ROMFORD 1 (1) - (0) 1 Witham Town Attendance 74 - Ship Lane

Paul Martin handed a debut to new striker Vlad Sighiartau who was signed from Bowers and he immediately impressed the Boro faithful. The hosts started well but it was Witham who should have opened the scoring when Pat Ahern was left unmarked from a corner but headed wide when it looked easier to score. Craig Jeakins went on a mazy run but could only fire wide when under pressure in the box in the seventeenth minute, then five minutes later Romford had a penalty shout turned down when Chris Taylor looked to be fouled in the area. Jamie Dicks’ free kick whistled just past the far post with James Ishmail inches away from turning it in just after the half hour before a fantastic bit of skill nearly gave Romford the lead. A long ball forward was flicked on by Taylor to new boy Sighiartau and he chested the ball down and volleyed it over the keeper from thirty-five yards but the ball struck the upright and went straight back into the grateful keeper's arms. Sighiartau fired just over after a run before another nice piece of skill right on half time set up the opening goal. With his back to goal, the Romanian forward back healed the ball into the path of Ishmail who found himself clean though, and although the keeper made a smart stop, Taylor was on hand to turn in the rebound.

Romford continued to create chances after the break and Sighiatau saw another effort hit the post after he flicked on Dicks’ low corner and then Jeakins burst into the box but his shot hit the side netting when he probably should have passed across the goalmouth. That miss proved costly as Witham found a way back into the game when after a soft free kick conceded by Boro in the Witham half was quickly taken,Tim Monsheju's long range shot beat an unsighted Michael Gooch to bring the scores level in the sixty-first minute. Former Boro striker Ryan Imbert hit the bar with a header after outjumping his marker and as the game looked to be petering out for a draw Ishmail nearly won it for Romford, but his header sailed just wide of the post.

ROMFORD (1) 1 CHRIS TAYLOR 45
WITHAM (0) 1 MONSHEJU 61

ROMFORD: MICHAEL GOOCH, AYO OLUKOGA, HUGO ATKINSON, DANNY COSSINGTON, MICHAEL FINNERAN, JAMES ISHMAIL, JAMIE DICKS, CRAIG JEAKINS (BEN CLARKE 74), VLAD SIGHIARTAU, CHRIS TAYLOR, CONNOR HAMMOND (JONATHAN NZENGO) SUBS NOT USED MANNY BROWN, OLA GIWA & STEPHEN REYNOLDS