One hundred and eighty two days after Kris Newby lifted the trophy on a glorious afternoon at the national stadium, Romford return to FA Vase action tomorrow with a Second Round tie at Takeley.

As all Romford fans are acutely aware, there have been many changes at the clubs since that afternoon in May when Great Wakering Rovers were beaten in the Wembley sunshine, however, the start to the season that Boro have made under the management of Kris Newby and Lee Benson has been extremely pleasing with only two defeats in the Essex Senior League to date.

Tomorrow’s game at Takeley will undoubtedly be a stern examination of Romford’s credentials as our opponents have also enjoyed an impressive start to the season and back in late August, Boro came back from Station Road with a point from a 0-0 draw in which both goalkeepers made important saves to keep their clean sheets.

Before kick-off football fixtures in Essex this Saturday and Sunday, there will be a two-minute pause in quiet reflection and #Remembrance of fallen British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and more recent conflicts. See https://www.essexfa.com/news/2024/nov/06/remembrance-weekend

Previous Meetings:

There have been eleven previous meetings between Romford and Takeley with Boro winning five and Takeley winning three. Seven of those games have been Essex Senior League encounters in which Boro have come out on top three times with two drawn.

The first meeting between the teams was at Station Road in 2008 when the sides drew 2-2. The return game, played at Aveley, ended 4-0 to Romford.

Last season saw away wins for both teams. In the game at Mayesbrook Park, Boro ran up a 3-1 lead with less than 30 minutes remaining, but three goals in seven minutes gave Takeley a 4-3 victory. The return at Takeley ended 2-0 to Boro.

This Season:

Takeley have lost just twice in their opening 15 league games and currently sit fourth in the table with 31 points. Their only league defeats have come at Woodford Town and at Buckhurst Hill and at home they were unbeaten in ten games in all competitions before Wednesday, when they were beaten 1-0 by Rayleigh Town in the Essex Senior Cup.

While for Romford, tomorrow’s tie is where the club enter the FA Vase this season, for Takeley it will be their fourth game in the competition. They started with a 3-0 win at home to Hutton in the First Qualifying Round and followed this up with a 3-0 win at Barking in the Second. Qualifying Round. In the First Round Proper, Takeley were drawn away to Thurlow Nunn Premier Division side Woodbridge Town and after a 2-2 draw at the end of 90 minutes, Takeley advanced thanks to a 6-5 win in the penalty shoot-out.

FA Vase 2024-25

There were 596 entrants for this season’s FA Vase and tomorrow the remaining 25 exempted clubs, including Boro and last season’s losing Finalists, Great Wakering Rovers, join the competition in the last 128.

Tomorrow’s tie must be settled on the day and in the event that the scores are level after 90 minutes, the game will be decided by a penalty shoot-out. Extra-time will NOT be played.

The winners of each of the 64 Second Round ties will receive £900 from the competition prize fund while the losers will receive £275.

Home Ground and How to Get There:

Takeley’s home ground is the Sirona Medical Arena, Station Road, Takeley. The Post Code for your Sat Navs is CM22 6QA. By road, it’s about 32 miles from Romford (50 minutes or so). Take the M11 to junction 8, and then at the Birchanger Roundabout, take the 5th exit onto the B1256 (Dunmow Road). At the Four Ashes pub, turn right into Station Road, and the ground is on the right.

On their website, Takeley request that spectators do not park in residential streets around the club. Supporters who have driven to Takeley before will recall however, that car parking space at the ground is limited.

Tomorrow’s Essex Senior League and FA Vase fixtures:

There are three Essex Senior League games being played tomorrow; these are:
Barking v Saffron Walden Town
Halstead Town v Athletic Newham
Ilford v Woodford Town

Also tomorrow are the following FA Vase ties involving Essex Senior League teams (in bold):

Brantham Athletic v Benfleet
Great Wakering Rovers v Great Yarmouth Town
Takeley v Romford

On Sunday there is one further tie and it involves two Essex Senior League teams:
White Ensign v West Essex