Romford snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against a Takeley side who came into this game off the back of seven consecutive defeats. The last quarter of the game provided a text book example of how not to see out a two goal lead as having led 3-1 with only 22 minutes left, Boro contributed heavily to their own downfall, practically handing Takeley their second, third, and fourth goals, conceding possession within 25 yards of their own goal on each occasion.

To compound Romford’s woes, there were yellow cards for Michael Turner, George Cox, and Seedorf Mendes for the sort of routine fouls that Boro’s opponents are never booked for, and there was a straight red for Darren Phillips, Boro’s fourth red card in the last eight games, and the fifth of the season overall.

The early stages were dominated by the visitors, for whom George Frodsham shot over the bar and Charlie Allum and Riley Ward had efforts blocked, while the ever dangerous Caoilan McGettigan had a shot that was narrowly off target after he had beaten Darren Phillips in a tackle.

Boro’s first chance saw Hassan Nalbant have a shot tipped over after 26 minutes, and sixty seconds later he put Boro ahead, very much against the run of play, when he controlled Phillips’s header forward, swivelled, and fired a low shot past Joseph Walker in the Takeley goal.

Finlay Dorrell then twice went close, once denied by Walker after turning well in the box and then taking a pass from George Cox only to have his shot blocked, but after 40 minutes Boro doubled their lead. A long throw by Phillips was controlled by Nalbant and he laid the ball off to Henry Hart, whose good close control put him clear of the Takeley defenders and gave him the opportunity to clip the ball past Walker with a calm and assured finish.

Ominously, Boro’s hopes of taking a two goal lead in at the break were dashed when Costi-Marian Yarsoi’s speculative effort from long range sailed over Jack Dixson’s head to make it 2-1 at half-time. It was no more than the visitors deserved for their efforts in the first forty-five minutes,

When Hassan Nalbant scored the third after 52 minutes, Boro looked to be well in control despite Takeley’s abundance of possession. Finlay Dorrell’s shot from Darren Phillips’s long throw was blocked, but the ball ran kindly for Nalbant, and Boro’s leading scorer made no mistake from a matter of feet. That however, was as good as it got for Boro as the visitors scored three times in nine minutes.

After 68 minutes Hodje Almeida-Joaquim scored from the edge of the box after Seedorf Mendes had been caught in possession, and after 70 minutes Presley Evans fired home after a combination of good Takeley passing and ineffective Boro defending had afforded him a shooting opportunity.

The turnaround was complete when the impressive Caoilan McGettigan was presented with the ball by Jacob Wiggins after 74 minutes and his unerring shot flew past Dixson. A header from Michael Turner that was well wide of the Takeley goal was the best that Romford could muster in response and the final whistle blew on Boro’s third consecutive defeat in a run of seven games that have garnered just five points from a possible twenty-one.

Romford’s next league game is a trip to bottom of the table Coggeshall Town, a fixture in which defeat would be unthinkable.

Romford: Jack Dixson, Henry Hart, Jamie Hursit, Seedorf Mendes (Lee Hursit, 84m), Michael Turner, Scott Doe, Darren Phillips, George Cox (Charlie Morris, 51m), Hassan Nalbant (Bruno Gomes, 84m), Ashaan Siddik (Jacob Wiggins, 51m), Finlay Dorrell (Toheeb Elegushi, 84m).