recent times Concord have only played twice on the 12th of August and have never won.
In 2014 second half strikes from Daryl McMahon and Charlie Sheringham secured a 2-0 win over the Beach Boys for Ebbsfleet United.
In 2017 it was a slightly happier affair for Concord, against Truro City, with a current Enfield man at the double for the Beach Boys. Taaffe gave the Beach Boys a first half lead but late strikes in the 84th and 87th minutes from Noah Keats and Stewart Yetton looked to have handed the visitors the points. However in the third minute of injury time Taaffe popped up with his second goal of the game to ensure a share of the spoils.
How they line up
Enfield's squad in full:
Goalkeepers
Adi Connolly
Rhys Forster
Defenders
Kyle Bailey
Joshua Okotcha
Mickey Parcell
Joe Payne
James Richmond
Carlos Velasco
Midfielders
Dylan Adjei-Hersey
Sami Bessadi
Louis Birch
Ollie Knight
Lewis Taaffe
Scott Thomas
Gucci Soulya-Osekanongo
Kian Wilkes
Sam Youngs
Attackers
Reece Beckles-Richards
Jake Cass
Marcus Wyllie
By Nathan Williams
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