Brentwood Town 2 (0) - (1) 1 ROMFORD Attendance 104 - The Arena

Despite fears this game would not go ahead after Brentwood's postponement on Saturday it did kick off as scheduled, even though the pitch looking close to freezing and you could actually hear the ground crackling as the ball rolled over it. The home side could have taken the lead inside the opening minute but Callum Chafer was on hand to deny the forward as he broke clear while Romford were struggling to get to grips with the conditions and handle Brentwood's direct play. With Romford's first meaningful venture forward Jonathan Adebayo won the ball on the edge of the area and slipped in Chinedu McKenzie down the right wing and his first time cross found Chris Taylor at the near post, but although his first effort was parried the ball ran kindly back to him to poke it into the empty net in the fourteenth minute and grab his first goal of the season. Straight from the restart Chafer had to be alert, saving low down and then a few minutes later Romford's offside trap was breached by Andrew Freeman but after doing the hard work he fired wide of the goal. In the twenty-fifth minute it was Freeman again who found space but after cutting in and beating his man he shot way over and then Danny Cossington may have been fortunate to stay on the pitch when after he appeared to play part of the ball in trying to thwart a Brentwood attack, the referee blew for a foul and despite looking like he was last man the Boro defender only received a yellow card.

Early in the second half Chafer was quick off his line to narrow the angle on another Brentwood attack while at the other end a dipping Jamie Dicks free kick was tipped over the bar. Just as Romford's narrow lead was starting to look a bit more comfortable Brentwood earned a free kick in the fifty-eighth minute that was sent to the far post where an unmarked forward could only fire against the bar, but the rebound was chipped in to the far post and Mallett used his hand to clear the ball, although the shot may have been heading wide. However, after much deliberation the red card was shown and after three minutes of waiting from the initial whistle to the penalty it was finally dispatched by Lemar Reynolds who sent Chafer the wrong way. Romford now faced the rest of the game with ten men and battled well, but in the eightieth minute Cossington failed to clear his lines and the ball was driven into the back of the net by Ife Ogunbayo. Throwing everything forward Romford could not find an equaliser and despite second half injuries, substitutions and the three minutes it took to take the penalty the referee only decided to play two minutes added time. Brentwood just about deserved their victory and it is up to Norfolk on Saturday for the Boro to take on Dereham.

BRENTWOOD TOWN (0) 2 REYNOLDS 61 PEN, OGUNABAYO 80

ROMFORD (1) 1 CHRIS TAYLOR 14

ROMFORD: CALLUM CHAFER, RYAN BOSWELL, JAMIE DICKS, RYAN MALLETT, DANNY COSSINGTON, JONATHAN ADEBAYO, KAI BICHARD, GREG AKPELE (ASHER MODESTE 87), CHINEDU MCKENZIE, CHRIS TAYLOR (NICK REYNOLDS 87), WILL GREEN (AYO OLUKOGA 62) SUBS NOT USED CHRIS BARRY & AKWASI MARFO

YELLOW CARDS: DANNY COSSINGTON 33, JAMIE DICKS 49, KAI BICHARD 64

RED CARDS: RYAN MALLETT 60