Returnee nets in 5-1 stroll

Kurt Smith made a goalscoring return as Romford moved back up to third place in Ryman One North with a 5-1 win over Waltham Forest.

Smith rejoined the club from landlords Aveley late last week and netted from close range to help Paul Martin’s men to a comfortable victory.

Martin said: “Kurt’s a goalscorer and poaches goales in the six-yard box a bit like Gary Lineker used to.

“It was just a matter of when we would break them down. Once we got, I knew we’d dominate, which we did.

“Jason Willis made some great saves for them to keep the score down. It could’ve been 8 or 9-1.”

It took Boro close to half an hour to open the scoring, when Andy Edmunds saw his cross half-cleared to Ricki Mackin, who hit a first-time shot low into the corner of the net from outside the box.

Boro doubled their lead five minutes later when Abs Seymour was fouled, but there was some confusion, before Paul Kavanagh fired past the right hand of Willis.

Martin added: “It was a dubious penalty and we couldn’t understand why it had been given.

“I didn’t think it was in the box and he fell outside it. No-one appealed, but we were 2-0 up at half-time and I said to the boys to get an early third so we could relax and play a bit more.”

A right-wing cross from Richard Oxby led to a scramble in the Forest box, with Smith converting that third goal.

But Smith was denied another midway through the half when Willis got down well to stop him on a breakaway.

Smith won Boro their second penalty of the day, when he was pulled down on the left side of the box, and Alex Read reacted quickest to tuck home the loose ball after Willis saved Kavanagh’s spot-kick.

The unmarked Brian Okwera headed a reply for Forest with 14 minutes remaining, but Boro had the final say when Read headed in at the far post from Oxby’s free kick.

Joe Pearman went close to a sixth, but saw his effort, from Read’s through ball, blocked on the line by Willis.

Romford: A Raifs, Mackin, Kavanagh, Ishmail, Toms, Clayton, Seymour (J Barry 66), Oxby (Bansende 72), Read, Smith, Edmunds (Pearman 56).