Maldon & Tiptree 2 (0) - (0) 1 ROMFORD Attendance 70 - Park Drive

As in all four previous league games of the new season Boro had far the better of the first half, pushing forward at every opportunity with some crisp passing football interspersed with the odd long ball, all of which was a worry to the home defence.
After only five minutes a goalmouth scramble saw the ball break to Paul Clayton whose left foot shot hit the inside of the post and came out. A short time later there seemed to be a decent shout for penalty as a hand appeared to stop Ryan Imbert's shot from the edge of the area. A Nick Reynolds header went close and the heavy pressure continued with Jack Barry just failing to get on the end of David Ottley's cross from the right.
On the half hour Maldon broke and nearly went ahead drawing two very good, low, point blank saves from Aaron Omand in quick succession. After thirty-nine minutes Jamie Dicks came on for Paul Preston who had picked up a knock and just before the interval the ref finally showed a yellow card after a number of fouls on young George Cocklin who seemed to be targeted as the smallest player on the pitch and also that he was having an excellent game in midfield.
Romford continued in the second half as they had left off with decent shots from Ryan Imbert and Nick Reynolds well saved and then after 56 minutes Jamie Dicks set Abs Seymour free down the left and his cross found Ryan Imbert running in to power home a header and continue his excellent scoring form of the new campaign.
However, this setback seemed to immediately transform Maldon who hit the woodwork twice in the next ten minutes. Jack Barry headed one off the line after a great save from Aaron Omand and Paul Martin brought on some fresh legs with Tom Richardson and Sam Kemp replacing Nick Reynolds and Matt Toms. Tom Richardson immediately went close and Boro seemed to have weathered the storm when a Maldon forward put a free header over, but disaster struck five minutes from time when the equaliser came from another header after Maldon were awarded a dubious free kick. The turnaround was completed in added time with yet another Maldon header from a right wing cross.
A couple of desperate Romford attacks came to nothing in the seconds remaining and they returned home with again nothing to show from an away match where they had had so much of the game.

MALDON & TIPTREE (0) 2 MARTIN 87 , MCKENZIE 90.

ROMFORD (0) 1 RYAN IMBERT 58

ROMFORD: AARON OMAND, DAVID OTTLEY, PAUL PRESTON (JAMIE DICKS 39), JAMES ISHMAIL, MATT TOMS (TOM RICHARDSON 71), PAUL CLAYTON, JACK BARRY, ABS SEYMOUR, RYAN IMBERT, NICK REYNOLDS (SAM KEMP 81), GEORGE COCKLIN, SUBS NOT USED REECE TRANTER, HAYES THOMAS.

YELLOW CARDS: NICK REYNOLDS, GEORGE COCKLIN, TOM RICHARDSON