Harlow Town 1 (0) - (0) 0 ROMFORD Attendance 116

Aaron Omand in the Boro goal had kept Harlow at bay all night with some great saves but he could do nothing about the goal in the eight-eighth minute when Read stooped low to head in a flick on from a corner. Romford deserved a draw but once again Read came back to haunt them having scored in each of his last five games against his former club.
He was instrumental in everything good about Harlow's direct style of play but it was Romford who had the game's first chance on ten minutes when Lewis Francis was played in behind the defence by Tom Richardson but his low drive was well saved by Dean Neil. A minute later and Aaron Omand flung himself to his left to push a Read free kick wide before another free kick this time from Shaun Gliddon bounced just wide of the goal after eluding everyone. Tom Richardson, playing in a more central role went on a run beating two players before his shot was deflected just over on twenty-one minutes. Another dead ball situation for Harlow saw them hit the bar when Aaron Omand tipped a powerful header onto the woodwork and over before he saved again from Junior Dadson after neat build up play by Harlow. On forty minutes Romford gave the ball away in a dangerous position allowing Read a run at goal but Aaron Omand again did well to beat the ball away. One last chance in the first half came to Read but he could only send a looping header onto the roof of the net.
Romford survived some early pressure in the second half with David Ottley and Robbie Norris clearing Harlow chances off the line from Read and Darren Williams before Tom Richardson forced a good stop by Neil at the other end on fifty-two minutes after a lovely ball into him from Kurt Smith. Harlow were applying more pressure but could not find a way passed Aaron Omand who made a sharp save from a header and tipped another effort over from Leon Antoine. One eighty-minutes Tom Richardson played the ball to Kurt Smith who beat his man and sent a shot that deflected inches wide for the Boro before with two minutes left Aaron Omand tipped another Read free kick over the bar. From the resulting corner the ball was flicked on and Read headed home. On ninety minutes Romford could have equalised when Kurt Smith capitalised on a mistake in the Harlow defence but after racing clear Neil did well to save with his feet and the chance was gone.

HARLOW TOWN 1 READ 88
ROMFORD 0

ROMFORD: AARON OMAND. DAVID OTTLEY, JAMIE DICKS, PAUL CLAYTON, JAMES ISHMAIL, ROBBIE NORRIS, MICHAEL SAMMUT, LEWIS FRANCIS (REECE TRANTER 80), RYAN IMBERT, TOM RICHARDSON, KURT SMITH. SUBS NOT USED SCOTT TRUMAN, GEORGE WOODWARD, CONNOR GOLDSTONE, TOM LAMB.

YELLOW CARDS: KURT SMITH 65, PAUL CLAYTON 86.