Victory Akam's second-half goal was not enough to inspire a comeback for Hackney Wick, who eventually were defeated 3-1 away at Enfield Borough.

Ernest made 2 changes to the side that lost 1-0 to Hoddesdon Town last Saturday. Edwin Kwapong and Romaine Barnes-Wallace were replaced by Javier Mothersille and Ben Lewis-Gold as the Wickers looked to record their first-ever victory against the Panthers.

In an emphatic start to the game, Hackney Wick had 3 chances to take the lead inside the first minute! Seb Mohammed was played through and found himself 1-on-1 with Boro keeper Harry Cooke, who denied him! The rebound fell to Leo Pola, who also shot his shot saved by Cooke, before Darren Esuka fired over to end the attack.

The hosts began to grow into the game and threatened with a close-range shot that went wide.

A moment of brilliance occurred in the 10th minute as a deep cross reached the edge of the box and was met by a brilliant half-volley which looped over Bartz Klimkiewicz to give Enfield the lead.

The Panthers doubled their lead in the 26th minute as a corner was played to the back post, headed back across goal and tapped in.

Despite the scoreline, it was still a very open game. Darren played it through to Leo but Cooke was quickly off his line to halt the attack.

HT: ENFIELD BOROUGH 2-0 HACKNEY WICK

Neither side could keep the ball for very long in the opening stages of the 2nd half. Therefore the first real chance after the break came just after the hour mark. Seb played a teasing low cross to the back post, but Darren, sliding in, couldn't make the connection!

As predicted by the Hackney Wicker Man, Pete Bailey, the goal was coming! And it arrived in the 68th minute as Adam slotted a pass through to Victory, who made no mistake to finish past Cooke! That takes his tally to 11 goals for the season as he further cements his place as the Wickers' top scorer this season.

Just minutes later, it could easily have been level but Eman Okoroji could only direct his header wide of the post.

Ernest made a triple change with 10 minutes to go, including a return to the first team for Clifford Newby-Harris, his first appearance since the 4-3 defeat at Southend Manor in October.

But the only meaningful chance for the rest of the game went to the hosts, who sealed the game with a well-taken finish after Bartz gave the ball straight to them.

FT: ENFIELD BOROUGH 3-1 HACKNEY WICK

The disappointing result sees the Wickers remain 15th in the table, having taken 32 points from their 26 league games this season. For Enfield Borough, the win propelled them out of the relegation places and into 19th.

The Wickers are next in action on Saturday (3rd February) when we will still be looking for our first win of the new year as we host Southend Manor (15:00 kickoff).