Romford 1 (0) v 2 (1) . attendance 156

It was the opposite for their Leiston opponents although it took a seemingly fortuituous break early on into the game to take give them their one goal half time lead.

With just five minutes gone the visitors mounted an attack into the right hand side of the Boro penalty area and their hosts seemed to have cleared the danger only for appeals from the Blues for a hand ball offence to be acknowledged a little late by the referee.

The resulting spot kick was converted with ease with their number 8 Gareth Heath sweeping the ball into the far corner of Elliott Anderson’s goal.

Romford strove to get back into the game as the half developed and had several strong appeals for penalties turned down themselves but the first half ended still with a 1-0 lead to the visitors.

Play in the second half more or less developed the same as the first but became a little feisty at times and the hosts had more seemingly genuine appeals for penalty hand balls turned down.

On 77 minutes Boro went two goals down when they failed to clear a corner from the right at the far post and Joe Jefford was able to turn the ball into the far side of the net from very close in.

The home side brought centre back Paul White on just after this to add more height to the attack and it was he who reduced the deficit on 85 minutes when a cross from the right was headed on to him by Nick Reynolds and he turned and hit the ball low past the Leiston keeper just inside his right hand upright.

But this goal was too little too late as try as they could the home side had not left themselves with enough time to get even a point and the game came to a close after three minutes of added time with a first home league defeat for the Boro.

Romford squad: Anderson; Ishmail (Lee 40); Kavanagh; Clayton ©; Toms; Seymour; J.Barry; Ottley; Oxby; Reynolds; Oates (White 82). Unused substitutes: Mackin; C. Barry and Smith.