Needham Market 2 (2) v 2 (1) Romford - Attendance 208

At the start of the game Needham had set the early pace and given the Romford defence and mid field lots of work to do which prevented the visiting forwards being able to make many really effective incursions into the home penalty area. The hosts reaped their rewards for their early efforts on 27 minutes when they won a penalty for a trip in the area although it must be said that their player did seem to go down rather easily. Sam Newson took the resulting spot kick and converted low past his opposing keeper Atu Ngoy.The same player took the home side lead to two clear goals just four minutes later when he broke through on the left and rounded both his marker and Ngoy to place the ball into an unguarded net.

No Boro side is ever beaten of course and they stuck to their task with great determination with Nick Reynolds having the best chance to reduce the deficit when he found the ball at his feet just outside the home area after a defensive challenge. But his move forward and low shot was thwarted by a low down save by Market keeper Louis Johnson.

However, the visitors did manage to reduce the deficit on 37 minutes when they won a free kick just outside the left hand side of the home penalty area and Lewis Francis with great accuracy placed the ball just inside Johnson’s right hand post and the same player shot over the top some five minutes later when attacking from the right.

As the match went on into eight minutes of first half added time and the home side continued their efforts to get their two goal lead again with strong Romford defending preventing any success for them and the nearest any side got the ball into their opponents net was when the visitors’ skipper Jack Barry at full speed got to a ball in that came in from the right could only manage to scoop the ball just wide and over.

As the second half progressed into the last quarter of the game Boro began their traditional push forward reducing Needham to forays rather than consistent pressure raids into the visiting half and during one of these they won a second penalty from an infringement from a right wing attack..

While both teams and sets of supporters held their breath for this result making event to take place the normally reliable Newson ran up and blazed the ball yards wide of Ngoy’s left hand post which indicated the pressure the home side were being put and also putting themselves under. So until the final whistle blew it was still game on.

Romford began more and more to take the play into their opponents’ half but it took a great last ditch save by left back Joe Oates to come in to his right hand post area and clear from a Market forward who had just Ngoy to beat to put the result beyond doubt. The home side were also their worst enemies with their wayward shooting when chances came and better options were available to them.

So the match progressed towards its final minutes and Boro brought on a couple of fresh legs on the left hand side to sharpen things up, playing more through the middle than going long and it was from an attack from this that they won a left wing corner.

For this last minute chance to level the scores the tall figure of their keeper Ngoy who was many visiting supporters’ choice of man of the match, came up to add his height to the attacking force in and around the home goal area. Francis took this corner and the ball came out but only to Ngoy who was lurking just outside the penalty area and he turned the ball back in again towards Reynolds only for it to strike a home defender's upraised hand to give away a penalty. This important task was given to first half scorer Francis and he, seeming to be the calmest player on the pitch, coolly placed the ball on the spot and sent Johnson the wrong way to hit the back of the net low down.

Following great scenes of joy by the Romford players on the far dugout side touchline the final seconds of the match were played out until the final whistle. Just a final note about the game by your correspondent which is that it was never as physical as the nine yellow cards and further lectures handed by the referee – almost equally divided between the two sides – would seem to indicate. Why do many of the men in the middle these days feel that the game is all about them and not the players on the pitch?

NEEDHAM MARKET 2 NEWSON 27 PEN, 31
ROMFORD 2 FRANCIS 37, 90+2

Romford squad: ATU NGOY, ADAM SALMON, JOE OATES (DAVID OTTLEY 84), JACK BARRY, LEWIS PAYNE, MICHAEL SAMMUT, TOM RICHARDSON, LEWIS FRANCIS, NICK REYNOLDS, RYAN IMBERT, REECE HEWITT (ALFIE HILTON 84). UNUSED SUBS MATT TOMS, ELLIOTT LONG & MICHAEL GOOCH (GK).

Yellow cards: Salmon, Oates, Payne, Reynolds, Imbert.