Tomorrow’s game at Harwich & Parkeston will be the first ever league fixture between the clubs; all of the previous meetings between the sides – both pre-1978 and post-1992 – have been in cup competitions.

Harwich are returning to Step 5 football this season after a fifteen year absence and this season will be their first ever in the Essex Senior League. They have started their campaign with a defeat and a win. On the opening day they were beaten 3-1 at Great Wakering Rovers and in their first home league game beat Halstead Town 2-1. Last Saturday they entertained AFC Dunstable in the FA Cup and were beaten 4-2.

Since the opening day win at West Essex, Boro have lost twice in the league and also exited the FA Cup, losing narrowly at Stanway Rovers last Saturday. The game at home to Hullbridge Sports on Wednesday evening ended with a particularly disappointing result and although leagues are not won or lost in August, Boro will be looking for a positive result tomorrow to get the season back on track.

Brief History of Harwich & Parkeston FC:

Harwich & Parkeston FC have a long and illustrious history that stretches back to 1875. They have played at their Royal Oak Ground since 1898 and in the following year they reached the FA Amateur Cup Final, losing 1-0 to Stockton. They reached the Final again in 1953, but were beaten again, 6-0 this time, by Pegasus.

Among the club’s honours are the Athenian League, which they won in 1965, the Essex Senior Cup, won in 1899 and 1937, and the East Anglian Cup which they lifted in 1933 and 1934.

The Shrimpers were founder members of Eastern Counties League in 1935 and were joint champions in the first season. As well as the Eastern Counties League, Harwich have played in the Athenian League and the Isthmian League, but in 2009 they resigned from the Eastern Counties League and spent some seasons in the Essex & Suffolk Border League before rejoining the Eastern Counties League (Thurlow Nunn League) in 2018.

In 2022-23, Harwich finished fourth in the Thurlow Nunn League Division One North but after beating Framlingham Town in the Play-Off Semi-Final, lost to Downham Town in the Final. Having finished outside the Play-Off places in 2023-24, they came third last season and earned promotion by beating Framlingham Town – again - and then Stanway Pegasus in the Final, on penalties.

The stand at The Royal Oak Ground is one of the most famed in non-League football.

Previous Meetings:

Romford and Harwich have met competitively just once since 1992. That was an FA Cup Extra-Preliminary Round tie played at The Royal Oak Ground in 2019 which Boro won 2-0 with goals from Rashaad Ogun and an own goal.

The pre-1978 Romford met Harwich 12 times between 1934 and 1977, all in cup competitions with Romford coming out on top with seven wins to Harwich’s two. The 1938 FA Amateur Cup tie at Harwich set the record attendance for The Royal Oak Ground when 5,649 were present to see Romford win 2-0 to reach the Semi-Final, which ended in defeat in a replay against Erith & Belvedere.

The last game before Romford folded in 1978 was an Essex Senior Cup Semi-Final played at Brooklands in March 1977 when a crowd of 612 saw Boro come from behind to win 3-1 thanks to two goals from Micky Hanson and one from Joe Peck.

Home Ground and How to Get There:

Harwich’s home ground, The Royal Oak, is famous for its grandstand which was erected in November 1948 and opened by then FA secretary Stanley Rous. The full address of the ground is The Royal Oak Ground, Main Road, Dovercourt, Harwich, Essex CO12 4AA and is approximately 64 miles from Romford via the A12 and A120.

By public transport, the nearest station is Dovercourt, which is about half a mile from the ground.

Tomorrow’s Essex Senior League fixtures:

3pm Athletic Newham v White Ensign
3pm Barking v Buckhurst Hill
3pm Basildon United v Little Oakley
3pm Benfleet v Saffron Walden Town
3pm Great Wakering Rovers v Ilford
3pm Harwich & Parkeston v Romford
3pm Hullbridge Sports v Hackney Wick
3pm Soul Tower Hamlets v Halstead Town
3pm West Essex v Frenford
3pm Woodford Town v Sporting Bengal United