Romford (0) 3, White Ensign (2) 3 – Saturday 22nd November 2025 – Essex Senior League

Over the years, Romford have retrieved a three goal deficit to earn a point four times, but none of those previous comebacks were accomplished inside six minutes!

With eighty-eight minutes played and Boro seemingly slipping to an inevitable sixth home defeat and looking as though they could play till midnight without scoring, Lewis Browne - with his first league goal for the club – scored what appeared to be a mere consolation. Three minutes into stoppage time, Browne scored again and when Boro won a corner five minutes into added time, Rhian Fowler headed home a debut goal to complete the comeback and spark wild celebrations.

The game had started in depressingly familiar circumstances as Romford conceded an early goal. Ensign’s George Godfrey ran onto a pass played inside Boro full-back Ryan Sammons and when his effort was cleared for a corner, Reece Latimer rose highest to head home with only five minutes played.

Romford attempted to strike back and Dhillon Nelson had a shot beaten away by Ensign keeper Charlie Brown after breaking clear on the left and then Joe Damrell’s shot was just a whisker over the bar after he met Louis Mathias’s cut back. White Ensign scored a second after fourteen minutes however, as Boro struggled to clear a corner and when a visiting forward went down under a challenge, referee Liam Dawson rightly pointed to the spot and Emmanuel Sergio stepped up to send Brad Davison the wrong way from 12 yards.

Davison was then possibly fortunate that the referee judged him to be fouled as he chased a ball back into his own penalty area and was dispossessed, and Boro escaped conceding a third when Latimer headed across goal and Sergio fired the loose ball over the bar.

Flynn Hamilton’s pass found Louis Mathias whose shot went into the side netting, but it was always Ensign who looked the more likely to score and only desperate Boro defending prevented a third as the half drew to a close.

Romford opened the second half with a shot from Hamilton that went well wide and Ensign extended their advantage through Henry Hart, who was put through after 54 minutes and as Davison came out to meet him, the ex-Boro player lofted the ball over him and into the net.

With Boro unable to make headway going forward and Ensign apparently holding their lead comfortably, there appeared to be only one outcome, but in the 87th minute, after Lewis Browne – well found by Flynn Hamilton – had forced a corner, Harry Elsey headed the flag kick just wide, and sixty second later, Boro pulled one back. Hamilton’s shot was spilled by Charlie Brown and Lewis Browne nipped in to net the rebound. It seemed too little, too late until, with 93 minutes on the clock, Browne lifted his shot over his near namesake and apparently make Boro’s defeat a little more respectable. Until the 94th minute, that is.

Romford won a corner on the left and with every Boro player bar the kicker in the White Ensign penalty area, the ball was lofted in and Rhian Fowler headed home just 28 minutes into his Romford debut to complete the most improbable of comebacks.

For the visitors, this draw probably feels like a defeat, for Romford it was a real morale booster, albeit it means that that Boro remain one of three Essex Senior League sides still looking for their first home league win of the campaign.

Romford: Bradley Davison, Ryan Sammons, Teddy Desmond, Harry Elsey, Freddy Cooper, Joe Damrell (Rhian Fowler 76'), George Cornwell, Louis Mathias (Lewis Browne 61'), Christian Adu Gyamfi (Makhi Johnson 62'), Flynn Hamilton, Dhillon Nelson (Gabriel Ipanga 71') Unused sub: Nick Reynolds

Report by Mike Woods