Enfield Town took part in their first pre-season friendly, and their first fixture since football was postponed due to the coronavirus back in March, in a 3-2 defeat at home to St Panteleimon on Saturday.

Goals from Town’s Charles Brown and Saints’ Hamza Semakula had the teams level at the break before Demetrius Anastasiou and Bilal Aalouache added two more for the visitors in the second-half, while a trialist also found the net for Enfield.

Prior to the match, Town’s manager Andy Leese said he would be using the game to view a number of trialists as he continues preparations for the upcoming season, which is hoped will begin on September 19.

He said: “We have to be sure we are recruiting as wisely as possible, working within our tight playing budget and making sure that we are in the best shape to start the new season, whenever that may be.

“We will be looking at some trialists in the St Panteleimon game and beyond, and we have had discussions with a number of players we would like to add with a view to improving the squad in various positions for what promises to be a very challenging campaign with so many unknowns.”

Despite the large number of trialists, it was a familiar face that opened the scoring in the behind-closed-doors match, with Brown firing past Panteleimon goalkeeper Donald Manaj at his near post, after cutting in from the right-hand-side in the 11th minute of the match.

The sides would be on equal footing before the end of the half, however, with Semakula’s volley too fierce a strike for Nathan McDonlad to keep out.

All eight bodies on the Enfield substitute’s bench were trialists and they were introduced after half-time as Leese looked on for any potentially astute signings.

However, one of them failed to endear himself with a stray backpass just nine minutes after the restart that allowed Anastasiou to claim the loose ball and slip it past the another of the trialists in the Town net.

At the other end one of the possible future Town players made a much more positive impression when he connected with a well-struck delivery from deep to find the back of the net and level the scores from the edge of the area.

With the sun beating down at a sweltering 32 degrees, the players started to tire as the game meandered towards its climax, looking for all the world like it would end with a draw.

That was until Saints mustered enough effort to create some space in the 18-yard-box for substitute Aalouache to beat the trialist goalkeeper and steal the win.

Town will now host Brentwood Town this weekend before Chelmsford City visit on Tuesday evening.

A trip to Hertford Town awaits the following Saturday, which will be quickly followed by a visit to Greys Athletic the day after.

All games will continue to be played behind closed doors, with no entry permitted for supporters.