“The one all non-league clubs want to do well in is the FA Cup — look at Maidstone this season”, says Enfield Town manager Gavin MacPherson.
“But Maidstone and the vast majority of non-league clubs in this country don’t have the chance to do what we’re doing.”
There is palpable excitement in MacPherson’s voice as he speaks to Standard Sport ahead of Tuesday’s away match in Copenhagen against Danish side BK Skjold.
It is Enfield Town’s second group game in this season’s Fenix Trophy, a UEFA-recognised competition set up in 2021 for amateur and semi-professional European clubs with “exceptional social, historical and cultural distinctiveness”.
A group featuring Skjold and Llantwit Major of South Wales is a departure from Enfield Town’s usual opponents in the Isthmian League Premier Division, English football’s seventh tier.
“They [Skjold] are the holders of the competition, winning it last year in the San Siro”, says Enfield Town vice-chairman Paul Millington, whose side beat Skjold 3-1 at home in November in their only previous match.
“We expect somewhere between 150–200 supporters will be travelling, which is quite remarkable for a club at our level.
“Our following away from home is always at least 100. With the novelty value of following the club overseas, many people who have followed the club for years see it as a great opportunity to visit somewhere new.”
He adds: “It's added another dimension of interest to the club. Our prime target is still to get promotion to the National League, but the value of this competition is the additional publicity.
“One of the concerns at the start of the season was how it would affect our domestic calendar, but we’ve managed okay.”
Looking ahead, he says: “I’d imagine one or two bars will be taken over by our supporters. Skjold have promised us there will be a party after the game.
“I’m sure our fans won’t need too much encouragement to join in. The players will come to the bar and talk to supporters after the game. I know the players are looking forward to the experience.”
After the match against Skjold on a 4G pitch they’ve never trained on before, Enfield Town wrap up the group stage with home and away ties against Llantwit Major on March 19 and April 9.
The semi-finals and final of the 12-team tournament will take place in Italy in May, with the organisers hoping to host them in Verona and the Lake Garda region.
“We’ve got a job on our hands to qualify”, admits MacPherson. “The game tonight is going to be very important to qualification.
“We are in a good position to try to win this competition, but we can’t take our foot off the gas.”
