Enfield Town 1
(Youngs 19′)
United 2
(Morgan 48′, Wilson 88′ pen)
Kieran Wilson’s late penalty saw United claim all three points on Saturday, as The Gulls came from behind to seal a priceless victory in North London.
Sam Young’s strike gave the hosts the lead at the break, before Dylan Morgan’s third goal in successive games restored parity. With time ticking away, it was eventually left to Wilson to decide matters, with a late winner via the penalty spot.
With joint-top scorers Louis Dennis and Jordan Young both ruled out through suspension, manager Paul Wotton was forced to shuffle his pack. In came last season’s leading marksman Cody Cooke and Exeter City loanee Wilson to lead a new-look Gulls attack in North London. Another loan addition, new signing from Plymouth Argyle, Joe Hatch, began his spell as a Gull on the bench.
United started the game well.
After Jay Foulston fired an effort over the top within the first 60 seconds, Torquay continued in the same vein, with Cooke, Dylan Morgan and Sam Dreyer all going close to breaking the deadlock.
It was the hosts who opened the scoring on 19 minutes though.
After a throw into The Gulls’ penalty area caused a spot of pinball, the ball fell kindly to Youngs on the edge of the box, with the Towners captain delighting the home faithful by drilling the ball past Hamon and into the back of the net.
It took the men in yellow a little while to regroup following the setback, and in fairness it was Enfield who looked likelier to score again, as Nino Adom-Malaki’s cross found the head of Bailey Brown, with only James Hamon’s alert reactions keeping the deficit at a single goal at the change of ends.
After things got back underway though, United wasted little time in getting back on level terms.
Morgan caught the Enfield backline out by emerging out of nowhere, and although a handy deflection took the ball past the stranded Joe Wright in the home goal, the power of the initial shot was enough to see it over the libe and make it 1-1 in the 48th minute.
Wotton’s men went within a whisker of going in front a minute later, as Wilson latched onto a loose ball by firing in a powerful effort goalwards, with only the crossbar denying him from turning the scoreline on its head.
United kept plugging away, and with three minutes left, The Gulls thought they had found their winner, as substitute Matt Jay found Foulston, but before the defender could really celebrate clamming the ball home, the goal was ruled out for offside.
Just when it looks like the travelling Yellow Army would left frustrated, Wilson stood up when it counted.
After winning a penalty for his side after seeing his shot strike the hand of an Enfield defender, the young striker belied his years by firing home the ball from the spot to make it 2-1 with barely a minute of normal time to spare.
Who knows how important this result could be at the end of 2025/26, but another positive result against Farnborough on Tuesday evening willonly serve to further strengthen United’s credentials towards the top of the National League South table.
ENFIELD: 1. Joseph Wright, 3. Nino Adom-Malaki, 4. Hayden Bullas, 5. Xavier Benjamin, 6. Henry Hawkins, 7. Oliver Knight (2. Avan Jones, 88′), 8. Sam Youngs (c), 10. Lamar Reynolds (18. Corie Andrews, 70′), 11. Billy Leonard (24. Ely Ackerson, 90+3′), 14. Bailey Brown, 19. Adam Thompson.
SUBS NOT USED:12. Yacou Traore, 13. Adi Connolly (GK), 17. Ruben Bartlett-Antwi.
UNITED: 1. James Hamon, 3. Jay Foulston, 4. Jordan Dyer, 5. Sam Dreyer (c), 9. Cody Cooke (19. Joe Hatch, 74′), 11. Dylan Morgan (27. Matt Jay, 82′), 18. Matt Worthington, 20. Dan Hayfield, 23. Kieran Wilson, 24. Sonny Blu Lo-Everton, 26. Jordan Thomas (6. Munashe Sundire, 66′).
SUBS NOT USED: 2. Denzel Akyeampong, 16. Ed Palmer, 21. Adam Seedhouse-Evans (GK).
Yellow Card: Sundire 72′
Attendance: 1,114
