Hackney Wick (0) 1, Romford (0) 1 – Saturday 28th February 2026 – Essex Senior League

Had Romford converted any of several first half chances – including a penalty – then the one point earned at Hackney Wick would surely have been three. As it was, after eventually taking the lead through Flynn Hamilton’s eighth goal of the season, a late penalty for the home side meant a third consecutive drawn match for Boro.

Hackney appeared to be more at home on the soft and bobbly surface than Boro and created the first notable opening when David Senga found space on the right but there was no one remotely near his cross that passed harmlessly wide. After twelve minutes Boro had a golden opportunity to assert control when Christian Adu Gyamfi was put through by Greig Stewart’s astute pass and was brought down by Hackney keeper Adeshinayo Awoniyi. Adu Gyamfi took the penalty himself, but although he hit it well enough, Awoniyi – diving to his right – managed to get a trailing foot to the shot and divert it over the bar.

Louis Mathias hit a rasping drive when the resulting corner fell to him on the edge of the box but his rising shot cleared the bar and then after 15 minutes Owen Bellamy was put through on the right and chipped the keeper, but Adu Gyamfi was unable to get a touch as the ball ran across goal and wide.

The pitch had a large part to play in creating the next clear chance after 21 minutes. Nick Reynolds lost his footing just inside his own half, allowing Alexander Nicolaides a clear run at goal. Fortunately for Boro the Hackney forward shot tamely wide when he really ought to have done better. A long range effort from Kyle Anderson that Brad Davison fielded comfortably was Hackney’s only other real sight of goal in the opening 45 minutes.

Romford on the other hand really ought to have converted at least one of string of opportunities that came their way. Adu Gyamfi was put through in a position similar to the one from which he won the penalty, but slipped at the crucial moment and the chance was lost, and then after Owen Bellamy’s cross from the right had deflected off the Hackney keeper, Adu Gyamfi could not find the touch that would have found the unguarded net. Joe Damrell burst into the box in the 43rd minute but was denied by Awoniyi who came off his line to block.

Owen Bellamy again got free of the home defence in the first minute of the second half but scoring from his position wide of goal was always going to be difficult and his shot flashed wide of the far post. Hackney then went close when, following a 54th minute corner, a close range shot in a crowded penalty area cannoned off a post.

The sides exchanged long range but off-target shots with Mathias shooting over from 30 yards on the hour and two minutes later Hackney’s Daniel Atkinson shot wide from a similar distance.

Just when it seemed that the afternoon would end goal-less, Romford scored with a goal that rather summed up the entire match. Flynn Hamilton latched on to Freddie Cooper’s pass, twisted and turned on the edge of the penalty to create a shooting opportunity, and with Awoniyi flat footed, seemed to scruff his shot with the ball rolling almost apologetically just inside the post.

Hamilton was substituted shortly after the goal and his replacement, Jake Gordon, immediately set up Owen Bellamy for a chance that, had it been converted, would surely have won the game but Bellamy dallied and another chance went begging.

A period of pressure from the home side ended with Romario Gittens riding challenges but shooting wide before the game turned with six minutes left. Jake Gordon provided an excellent cross from the right that was met with a header by Teddy Desmond, but Awoniyi saved and when Hackney broke it led to a melee just inside the Boro penalty area in which referee Chay Saggers concluded that a home forward had been fouled. Gittens stepped up to take the penalty and although Davison correctly dived to his right, he could not get a hand to the shot.

A third consecutive draw is, remarkably, Romford’s longest unbeaten run of the season, but with a resurgent West Essex winning at Halstead Town, Boro need to convert those draws into wins, starting next Saturday at Gardiners Close against fellow strugglers Basildon United.

Romford: Bradley Davison, Joe Damrell (Rhian Fowler 83'), Teddy Desmond, Harry Elsey, Freddy Cooper, Nick Reynolds, Greig Stewart, Louis Mathias, Christian Adu Gyamfi (Henry Hart 67'), Flynn Hamilton (Jake Gordon 76'), Owen Bellamy Unused subs: Dhillon Sandhu-Nelson, Chinedu Duru

Report by Mike Woods