FA Cup replay: Romford 1 Hoddesdon Town 1 (4-5 pens)
Romford saw their hopes of a lucrative FA Cup run shattered after losing a penalty shoot-out to 10-man Hoddesdon at Ship Lane.
Boro had earned themselves a second chance in the preliminary round tie thanks to two penalty saves in normal time by Michael Gooch on Saturday, when Nick Reynolds was sent off for a deliberate handball that led to the second spot-kick.
But despite netting a late equaliser to cancel out a first-half goal from Joss Lillis, after the visitors saw Tommy Wade receive a straight red card midway through the second half, Paul Martin’s men could not make their extra man count in more than 50 minutes of playing time.
And Boro’s Greg Akpele, Reynolds and Nathan Cooper all missed from the spot as Hoddesdon claimed victory in sudden death.
Martin made five changes to the side that started at Ware’s Wodson Park on Saturday, with one of them forced as Atu Ngoy took over in goal from double penalty-saving hero Gooch – who had jetted off to Mexico on holiday.
Cooper, George Woodward, Joe Scott and Reece Cosson came in for Robbie Norris, Akpele, Joe Bricknell and Chris Barry, who dropped to the bench, and the hosts looked bright in the opening minutes.
They came within a whisker of taking the lead on nine minutes when Cosson played the ball out wide to Jamie Dicks, whose header into the box found Scott, but his shot on the turn clipped the outside of the left post.
And Reynolds went close moments later when his low drive almost squirmed through the legs of Reece Buck.
Hoddesdon won their first corner of the night on 20 minutes, but Ngoy claimed Brett O’Connor’s inswinging delivery under pressure and quickly launched the ball downfield.
And when Ngoy spilled a high free-kick into his box a few minutes later he was reprieved by referee Stuart Butler’s whistle as Boro were awarded a free-kick.
Wade nudged the ball past an onrushing Ngoy midway through the first half, from a Lillis through ball, but an offside flag had already gone up.
And Romford got another sight of goal when Scott chased a long ball and, when forced wide by the onrushing Buck, laid it back to Reynolds, whose cross into the box was just beyond Dicks.
After Saturday’s stalemate, the visitors claimed the first goal of the tie on 34 minutes, when a free-kick was played into the box from halfway, following a foul by Cooper, and Lillis found a bit of space to the right of goal to squeeze a shot in off the far post.
Dicks was shown a yellow card soon after for a heavy challenge on halfway, after team-mate Cooper had received the final warning from Butler before Hoddesdon’s goal.
And Boro got another warning on 42 minutes when another free-kick dropped to Wade close to the penalty spot, but he shinned the ball wide.
The hosts needed the half-time interval to gather their thoughts and composure before any more damage could be done, but Reynolds gave the ball away to Phil Lowen, who found O’Connor in a bit of space only to see him fire over from the left corner of the box.
It proved the last chance of the opening 45 minutes, but gave Martin more ammunition for his team-talk during the break and he sent the same 11 players back out after the restart.
Hoddesdon forced a couple of early corners, though, as Ed Taylor saw a glancing header gobbled up by Ngoy. And the visitors were keeping the ball well, with O’Connor looking a threat on the left, and Wade sending a speculative effort into the side netting from wide on the left on 55 minutes.
Wade needed treatment after kicking the studs of Dicks and, after Reynolds saw an angled drive deflected behind, was spoken to for a late challenge on Sam Burton on halfway.
The Hoddesdon striker did not heed the warning, though, as he left his boot in on a Romford defender moments later and was shown a straight red card.
Martin sent Akpele and Bricknell on for Cosson and Woodward with just over 20 minutes remaining and Boro’s FA Cup hopes hanging in the balance against the 10 men.
And Reynolds flashed a left-footed shot beyond the far post after battling to find some space on the edge of the box, before Akpele curled a cross out of the reach of Scott at the far post.
Hoddesdon’s Taylor had Ngoy scrambling to his left when a curling effort from the right corner of the box almost sneaked in and Romford were being frustrated by some dogged defending at the other end, which ensured Buck did not have many saves to actually make.
Jake Giddings had his name taken for a mistimed tackle on Lillis, cutting across midfield, as time continued to tick down on Boro.
But with only three minutes remaining they grabbed a lifeline as Bricknell’s incisive pass found Akpele on the left, he bought himself a slither of space and drilled the ball into the six-yard box where it was deflected in off the shoulder of keeper Buck by the unfortunate Glen Draper.
Both sides had late free-kicks to try and find a winner, but the defences held firm and after three hours of football, it remained deadlocked and went to the another half hour.
Romford went closest in the first period as Giddings worked his way into the box, but with a shooting chance of his own before him, instead passed to Reynolds, who was crowded out.
Then Dicks let fly from fully 35 yards, but Buck beat the ball away.
The second period had an air of inevitability about it as Boro struggled to break down a determined Lilywhites rearguard and so it went to the dreaded shoot-out.
Bricknell, Giddings and Harry Culham converted Romford’s first three spot-kicks, which was matched by Taylor, Lillis and Mark Summers for the visitors, before Akpele saw his effort saved by Buck.
But O’Connor sent Hoddesdon’s fourth over the crossbar, only for Reynolds to do the same with Boro’s fifth attempt.
Ngoy kept out Lowen’s penalty to send it into sudden death, with Dicks seeing his successful effort cancelled out by Ryan McMenemy.
But after Buck denied Cooper, substitute Kevin Metivier settled the issue with the 14th penalty of the night to earn £1,925 prize money for his club and book a home date with Ashford Town, as Boro were left to wonder what might have been.
Romford: Ngoy, Boswell, Dicks, Burton, Cooper, Cossington, Giddings, Woodward (Bricknell 69), Reynolds, Scott (Culham 83), Cosson (Akpele 69). Unused subs: Barry, Norris, Tubey, Taylor.
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