Crucial Win For Boro

By Mike Woods

Romford 3, Halstead Town 2

Romford picked up three vital points in their battle against relegation in a highly entertaining clash with Halstead Town.

In just the first minute Darnell Fuller went close to his first Boro goal, shooting narrowly wide as Boro set about the visitors with purpose from the word go, but as play swept from end to end, Halstead’s Kane Gilbert chipped the ball onto the roof of the Romford net.

Fuller then forced Halstead keeper Jack Cherry into a diving save and Greig Stewart had a shot deflected for a corner before the visitors took the lead, somewhat against the run of play after 25 minutes. A throw from the left was met by Billy Jamison, whose effort was blocked by Lee Haylock in the Romford goal, but the ball ran to Kane Gilbert who scored to put Halstead ahead.

Romford levelled six minutes before the break. Keeper Haylock played a long ball to Fuller on the left and when Cherry pushed out the ensuing cross, visiting defender Theo Duffin diverted the ball into his own net. Romford might have gone in at the interval with a lead, but Matt Price failed to get a decent connection after being found by Fuller and his effort went wide.

Flynn Hamilton tested Halstead keeper Cherry with a free-kick in the opening minute of the second period before Boro scored twice in five minutes. Debut making Tayo Oyebola exchanged passes with Hamilton and placed a shot beyond Cherry’s reach after 60 minutes and five minutes later Darnell Fuller ran onto Teddy Desmond’s pass and lifted his shot over the advancing Halstead keeper to give Boro a two goal cushion.

Halstead forced Haylock into a save when he dived to push away a header from Elias Ahmed, but Matt Price went close to a fourth for Boro with a speculative effort from halfway that Cherry just managed to push over the bar.

Halstead pulled one back through Harry Pinkney, who beat Haylock with a shot from outside the box, and Haylock then had to be alert to divert a long range effort from Jamie Bennett round the post.

With all bar one of the other sides in the bottom half of the table losing, this result does Boro a power of good ahead of next Saturday’s trip to Saffron Walden Town, against a side who have netted thirteen goals in their last two home fixtures.

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