Enfield Town remain in the Isthmian Premier Division play-offs despite seeing their four-match winning run ended 2-1 at Lewes on Wednesday night.

The game was a close contest which could have gone either way but ultimately Town paid the price for a couple of defensive lapses, while there were few clear-cut chances for the visitors against a well organised Lewes rearguard.

Aryan Tajbakhsh let fly with an effort which home goalkeeper Rikki Banks found too hot to handle and fumbled behind for a corner after just five minutes.

In reply, a Chris Breach header was well blocked by Town’s Jordan Lockie after some good attacking play from Lewes on the right-hand flank.

But soon afterwards the Rooks took the lead when Jack Rowe-Hurst was allowed the space to fire diagonally across Nathan McDonald after 11 minutes.

Defender Claudiu Vilcu then planted a header wide a minute later as Town went in search of an equaliser.

In the 19th minute Tyler Campbell jinked behind the Rooks’ defence and Banks was forced into action to keep out his dangerous low ball in from the right.

Sixty seconds later, Tajbakhsh saw another shot well tipped over by Banks. From the resulting corner, Banks was again alert to push over from Campbell.

Stan Muguo drove well over with an effort in the 25th minute but at the other end Town had a lucky escape when Emmett O’Connor, who was making his debut on loan from Crawley Town, was tackled just in time after more good work down the Lewes right.

However, Town forced an equaliser when Tajbakhsh picked the ball up some 20 yards out in a central position, skilfully beat his man and then unleashed a superb arrowing shot which gave Banks no chance.

The Towners continued to push from an equaliser with Campbell and Whitely both going close before the break.

After the restart Joe Stevens, making his 100th appearance for the Towners, was bundled over by Breach but from the subsequent free kick, the ball hit the wall.

In the 54th minute, after Tajbakhsh had been fouled near the edge of the penalty area by Davis, Banks pushed Stevens’ free kick around the post as Bradley Quinton’s side piled on the pressure.

And when Ricky Gabriel, having received a hasty pass, was caught in possession by O’Connor, he ran on and finished well beyond the advancing McDonald.

The visitors continued to press with Whitely firing onto the roof of the net from an acute angle. But Town were by now finding it increasingly difficult to pierce the Rooks’ backline.

Campbell had a header saved, whilst in the 84th minute, Jordan Lockie made a vital tackle to stop James Fraser when he looked set to score a killer third for the hosts.

Town’s final chance of the game came right on the stroke off full-time when an on-target Muguo effort hit sub Darnell Wynter on the back.