Romford (0) 2, Woodford Town (1) 4 – Saturday 7th February 2026 – Essex Senior League

Football can be a cruel mistress, as this game proved. Trailing at half-time, Boro showed commendable spirit to level and then take the lead with just 15 minutes left, only to concede the points as the visitors ran in three goals in the time that remained, their third coming on 90 minutes and the fourth deep into added time.

Woodford had the first sight of goal, Ryan Hervel shooting over after six minutes, but Boro then forged three decent chances. Flynn Hamilton found Sonny Dutton whose volley hit the outside of a post after seven minutes and five minutes later another Hamilton pass found Dutton who was foiled by Woodford keeper Jake Boxer as he came off his line. Another Hamilton-Dutton combination then ended with the latter shooting wide.

Hervel then had another effort that went over the bar for the visitors, but back came Boro and Christian Adu Gyamfi, well found by new boy Munir Hadi, was denied by Boxer, before Woodford went ahead on the half hour. Yemi Adelani tricked his way through and beat Brad Davison with a low shot, and it might have got worse for Boro shortly afterwards when the visitors hit a post.

Five minutes from the break and Boro again went close. Christian Adu Gyamfi did well to evade challenges in the box after Hamilton’s pass had reached him, but having done the hard work, fired over the bar. Adu Gyamfi did get the ball in the net on the stroke of half-time only to be denied a goal by an offside flag.

Chances were exchanged and spurned at the start of the second period. Adu Gyamfi headed Ryan Sammons’ cross over the bar and Woodford’s Kye Scott shot well over. Lewis Browne put in a shot that was a whisker over the crossbar after latching onto a partially cleared corner, but Boro got their reward after 62 minutes when Flynn Hamilton took Adu Gyamfi’s pass and lifted an excellent shot over Boxer from 25 yards.

Boro then had three opportunities to go in front; Adu Gyamfi met Teddy Desmond’s cross but could only divert the ball into Boxer’s hands, Hamilton had a shot that was saved by Boxer and then after Adu Gyamfi had headed Hamilton’s corner across goal, Dutton nodded over.

Sonny Dutton netted his second goal in consecutive starts to give Boro the lead after 74 minutes, running on from Davison’s long ball forward and striking a low shot across Boxer and into the corner. Boro’s lead lasted just two minutes however, as Woodford levelled through Ollie Sotoyinbo as he chased and won a through ball to convert.

Romford pressed for a winner. Dutton again ran on to a through ball but shot wide and substitute Dhillon Sandhu-Nelson shot across the face of the goal. With 89 minutes played it was still anyone’s game but sadly it proved to be Woodford’s day as a shot from an acute angle by Marko Protic found the net to give them the advantage and then, to rub salt in Boro wounds, a free-kick by Denzel Effah went in off the bar in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Defeat was harsh on Boro, who would have deserved the point they seemed to have earned but which they were deprived of by those late Woodford goals.

Romford: Bradley Davison, Ryan Sammons, Teddy Desmond (George Cornwell 90'), Mitchell Keen, Rhian Fowler, Freddy Cooper, Munir Hadi (Lewis Browne 59'), Louis Mathias (Harry Elsey 70'), Christian Adu Gyamfi (Dhillon Sandhu-Nelson 81'), Flynn Hamilton (Chinedu Duru 86'), Sonny Dutton

Report by Mike Woods