Romford (3) 4, West Essex (2) 3 – Saturday 17th February 2024 -Essex Senior League

Darren Phillips pounced to score what proved to be the winner with his first Romford goal just a minute after coming on as an 83rd minute substitute for Finlay Dorrell, taking Boro into third spot in the league in the process.

This was, by any measure, a somewhat strange game. Romford’s passing was all too often not quite right and there was a lot of play that looked as though it would end with a sniff of a goal but which petered out, or was snuffed out – sometimes not entirely convincingly – by the West Essex defence. The visitors always looked dangerous on the break, but on another day the Boro backline would surely have prevented then scoring three with the third an especially disappointing goal to concede.

Throw in an erratic performance from referee Mohammed Uddin, who had both sets of players confused with some decisions, and this was a peculiar game of football at times.

The visitors went in front after just five minutes when a long free-kick from their own half found its way to the left wing, from where a cross was hoisted in that Denzil Effah headed home. The visitors almost doubled their lead after eight minutes when Jake Anderson’s clearance only found West Essex’s Darnell Bromfield. He lofted the ball over the Boro keeper, who was relieved to see Scott Doe make it back to the goal line to clear.

West Essex skipper David Bell was fortunate not to be sin binned for a tantrum after conceding a free-kick for handball, but did not escape punishment as referee Uddin yellow carded him for kicking the ball away after ten minutes, and two minutes later Boro were level. Charlie Morris’s throw from the right somehow made it all the way to the middle of goal without a touch from a player on either side, and Finlay Dorrell made no mistake from six yards.

Mike Faulkner’s 15th minute shot was deflected over for a corner, and after 20 minutes Boro were ahead. Junior Luke’s long throw found Dorrell, whose shot was saved by West Essex keeper Michael Corderoy, but he failed to hold onto the ball and Hassan Nalbant pounced, extricating the ball from the keeper’s reach and scoring from close range.

Romford’s lead was even shorter lived than West Essex’s had been. After 23 minutes a right wing corner from Effah was headed in at the far post by Ola Ayoola. It looked as though Romford had restored their lead within sixty seconds when Finlay Dorrell had the ball in the net with a low shot from a wide angle from Jaiden Babalola’s pass, but the score was ruled out with the assistant referee flagging that the ball had gone through a hole in the side netting.

Boro had one that counted after 31 minutes however, when good work by Mike Faulkner and Charlie Morris ended with a cross that found Dorrell, whose shot was off target but, when a West Essex defender made something of a hash of their clearance, the ball fell invitingly for Hassan Nalbant to score from eight yards.

Nalbant was just inches away from connecting with Kris Newby’s cross a couple of minutes later, but Romford really ought to have scored a fourth when Morris was put through after three minutes of stoppage time, but having gone round Corderoy, he found himself too wide for a shot at goal and his pass to Dorrell found the recipient offside. Even so, there was still time for chance of another goal with four additional minutes played as Morris’s cross found Dorrell, whose shot was blocked for a corner from which the ball found its way to Kris Newby, but his shot went wide.

Just sixty second half seconds had been played when the visitors levelled the scores. A raking cross field ball found Zak Oliver in space on the left and his low cross was tapped home by Ruben Bartlett-Antwi with Boro’s defence undermanned.

Much of the remainder of the second half was scrappy with both sides failing to turn promising attacks into clear cut chances. A rare flowing passing move from Boro ended with Remi Sutton’s low cross hacked to safety from the goal line, and then, after a low shot by West Essex’s Bartlett-Antwi had been saved by Anderson, Romford broke quickly to force a scramble in the penalty area that the visitors were grateful to clear for a corner.

A good advantage played by referee Uddin after a foul by Junior Luke (who was subsequently booked) ended with West Essex failing to capitalise on a good position after 66 minutes and after 73 minutes West Essex defender Greg Frederick was booked for a foul on Finlay Dorrell.

With time beginning to run out, Kris Newby went close with a volley in the 79th minute, but in the 84th minute Boro clinched maximum points through substitute Darren Phillips, who had been thrown into the fray in place of Finlay Dorrell. West Essex keeper Corderoy’s clearance was met with a firm header forward by Lee Hursit, and despite the attentions of two defenders, Phillips managed to bring the ball under control and roll it under the advancing keeper.

Blessedly, there were fewer additional minutes at the end of the second half than there had been in the first, but in those five minutes there was time for bookings for West Essex’s Bromfield and Boro’s Hassan Nalbant, while Newby came close to scoring when Corderoy had to punch his free-kick away.

Not Romford’s most fluent performance of the season, but three points gained that trim Woodford’s lead in second place to three points with Boro having played one game less.

Romford: : Jake Anderson, Jamie Hursit, Junior Luke, Remi Sutton, Kris Newby, Scott Doe, Jaidein Babalola (Lee Hursit, 53m), Mike Faulkner, Hassan Nalbant, Charlie Morris (Reece McGovern, 53m), Finlay Dorrell (Darren Phillips, 83m). Unused subs: Jacob Wiggins, Danny Hurford.