That balmy July evening when Romford kicked off the Essex Senior League season with a 4-2 win at Wadham Lodge against West Essex seems a long time ago, and neither side have covered themselves in glory since that day.

Until last Saturday when they beat Athletic Newham 2-0, West Essex were without a home win in 2025-26 and that leaves Romford as the only Essex Senior League side yet to record a home victory this season, so a Boro win tomorrow would be a double first – first home win, first double - but Boro will need to improve on last Saturday’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to achieve that.

Previous Meetings:

Romford’s record against West Essex is seven wins and one draw in nine meetings, and just in league games it is five wins and a draw from seven matches, with the opening day victory at Wadham Lodge being the fourth league win on the trot for Boro. Six players made their Romford debuts in that game with a further three players making their first appearances from the bench. Romford’s goals in the 4-2 win came from Ezra Agyiri, Christian Adu Gyamfi (pictured below) , Nick Reynolds, and Owen Bellamy. Agyiri and Bellamy have since moved on – to Isthmian League sides Tilbury and Witham Town respectively – while two other members of Boro’s starting line-up have also since left the club.

The first meeting between the teams was a Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy tie played at Mayesbrook Park in 2022 which Romford won 2-1 thanks to a brace from Eman Robe and Boro followed that with a 3-2 FA Vase win at the same venue just a few days later when Charlie Morris, Kris Newby, and Jesse Olukolu scored. The first league game between the teams came less than a month later – again at Mayesbrook Park – and again Kris Newby was on target as the teams drew 1-1.

Last season, Romford were 3-1 winners against West Essex on their patch despite being reduced to nine men with almost half an hour remaining. Goals by Arnold Mengi and Brendan Ocran had Boro 2-0 up at the break, but in the aftermath of a West Essex penalty that was converted to make it 2-1, goalkeeper Harry Girling was sent off, joining Derek Feyi in the dressing room, the Boro defender having been dismissed ten minutes earlier. Andy Morris went between the posts, but Boro not only held out, but went on to grab a third goal when Arnold Mengi scored ten minutes from time. The return game was rather more mundane, with Amaree Robinson-Jones scoring the only goal in the fixture at Mayesbrook Park.

This Season:

West Essex followed their home defeat against Boro on the opening day of the season with a run of eight games of which five ended in defeat before they won for the first time, at Hullbridge Sports. Since then, they have won just twice more in league games, 3-2 at Sporting Bengal United, and last Saturday, 2-0 at home against Athletic Newham.

Goals have not come easily for West Essex and with just 22 scored, only Frenford have scored fewer. Leading scorer for the club this season is Reece Simpson, who has seven to his name, while no one else has scored more than twice.

In cup competitions this season, West Essex went out of the FA Cup to Tring Athletic in the Extra-Preliminary Round and to Benfleet in the FA Vase. They also exited the Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy in their first tie, at Harwich & Parkeston but did manage to beat Newbury Forest in the BBC Essex Senior Cup before going out at home against Great Wakering Rovers.

Tomorrow’s Essex Senior League fixtures:

3pm Athletic Newham v Benfleet
2pm Basildon United v Sporting Bengal United
3pm Halstead Town v Frenford
3pm Harwich & Parkeston v Great Wakering Rovers
3pm Hullbridge Sports v Buckhurst Hill
3pm Romford v West Essex
3pm Saffron Walden Town v Ilford
3pm Soul Tower Hamlets v Barking
2pm White Ensign v Hackney Wick
3pm Woodford Town v Little Oakley