Hashtag United (2) 5, Romford (0) 3 – Friendly – Friday 12th September 2025

At the end of a thoroughly entertaining 90 minutes, a Boro team that included a number of trialists and fringe players were narrowly beaten by Isthmian Premier side Hashtag United.

Teddy Desmond - one of the few players with first team appearances to their name in the starting line-up – made an early departure after getting a cut head, and Hashtag went ahead after 17 minutes when a low shot appeared to find Brad Davison unsighted and crept in at the far post. Davison was to be the busier of the goalkeepers and he made a number of good saves in each half and did manage to get a hand to the shot on the turn that gave Hashtag their second goal after 26 minutes.

Ezra Agyri ended a good move with a shot that the home keeper saved at the foot of a post and Dhillon Sandhu-Nelson went close a couple of times as the two teams traded chances. Notable features of Boro’s first half play were the quality of the passing and the retention of possession against Step 3 opposition, and this continued after the break with the addition of a finer cutting edge in front of goal.

Romford went close a couple of times in the opening minutes of the second half, and after he had already gone close with one effort, Kevin Musimami reduced the arrears on the hour with a shot into the far corner after good work by one of Boro’s trialists, T'aizo Marcel-Dilaver. Boro levelled the scores after 73 minutes when Harry Honesty finished calmly after getting on the end of another impressive passing move (main picture, above).

Two minutes later Hashtag went ahead again, scoring from close range following a corner that stemmed from another good save by Davison, and the home side restored their two goal advantage in the 80th minute when the referee correctly over-ruled an offside call from his assistant.

Two minutes from the end T'aizo Marcel-Dilaver, - having set up Musimami’s goal, and who had impressed throughout - found the net when he spotted the Hashtag keeper off his line and lifted the ball over him from the touchline, but in the first minute of stoppage time, Hashtag converted a penalty to run out 5-3 winners.

The impressive passing and movement on display from a number of unfamiliar faces in this Boro line-up will have given boss Kris Newby plenty to think about in terms of augmenting his squad as the season progresses.