Coggeshall may be bottom of the table and staring a second successive relegation in the face, but they proved stubborn opponents. Put their resistance together with a bobbly pitch and a blustery wind, and this game was far from a classic. In the end Boro ground out a result with goals from Sam Deering and Michael Bakare, but it wasn’t until the 72nd minute that Coggeshall’s goal was finally breached.

Romford had an early chance when Sam Deering and Hassan Nalbant combined to create a shooting opportunity for Michael Bakare after six minutes, but the player newly signed from Glacis United in Gibraltar was denied by a good save by Dev Bhambra in the visitors’ goal. Nalbant’s header from the ensuing corner taken by Deering was comfortably held by Bhambra.

Little of note followed before referee Alistair Potter blew for half-time. Only two shots late in the half by Coggeshall’s Reggie Gregory – one well over the bar, the other well wide of Jake Anderson’s left hand post – are worthy of mention. Other than that, Boro failed to turn their greater possession into chances and the visitors rarely looked like breaking the deadlock either.

The second half was a tad more entertaining – but only marginally. Coggeshall had an early chance when Roy Stevens tried his luck from the right and saw his shot skim the crossbar after 51 minutes, and Boro had a sight of goal after 55 minutes when Sam Deering was fouled on the edge of the penalty area. Bakare bent his free-kick round the wall, but also wide of the post.

Jamie Hursit was somewhat harshly cautioned for a foul on Lewis Francis in midfield, and when Coggeshall lost possession from the resulting free-kick, Sam Deering broke quickly and Boro, outnumbering the Coggeshall defence, really ought to have done better than to allow the visitors to block Bakare’s shot. To add insult, Bakare was booked for a foul as he tried to recover the ball from his blocked shot. In the days when dissent warranted a yellow card, Coggeshall’s Conor Tyrrell would surely also have found his way into the referee’s notebook for his continuous questioning of every decision, but now that we have the grossly underemployed sin-bins as a penalty, Coggeshall were able to keep all eleven players on the pitch throughout.

The pitch played its part in a miss by Bakare after 65 minutes. Set up by Amaree Robinson-Jones, his shot flew over the bar after taking an unfortunate bobble at the crucial moment. Charlie Morris – playing in an unaccustomed left-back position – then put over a low cross that Sam Deering could only divert wide of the post.

Deering delivered the game’s first decent cross after 70 minutes only for Nalbant’s header to go straight at Bhambra, but after 72 minutes Boro finally got their noses in front when a long throw by Charlie Morris was flicked on by Darren Phillips and Sam Deering arrived at the far post to tap home.

Coggeshall gamely tried to get back into the match, but the Boro back four had little trouble keeping them at bay meaning that Jake Anderson did not have a save to make. A minute into stoppage time Boro scored a second when Bakare broke through and lifted the ball over the advancing Bhambra.

Romford’s win (the eighth on the trot in the league) was matched by Woodford Town at FC Clacton, keeping Boro – who now do not have a league game for two and a bit weeks – in third place on goal difference.

Romford: Jake Anderson, Jamie Hursit, Charlie Morris, Darren Phillips, Michael Bakare, Scott Doe, Ash Siddik (Kris Newby, 63m), Lee Hursit (Jaiden Babalola, 79m), Hassan Nalbant (Jacob Wiggins, 86m), Sam Deering, Toheeb Elegushi (Amaree Robinson-Jones, 63m). Unused sub: Daniel Nakipov-Getmansky