There will be no shortage of faces familiar to Romford supporters in the Saffron Walden line up tomorrow as The Bloods have no fewer than ten players on their books who have previously played for Boro. These include Sam Deering, Jake Anderson, Charlie Morris, Darren Phillips, and one of their most recent signings, Tambeson Eyong. In addition, they have former Boro boss Dan Spinks in the dugout, so tomorrow might be dubbed a game between Boro’s Old Boys and New(by) Boys!

Two more of Boro’s FA Vase winning side – Hassan Nalbant and Scott Doe – were with Saffron Walden at the start of the season but have moved on, Nalbant to Cheshunt and of course, Scott has returned to Romford.

Romford go into tomorrow’s game off the back of defeats in the Essex Senior Cup and Errington Challenge Cup, and having not played a league game since the 5-0 win over FA Clacton a fortnight ago. Takeley’s 0-0 draw at West Essex on Tuesday means that Boro drop one place in the table to fifth. The win over Clacton two weeks ago now looks all the more impressive as The Seasiders have since won at Barking and drawn at Woodford Town.

Previous Meetings:

In all competitions, Romford and Saffron Walden have met ten times since the first game, an Essex Senior Cup tie back in 1994, which Saffron Walden won 3-1. The next two meetings were Essex Senior League games which Romford won 2-1 and 5-1 and there was then another Essex Senior Cup tie in 2008 which Boro won on penalties.

It wasn’t until 2022 that the sides met again, in an FA Cup tie at Barking in which Charlie Morris scored a hat-trick on his debut as Boro won 5-2. There was another Boro hat-trick hero in the Essex Senior League game that kicked off the 2023-24 season as Finlay Dorrell scored three in Boro’s 5-1 win. The return league game at Catons Lane featured a bizarre own goal that won the game 1-0 for Romford and there was also the Errington Challenge Cup Semi-Final at the same venue that Romford won 4-2.

Overall, Boro’s record against The Bloods is Won 6, Drawn 1, Lost 3.

This Season:

Saffron Walden kicked off the Essex Senior League season with a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Athletic Newham but they have not been beaten in the league since, winning six and drawing two of their subsequent league games. Among their recent wins was a 7-0 thumping of Halstead Town and their most recent league game saw them beat Ilford 3-0. They currently sit sixth in the table with 20 points from 9 games, four points behind Boro but with two games in hand.

Saffron Walden’s success in the league has been built on a miserly defence, which has conceded only six goals in their nine games. Cup ties have been another matter however as they lost 3-2 at Walthamstow in the FA Cup and last Saturday were beaten 3-0 at home by Tring Athletic in the FA vase. They also conceded two goals against Stanway Pegasus in the Essex Senior Cup – twice, the tie had to be replayed after a technical irregularity on the part of the match referee – but having got through that game at the second attempt they beat Great Wakering Rovers 3-0 in their Second Round tie during the week.

Ross Wall – a familiar name to Essex non-League fans – leads Saffron Walden’s goalscoring charts with six league goals while Darren Phillips and Charlie Morris have five apiece.

Home Ground and How to Get There:

Saffron Walden’s home ground is at Catons Lane, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 2DU. By road, it’s roughly 47 miles from Romford, so should take about an hour door to door. The easiest route is to take the M11 to Junction 9A, and then the A1301 exit for the B184 for Saffron Walden. From the A184, turn left into Castle Street and left again into Lime Avenue. Catons Lane Long Stay Free Car Park is next to the ground. Spaces are limited however, with room for just 53 cars.

By public transport, the nearest railway station is at Audley End on the Liverpool Street to Cambridge line. The ground is about a mile and a half from Audley End Station and the number 301 bus runs from there to East Street, which is ten minutes’ walk from the ground.

This Weekend’s Essex Senior League fixtures:

Friday 25th October:

Barking v Buckhurst Hill

Saturday 26th October:

Athletic Newham v West Essex
Great Wakering Rovers v Frenford
Ilford v Hullbridge Sports
Saffron Walden Town v Romford
Sawbridgeworth Town v Halstead Town
Stansted v Woodford Town
Stanway Rovers v Benfleet
Takeley v Little Oakley