Enfield Town will be hoping tonight's return to league action leads to better fortunes after their miserable run in the FA Trophy continued on Saturday.

The Towners have now reached the third qualifying round only once in 13 years after they let a half-time lead slip and largely had themselves to blame after being beaten 2-1 at Basingstoke Town.

Although Andy Leese’s men sit third in the Bostik Premier Division table, they are set for a tough examination against an in-form Worthing side sitting a point and a place below them in the table.

The hosts started Saturday’s tie the better with Joe Wright forced to go full length to save a fourth-minute effort from Joe Wright, while the Enfield keeper was forced into another stop soon after when Smart’s ball into the box struck Remi Sutton.

It was the visitors who struck first though, when a good cross from Aaron Greene was directed past Colm McAdden’s left hand by the head of Lewis Taaffe to give Town a 1-0 lead.

Sam Argent saw an effort deflected over as the Dragons sought an instant response, before Wright had to tip over Smart’s next effort from an angled drive.

It was McAdden’s turn to produce some flying acrobatics to repel Greene’s deflected cross in the 35 minutes and Billy Bricknell then had the ball in the net, but from a clear offside position as the visitors took their one-goal lead into the break.

After a Matt Johnson drive had been saved by McAdden and Bricknell was unable to dig out a Taaffe cross from slightly behind him, disaster struck for Town midway through the second half.

Smart’s angled cross-cum-shot looked to have been safely gathered by Wright low down, only for the ball to squirm through his grasp and over the line.

Despite the setback, Enfield still looked on course to secure a replay at least as the minutes ticked by, only for Basingstoke to snatch the win in added time.

The home side were again the beneficiaries of a mistake from their opponents, this time a loose pass from Johnson allowing the impressive Smart to run through and get himself into a shooting position before making no mistake to send his side into the next round.