Ryman North: Romford 2 Hornchurch 0
Second-half goals from Romford’s Greg Akpele, his first for the club, and Nick Reynolds – his 52nd in gold and blue – settled the Ryman North derby at Ship Lane.
Hornchurch came into the match on the back of a last-gasp opening-day win over Cray, while Boro had been beaten 5-2 at Sudbury.
But the formbook went out of the window in true derby style in front of a crowd of 213 to give Romford fans the bragging rights in the first competitive meeting between the clubs for some time.
Only two minutes had been played when Hornchurch were awarded a free-kick just outside the box, which George Purcell fired low and Michael Gooch got down to save.
And Sam Mott was called into action at the other end two minutes later when Shomari Barnwell laid the ball off for Joe Bricknell to fire a stinging left-footed drive goalwards, where the Urchins keeper held on at the second attempt.
Purcell got another glimpse of goal on seven minutes, following a throw-in on the left, but his angled effort from the corner of the box was too high.
Then Joey May saw a chip drop just over the crossbar moments later, after Purcell’s cushioned pass from Junior Luke’s long forward ball fell into his path.
The visitors were steadily building pressure and Gooch smothered at the feet of Abs Thompson as he looked to break onto David Knight’s pass in the box.
Ryan Boswell caught May late in front of the main stand, allowing Dave Collis to send a deep free-kick into the box, where Gooch rather flapped at it to concede a corner.
But Boro defended well and Barnwell broke on the counter to win a corner for his own side. The ball was played short to Jamie Dicks whose delivery from the left just evaded the head of Matt Frew and Mott, before Nathan Cooper was blocked out at the far post by Luke.
Urchins went closest midway through the half when Knight held off Frew at the byline and teed up Purcell, whose fierce left-footed drive came back off the near post.
Frew was seen clutching his right hamstring, which led to some physio treatment, and Purcell then raced onto a long ball, as Knight was flagged offside, and bore down on the Romford box, only for Cooper to track him back and block the shot at the expense of a corner.
May was spoken to by referee Andrew Parker after a heavy tackle on Robbie Norris on the half hour, but then picked out Thompson on the right with a lovely lobbed pass, only for the winger to inexplicably allow the ball to run behind the goalline.
There was drama at both ends on 37 minutes when Norris sent a long ball in behind Alex Bentley and Mott raced out of his box to just beat Barnwell to it.
Then Knight looked like getting in behind the Boro defence, but Chris Barry produced a timely intervention with his right boot to hook the ball away.
The Urchins striker was booked for dissent, after claiming he should have had a penalty for a shove in the box, and the visiting supporters were growing frustrated as the half drew to a close with their side still unable to break Boro’s resistance.
Luke’s lovely pass down the left looked to be sending Joseph clear, but his attempted cross was deflected behind for another corner, which was headed away by the home defence.
Then Mott got down to his left to save from Boswell, as Romford got a rare sighter of goal two minutes before the interval.
Neither manager saw fit to make any changes during the break and Mott was soon into action after the restart, backpedalling to tip a speculative effort from Dicks over his crossbar.
Gooch was then relieved to see Knight steer a right-footed shot past the post as the Urchins striker found space rather too easily after good work from May.
Bricknell’s quick feet and a good first touch from Barnwell helped create a chance for Boro on 52 minutes, but Bricknell’s effort dropped over the crossbar.
And the home side went closer still moments later when Barry pounced on a loose ball in midfield and threaded Greg Akpele in on the left and he rounded Mott, but saw his effort cleared off the line by a sliding Hornchurch captain Elliot Styles.
Boswell escaped a booking, but not a telling-off, after catching Joseph late on the Hornchurch left and Boro avoided any further punishment as May’s free-kick from the left was comfortably cleared by Akpele.
McFarlane moved first on the hour, replacing Thompson and Tom Pennells with Calvin Poku and Jed Chouman and switching from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3.
But Akpele’s willing run on the left won Boro a free-kick on 64 minutes and Barry’s free-kick was perfect for a diving Akpele to head past Mott from six yards and put Boro ahead.
Poku had the ball in Romford’s net soon after, but the offside flag had already gone up, and Akpele might have doubled Romford’s lead on 70 minutes when Bricknell’s pass released him on the left.
But with recently introduced substitute Nick Reynolds lurking in the box he tried to squeeze the ball in at the near post and Mott was alert enough to block it.
Gooch then tipped an inswinging effort from Purcell over the crossbar as the striker took aim from wide on the right, with Urchins starting to run out of time.
Luke headed a deep cross from May into the hands of Gooch on 78 minutes, before Martin sent Chris Taylor on for Jake Giddings.
And Boro grabbed their second moments later when Akpele pounced on a mistake by Chouman and found Reynolds just inside the box and the big striker lashed a left-footed shot inside the far post to the delight of the home fans.
Romford were in no mood to relinquish that lead in the closing minutes, throwing bodies at the ball as Hornchurch looked to force home a corner.
And after late bookings for Purcell and Boro substitute Taylor, the whistle went and the hosts rejoiced.
Romford: Gooch, Norris, Dicks (Woodward 81), Frew, Cooper, Barry (Reynolds 69), Giddings (Taylor 80), Boswell, Barnwell, Bricknell, Akpele.
Unused subs: Cosson, Ngoy.
Hornchurch: Mott, Collis (Johnson 69), Luke, Bentley, Styles, May, Thompson (Poku 60), Pennells (Chouman 60), Knight, Purcell, Joseph.
Unused subs: Ditkevicius, Smith.
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