With Boro still holding their 3-1 half-time lead with less than twenty minutes remaining, this game was in danger of petering out, and the visitors were enjoying plenty of possession without seriously threatening the Romford goal. Three goals in the last seventeen minutes gave the scoreline a truer reflection of the way the game had gone and boosted Boro’s goal difference into the bargain.

Mike Faulkner tested Matt Knight in the visitors’ goal in the very first minute with a fierce shot from ten yards that the keeper turned away for a corner, but it was a brief reprieve as Boro were ahead after just four minutes. Hassan Nalbant was fouled 25 yards from goal, Kris Newby floated the free-kick into the box, finding Charlie Morris on the left side of goal, and he unerringly lashed the ball across Knight and in at the far post.

Nalbant almost doubled Boro’s lead immediately, firing in a low shot that Knight kicked away, but it was not long before Boro had their second. Charlie Morris found space on the right and delivered a low cross to the feet of Hassan Nalbant, who sidestepped a defender and the keeper to score from close range, pictured below by Alan Blackholly.

Romford were looking comfortable at this point and so it was some surprise that the next goal of the game went to Frenford after 27 minutes. Former Boro man Kai Haysman was brought down just inside the box by Scott Doe, who was yellow carded, and Dion Johnston converted the spot kick, although Jake Anderson went the right way.

Boro’s two goal advantage was restored after 31 minutes. Mike Faulkner ran strongly at the Frenford defence and found Charlie Morris in space on the left. Morris had no hesitation in sliding the ball home. There was a moment of concern for Boro after 33 minutes however, when a pass from debut making central defender Remi Sutton, intended for Anderson, fell short and gave Johnston a shooting opportunity, but the Boro keeper made a fine save to maintain the two goal cushion.

The second half opened with Charlie Morris having a shot beaten away by Knight, while the visitors carved out two decent chances, one ending with a shot that was too high before Harry Carter managed a shot on target that Anderson saved without much ado. A flurry of Romford substitutions – Bruno Gomes, Kris Newby, and Jacob Wiggins made way for Finlay Dorrell, Ash Siddik, and Lee Hursit – injected some more urgency into Boro’s attacks and a ball into the box by Lee Hursit was flicked on by Nalbant, forcing Knight to scurry across goal and turn the ball round the post.

Frenford broke quickly after 67 minutes when Knight’s long clearance found Wilberforce Ocran. His low ball into the centre was met by Huseyin Yildiz, but his shot went harmlessly over Anderson’s crossbar. Almost immediately Boro went close when another substitute, Danny Hurford, found Faulkner and his powerful shot was turned away for a corner by the overworked Knight. Knight was powerless when Morris completed his hat-trick after 77 minutes however, as Finlay Dorrell was picked out by an astute pass to the left flank, and his cross field pass found Morris in space and he lashed in a low drive for Boro’s fourth.

A fifth goal followed shortly afterwards, in the 82nd minute. Patient build up on the left involving Hurford, Lee Hursit, and Ash Siddik released Hassan Nalbant and his low cross was met by Finlay Dorrell six yards out.

Two minutes into stoppage time, Hassan Nalbant – who had not scored in the league since October – bagged his second of the afternoon with an absolute piledriver from the corner of the penalty area to make it 6-1, and Boro might have made it seven with virtually the last kick of the game when Morris was denied a fourth goal by the diving Knight.

Boro remain fourth after this win, but with 61 goals in 25 league games are the Essex Senior League’s leading scorers.

Romford: Jake Anderson, Jamie Hursit, Remi Sutton (Danny Hurford, 65m), Bruno Gomes (Finlay Dorrell, 58m), Jacob Wiggins (Lee Hursit, 58m), Scott Doe, Charlie Morris, Kris Newby (Ash Siddik, 58m), Hassan Nalbant, Mike Faulkner (Amaree Robinson-Jones, 71m), Junior Luke.