While Romford were losing at Tilbury last Saturday, Hullbridge Sports were beating Coggeshall Town. Those results, coupled with Hullbridge’s 3-0 win over Dereham Town on Tuesday, mean that Boro now trail second bottom Sports by seven points. It makes Saturday’s against Hashtag United hugely important, with Hullbridge away at second in the table Stowmarket Town, while third from bottom Barking have a real six-pointer at Witham Town.

Our opponents:
Hashtag’s first season of competitive football was just three years ago, and in that season of 2018-19, they were winners of the Eastern Counties League Division One South, finishing seven points clear of Coggeshall United and earning a place in the Essex Senior League. The 2019-20 season was of course declared null and void, but at the point the season was abandoned, Hashtag sat second in the table, just one point behind leaders Saffron Walden Town, and they were top of the table after the few games that were completed in 2020-21.

Previous meetings:
Romford have met Hashtag United just three times, and two of those games were this season. Hashtag have won all three encounters, starting with the friendly played at Rookery Hill in July 2018, which Hashtag won 2-0. This season’s meetings have ended 2-0 Hashtag in the league, and 1-0 to them in the Essex Senior Cup.

This season:
After an indifferent start – just one point from their first four games in Isthmian North – Hashtag have made steady progress and currently sit seventh in the table, two points outside the play-off places. Their current form shows a record of four wins and two defeats in their last six, and last Saturday they were 5-1 winners over Witham Town. In midweek they visited Billericay Town in the Essex Senior Cup, where they were beaten by a single goal.

Leading scorer for Hashtag this season is Jesse Waller-Lassen, with 8, however the prolific Sam Bantick has 6 in just 8 games, as ever, he will be the man to watch.

Tickets:
With Hashtag regularly attracting decent crowds on their travels, tickets for this match are available to buy online, in advance from https://romfordfc.ktckts.com/event/romlgue06/romford-v-hashtag

Other games this weekend:

The other fixtures in Isthmian North this Saturday are:

Aveley v Bury Town
Canvey Island v Heybridge Swifts
Coggeshall Town v Basildon United
Dereham Town v Tilbury
Felixstowe & Walton United v Grays Athletic
Great Wakering Rovers v AFC Sudbury
Maldon & Tiptree v Brentwood Town
Stowmarket Town v Hullbridge Sports
Witham Town v Barking