In a wholly unremarkable game, Romford created club history with five straight wins in competitive matches at the start of the season for the first time ever, giving Boro boss Dan Spinks more to celebrate than just his birthday.

Both sides had shots at goal in the first minute – Charlie Morris’s effort went wide of Brad Davison’s goal, and then Harry Brown’s tame shot was easily gathered by Jake Anderson – but there followed half an hour of football so unremarkable that there was nothing of any note to report.

On the half hour Lee Hursit struck a free-kick straight at Davison, but two minutes later Boro went in front with a goal quite out of keeping with proceedings. Jordan Sarfo crossed from the left and Jayden Silcott-Brown scored his first goal for Romford with an audacious, improvised back-heel that beat Davison at his left-hand post.

Jayden Silcott-Brown – improvised to score Boro’s first. Picture: Alan Blackholly.

Hullbridge’s Brown ended a run at the Boro goal with a shot that in a more eventful match wouldn’t even merit mentioning, but the half ended with injuries to two Boro players. Hassan Nalbant had to be replaced by Bruno Gomes just a minute before the break, and Kris Newby – who had to swap his number 14 shirt, first for the number 4, and then for the number 18 - failed to make it out for the second half and was replaced by Jacob Wiggins.

Hullbridge put Boro under pressure in the second half without creating much in the way of chances; Jake Anderson had a much easier game of it than he had at Great Wakering four days previously. In one of the few incidents worth noting, Hullbridge’s San Owusu was booked for a foul after 52 minutes.

Charlie Morris had the ball in the net after 67 minutes only to have the goal ruled out for offside, although play restarted with a Boro free-kick for an earlier foul, while at the other end Hullbridge’s former Boro player Mike Agboola shot wide from outside the box after 74 minutes.

Junior Luke went in the referee’s notebook for a foul after 81 minutes, and after 90 minutes Bruno Gomes joined him for rather rashly kicking the ball away after Boro had conceded a free-kick.

Four minutes into stoppage time it became two bookings apiece as Jamie Hursit was fouled by Brown who saw yellow.

With six minutes of added time played Boro made the game safe with a second goal. Seedorf Mendes dispossessed a Hullbridge defender deep in his own half and fed Sonny Shilling. Hullbridge protestations that Shilling was offside fell on deaf ears, and the player who had only replaced Jayden Silcott-Brown ten minutes earlier drew the keeper and slipped the ball across for Gomes to tap in.

Bruno Gomes celebrates his goal, Boro’s second. Picture: Alan Blackholly.

Romford: Jake Anderson, Jamie Hursit, Junior Luke, Kris Newby (Jacob Wiggins, 46m), Michael Turner, Scott Doe, Jayden Silcott-Brown (Sonny Shilling, 86m), Lee Hursit, Hassan Nalbant (Bruno Gomes, 44m), Charlie Morris, Jordan Sarfo (Seedorf Mendes, 90+3m). Sub not used: Wayne Baker