Halstead Town (0) 3, Romford (2) 3 – Tuesday 29th September 2026 – Essex Senior League

For the third time this season, Romford surrendered a two-goal lead, drawing the third of their opening five league games. After producing a wonderful performance in the opening 45 minutes, it all went horribly wrong for Boro in 12 catastrophic minutes at the start of the second half, until a late goal salvaged a draw.

It would have been cruel on either side to have lost what was a thoroughly entertaining evening’s football and a credit to both teams and the Essex Senior League, but if Boro had been three or even four goals ahead at half-time instead of two, as they ought to have been, then it’s hard to see how Halstead could have got back into it.

The pace and movement of Aron Gordon, Jaxon Brown, and Kian Cocking, and the interplay between them repeatedly tore Halstead apart in the first half. Gordon latched onto Lamar Johnson’s pass in the third minute, went past a defender on the left and found Cocking in front of goal, only for the young forward to lift his shot over the bar. Gordon did it again after five minutes and this time, his ball in from the left found Brown, who smashed his shot past Jack Cherry in the Halstead goal.

Fourteen minutes in and Boro doubled their lead. Alfie Osborne did well to win and then retain the ball in midfield, and when his ball out to the right found him in space, Cocking cut in and fired a low shot across goal that went under Cherry and in at the far post. Cocking might have had a second after 30 minutes when he combined well with Brown, and from a similar position to his goal, beat Cherry only for the ball to come back off a post.

Aron Gordon had a free-kick turned over the bar by Cherry in the 17th minute as Romford continued to dominate, although Halstead were not without their chances, although quite which of their players had them is impossible to say as white numbers on the back of a black and white quartered shirt cannot be read from more than a few yards away. One such unidentifiable Humbug had an effort that went wide after 20 minutes and another had a shot that Johnson smothered at the foot of a post after 23 minutes. Immediately after Cocking had hit a post for Romford, Halstead were appealing for a penalty when a corner was blocked by a Boro defender, before Johnson came out to block well after a Halstead player had got free on the left.

The half ended with Greig Stewart falling awkwardly and seemingly injuring his shoulder, and he did not appear after the interval, which clearly came at a bad time for Boro as Halstead were rejuvenated, scoring almost immediately after the restart when Kane Gilbert bundled the ball in from on the goal-line after a free-kick had been headed across goal.

Johnson had to make a good block at his near post a minute after the goal, but after 55 minutes, Romford lost possession in midfield, Gilbert was put through and rolled the ball past the advancing Johnson. Shell shocked Boro fell behind after 57 minutes. Another free-kick was pumped towards the Boro goal by Cherry, Freddy Tandon couldn’t clear and George Smith found time and space to fire across Johnson and in by a post.

It would have been no surprise if Halstead had increased their lead – they certainly had their chances. Johnson turned a shot over on the hour, and then a low shot flashed across the face of his goal, before a quick break ended with a shot that went over.

Gradually though, Boro were getting back into the game after the pummelling they had received and Cocking grabbed his second goal of the night when his pace put him clear of the home defence as he ran onto Callum Burkey’s pass and drove a low shot past Cherry after 81 minutes.

There was still time for one side or the other to win this game. Johnson did splendidly to spread himself and block as a Halstead forward broke through and then the home side hit a post with Jake Barlow completing the clearance, while Boro’s last chance fell to Burkey, who curled a stoppage time free-kick – awarded after Brown had been felled on the edge of the box – past the post.

The late Sven-Göran Eriksson was often moved to say of his team’s performances during his spell as England manager, “First half good – second half, not so good.” He would have felt right at home at Rosemary Lane.

Romford: Lamar Johnson, Ben Sargent, Teddy Desmond (Edward Walker 85'), Alfie Osborne, Jake Barlow, Freddy Tandon, Aron Gordon (Kelson McFarlane 78'), Greig Stewart (Ekow Owusu-Boakye 46'), Jaxon Brown, Callum Burkey, Kian Cocking