Can Boro extend their run of three consecutive home league wins tomorrow when Hullbridge Sports come to Mayesbrook Park? It will be tough against a Hullbridge side who have been in good form of late and have not lost since the opening day of the season when they were beaten at home by Ilford.

After tomorrow’s game, Romford embark on a run of seven games of which only one is at home (against Hutton on 31st October) starting on Saturday with a local derby against Ilford at Cricklefields. In fact, from Saturday until the end of November, eight out of ten Boro games are away from Mayesbrook Park.

Weekend Round-Up:

Romford’s third home league game won without conceding a goal came on Saturday against Clapton Community, while the evening before, Hullbridge had won 4-0 at Woodford Town and are currently third in the table. On the Sunday after the game, Woodford announced that they had parted company with manager Shane Baptiste by mutual consent.

In last Friday night’s other game, Ilford held out with nine men to win 3-2 at Benfleet, while on Saturday Frenford remained top after a 3-0 away win against Sporting Bengal United and in second place, Heybridge Swifts ran riot against Basildon United, winning 7-0, although Basildon’s cause was not helped when goalkeeper Isaac Libotte was sent off with the score 2-0 to Swifts.

Hutton made it three wins on the trot by beating Halstead Town 1-0 while there were 1-0 away wins for Saffron Walden Town and Great Wakering Rovers at Harwich & Parkeston and Hackney Wick respectively. White Ensign beat SOUL Tower Hamlets 2-0 and Saturday’s games were completed with the only draw of the day, 0-0 between West Essex and Barking at Wadham Lodge.

Previous Meetings:

There have been 38 previous meetings between Romford and Hullbridge Sports and Boro have the better record with 24 wins to Hullbridge’s 8, although Boro have won only twice in the last seven encounters. That win came towards the end of last season when a Greig Stewart clinched a vital 1-0 win at Lower Road at a time when relegation was a very real possibility.

There were two other meetings between the teams last season. In the Essex Senior League game at Mayesbrook Park, Hullbridge won 2-1 as Boro produced an insipid performance. Teddy Desmond scored a late consolation for Boro after Hullbridge had led 2-0 from the 40th minute onwards. There was also a game in the Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy last season, also at Mayesbrook Park. In that game Blaise Uwandji put Romford ahead but former Boro striker Ken Feyi levelled and after the game had ended 1-1, Hullbridge won the penalty shoot-out.

There have been a number of high scoring games between Romford and Hullbridge in the past, with the very first meeting back in 1992 – an Essex Senior Trophy tie - ending 5-2 to Sports. Romford beat Hullbridge 9-0 in an Essex Senior League game at Rush Green in October 1995, and two months later won the return 6-1 at Lower Road. During the 2021-22 season, when Romford were relegated from the Isthmian League, the sides drew 2-2 at Hullbridge but the return at Mayesbrook Park ended 5-1 to the visitors. It was Romford’s 19th league game without a win, a run that would eventually end after 29 matches.

This Season:

After starting the season with a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Ilford, Hullbridge have won six and drawn two of their subsequent league games and their last two away games have seen them score five at Sporting Bengal United and four at Woodford Town without conceding a goal. The only one of the six away league games they have played that they did not win was at West Essex, where they drew 2-2.

After winning games against Hadley and Harefield United, Sports’ FA Cup run ended in a heavy defeat at Hendon, where they lost 7-3. In the FA Vase, Hullbridge won their Second Qualifying Round tie 2-0 at Barking, but were subsequently ejected from the competition for fielding an ineligible player.

The Essex Senior Cup has seen net 13 goals without reply in three ties. Having beaten Holland 5-0 and Southend Manor 2-0, they thumped Canvey Island 6-0 in the Third Round and now face a trip to Rayleigh Town, who of course put Romford out of this season’s competition.

This week’s Essex Senior League games:

Tuesday 20th October:
7.45pm Barking v Woodford Town
7.45pm Basildon United v Halstead Town
7.45pm Clapton Community v West Essex

Wednesday 21st October:
7.45pm Romford v Hullbridge Sports
7.45pm Soul Tower Hamlets v Great Wakering Rovers
7.45pm White Ensign v Hackney Wick