Romford 3 (0) v 4 (2) Maldon & Tiptree – Attendance 78

Although it took them until just over half an hour to score Maldon & Tiptree had always looked the more likely to do so and it was their captain Adam Flanagan who struck the first blow when he headed on a right wing free kick into the Boro net. Then four minutes before the break Sos Yao won a penalty which Ollie Berquez converted efficiently.

The visitors duly took the score to 3-0 on the hour mark when Ross Wall was left unmarked to head in at the far post and then Wale Odedoyin was brought on to add extra height and attack options for the home side and suddenly Romford woke up.

Flanagan, under pressure, headed into the same net as he had in the first half to give the Boro a glimmer of hope at 3-1 down only for Wall to be let in once more for a simple tap in to increase his side’s three goal margin again.

With Odedoyin and Kurt Smith as a powerful two pronged attacking force, however, Romford reduced the score to just 4-2 when the latter bravely headed in a left wing cross on the goal line on 80 minutes and had to received treatment for his pains and then with only three minutes of normal time remaining Odedoyin forced a high looping ball into the net from, once again right on the goal line, to remarkably reduce the deficit to just one goal.

As Boro continued with their final flourish into the four minutes of added time they almost got the draw they were fighting for and would have done so had Hussein Isa’s long range left foot shot from the right curled in a little bit more instead of ricocheting away off the far upright.

Romford squad: Anderson; Ishmail; Dicks (Odedoyin 60); J.Barry; Toms; Clayton ©; Bingham; Mackin (Ottley 86); Smith; Isa; Oates (Kavanagh 81). Unused substitute; Lord.

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All the night's R1N scores -

Cheshunt 1 5 Tilbury
Leiston 6 0 Waltham Forest
Potters Bar Town 1 3 Grays Athletic
Romford 3 4 Maldon & Tiptree
Soham Town Rangers 0 4 Enfield Town
Waltham Abbey 0 3 AFC Sudbury
Ware 0 1 Heybridge Swifts