Despite Saturday’s defeat at the hands of Halstead Town in gale force conditions brought about by Storm Bert, Romford remain fifth in the Essex Senior League table, but with Barking only below Boro on goal difference and with a game in hand, there is no room for a slip-up against neighbours Ilford who come to The Lawtech Stadium tomorrow evening.

Like Boro, Ilford were beaten on Saturday, in their case 3-2 at home to Frenford in a game in which two ex-Boro players scored, Greg Akpele having given Ilford the lead while Nick Reynolds netted Frenford’s second.

Previous Meetings:

Romford have met Ilford on 19 occasions since 1992 and honours are fairly even with 9 wins for Boro and 7 for Ilford. All bar two of the games between the teams have been Isthmian or Essex Senior League games and last season Romford managed a double over The Foxes. The first game – Romford’s inaugural fixture at Rookery Hill – ended 2-1 in Boro’s favour with Charlie Morris and Junior Luke scoring while the return was played at Barking, where Ilford played the majority of their home games last season. It ended 3-2 to Boro; Toheeb Elegushi scored twice and Sam Deering got the other.

The sides met at Redbridge’s ground in mid-September when a penalty by Aundre Spencer and further goals from Ken Feyi and Kalum Bama gave Romford a 3-1 win.

Current Form:

Ilford’s current form shows them having won two, drawn two, and lost two of their last six in the league. Their wins came in home games against Hullbridge Sports and Stansted; they drew with Buckhurst Hill and Barking, but were beaten at home by Woodford Town and most recently, by Frenford.

This is an upturn in Ilford’s fortunes however, as they started the season with ten defeats in their first twelve games in all competitions, a run that saw them lose to Newport Pagnell Town in the FA Cup (in a third game after their replay was declared null and void), and at Harlow Town in the FA Vase.

The Foxes made some progress in the Essex Senior Cup with wins over Stanway Rovers and Coggeshall Town before exiting at the hands of Tilbury.

In the Errington Challenge Cup, Ilford lost on penalties in the First Round against Buckhurst Hill, while in the Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy they lost at home to Halstead Town in the Second Round, having received a bye in the First Round.

Other Essex Senior League fixtures this week:

Tuesday 26th November:
Saffron Walden Town v Tilbury – BBC Essex Senior Cup
Haringey Borough v Barking – London Senior Cup

Wednesday 27th November:
Athletic Newham v Great Wakering Rovers
Waltham Abbey v Little Oakley - BBC Essex Senior Cup

Friday 29th November:
Woodford Town v West Essex

Our Match Sponsors:

Tomorrow night’s game is sponsored by The Proper Blokes Club, which organises free weekly walk-and-talk meetups to encourage men to open up about mental health. You can find details of their work and activities on their website, The Proper Blokes Club.

Details of their Romford walk are shown below: