Enfield Borough’s inability to manage the latter stages of the game cost them after coming within three minutes of progressing to the second round of the FA Vase on Saturday.

Goals from Richard Ennin and Tage Kennedy had seen the hosts come from behind to lead Kirkley & Pakefield 2-1 with time running out at the Maurice Rebak Stadium. But the home side were also to pay the price for missed chances as the higher ranked Suffolk outfit scored a late equaliser before securing a 3-2 victory in extra-time.

Borough assistant boss Roy Bleau reflected: “I thought that we played well. We showed good spirit when coming from behind and we missed a number of good chances to make the game safe. However we failed to manage the game properly.

“Other teams would have employed various tactics designed to wind down the clock when they are ahead while we carry on wanting to get on with the game like we are trailing. It has cost us very dearly today and it is a lesson that we have got to learn quickly if we want to be successful.

“Credit to their striker though – that was one hell of a composed finish to pull out of the hat that late in the game.”

Having fallen behind in the 16th minute, the hosts got back on terms five minutes before the break when Ennin capitalised after Brian Tshibangu had failed to connect with a shot on the turn from a Jamiah Lawrence-Plentie corner.

It was another Lawrence-Plentie set piece, this time a free-kick in the 63rd minute, that Enfield took the lead with Kennedy scoring after the ball had ricocheted around in the box.

Borough’s best chance of making the tie safe came four minutes from time when Kennedy saw a shot saved by Adam Rix. Within 60 seconds, Kirkley had equalised through Cameron Russell’s second of the game and Kaiden Goldspink was to net the winner in the 110th minute.