Baldock Town (0) 0, Romford (0) 1 – Tuesday 25th August 2026 – FA Cup Preliminary Round Replay

After scoring a late equaliser in the first game, Flynn Hamilton went one better in the replay, scoring the late winner that gives Boro a trip to Harleston Town in the First Qualifying Round.

Hamilton’s goal was a rare moment of decent football in an otherwise uninspiring game as he dived to meet Fabio Vieira’s perfect cross from the right in the 80th minute and headed past Baldock keeper Sam Galatis. To be fair, the second half was almost a decent game of football, particularly in comparison with the first forty-five minutes, which were punctuated by innumerable stoppages and in which the most noteworthy incidents were the three bookings that came inside the opening 33 minutes.

Baldock’s Sam O’Nions was first in referee Nathan Currey’s book as he pulled back Fabio Vieira after only three minutes. Mark Adofo joined him after 24 minutes for a midfield foul, and Boro’s Matt Price also picked up a yellow, for a foul on the Baldock keeper.

Neither side were able to string more than a couple of passes together in the opening period, although Baldock seemed more content to play the ball high and long rather than construct passing moves anyway. They did have more of what resembled chances in the first half however, the best of which came from crosses and corners. After 27 minutes Baldock’s Adofo met a corner at the far post, but put the ball wide, and there was another Baldock cross headed wide after 39 minutes.

Boro’s best – indeed, only – first half chance came after 12 minutes when after winning the ball in midfield, Jaxon Brown found Matt Price, but his shot from the edge of the box went harmlessly wide.

Greig Stewart took a nasty blow to the head as the half ended, and he returned to the pitch sporting a bandage protecting a cut that may need stitches, but it did not prevent him turning in a sterling performance in the second half.
The opening minutes of the second period contained more chances than in all of the first half. In the very first minute, Jaxon Brown latched onto an unconvincing clearance and put a shot into the side netting, and with 48 minutes played, a low cross from the right by Vieira caused chaos in the home defence, but in a scramble inside the six-yard box, Boro were unable to force the ball home.

After 53 minutes Baldock fashioned a good chance when keeper Galatis launched a long ball forward that led to Ivan Machado shooting across the face of goal and when the ball was recycled, the Boro defence had to block the follow up effort.

Alfie Osborne met Flynn Hamilton’s 67th minute free-kick with a header that Galatis was equal to, and the Boro created a shooting opportunity for Greig Stewart, but again Galatis saved.

The winning goal came in the 80th minute, but was immediately preceded by a vital stop by Lamar Johnson, who had an outstanding save from Joel Pallant’s header. Romford broke quickly with the ball fed wide to Vieira on the right, and after he had beaten his full-back, he delivered an exquisite cross that Hamilton plunged forward to head home.

In the first minute of added time, Baldock’s Dennis Nkrumah headed wide, injuring himself in the process and having to be replaced. Baldock threw goalkeeper Galatis forward for a late corner, but he appeared to use his hand in his effort to force an equaliser, and became the fourth Baldock player booked.

A much better second half performance from Romford earns a trip to Norfolk on 5th September to play Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division Harleston Town in what will be Boro’s first appearance in the First Qualifying Round since 2022-23.

Romford: Lamar Johnson, Ben Sargent, Teddy Desmond, Alfie Osborne (Jake Barlow 90+2'), Freddy Tandon, Julius Nwike, Aron Gordon (Ben McCrow 70'), Greig Stewart, Jaxon Brown, Matthew Price (Flynn Hamilton 59'), Fabio Vieira. Unused subs: George Sapsford, Alfie Leach, Ekow Owusu-Boakye