ROMFORD 2 (1) - (1) 1 Aveley Attendance 111

Aveley dominated most of the first half with slick inter changes and a strong back line. Former Boro player Petrit Elbi opened the scoring on ten minutes after dispossessing Jamie Dicks and firing low into the goal.
With twenty-five minutes gone another former Romford player Paul Burnett shot just wide after a neat build up by the Millers. A couple of minutes later and Romford finally created their first chance when Paul Clayton headed towards goal but Jack Giddens was on hand to tip the ball over the bar. Ten minutes before half time and Elbi again broke free down the right but his shot unluckily came back off the post and Romford managed to scramble it clear. Deep into first half injury time Billy Hunt picked the ball up in the area and was surrounded by Aveley defenders but his low shot squeezed through the pack and into the bottom of the net to send Boro in at half time all square.

Romford looked like a different team in the second half and totally dominated the next thirty minutes. Tom Richardson shot just wide after good build up play by Billy Hunt and Ben Jones somehow managed to put the ball wide after Nick Reynolds had unselfishly squared the ball when through on goal in the fifty-ninth minute. A minute later and Ben Jones fired over after a Tom Richardson shot rebounded out to the Boro striker.
Aveley showed Romford that they were still in a fight when on sixty-five minutes Shane Oakley shot just over but on seventy-one minutes Romford got the winner. Jamie Dicks hit a free kick to the far post where Nick Reynolds rose highest and powerfully headed towards goal. The ball beat Giddens but cannoned back off the bar. Matt Toms was more determined than anyone and bundled his way through to head the ball into the empty net.
Near the end the referee who had otherwise had a good game, inexpliclicably only showed a yellow card to the Aveley goalkeeper for punching Nick Reynolds in the face and then compounded his error by also booking Reynolds, presumably for bleeding onto the pitch.
Aveley pushed on searching for an equaliser but Romford held firm to record a much needed win.

ROMFORD 2 BILLY HUNT 45+3, MATT TOMS 71.
AVELEY 1 ELBI 10

ROMFORD: CHRIS CLARK, JAMES ISHMAIL, JAMIE DICKS, JACK BARRY, MATT TOMS, PAUL CLAYTON, LEWIS FRANCIS, TOM RICHARDSON (MICHAEL SAMMUT 69), NICK REYNOLDS, BEN JONES, BILLY HUNT (ALFIE HILTON 89). SUBS NOT USED LEWIS PAYNE, ELLIOTT LONG

YELLOW CARDS: TOM RICHARDSON, MATT TOMS, NICK REYNOLDS