ROMFORD 1 (0) - (0) 0 Bury Town Attendance 84 - Ship Lane

MATCH REPORT BY PHIL REDWIN

Despite the game being decided by a single goal, both defences looked vulnerable throughout and it was only some wasteful finishing that prevented this being a high scoring encounter. Kicking with the wind towards the car park end, Bury forced Boro keeper Chafer to make three very good saves in the earlier part of the first half and later had some equally good chances that were put either wide or over the goal. At the other end Abdeen Abdul shot over after being put through and Chris Taylor headed just wide after Chinedu McKenzie received the ball back from his throw and beat a man down the right before getting a cross in. McKenzie then saw a shot saved when one on one with the Bury keeper and Ayo Olukoga was unable to hit the target from the rebound. As half time approached David Fallah twice in a couple of minutes put in fast, low balls across the face of the goal but no Romford boot could apply the finishing touch.

Almost straight after the break the visitors nearly surprised the hosts from a short corner routine but it was Romford who got their noses in front in the fifty sixth minute. Advancing with the ball on the left Akwasi Marfo played a one two with Jonathan Adebayo and slipped a nice pass down the line to Abdul who beat his man and crossed to McKenzie. The striker's header went in low between a couple of defenders and past the keeper who may have been momentarily unsighted. And it was only a couple of minutes later that McKenzie had great chance to make the lead more comfortable when in a good position but his left foot shot was put wide of the far post.

The game then took a dramatic turn with sixty five minutes on the clock as Boro were reduced to ten men when Adebayo was dismissed for an offence which seemed no worse than one committed a short time earlier for which a Bury defender had only been shown a yellow card. Romford players and supporters were infuriated, suspecting that the referee had bowed to the pressure of being surrounded by almost the entire visiting team gesticulating and demanding the red card.

The final whistle looked a long way off for Boro and they would now have to concentrate on defence whilst looking to remain dangerous on the break whilst Bury pushed forward with their numerical advantage. It was backs to the wall stuff but they managed to hold out with a fierce drive coming back off the crossbar in the eighty second minute and some last ditch tackles and blocks. When the back line was breached and the equaliser looked a certainty Chafer was there with a man of the match performance, making some fantastic saves with hands and feet, and always being in the right place at the right time.

So Boro continued their climb up the table and are now in thirteenth position, a couple of points ahead of old rivals Tilbury who they visit next Saturday.

ROMFORD (0) 1 Chinedu MCKENZIE 56
BURY TOWN (0) 0

ROMFORD: Callum CHAFER, Ryan BOSWELL, Akwasi MARFO, James ISHMAIL (c), Tom POTTER, Jonathan ADEBAYO, Ayo OLUKOGA, David FALLAH (Jack BROWNE-SYKES 46), Chinedu MCKENZIE (Nick REYNOLDS 82), Chris TAYLOR, Abdeen ABDUL (Ryan MALLET 79)
SUBS NOT USED: Charlie PARRISH, Chris BARRY

YELLOW CARD: Tom POTTER 60
RED CARD: Jonathan ADEBAYO 65