Boro bow out of Essex Senior Cup

Romford 3 Barking 3

Barking win 9-8 on pens

Romford suffered penalty shoot-out heartache at Ship Lane last night.

The hosts snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as they threw away a two-goal lead against Essex Senior League Blues and lost a marathon spot-kick contest as the visitors booked a place in the quarter-finals.

Ife Agunbayo wasted a good early chance for Barking, while Lewis Francis saw his long-range effort well saved by Christian Buffour.

But captain Jack Barry headed Boro into the lead from Adam Salmon’s free-kick on 37 minutes and Matt Toms put them 2-0 up early in the second half.

Francis provided a great cross and Nick Reynolds nodded down for Toms to volley into the bottom corner, before Dumebi GB-Dumaka missed a good chance for the visitors from Kieran Walsh’s pass.

Former Boro skipper Ben Turner did manage a reply from the spot just past the hour mark, but Francis put Romford 3-1 up with a penalty of his own two minutes later.

Walsh claimed Barking’s second, capitalising on a poor clearance to fire past Scott Parker and make it three goals in just four minutes.

And James Barlow struck six minutes from time, poking home from close range when Boro again failed to clear their lines, to send the tie to spot-kicks.

Francis, Toms and Reynolds were all successful from the spot, but Alfie Hilton kick was saved by Buffour.

Ryan Imbert kept his nerve as the shoot-out went into sudden death, where Barry, James Ishmail, Salmon and Connor Goldstone all converted.

But after Michael Sammut saw Romford’s tenth kick saved by Buffour, former Boro man Scott Walsh stepped up to send Barking through.

Romford: Parker, Salmon, Oates (Ishmail 82), Barry, Toms, Hilton, Sammut, Francis, Reynolds, Imbert, Turner (Goldstone 82).