ROMFORD 5 (3) - (0) 2 AFC Sudbury Attendance 81

Romford started well and broke the deadlock after six minutes when Sudbury failed to clear the ball, Nick Reynolds laid it back to Tom Richardson who hit a curling shot with the outside of his right foot into the top corner of the goal. Five minutes later and Tom Richardson nearly doubled the lead when he got on the end of Kurt Smith's deep cross but keeper Alex Archer tipped the ball on to the post and it bounced wide. Once again Tom Richardson was causing all sorts of trouble for the Sudbury defence firing just over the bar before chasing a long Jack Barry ball to the by-line. He looked up but no one had managed to get forward so he turned his defender and fired low left footed past Archer to give Boro a two goal advantage. Then it was Michael Sammut's turn to run at the frightened Sudbury defence, but after beating three men he was up ended and Kurt Smith fired the free kick over. On Twenty-two minutes Tom Richardson completed a fantastic hat trick when Kurt Smith picked him out on the edge of the box and he chested the ball down before volleying it past Archer to make it three nil. Atu Ngoy in the Romford goal was finally called into action and saved comfortably from Sam Clarke and Russell Pond before tipping a David Cowley shot round the post. In first half injury time good work down the left by Abs Seymour and Kurt Smith ended with the latter picking out Nick Reynolds in the area but the striker's point blank header was fantastically tipped onto the bar by Archer to keep the score at three.

Sudbury must have had a stern telling off as they started the second half with much more belief and purpose and Leon Antoine hit a great shot that dipped just under the bar to give them a life line on forty-six minutes. Atu Ngoy was on hand moments later to save from Michael Shinn before Romford replied with a fantastic counter attack with Nick Reynolds and Tom Richardson producing a slick passing move before finding David Ottley sprinting down the right wing. The full back picked out Kurt Smith in the six yard box but Archer saved well again, this time low down to his left. Romford once again took control of the game with Archer pulling off more saves from Nick Reynolds and Kurt Smith before on sixty-six minutes Jamie Dicks found Abs Seymour bursting through the midfield. He looked up and found Tom Richardson who spotted Archer off his line and delicately chipped the Sudbury keeper. The ball bounced off the underside of the bar but Nick Reynolds was on hand to head the ball home to restore the three goal advantage. Once again Sudbury came back at Romford and David Cowley fired in a free kick low past Atu Ngoy to set up a nervy finish for the Boro but Jamie Dicks made sure of the result ten minutes from time finishing a wonderful passing move from Romford.

ROMFORD 5 TOM RICHARDSON 6, 18, 22, NICK REYNOLDS 66, JAMIE DICKS 80
AFC SUDBURY 2 ANTOINE 46, COWLEY 75

ROMFORD: ATU NGOY, DAVID OTTLEY, JOE OATES, JACK BARRY, JAMIE DICKS (TYLER CHRISTIAN-LAW 82), PAUL CLAYTON, MICHAEL SAMMUT, ABS SEYMOUR, NICK REYNOLDS (CHUCK DURU 75), TOM RICHARDSON (AIME BLESSING 82), KURT SMITH. SUBS NOT USED: AARON ORMAND, MARK LORD