Romford 1 (1) – Northwood 2 (1) - Attendance 97

Play was fairly balanced and end to end throughout the game at a hot sunny Mill Field with the strongly fancied Northwood side tending to favour the long high ball out of their defence and Boro, who were missing several first team squad players on the afternoon trying to play football, their stand in back line coped well with the fast Wood raids.

It was Northwood who scored first though when, on 11 minutes, Hugo Figueiredo pounced on a loose ball and hit a strong shot past home keeper Danny Mulrooneys outstretched left hand.

It hadn’t been all the visitors, however, because Romford’s speedy frontline attacking force of Clarke and Noakes well supported by Nelson, Gammons, Jones and Tubey had caused their visitors plenty of problems and it was during one of these that they were denied what seemed to be a definite penalty when Danny Jones, who was weaving his way into the visitors penalty area was taken down about three yards inside the box (well that was opposite where the nearside assistant referee was standing throughout the episode) but the referee for some extraordinary reason seemed to decide that the foul was committed just outside the box and gave a free kick there with the aforesaid assistant referee making absolutely no attempt to advise his colleague otherwise and nor did the senior official consult or even look at him for advice.

Paul Kavanagh hammered the resulting free kick over the bar but Boro were not to be denied and eventually levelled the score on 29 minutes when Shaun Clarke took a long pass from Remi Nelson into the left hand side of the Northwood penalty area and cleverly lobbed the ball over his opposing keeper and into the net.

Both sides had a number of opportunities to increase their scoreline before half time with Romford, in particular and with a little bit more luck, deserving to take the lead on two occasions.

The second half was noticeable for a great number of niggling fouls and more extraordinary decisions from the man in charge in the middle especially when, on one occasion a Wood defender jumped in with a two footed tackle at Boro’s James Gammons who had to jump back smartly to avoid him, but received no admonition and, extraordinarily, a free kick was given against Gammons who had been the potential victim.

It became increasingly apparent that the visitors’ main aim was to disrupt the flow of the game and, in doing so, the progress of the home side’s speedy forwards and in this they mainly succeeded eventually reaping a reward for this style of play when their midfielder Rob Ursell was allowed to run through unchallenged from his own half and, when in shooting distance from the Romford goal, hit the ball past an advancing Mulrooney to give them what turned out to be a winning lead.

After three league games it has become apparent that at this level it is not enough for a team to be just skilful but artful too to be successful and getting to deal with this ethos is all part of the learning curve that Boro are going through as they adapt their obvious talents as a team and move forward.

Romford squad: Mulrooney, Oxby, Kavanagh, J.Barry, Whitnell (Mulcore 82), Nelson,Gammons, Jones (Nyman 62), Clarke, Noakes (Hughes 74), Tubey, Subs not used: Port, D. Neville and Matthews (GK).

This week Boro have an away league game at Maldon on Tuesday evening 25th August and on Saturday 29th they are again away in an FA Cup Preliminary Round tie at local neighbours and fellow Ryman One North side Redbridge.