Romford moved even closer to the Essex Senior League play-offs with two big wins - the second of them a potential FA Vase final dress rehearsal.

They beat Ilford 3-2 away on Saturday before a first-half Sam Deering goal was enough for them to win 1-0 at home to Great Wakering Rovers, another side in the last four of the Vase.

And for all the fun that the Vase run has brought, winning in the league is the be all and end all for manager Dan Spinks.

Romford Recorder: Sam Deering and Romford celebrate the winner against Great Wakering. Picture: BOB KNIGHTLEYSam Deering and Romford celebrate the winner against Great Wakering. Picture: BOB KNIGHTLEY (Image: Bob Knightley)

"It still is," he said, "and it is what I am trying to reiterate to the boys every time we turn up - this is what we started out for, this is the bread and butter. 

"The other competitions are fun, but that's what they are. They're fun and this is our priority. 

"We're going really well at the moment and we’re confident against anyone. 

"I want to try and keep that going. 

"Confidence is massive in football as well and when we keep getting these results, we seem to grow three or four per cent every single week. 

"We couldn't ask for anything more at the moment."

The six points gained over the two games mean Romford are third in the table, level on points with Woodford Town and needing just five more to guarantee their spot in the end of season party.

Spinks feels they could be second if they had taken half the chances they created against both Ilford and Wakering.

He said: "I can't say Ilford was disappointing because the boys have been so good for me, but I just felt like we'd come off it about five per cent from the week before, which is understandable. 

"It was a little bit after the lord mayor’s show, going from the Vase quarter-finals and the big crowds and stuff like that to a Friday night where it was slightly different. 

"We still should have been out of sight, three or four-nil up, but we let them get back into it in the last 15 minutes and it made it nervy. 

"I went away disappointed but looking back on it, we did enough and we deserved to win the game. 

"I was more pleased with the performance at Wakering. I though we were excellent and 1-0 doesn't reflect half of it. 

"[Again] I thought we could have had three or four in the first half, which has been happening to us recently. 

"We create a lot of chances and we’re not totally putting teams to bed. 

"When that happens and it’s 1-0, doesn’t matter what level it is, you're going to get balls coming in the box, you’re going to defend deeper and deeper, which we did again last night. 

"We just need to be a little bit more clinical with chances early on in games but performance wise, it was excellent. 

"The effort is second to none at the moment and the team spirit is the best I've ever been around. 

"Everything is very good." 

Romford have another home game on Saturday against bottom of the table Coggeshall Town.