The visitors to The Lawtech Stadium tomorrow are White Ensign, one of the two Essex Senior League sides still standing in the FA Vase after last weekend’s Second Round ties. Boro were pipped at Takeley in one of two all ESL games, but White Ensign entertained West Essex in the other and won 2-0 to earn a Third Round game at home to Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division outfit Thetford Town.

White Ensign’s current league form is fair to middling with three wins and three defeats in their last six matches and these include a 7-0 walloping of Stansted in one game and a 6-0 reverse at Woodford Town in the next. Their last two league games have seen them beat FC Clacton 2-0 and Benfleet 1-0. Add in their FA Vase win last weekend and a 2-1 victory over Hullbridge Sports in the Errington Challenge Cup in midweek, and our opponents have conceded just one goal in their last four games.

Brief History:

Formed in 1951, White Ensign first played in the Southend Borough Combination before joining the Essex Intermediate League in 2002. In 2004 they won the Essex Olympian League for the first time and repeated that success in 2005, 2007, and 2008, while playing at The Len Forge Centre. In order to accept promotion, they moved to Basildon Sporting Village in 2018, and after three seasons in the Eastern Counties League Division One South (only one of which was completed due to covid), they joined the Essex Senior League in 2021, moving to groundshare at Great Wakering Rovers’ ground at the same time.

Previous Meetings:

Romford have managed just win in five games against White Ensign, four of which have been Essex Senior League matches while one was in the Errington Challenge Cup. That single win for Boro came in the most recent encounter, just before Christmas last year when late goals from Finlay Dorrell and Jacob Wiggins earned a 2-1 win in front of a crowd of 101 at Rookery Hill after the visitors had taken an early lead. In the game at Burroughs Park earlier in the season, Romford trailed 2-0 after half an hour but recovered to draw 2-2 with Hassan Nalbant and Kris Newby scoring.

Last Season:

Last season saw Ensign finish in 16th place in the league with 40 points from their 38 games. In the FA Cup they made an early exit, beaten at Leverstock Green in the Extra-Preliminary Round, but in the FA Vase they battled through from the First Qualifying Round to the Third Round, beating Colney Heath, Cornard United, Wormley Rovers, and May & Baker on the way before losing at Walsham-le-Willows.

This Season:

White Ensign currently stand eleventh in the table with 18 points from 14 games and as mentioned above, have won their last two without conceding a goal. The FA Cup saw them lose 3-1 at home to Brantham Athletic in the Preliminary Round after a win over Potton United. Their FA Vase campaign began in the First Round with a 2-1 away win against Kempston Rovers and of course last Sunday they beat West Essex 2-0.

This weekend’s Essex Senior League fixtures:

Athletic Newham v Stanway Rovers
Frenford v Buckhurst Hill
Great Wakering Rovers v Barking
Halstead Town v Little Oakley
Hullbridge Sports v Woodford Town
Ilford v Stansted
Romford v White Ensign
Saffron Walden Town v Benfleet
Takeley v FC Clacton 2pm
West Essex v Sawbridgeworth Town 2pm

Tomorrow’s game is sponsored by Colin Butler and the club would like to thank him for his support.