ROMFORD 1 (1) - (0) Needham Market Attendance 87

A minute silence was held before the game in mark of respect for one of Romford's long serving supporters who tragically passed away a week earlier.
Once the game kicked off it was the visitors who settled quickly and Matt Poxon rattled the bar after only two minutes and he also had a shot well saved by Atu Ngoy moments later. On eight minutes it was Romford’s fans cursing the gods when Abs Seymour picked out Ben Jones at the far post and he headed back nicely for Kurt Smith to head home but out of nowhere Ollie Fenn managed to get his body between the goal and the striker and eventually the ball was cleared.
On eighteen minutes a moment of pure class from Lewis Francis won the game for the Boro when a hopeful long ball forward was only headed partially away and Lewis Francis steadied himself before volleying the ball past the helpless Lewis Johnson in the Needham goal and into the top corner.
The game was scrappy with both team giving the ball away as soon as the won it but the hosts were just edging it without really providing a goal threat.
A strong wind picked up at half time and the game picked up where it had left off with the midfield trio of Michael Sammut, Jamie Dicks and Abs Seymour battling it out with their Needham foe running and tackling endlessly all over the pitch with neither team able to muster any chances. On seventy minutes Needham Market nearly equalised when they won a free kick in their own area but it was quickly taken nearly twenty yards from the incident. With Romford players out of position Poxon ran at the Boro defence as shot just wide of the goal. Ten minutes later and Romford nearly threw away their lead when a defensive mistake let in Ryan Charles but Atu Ngoy brilliantly saved before George Woodward cleared off the line. Ben Jones was unlucky not to settle the match on eighty-six minutes when he met Joe Oates's cross ahead of the Needham keeper but the wingers header looped just over. On eighty-eight minutes Lewis Francis found himself clean through but his shot was saved by Johnson.
Romford managed to see out the rest of the game with little trouble and the referee blew the final whistle making it a fifth unbeaten game in a row for the Boro.

ROMFORD 1 LEWIS FRANCIS 18
NEEDHAM MARKET 0

ROMFORD: ATU NGOY, DAVID OTTLEY, JOE OATES, GEORGE WOODWARD, JAMIE DICKS, PAUL CLAYTON, MICHAEL SAMMUT, ABS SEYMOUR, BEN JONES, LEWIS FRANCIS, KURT SMITH (NICK REYNOLD 74). SUBS NOT USED AARON OMAND, AIME BLESSING, MARK LORD, JACK BARRY.