The scoreline suggests that this was a close run thing, but 3-1 up with injury time looming, Boro were comfortable, and not even the last minute dismissal of Tambeson Eyong, nor Takeley’s second goal, deep in stoppage time, looked likely to derail progress to the First Qualifying Round.

For Eyong, it was an eventful evening. Rightly booked for bringing down a Takeley forward in the centre circle just before the hour mark, he scored his first Romford goal to give his side the lead ten minutes later, and in the last minute of the 90, was shown a straight red card, apparently for remarks addressed towards a spectator.

Both sides had early chances. In just the second minute, Billy Lawlor had to claw away a header from Takeley’s George Powell, while Boro saw Jake Gordon’s goalbound shot deflected wide for a corner after seventeen minutes. Kris Newby then shot over the bar after Jesse Olukolu had made progress into the Takeley box and seen the ball half-cleared.

Lawlor then had to be alert to block a shot from Glen O’Hanlon, and was grateful to see the follow up effort skied over the bar, but after thirty minutes, Boro broke the deadlock. Good interplay between Emmanuel Robe and Martin Tuohy set up Robe, and his shot from outside the box flew past a stationary Matt Gill in the Takeley goal.

Lawlor came to Boro’s rescue with a good save from George Frodsham after Boro had given the ball away deep in their own territory, and the half ended with Powell heading a corner narrowly over the Boro crossbar.

Bleron Ademi – making his first appearance of the campaign alongside Eyong at the heart of the Romford defence – became the first of five Boro players cautioned for a routine foul on the halfway line after 51 minutes, and seven minutes later Eyong joined him in the referee’s notebook for pulling down a Takeley forward in the centre circle; he was possibly lucky not to see red.

A scramble in the Boro penalty area from a 59th minute Takeley corner proved to be the precursor to an equaliser for the home side just after the hour when a long throw from the right was not properly cleared and Aundre Humphrey – sent off against Boro in the original tie – volleyed home.

Tambeson Eyong restored Boro’s lead after 68 minutes, scoring from the edge of the six-yard box after Robe had cut the ball back from the by-line, Robe having taken on Kris Newby’s short free-kick. And after 75 minutes it got better yet for Boro as Charlie Morris curled a low shot beyond the dive of Gill from outside the box for his fourth FA Cup goal of the season.
Billy Lawlor was harshly cautioned for alleged timewasting over a goal kick, and he was joined in the book by Olukolu following an altercation with Takeley’s Westcott, and Emmanuel Robe, for planting the ball in the Takeley net after being ruled offside.

Four minutes into stoppage time Takeley reduced the arrears with a stooping header by Lewis Deamer from a right-wing cross, but Boro played out the remaining time solidly to earn a home tie with Hashtag United.

Romford: Billy Lawlor, Toby Barlow, Danny Hurford (Tyrese Sibanda, 73m), Kris Newby, Tambeson Eyong, Bleron Ademi, Jake Gordon (Jacob Wiggins, 67m), George Cox, Emmanuel Robe, Martin Tuohy (Charlie Morris, 67m), Jesse Olukolu. Unused subs: John Mbamarah, Joshua Wiggins