Soham Town Rangers 4 (1) - (0) 2 ROMFORD Attendance 131 - Julius Martin Lane

... death.

The Boro started well, forcing the early pace with Matt Frew firing over in the second minute and four minutes later another attack was cut out, giving the hosts a quick counter attack down the right wing with the cross finding Robbie Mason alone in the area, but the striker blazed over from two yards. Then a long free kick by Michael Gooch was flicked on by Nick Reynolds to Adeyinka Cole running from deep but just as he was about to score his shot was blocked by a last ditch tackle. On twelve minutes and rather against the run of play Soham opened the scoring and once again it started with Romford on the attack, but a misplaced pass was intercepted and a home man quickly broke down the left wing and crossed the ball for Mason to powerfully head home into the corner.

On twenty-one minutes a fantastic crossfield ball from Frew found George Woodward bombing forward from left back and after a great first and second touch he beat his man and passed to Nick Reynolds but once again the goalbound effort was stopped by a last ditch block. Akwasi Marfo lead an attack for the visitors four minutes later and after cutting in from the right wing, his pass set up Jamie Dicks but his right foot curling effort from twenty-five yards went wide. The Boro had two more chances in quick succession with Marfo having a shot deflected just over the bar and from the resulting corner Dicks outjumped the keeper but was unable to keep his header down. On thirty-six minutes Nick Reynolds raced through and into the box on the right hand side and looked to be fouled by a clumsy tackle but the linesman only a few feet from the action failed to give the decision while the referee, a fair distance away and unsighted waved play on. Despite their own lack of clear cut chances Soham had looked very exciting on the counter attack and only some good blocks and tackles by the Romford defence had kept them from scoring a second.

Romford were forced into a change at half time with the injured Reynolds being replaced by Michael Dixon and they nearly got an equaliser in strange fashion when Dicks fired a shot towards goal in the fiftieth minute that the keeper was letting go wide before he realised his mistake and at the last moment stuck out a hand to turn the ball past the post. Up to this point in the second period Soham had been reduced to long range efforts that failed to trouble the Boro stopper but then had their own penalty shout turned down. Romford escaped further punishment on sixty-eight minutes when a swift break lead to a cross from the right wing that was headed against the foot of the post while at the other end Dixon turned his marker but his powerful low goalbound effort was saved by the keeper's outstretched leg three minutes later.

Once again Romford were pushing forward but after breaking up the play Soham got in behind the Romford defence and the low right wing cross found Ryan Sharman unmarked to fired home and double the host's lead in the seventy-third minute. Romford made their last two substitutions, bringing on Chris Taylor and Reion McFarlane and suddenly the game changed with Woodward finding space down the left wing and putting in an inch perfect cross to the far post where McFarlane had raced into the box and cushioned a volley into the back of the net on eighty minutes. And unbelievably to all the home spectators the game was all square two minutes later when Taylor got into the box and pulled the ball back from the byline to Akwasi Marfo who stabbed home from two yards to send the visiting fans wild.

Surely there could be only one winner now, but as we know this is Romford Football Club where we expect the unexpected and in the eighty-ninth minute from a quick free kick the ball was played into the Boro box where a clumsy foul gave the referee no option but to point to the spot and Sharman fired past Gooch to give the hosts the lead again. Injury time, and with Romford desperately committing everyone forward Soham grabbed a fourth with Dylan Williams finding space and shooting into the back of the net. With other results going against Romford they now only sit three points above the relegation zone.

SOHAM TOWN RANGERS (1) 4 MASON 12, SHARMAN 73, 89 (PEN) WILLIAMS 90+4

ROMFORD (0) 2 REION MCFARLANE 80, AKWASI MARO 82

ROMFORD: MICHAEL GOOCH, RYAN BOSWELL, GEORGE WOODWARD, MATT FREW, TOM POTTER, DANNY COSSINGTON (REION MCFARLANE 79), JAMIE DICKS, JAMES ISHMAIL, NICK REYNOLDS (MICHAEL DIXON 46), AKWASI MARFO, ADEYINKA COLE (CHRIS TAYLOR 77)

YELLOW CARDS: JAMIE DICKS 52, MATT FREW 86