Romford (1) 1, Buckhurst Hill (1) 3 – Saturday 26th April 2025 – Essex Senior League

A season that began with such promise ended with an eleventh defeat in thirteen games leaving Boro without a win since the 2-1 victory over Saffron Walden Town back in mid-February.

The slide from the Play-Off places to mid-table can probably be traced back to the game at Buckhurst Hill on the last Saturday before Christmas when Boro were sixth in table with 37 points from 19 games and unbeaten away from home: Just eleven points have been gleaned from the second nineteen games of the campaign.

In a game that had a typically end of season feel, Romford created the first chance. After four minutes Jordan Burnett wriggled past a Buckhurst Hill defender on the left and fired a shot at goal the keeper Anthony Page blocked at the expense of a corner. The visitors went in front after seven minutes however, when Archie Hammond beat his marker to a ball played in from the left to the near post and poked it past Qamil Dervishaj.

Boro responded with Jake Gordon’s through ball finding Jayden Silcott-Brown only for the Boro forward to be muscled off the ball that ran through to goalkeeper Page. Back came Buckhurst Hill and Qamil Dervishaj – who picked up the supporters’ Player of The Year award after the game – had to turn away a shot from Hammond after seventeen minutes.

Dervishaj was in action again after nineteen minutes, pushing a shot from Ollie Williams’s free-kick over the bar after Byron Humbles had fouled his man having lost possession, picking up a yellow card in the process.

Romford created a decent opening after thirty-two minutes when Burnett created a shooting opportunity for Blaise Uwandji, but a defender’s block took the sting out of the shot which sat up nicely for Page to gather. After 42 minutes, Boro were level when a ball down the line by Ross Elsom found Uwandji and he played the ball inside to Jayden Silcott-Brown, who finished confidently. Silcott-Brown might have had a second and given Romford a rare lead in the dying seconds of the half when a long ball into the heart of the visitors’ defence was not dealt with, but they recovered sufficiently to block the Boro player’s shot.

Buckhurst Hill almost restored their lead in the first minute of the second half when Harry Elsey’s clearance cannoned off a Stags forward, beat Dervishaj and rolled across goal only to hit the far post; fortunately, no visiting forward was there to convert what would have been a very soft goal.

Shortly after this, Jack Ferris shot wide on the turn and after 78 minutes Hammond spooned a shot over the Romford crossbar. Between times, Darnell Ramsay forced Page into pushing his free-kick over the bar, but then, with a draw looking the likely outcome, Buckhurst Hill snatched all three points with two goals in the last seven minutes. After 83 minutes Levi Burgin ran through to score after Boro had lost possession in the opposition half with Harry Elsey slipping as he attempted a challenge. Then, after 86 minutes, Buckhurst Hill again nicked possession away from a Boro player and Tyreece Robertson cut in from the left and placed a shot across Dervishaj and into the far corner.

It’s fair to say that the last couple of months of the season have been a hard watch; no doubt many lessons will have been learned and Boro can approach next season with a view to greater consistency and greater success.

Romford: Qamil Dervishaj, Sam Brogan (Darnell Ramsay 55'), Harry Elsey, Ross Elsom, Arnold Mengi, Byron Humbles (Lewis Gardener 54'), Jayden Silcott-Brown, Blaise Uwandji (Zinnel Royes 80'), Jake Gordon, Jordan Burnett, Samson Adelaja. Unused sub: Darnell Ramsay