Goals from Charlie Morris and Jesse Olukolu earned all three points for Boro at Oakside, avenging the defeat at home to Redbridge in August, and knocking the hosts off the top of the table into the bargain.

Unsurprisingly, this was not a feast of free-flowing football as both teams cancelled one another out and chances were few and far between. Of the two goalkeepers, it was Boro’s Jake Anderson who was the busier, although his saves were confined to one low to his right after 26 minutes, and more impressively, a diving save to his left after 40 minutes as he clawed a goal-bound shot away for a corner.

The first incident of note was the 14th minute yellow card picked up by Josh Wiggins, a late replacement for Toby Barlow, when he was adjudged to have fouled his opponent as they went for a high ball. Jesse Olukolu followed him into Mr Iddenden-Smith’s notebook when he reacted to a foul twenty minutes later.

With defenders Tambeson Eyong and George Allen suspended, and Danny Hurford also absent, Boro’s back four had an unfamiliar look, but they dealt effectively with everything that the home side threw at them, and the majority of the first half was contested in midfield, where a number of niggly fouls tended to break up play. In truth, the first forty-five minutes were a tad dull.

There was little change after the break, and three Redbridge players were cautioned in the early stages, with Brocklebank and Okah cautioned for fouls on Emmanuel Robe, while Chawner joined them in the referee’s book for another foul soon after.

Redbridge looked the likelier to score as the half progressed with one effort, a header from Peterkin from a cross from the right going narrowly wide of Jake Anderson’s right-hand post, and then the home side hit a post with a low shot.

Having absorbed the pressure that Redbridge had applied, Boro went ahead after 68 minutes through Charlie Morris. Boro’s leading scorer outpaced the home defence to a through ball, giving him the opportunity to slide the ball past the advancing Wheatley, a chance he exploited to the full.

Jesse Olukolu netted Boro’s second to wrap up the points after 75 minutes with his third of the season. Having collected the ball in midfield, he weaved his way forward, and after an exchange of passes, got himself into an almost identical position as had Morris, and like his team-mate, he slipped the ball past the advancing keeper.

By no means a great game, nor a sparkling performance, but one that proves that results can be ground out as well as achieved with expansive football. Boro rise to 10th off the back of this, six points behind leaders West Essex, but with three games in hand.

Romford: Jake Anderson, Kris Newby, Josh Wiggins (Bleron Ademi, 65m), Jacob Wiggins, Scott Doe, Tom Anderson, Jesse Olukolu, George Cox, Camilo Restrepo (Emmanuel Robe, 46m), Lewis Smith, Charlie Morris (Jake Gordon, 82m). Unused subs: Jack Glenister, Toby Barlow.

Pictures by Alan Blackholly