Romford 2 (0) - (1) 4 Maldon & Tiptree Attendance 101 - Rookery Hill

In a slow first half both teams created very little as play was often unable to flow due to a whistle happy referee. Just before the half hour Maldon opened the scoring when Toby Barlow was unable to clear, allowing Eddie-Louis Dsane to race through and cut inside before firing home. Jorome Slow had a great chance to double the lead when despite looking a long way offside, play was allowed to continue and Harry Aldridge had to make a smart stop. Romford's closest chance of the first period came right on half time when Danny Cossington volleyed just over.

The second half was much more action packed with Romford earning a corner in the fifty-third minute. Substitute Reece Hewitt whipped in the cross and thirty-nine year old John Maskell who had last scored for Boro in 2007, lost his marker and headed home to make it one goal each. However, Romford were only level for a further two minutes when Dsane found himself with the ball in the box, turned quickly and fired home. Despite this setback Boro continued to push forward and after sixty-one minutes Greg Akpele got behind the defence and calmly lobbed the onrushing keeper for the host's second equaliser.

Both teams now fought tooth and nail for the three points but it was the visitors who grabbed their third goal when substitute Laste Dombaxe headed in with virtually his first touch in the seventy-sixth minute and Dsane then grabbed his hat trick seven minutes before time to give Maldon the victory in their push for promotion.

ROMFORD (0) 2, JOHN MASKELL 53, GREG AKPELE 61
MALDON & TIPTREE (1) 4 DSANE 28, 55, 83 DOMBAXE 76

ROMFORD: HARRY ALDRIDGE, NATHAN JOSEPH, TOBY BARLOW (REECE HEWITT 46), JOHN MASKELL, AYO OLUKOGA, DANNY COSSINGTON, JONATHAN GLOWACKI (CHRIS TAYLOR 73), GEORGE WOODWARD, CRAIG JEAKINS, GREG AKPELE, PHILIP BROWN-BAMPOE (NICK REYNOLDS 82) SUBS NOT USED PEDRO CARVALHO & MAX BOLTON

YELLOW CARDS: GEORGE WOODWARD 28, JONATHAN GLOWACKI 39