Needham Market 6 (3) - (0) 2 ROMFORD attendance 222 - Bloomfields‏

Aaron Omand twice kept Needham at bay early on but neither team really created much in the first half hour and it was Romford who were unlucky not to open the scoring. On thirty-one minutes Loui Hazelwood won a free kick on the edge of the box and Abs Seymour feigned to shoot before finding debutant Besfort Sadiku on the left wing and his cross found Nick Reynolds, but the striker's header hit a defender on the line and went wide. A minute later Needham forced a corner and after the visitors failed to clear the ball Oliver Fenn shot home to open the scoring. Abs Seymour hit a long shot just wide and when it was looking likely that Romford would only go in at half time a goal behind Needham hit Boro twice in a minute when Sam Newson got his usual goal against Romford, sweeping home at the near post from a corner and Darryl Coakley found himself unmarked at the far post after another swift counter attack.

Needham made it four on fifty-eight minutes thanks to Samuel Nunn heading home a corner and moments later it was five when Robbie Norris was harshly adjudged to have fouled an attacker in a fifty-fifty penalty area collision leaving Kemal Izzet to score from the spot. At five nil Romford suddenly woke up and played some of the best football of the match and on sixty-three minutes Nick Reynolds perfectly picked out Nathan Cooper at the far post and his header reduced the deficit. Nine minutes later and Romford got their second when Jack Barry turned in George Cocklin’s shot leaving Market looking very shaky. Nick Reynolds and Besfort Sadiku come very close to getting a third and Jack Barry was denied a goal by a fantastic save before Nathan Cooper was only inches away from getting his second of the game. Suddenly, and against the run of play Needham got their sixth goal when Adam Mills scored despite looking a long way offside and the linesman not up with play. So once again Romford returned from East Anglia with no reward and the hosts might well regard themselves as a good bet for the championship if they can win such a close game by a four goal margin.

NEEDHAM MARKET (3) 6 FENN 32, NEWSON 43, COAKLEY 45, NUNN 58, IZZET 60 (PEN), MILLS 89,

ROMFORD (0) 2 NATHAN COOPER 63, JACK BARRY 72.

ROMFORD: AARON OMAND, ROBBIE NORRIS, TYLER HAYES, JACK BARRY, NATHAN COOPER, GEORGE COCKLIN, JAMIE DICKS (JAMES ISHMAIL 68), ABS SEYMOUR, LOUI HAZELWOOD (SOLOMON AKINSHADE 51), NICK REYNOLDS, BESFORT SADIKU (DANIEL JONES 75).

YELLOW CARDS: ROBBIE NORRIS 60, ABS SEYMOUR 89.