ROMFORD 2 (2) - (1) 2 Thurrock Attendance 112 - Ship Lane

Romford started the brightest but could not find a way through with only a couple of blocked long shots and a save from Jack Barry to show for their efforts. Then on ten minutes after virtually their first attack, a Thurrock free kick was cleared to the far post where Steven Carvell hit a drive through a crowd of players and into the back of the net. Jamie Dicks then received his first yellow card trying to hurry up the keeper who was attempting some very early time wasting time, catching him on his ankle and the game started to become a stop start affair with free kick after free kick threatening to spoil the match. On twenty minutes a nice flick by Jamie Dicks set up Loui Hazelwood who’s low cross was just out of reach of the advancing Nick Reynolds. Romford did get back on level terms on twenty eight minutes when a Chris Barry corner was allowed to bounce in the six yard box by the static Thurrock defence and Nick Reynolds chested the ball home from two yards. The visitors were close to retaking the lead immediately when a free kick clipped the top of the bar before Romford were reduced to ten men when Jamie Dicks was shown a second yellow card for flinging his arm out at a player who was fouling him. Despite this set back Romford took the lead on forty minutes when Chris Barry sent the ball into the box and with Paul Clayton and his marker both jumping for the ball it fell down kindly to the Boro man who put his left foot shot into the corner of the goal.

Romford would have been expecting an onslaught from their landlords in the second half but apart from Jack Barry clearing the ball off the line, Thurrock were kept to long shots that troubled their fans behind the goal more than Aaron Omand. Lewis Spence did finally get the equaliser on sixty eight minutes turning a cross into the goal acrobatically, but after this Romford stood firm and were rarely threatened while on the break they had a decent penalty shout turned down. Towards the end Aaron Omand was finally forced into a save but easily turned the ball around the post for a corner, while a mis-kicked cross nearly found its way in but skimmed the bar and went over. Both Jack Barry and Thurrock's Robert Clark were sent off for an altercation after the final whistle but Romford will be happy to end a run of defeats and edge a little further away from the relegation zone.

ROMFORD (2) 2 NICK REYNOLDS 28, PAUL CLAYTON 40

THURROCK (1) 2 CARVELL 10, SPENCE 68

ROMFORD: AARON OMAND, ROBBIE NORRIS, TYLER HAYES, JACK BARRY, PAUL CLAYTON, CHRIS BARRY (JAMES ISHMAIL 75,), JAMIE DICKS, ABS SEYMOUR, NICK REYNOLDS (GEORGE COCKLIN 69), LOUI HAZELWOOD (SAMUEL KEMP 89), CALLUM IBE SUBS NOUT USED EDDIE HART, SOLOMON AKINSHADE

YELLOW CARDS: JAMIE DICKS 15, 38, ROBBIE NORRIS 68

RED CARDS: JAMIE DICKS 38, JACK BARRY 90