Tomorrow evening Romford will be at the Terence MacMillan Stadium for the second time this season to face Athletic Newham. Boro’s previous visit to the ground in Prince Regent Lane was back in November and resulted in a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Clapton.

Romford have only ever met Athletic Newham once before and that was last month when the sides drew 2-2 at Mayesbrook Park. Praise Ogbebor became Romford’s youngest goalscorer when he put his side ahead, but Newham came back to lead 2-1 before George Cox scored to rescue a point.

Brief History:

Athletic Newham were formed in 2015 as a youth team under the name of Lopes Tavares. The following year they joined the Premier Division of the Essex Alliance Football League, playing their home games at the Memorial Recreation Ground in West Ham.

In 2018 Lopes Tavares successfully gained membership of the new Division One South of the Eastern Counties Football League, and in their first season they finished 16th of 19 clubs. They then changed their name to Athletic Newham. When the 2019-20 season was abandoned, they sat second in the table, five points behind White Ensign, and in the limited amount of football that was possible in 2020-21, they were second again, just behind Newbury Forest.

Last Season:

Athletic Newham finished 8th in the Essex Senior League last season with 66 points from their 40 matches; they won 18 times in the league and drew 12. They had a good run in the FA Vase, beating Bexhill United on penalties in the 2nd Qualifying Round, Holmesdale in the 1st Round Proper (again on penalties), Pagham in the 2nd Round by 5-3, and Abbey Rangers in the 3rd Round (on penalties, yet again!) In the 4th Round they thumped Littlehampton Town 5-0 but were subsequently removed from the competition for fielding an ineligible player. Littlehampton made the most of their reprieve and went on to reach the Final.

The club had the Essex Senior League’s leading goalscorer last season. Richard Kone bagged a total of 42 goals, including 33 in the league, while Joel Appiah weighed in with 20.

This Season:

Athletic Newham are currently 11th in the table with 45 points from 27 games, the lowest number of games played by any side in the league to date. Their home form is impressive, with none wins and just one defeat, 3-1 at the hands of Sawbridgeworth Town. Richard Kone is once again their leading marksman, he has 30 goals to his credit, making him the league’s top goalscorer, while Joel Appiah as 19 to his name.

In the FA Cup, and in a game switched from the Terence MacMillan Stadium to the home of their opponents, Newham drew 3-3 with Sheppey United before losing 6-0 in the replay, while in the FA Vase they were exempt to the 2nd Round where they beat Kennington 4-0 but like Boro, were then drawn away against Jersey Bulls, where they duly lost 5-1.

Home Ground and How to Get There:

The club play at the Terence McMillan Stadium. The stadium has one stand with seats for 192 spectators and is named after the first Mayor of Newham. Boro fans will remember visiting the Terry Mac during the club’s last period of membership of the ESL, when London APSA were in residence. The full address of the ground is 281 Prince Regent Lane, E13 8SD, and it is easily accessible by road, being just off the A13 at the Stratford/Plaistow exit for the A112, and by public transport, with Plaistow (District Line) and Prince Regent (DLR) stations within easy reach. Buses 473 and 376 stop close to the ground.

This week’s Essex Senior League fixtures and results:

Monday 27th March:
Ilford 1, Saffron Walden Town 2 (played at Saffron Walden)

Tuesday 28th March:
Barking v White Ensign
Stansted v Halstead Town
Takeley v Clapton
West Essex v FC Clacton

Wednesday 29th March:
Athletic Newham v Romford
Enfield v Redbridge

Friday 31st March:
Woodford Town v Halstead Town