Ilford (1) 2, Romford (0) 0 – Saturday 23rd August 2025 – FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round

Had Ilford not been so profligate in front of goal then this game would have been over as a contest long before the home side scored their second goal in the sixth minute of added time.

Trailing to a 28th minute goal from former Romford player Louis Hiobi, Boro had ample time to get level the scores or even win the game but rarely looked like doing so.

The first half was reasonably even but it was telling that while Ilford missed chances, they were creating more of them than Romford and were always looked the more likely team to score. The teams exchanged efforts in the opening minutes with Ilford’s Joel Appiah’s low shot an easy gather for Brad Davison and Harry Honesty forcing a rare save from Wilkinson Boateng with a shot after cutting in from the right.

Ilford’s David Luzolo – another ex-Boro man – ought to have put his side ahead after 22 minutes when they broke quickly and Romford made something of a hash of attempting to clear only for Luzolo to let them off the hook by putting the ball wide with the goal at his mercy. Romford’s reprieve did not last long. After 27 minutes Hiobi evaded a challenge on the edge of the penalty area and fired a left foot shot past Davison.

As Ilford continued to make chances, Luzolo swung a foot at a cross from the left and sliced the ball wide after 35 minutes and three minutes later the same player was denied a free run at goal only by a great tackle from Teddy Desmond.

A rare Romford attack in the 43rd minute saw Joe Damrell run well and find Harry Honesty, whose cross was headed behind for a corner, from which Guy Norton’s header was clutched on the line by Boateng. Ilford almost scored a second almost immediately, breaking quickly from the restart to force a save from Davison.

There was little sense that Boro could turn things around after the break with much passing the ball around at the back followed by tentative forward passes that were either intercepted in midfield or were returned with interest by the Ilford defence.

Ellis Devereux did have a shot saved by Boateng and Jake Gordon volleyed just wide from Devereux’s knockdown, but Ilford went closer still with a header from Benjamin Eboh that was just over later, they hit Boro’s crossbar.

Brad Davison saw yellow for flattening an Ilford forward as they got behind the Boro defence in the 58th minute - fortunately the threshold for a goalscoring opportunity was not met, otherwise it would have been a red – and was in action again soon after, making a good save after 74 minutes with the Boro defence blocking the loose ball.

A rare incursion into the Ilford penalty area had Boro appealing optimistically for a penalty after the ball had pinballed around, but inevitably it was the precursor for Ilford creating a chance as the cleared, broke quickly, and fashioned a chance that they spurned.

Nick Reynolds was dispossessed in his own half after 86 minutes but fortunately for Boro, Michael Adu shot wide and then Mohamed Habib went even closer with a shot after 88 minutes that went just wide after Boro had yet again lost possession in midfield.

Six minutes into stoppage time and Ilford sealed their win when Greg Akpele – who had only just come on as a sub – strode forward with conviction and found a team mate, whose low ball across goal was tapped in by Habib.

Romford: Bradley Davison, Teddy Desmond, Guy Norton (Harry Markatis 73'), Joe Damrell (Ramzi Mahmoudi, 63’), Nick Reynolds, Jake Gordon (Christian Adu Gyamfi 63'), Darnell Bromfield (Ryan Sammons 65'), Ellis Devereux, Harry Honesty (Ezra Agyiri 78’), Harrison Georgiou, Ola Sosanya

Report by Mike Woods