Athletic Newham (1) 2, Romford (0) 0 – Saturday 6th December 2025 – Essex Senior League

If you don’t score goals, you won’t win games might just be football’s most obvious truism, and so it proved on a drab afternoon at Parsloes Park as Boro drew a blank against Athletic Newham.

George Cornwell’s 56th minute shot that rebounded off the frame of the goal was about the closest Romford came to scoring – had that gone in, then Boro would have been level – and although Newham were scarcely any more effective in front of goal, they took the three points with a goal in each half.

The home side had the better of the early chances with Harry Elsey having to make a good covering challenge on Newham’s Emmanuel Osilaja as he threatened to break clear after eight minutes. Newham defender Mihail Elenkov then found himself well placed for a strike at goal but his shot went wide before Brad Davison had to sprint from his line to deny Harrison Tweddell as he broke through. Osilaja then went close as his low shot flashed across the face of goal.

Romford’s first effort of note came on the half hour as Dhillon Sandhu-Nelson’s deflected shot was pushed round the post by Newham keeper Harvey Simson on the half hour. Nelson ought to have done better a minute later when the resulting corner was cleared to him, but his shot went wide. He then found Gabriel Ipanga with a cross field pass only for Ipanga’s shot to be parried by Simson with no one able to follow up.

Boro lost Rhian Fowler to a hamstring injury after 38 minutes to add to their injury woes – Joe Damrell once again was absent and Nick Reynolds joined him on the injury list, having picked up a knock in training – and Dhillon Sandhu-Nelson failed to appear for the second half having been the victim of a poor challenge in the last minute of the first half. The influential Flynn Hamilton was unavailable while Ryan Sammons had to start from the bench after his injury at Halstead leaving Boro shorn of a number of experienced personnel.

Newham went ahead five minutes before the break, Harrison Tweddell ramming home the loose ball from a tight angle after Davison had pushed out a header. Boro’s only response in the time that remained was a shot from Danny Hanson (who had replaced Fowler) that curled wide.

Newham had the first chance of the second half with Davison saving a well struck shot by Joao Cruz two minutes after the restart, and as Boro attempted to get back in the game, Newham’s Jonathan Ogunsanya was rightly booked as he pulled back Christian Adu Gyamfi, who had been set free by Ipanga’s pass. Ogunsanya’s team mate George Rankin was lucky not to join him in referee Alan Steward’s book after a late and high challenge on Teddy Desmond, although he did see yellow later in the game following a minor fracas.

After Cornwell had hit the post, Newham sealed their win with a second goal after 70 minutes when Osilaja’s shot looped over Davison with the aid of a deflection. Louis Mathias had a 71st minute shot that flew wide while Christian Adu Gyamfi also shot wide after 72 minutes after getting on the end of one of Boro’s better moves of the game, but Simson in the Newham goal was otherwise untroubled.

The season reaches the halfway point when Benfleet come to Mayesbrook Park next Saturday and Boro will need to end their winless home record to avoid being pulled into the battle at the bottom of the table.

Romford: Bradley Davison, George Cornwell, Teddy Desmond, Harry Elsey, Freddy Cooper, Rhian Fowler (Danny Hanson 39'), Dhillon Sandhu-Nelson (Ryan Sammons 46'), Louis Mathias, Christian Adu Gyamfi, Greig Stewart, Gabriel Ipanga (Lewis Browne 70'). Unused subs: Adeyemi Kunle, Riley Garrick

Report: Mike Woods