A week of cup finals begins tomorrow at Rookery Hill as Boro take on Sporting Bengal United in the Essex Senior League Play-Off Final. Reward for the winners will be a place at Step 4 next season, and although the league in which the winners will play is not definite, the chances are that it will be Isthmian North.

The delayed Play-Off Semi-Finals saw Boro beat Barking at Rookery Hill on Friday with a penalty from Kris Newby. Bengal, meanwhile played Woodford Town at Ashtons and after going a goal behind, levelled to take the game to penalties, which they won 5-4 to set up tomorrow’s match.

This is the second season running in which Sporting Bengal have featured in a Play-Off Final. Last season they achieved promotion from the Thurlow Nunn League Division One South by beating Stanway Pegasus on penalties in the Final.

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Sporting Bengal United were formed in 1996 with the aim of challenging the under-representation of Asians in football. The club initially played in the London Intermediate League, before joining the Kent League in 2003, where they remained until 2011 when they transferred to the Essex Senior League, where their best finish was eighth place in in 2018-19. After eleven years in the ESL, they were relegated at the end of the 2021-22 season, but bounced back with promotion last season.

Previous Meetings:

There had been no meetings between the sides prior to this campaign. The Essex Senior League game at Mayesbrook Park back in September ended in a 3-3 draw with Romford’s goals coming from Michael Turner and Hassan Nalbant, who scored twice. In the return game at The Mile End Stadium in February, Remi Sutton and Hassan Nalbant scored in a 2-1 win for Boro.

Remi Sutton (partly hidden, in yellow boots) scores Boro’s first at The Mile End Stadium. Picture by Bob Knightley

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Bengal have reached the Play-Offs having finished fifth in the regular season with 70 points from their 38 games. They won seven and drew two of their last nine league games having experienced a bad run in January and February when the lost five on the trot.

There a number of players with Romford connections on Bengal’s books and in their Play-Off game at Woodford, Steve Carvell and Sonny Shilling were in their staring line-up. Other ex-Romford players to feature for them this season include Christian Adu-Gyamfi, Sheri Artmeladze, Chaka Barnett, and Jay Knight.

Boro’s busy week continues on Wednesday with the Errington Challenge Cup Final against Stanway Rovers. This game will be played at The First Call Community Stadium, the home of Heybridge Swifts FC, before next Saturday’s FA Vase Final against Great Wakering Rovers.