Canvey Island 2 (0) - (0) 0 ROMFORD Attendance 200 - Park Lane

Boro gave debuts to Ryan Reed and Henry Fisher but two second half goals were enough to give the hosts victory in what was truly an awful game of football. Early on and Romford were the better side with Reed nearly securing a dream debut when he latched on to Kurt Smith’s crossfield ball but his half volley from twenty yards was beaten out by the Canvey keeper and then Reed nearly got on the end of a short back pass moments later but the Canvey number one was quick off his line to stop the danger. Both teams seemed to have forgotten their shooting boots with the hosts endangering passing sailors more than Rhys Hughes’s goal and it was not until the half hour that the Romford keeper made his first save, easily denying the Canvey forward. The home team were creating the best chances although their finishing was some of the poorest this reporter had ever witnessed. Unfortunately Canvey’s poor shooting seemed to have also rubbed off on to the visitors and Romford twice had shots that ended in the car park.

All the spectators were hoping for an improved second half and it was marginally better under a beautiful red sky, perhaps the Thames Estuary's answer to the Northern Lights. Rodney Lemba flicked the ball on to Smith early in the second half and after the winger cut in his left foot shot whizzed just the over the bar with the keeper well beaten. Unfortunately that was Romford’s best effort and the hosts took the lead in the sixty-eighth minute. Jordan Cox, who moments before headed a chance just wide was now perfectly positioned to head home a left wing cross. And the game was put to bed by Canvey eight minutes later but this time with a very fortunate goal. Canvey’s left back received the ball out on the left but completely overhit his intended cross which dipped just at the right moment to loop over Hughes and drop into the far corner of the goal.
Just as at high flying Bowers the previous Saturday, Romford now started to put the Canvey defence under a lot of pressure in the closing stages but could not create any clear cut openings to get back into the game and the Islanders saw out the final moments to record their victory.

CANVEY ISLAND (0) 2 COX 68, MELAUGH 76
ROMFORD (0) 0

ROMFORD: RHYS HUGHES, GEORGE FORREST, HENRY FISHER, NATHAN OKOYE (GREG AKPELE 83), AYO OLUKOGA, DANNY COSSINGTON, CHRIS TAYLOR, TAYLOR TOMBIDES (NATHAN JOSEPH 51), RODNEY LEMBA, RYAN REED, KURT SMITH (KHADEAN CAMPBELL 74) SUBS NOT USED MAX BOLTON