There is everything to play for tomorrow on the final day of the Essex Senior League season, at both ends of the table. At the top, Little Oakley would be crowned champions if they beat Basildon United, although a draw would be enough unless SOUL Tower Hamlets – who are guaranteed a Play-Off place at least - win by more than two goals at Halstead Town to overturn Little Oakley’s superior goal difference. The other sides who will take part in the Play-Offs are Great Wakering Rovers, Barking, and Buckhurst Hill. The Stags could conceivably leap-frog both Great Wakering Rovers and SOUL Tower Hamlets and finish second if they beat Barking and both Great Wakering and SOUL are beaten tomorrow.

For Romford, it all comes down to this: A win or a draw tomorrow against Harwich & Parkeston will ensure Essex Senior League football next season, but a defeat would mean relying on results elsewhere to avoid finishing in the bottom two.

For whoever finishes 19th, all would not necessarily be lost as there are likely to be some reprieves at Step 5 due to VCD Athletic ceasing operations, the merger between AFC Dunstable and Dunstable Town, and the fact that Step 5 has been operating with one fewer club than optimal in 2025-26. Obviously, it would be best if Boro aren’t reliant on such a contingency.

After last weekend’s results, which saw Boro lose narrowly to Barking while fellow strugglers Sporting Bengal United won at Hackney Wick and Athletic Newham lost at Frenford (whose recent run of results puts them second in the current form table!) the bottom six looks like this:

White Ensign were beaten 6-0 at SOUL Tower Hamlets last Saturday, their ninth consecutive league defeat, and should they lose tomorrow in a crunch game against Athletic Newham, they could end the day in one of the relegation spots.

Frenford – who have occupied bottom place in the table for much of the season – could avoid the drop if they win at home against West Essex and both Sporting Bengal and Athletic Newham lose, which would be a remarkable achievement and truly a Great Escape!

Tomorrow’s final day fixtures are shown below:

Tomorrow’s opponents – Harwich & Parkeston:

Boro’s opponents tomorrow are Harwich & Parkeston who were promoted from the Thurlow Nunn League Division One North last season. After finishing third in the table behind champions Haverhill Rovers and runners-up Stanway Pegasus, they won their way through the Play-Offs, beating Framlingham Town in the Semi-Final and then Stanway Pegasus on penalties in the Final.

This season – Harwich’s first at Step 5 since 2009-10, when they resigned from the Eastern Counties League Premier Division – is the club’s first ever in the Essex Senior League and after a start that saw them rise as high as sixth at one point, they have consistently occupied a mid-table spot.

Previous Meetings:

This is the first season in which Romford and Harwich have played in the same league, so the only previous league meeting between the clubs was the game at Harwich’s Royal Oak ground back in August, which finished 1-0 to The Shrimpers.

Prior to that, apart from a pre-season friendly in 2004 which Boro won 3-2 at Harwich, the only other game between the teams 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 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.

Recent Form:

Harwich are currently thirteenth in the table with 40 points from 37 games and in their most recent outing – on Wednesday this week – they were beaten 2-0 at Buckhurst Hill.

The Shrimpers began their season with a 3-1 defeat at Great Wakering Rovers, but in their first ever home Essex Senior League fixture beat Halstead Town 3-1. The bulk of Harwich’s points have come at their Royal Oak ground where they have won 6 and drawn 5; away from home they have won 5 times and drawn twice, but lost on 11 occasions.

Harwich’s current form has seen them pick up just one point – from a 1-1 draw at Benfleet – in their last six outings in which they have scored 5 times and conceded 12.

Tomorrow’s Match Sponsors:

Tomorrow’s match sponsors are once again the supporters’ group, The Old Gold and Royal Blues.

Romford FC are immensely grateful for their continuing support.

Tomorrow is a crucial game for the club, so come along, bring a friend, and cheer on The Boro!