Romford (1) 3, West Essex (0) 1 – Saturday 3rd January 2026 – Essex Senior League

Two goals from Christian Adu Gyamfi and one from Nick Reynolds gave Boro their first home league win of the season, just 43 days shy of a year since the last one, against Saffron Walden Town in February 2025.

On a bitterly cold afternoon, only two other Essex Senior League games started and only one of those finished, in which Athletic Newham beat Benfleet leaving Boro still 17th in the table, but now seven points ahead of the drop zone.

In a game that neither side could afford to lose, both sides had chances with Boro having the first after six minutes when West Essex keeper Charlie Mann fumbled Henry Hart’s cross but Harry Elsey’s follow up went wide. Ten minutes in and a half-hit effort from Joe Damrell reached Hart, whose shot was straight at Mann before, after 16 minutes, Nick Reynolds headed his third goal of the season and his second against West Essex, flicking home Flynn Hamilton’s corner (main photo, above).

The sides exchanged chances with Brad Davison turning one shot over and then gratefully grasping another from a chance created by West Essex’s dangerous Reece Simpson. Henry Hart had three opportunities for Boro, seeing a 24th minute effort pawed away by Mann and then heading a difficult chance over from Elsey’s cross in the 38th minute before ending the half with another difficult chance that saw his overhead kick clear the crossbar.

The opening stages of the second half were dominated by the visitors and in the 49th minute Boro were grateful to their defensive wall that deflected Wesley Santos’s free-kick wide of goal for a corner, but West Essex levelled the scores in the 52nd minute when Reece Simpson’s shot went in off the left hand post.

A decent Romford move ended with Lewis Browne having a shot pushed out by Mann on the hour mark before Boro were temporarily reduced to ten men when Freddy Cooper was sin-binned, but despite their numerical disadvantage, Boro continued to press forward and Henry Hart met Christian Adu Gyamfi’s ball in from the right with a fierce shot that was blocked and then rolled the ball agonisingly wide from the rebound.

Ten man Boro went ahead after 67 minutes. Joe Damrell cut inside from the right, bursting between two defenders before being brought down for a penalty. Christian Adu Gyamfi stepped up and placed his shot down the middle as Mann dived to his right.

Once numerical parity was restored, Romford doubled their lead with the returning Freddy Cooper hoisting a high ball for Adu Gyamfi to chase after 83 minutes. Having shaken off the attentions of two West Essex defenders, Boro’s leading scorer fired through Mann’s legs from a tight angle for his seventh league goal of the season.

Boro might have had a fourth when Damrell burst through but was thwarted by Mann three minutes from time, and Mann saved again in the final minute, denying Adu Gyamfi after he had combined well with Lewis Browne.

The last few minutes might have been nervy for Romford had Brad Davison not turned Fred Agyemang’s shot round the post just after Mann had saved from Damrell, and the visitors did have the ball in the net in stoppage time, but Agyemang had strayed offside and the goal was chalked off.

Romford: Bradley Davison, Joe Damrell (Louis Mathias 90'), Henry Hart (Kunle Adeyemi 77'), Harry Elsey, Freddy Cooper, Nick Reynolds, Ryan Sammons, Greig Stewart, Christian Adu Gyamfi, Flynn Hamilton, Lewis Browne. Unused subs: Rhian Fowler, Jake Gordon, Danny Hanson

Report: Mike Woods