A loss to Isthmian League Premier Division leaders Hornchurch has happened to many teams this year - but Enfield Town boss Gavin Macpherson felt they could have got more from it.

Sam Youngs had equalised with a penalty 12 minutes into the second half, cancelling out a Femi Akinwande spot-kick, only for Sean Scannell to bag a winner five minutes later.

And had it not been for a few lapses, the boss felt it might not have been a 2-1 loss.

Speaking on the club's website, Macpherson said: "We came up against a very mean defence but I was really pleased with the application in the second half.

"Sadly we contributed to our own downfall."

The last six league games have yielded just five points and although they are still fourth, the loss to the Urchins was representative of those last half-dozen matches.

The boss said: " Things could be very different in terms of the last few games but sadly they’re not.

"At the moment the boys don’t seem to be functioning as they were in the early part of the season.

"Maybe they’ve lost a little bit of confidence, I’m not sure, but we need to pep ourselves up."

The game had started positively enough when a cross from Mickey Parcell’s low cross was met by the head of Youngs, only for Noah Phillips to push it against the post before Quentin Monville completed the clearance.

Rhys Forster held a Ryan Scott header at the other end but there was little else in the way of big chances.

That was until a handball gave Hornchurch a penalty and Akinwande stuck it away.

They came out stronger after the interval though and after Youngs had hit a free-kick straight at Phillips, he redeemed himself from 12 yards after another handball award.

The equaliser galvanised Town but before they had a chance to truly snatch the momentum, they fell behind again.

James Richmond’s challenge on Ollie Muldoon earned him a booking but not before Muldoon’s sublime pass found Sean Scannell who ran on and rolled the ball into the corner.

Parcell, playing against his former club, had to go off briefly to have a facial wound attended to but on his return, Enfield came within a whisker of levelling.

Marcus Wyllie did well to keep the ball in play and from his cross Youngs was inches off target.

Macpherson tried to freshen things up with a series of substitutions but Hornchurch were able to deal with everything Enfield could throw at them.

And even six minutes of stoppage time was unable to change the outcome.