Following the 2-0 home win over Crawley Green in the Second Round, Boro have another home tie in the Isuzu FA Vase with Thurlow Nunn Premier Division side Mildenhall Town coming to Rookery Hill tomorrow.

Mildenhall Town have won through four rounds to reach this stage. They started in the 1st Qualifying Round in which they won 3-2 at Ely City and they then won 4-3 at March Town United, following this up with a 1-0 home win over Sheringham before winning 1-0 at St Panteleimon in the 2nd Round. To date, Mildenhall’s best run in the FA Vase came in 2005-06 when they reached the 5th Round (the last 16) in which they were beaten 4-0 at Hillingdon Borough, who went on to reach the Final, losing 3-1 to Nantwich Town.

Previous Meetings:

We have met Mildenhall Town on four previous occasions, each time in Isthmian League fixtures and all between December 2017 and March 2019. Honours are even with each team winning once and with two games drawn. The first meeting was a Bostik League North game in December 2017 played at Ship Lane with Romford bottom of the table. A 1-1 draw meant finally getting the points tally into double figures, but Boro remained bottom, six points adrift of Norwich United and Cheshunt. The return at Mildenhall in March 2018 ended goal-less and was Boro’s first clean sheet in the league that season. Both sides won their home games 2-1 in 2018-19. At Mildenhall Boro were 2-0 down by the 35th minute and although Henry Fisher pulled one back, an equaliser could not be found. In the return at Rookery Hill, Ayo Olukoga put Boro ahead but the visitors were level just after the hour. Their cause was not helped by having two players sent off and George Woodward’s 85th minute goal clinched a vital three points for Boro as the day finished with the teams level on 21 points at the foot of the table.

This Season:

After finishing sixth in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division last season, Mildenhall are making a concerted effort at regaining a place Step 4 that they held between 2017 and 2019 as they are currently second in the table behind Newmarket Town, whom they trail by just one point but with two games in hand. Fourteen out of sixteen games played in the league this season have been won with one drawn; their only defeat was by a single goal at Newmarket Town.

So miserly is the Mildenhall defence that the goal they conceded in their 1-0 defeat at Newmarket is the only one they have conceded on their travels in the league, and at home they have conceded just five in nine league games.

Mildenhall began the season with six straight wins in all competitions, including two against Soham Town Rangers, once in the league and once in the FA Cup. They were subsequently beaten in the FA Cup 5-0 at home by AFC Sudbury.

Their recent form in the league has seen them win four and draw once in six outings, a run that has seen them score eleven goals and concede just two. Last Saturday Mildenhall won 2-0 at mid-table Sheringham.

Leading the goalscoring for Mildenhall is Jarid Robson, who has 11, while Tanner Call and Keiran Twinn have both netted eight times.

Other Boro teams in action this weekend:

Following their 3-2 Reserve Shield win over Basildon United Reserves, Boro’s second string have a league game at Noak Hill tomorrow with a 2pm kick off against White Ensign Reserves. On Sunday, Romford FC Women – who fell to a 1-0 defeat against Bowers & Pitsea LFC Reserves last Sunday – have a cup tie at Fairlop Oak playing Fied, Forest Road, Ilford IG6 3HJ, against Chigwell Women. This game kicks off at 1.30pm.

The Isuzu FA Vase this weekend:

Including Boro’s game with Mildenhall Town, there are five FA Vase ties involving Essex Senior League clubs tomorrow. The other ties are:

Athletic Newham v Erith Town
Fakenham Town v Great Wakering Rovers
Tilbury v Saffron Walden Town
Walsham le Willows v White Ensign

There is no extra-time played in the FA Vase, so if tomorrow’s game ends with the scores level, penalties will be taken to determine the winner. As with Essex Senior League games, sin bins operate in the FA Vase, but whereas in league games, clubs can name and use up to five substitutes, the FA Vase permits up to seven to be named but only three can be used/

The prize for winning tomorrow’s tie is £1,125 while the losers will receive £350.

Essex Senior League fixtures this weekend:

There are two Essex Senior League fixtures tonight:

Buckhurst Hill v West Essex
Woodford Town v Frenford

Tomorrow, the following games are scheduled:

Stanway Rovers v FC Clacton
Takeley v Coggeshall Town
Little Oakley v Halstead Town
Sporting Bengal United v Ilford