Romford 3 (2) v Waltham Forest 4 (1) -Attendance 92

Neither forward line was able to create good opportunities against their opposing defences until half an hour into the game when a long ball forward from the left by Boro’s left back Paul Kavanagh was misread by the visiting keeper Sam Tanner just outside the edge of his own area. With the home side’s Shaun Clarke harrying him the ball ran towards the Forest goal and Clarke found himself free to run the ball into his opponents’ net.

This lead only lasted for a few minutes when the home side failed to clear an awkwardly bouncing ball on the dead ball line just left of their left hand post and Shamrez Darr’s hard, low on target shot past Danny Mullrooney was helped into his own net by Boro’s Jack Barry who, in all honesty, could not have saved it anyhow.

Romford resumed their lead some five minutes before the break when Dean Nyman got past his defender on the right and delivered a low swinging cross which Danny Jones controlled well and hit into the net to give the home side a well deserved 2-1 interval lead.

The same player scored his second and the home sides’ third goal seventeen minutes after the break from a run and looping cross by Clarke on the left following an excellent through ball by George Tubey. The ball being met at the far post by Jones who volleyed it right footed past a despairing visiting keeper.

On 73 minutes came what turned out to be a pivotal moment in this game. Nyman took a through ball into his visitors’ penalty area on the right and unselfishly squared the ball across the goal bypassing the opposing keeper. An unmarked Tubey on the edge of the Forest goal area managed to scoop the ball over the crossbar instead of giving his side what would probably have been an unassailable 4-1 lead.

This let off together with some substitutions seemed to rejuvenate the visiting side as Andre Humphrey-Modeste reduced the goal deficit to one with just 12 minutes of the 90 remaining and the Forest top scorer Danny Gabriel who had come on as a substitute then worked his way in twice to score from close in within the space of three minutes to take his side 4-3 into the lead.

It was then Boro’s turn to fight hard to get back into the game and substitute Manzi Mbala returning after twelve month’s injury had a chance to equalize one on one with the Forest keeper but was unable to do so. So the final whistle sounded to end this extraordinary game.

Romford squad: Mulrooney, Oxby, Kavanagh, Barry, White, Clayton, Port, Tubey (Cossum 85), Jones (MBala 85), Nyman, Clarke. Substitute not used: Taylor, Cossum and Finn (GK).

Boro are in Ryman Division One North action again this Tuesday evening October 13th away to Concord Rangers but do not have a game arranged for the coming Saturday October 17th so far.