Romford (0) 2, Takeley (2) 4 – Tuesday 23rd September 2025 - BBC Essex Senior Cup Second Round

It’s rare to see three penalties in ninety minutes, rarer yet that none were hotly contested. All three spot kicks were converted – one by Boro, two by Takeley – as last season’s ESL Play-Off winners put Boro out of the BBC Essex Senior Cup.

Just six minutes were on the clock when Takeley netted the first penalty; Jordan Westcott – who made one appearance for Boro in the opening game of Glenn Tamplin’s brief reign – scored that one to give the visitors an early lead. Uko Uji stepped up to take and score Takeley’s second after 61 minutes, awarded for a foul by Ryan Sammons, who received the game’s only yellow card just a couple of minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Between those two penalties for the visitors, Boro scored one of their own, Ellis Devereux netting a 56th minute spot kick after T'aizo Marcel-Dilaver had been tripped for his fourth competitive goal of the season.

Buoyed by their early goal, Takeley were largely on top in the opening stages, but Boro came more into the game as the half wore on with Takeley keeper Toby Atkins saving at the foot of a post from Ezra Agyiri’s shot after 19 minutes. Agyiri combined well with Jake Gordon to create a shooting opportunity but Gordon’s shot drifted wide.

Romford had a penalty appeal turned down after 25 minutes and Teddy Desmond headed a corner narrowly wide, but Boro were dealt injury blows before half hour had elapsed when first Jake Gordon and then Flynn Hamilton had to be replaced. Having replaced Hamilton, T'aizo Marcel-Dilaver fired a 42nd minute shot into the side netting but Takeley had their chances too, with Brad Davison making good low saves in the 39th minute and the fourth minute of first half stoppage time. The second of these saves resulted in a corner for Takeley which was headed home by George Pullen to give the visitors a two goal lead at the break.

The sides exchanged chances in the opening minutes of the second half with T'aizo Marcel-Dilaver on the end of a low cross by Ezra Agyiri, but he put the admittedly difficult chance wide, while Takeley’s Oji put a header wide before the visitors scored their third when Zak Drake found himself in space and he lifted a shot over Davison.

Romford pulled one back through Devereux’s penalty and had a golden opportunity to reduce the arrears still further less than sixty seconds later when Agyiri found space but shot wide. Boro kept knocking on the door with Charlie Hare hitting the crossbar with a header from Nick Reynolds’ long throw, and although a surging run by Agyiri ended with a disappointing cross, Fabio Co then forced an unorthodox save from Atkins who kicked away a low shot from the Boro forward.

Ezra Agyiri scored his first goal since the opening day win at West Essex four minutes from the end. T'aizo Marcel-Dilaver did well to keep the ball in play wide of goal, evaded the keeper and laid the ball back for Agyiri to blast home. Boro pressed to try and reduce the deficit still further but the visitor almost got a fifth when Davison had to make a good save to deny Drake deep into stoppage time.

Romford: Bradley Davison, Mayowa Ogunyemi (Kevin Musimami 59'), Teddy Desmond, Joe Damrell, Charlie Hare (Harry Elsey 72'), Nick Reynolds, Jake Gordon (Ellis Devereux 28'), Fabio Co, Ezra Agyiri, Flynn Hamilton (T'aizo Marcel-Dilaver 29'), Dhillon Sandhu-Nelson (Ryan Sammons 59')