Essex Senior League, Saturday 27th December
My last game in 2025 saw me over at The Drive between Ilford and Redbridge for a local clash between Frenford & Romford, with each side vying to try and end 2025 on a positive note.
The hosts started the day bottom of the table and five points from safety after what has been a very tough and frustrating season to date, only ten points had been accumulated in their twenty games thus far and were in danger of being cut adrift if they could not pick up points and the ones above them did, Romford were one of these sides and sat 17th in the standings, albeit eight points better off.
If the hosts then could pick up a first win since beating Halstead Town at home in mid November, then they could pull that gap down, and to Sporting Bengal United, who sat immediately above the drop zone, however they had only picked up one point in their last six outings, and they were up against an improving Romford who had recently held high flying Benfleet and Great Wakering Rovers, so this would be a tough ask although the hosts had been in a lot of games this season but little reward.
Romford themselves knew that a win would extend the gap to the bottom two to a yawning chasm or at least maintain it, at kick off it was seven points, so by the end of the afternoon and if results went their way, it could be as much as ten points, anything else though and that gap could shrink and become a worry heading into the new year.
Their were plenty of visiting fans to cheer on their side, and it was Romford who certainly had the better of the opening twenty five minutes or so, and should really have taken their chances that came their way, but wasteful finishing was the reason they did not, and in fact once Frenford had settled and survived those moments did themselves rally and look a danger in the latter parts of the half, but the teams would go into the dressing rooms goalless and looking for some pieces of wisdom from their managements to see who could grab the advantage in this one.
The majority of the second half belonged to Romford who did a lot of pressing and put the visitors defence under a lot of pressure, but the hosts repelled anything that came their way, and that combined with largely poor play in the final third by the visitors left themselves and their away support immensely frustrated indeed, and they were to be even more agast with twenty minutes to go.
That is because Frenford, who had tested the keeper with a spectacular effort on a rare moment for them at the other end of the field in the second period up to that point, stunned Romford by taking the lead, a lovely ball across the box found substitute Derix Ndjoli, who had only been on the field for ten minutes, convert from close range beyond the keeper, and hand Frenford the lead against the run of play, but that mattered not and Romford had just over twenty minutes to salvage something.
Frenford though were battling hard for each other and the visiting fans around me in the second period were getting more and more irritated with what they were seeing, and the hosts were getting closer and closer to that winning line, could they hold on?
Well, they did more than hold on, they actually made the game safe with a minute of normal time remaining, and it was a lovely curling finish from Joseph Akinsanmi, placed well beyond the reach of the keepers full length dive into the far corner, and give the hosts some breathing room heading into stoppage time, making the final few moments a bit less fraught shall we say.
Had Romford grabbed one back quickly it could have been panic stations, but when they fired over from close range deep into added on time, you knew it just wasn't going to be their day, meaning a very disappointing afternoon for them and their disgruntled fans, this was a game they should have grabbed something from really, but poor finishing cost them, as well as lack of concentration at the back which allowed them to be breached twice, although the second goal was decent it has to be said.
This though was a huge win for Frenford, and it now takes them only two points from safety, one more win and they could be out of the bottom two, it can change just like that, so will this result be a spring board to a much better second half of the season, who knows, but it's looking slightly better after today's result, whereas for Romford the gap to the bottom two is now just four points, so they will be nervously looking over the shoulder and hoping the bottom two, who both won today, don't start finding some form.
Full time Frenford 2 Romford 0
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