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Bostik North Preview: Romford

Bostik North Preview: Romford

Aveley Football Club9 Aug 2018 - 16:26
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Next up is Romford who managed an amazing great escape last season, tipped by others to go down, will they defy expectations again?

Romford
Manager: Paul Martin
Last Season’s Finish: 23rd (Bostik North)

History:
The original Romford was established in 1876. They reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 1880–81, but lost 15–0 at Darwen. There was no league football for them to play until they joined the South Essex League in 1896. An internal dispute saw several committee and players leave to form a new club in 1909, called Romford United and competing directly against Romford in the South Essex League at a ground literally across the road. The original club continued under new management and joined the Southern League while still playing in the South Essex League, but played only a single season before leaving.

The new regime at the original club proved disastrous, being expelled from the South Essex League during the 1910–11 season and subsequently folding, leaving Romford United as the only club with the town's name. They changed to Romford Town and joined the Athenian League, but finished bottom in their first season and left at the end of their second, before closing down during World War I.

Romford Town had remained members of the South Essex League and returned to action after the war, but lack of support saw them withdraw in December 1920 and fold. For the rest of the 1920s the only club under the Romford name was Romford Town Thursday, playing on Thursday afternoons at Brooklands, a ground previously used by Romford's reserve team. In 1929 the club was re-established. Taking over the use of the Brooklands stadium, they joined the London League.

In 1931 they moved to the Athenian League, which they won in 1935–36 and 1936–37. Following World War II the club transferred to the Isthmian League. In 1948–49 they reached the final of the FA Amateur Cup, but lost 1–0 to Bromley in front of 100 000 spectators in the first final to be held at Wembley. In 1959 they switched to Division One of the Southern League. They were promoted to the Premier Division in their first season after finishing second, and won the Premier Division in 1966–67. The club made several applications to join the Football League, but were never successful in the elections.

In 1974–75 they finished second bottom of the Premier Division, and were relegated to Division One. By this time the club had developed Brooklands considerably in anticipation of eventually being elected to the Football League and had large debts to show for it, and had to sell Brooklands in 1975 but remained until 1977. After a season of borrowing grounds to play home matches they resigned from the Southern League and folded in 1978, with the building work on a new ground barely started and hardly any money left.

In 1992 the club was resurrected for a second time and joined the Essex Senior League. They won the league in 1995–96, and in the summer merged with Collier Row (with whom they had been groundsharing since April) to form Collier Row & Romford. The new club took Collier Row's place in Division Two of the Isthmian League, which they won in their first season. In the summer of 1997 they were renamed Romford.

In 2000–01 they finished second bottom of Division One and were relegated to Division Two. After finishing bottom the following season they resigned to go back to the Essex Senior League. They returned to the Isthmian League after winning the Senior League in 2008–09, and remained in Division One North for over a decade. Despite a difficult year in 2017–18, they were able to survive despite being five points adrift with just two games remaining.

Ground:
The Club has led a largely nomadic existence, playing at seventeen home grounds during its history although most of these have been emergency arrangements when their established home ground was unavailable for various reasons. When the Club reformed in 1992 it began playing at the Hornchurch Stadium, before moving to Ford United's Rush Green ground in 1995. In April 1996 they moved to Collier Row's Sungate ground, and the clubs merged during the summer. The spell at Sungate was fraught with problems and there were frequent and protracted periods when Romford had to borrow other grounds to play home matches owing to problems with the facilities at Sungate. In December 2001 they left Sungate for good and played at several different stadiums in order to complete the season. They returned to Rush Green in 2002 (as Ford United had left to groundshare with Barkingside). They remained there until 2008, when they moved to Aveley's Mill Field ground.

In 2009 it was announced that the club had been given permission to build a new stadium on the Westlands Playing Fields on London Road, however building work has yet to commence as planning permission has had to be re-applied for as the original permission expired while awaiting government approval for the change of use.

Romford began sharing with Thurrock F.C. at Ship Lane in 2012 but were required to move to East Thurrock United's Rookery Hill in 2018 when Thurrock folded and the ground was closed.

Honours:
Southern League: Premier Division champions 1966–67
Isthmian League: Division Two champions 1996–97
Athenian League: Champions 1935–36, 1936–37
Essex Senior League: Champions 1995–96, 2008–09
League Cup winners 1995–96
Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy: winners 2003–04
Eastern Floodlight League: Champions 1967–68
Essex Senior Cup: Winners 1911–12, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1937–38, 1946–47
Essex Professional Cup: Winners 1968–69
East Anglian Cup: Winners 1934–35, 1936–37, 1951–52, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1997–98

Transfers In:
Jamie Marsh (Brentwood Town)
Dan Cossington (Signed on)
Chris Taylor (Signed on)
Jonathan Nzengo (Signed on)
Michael Clarke (Global FC)
George Forrest (Barkingside)
Nathan Joseph (Wadham Lodge)
Kurt Smith
Ernest Okoh (Signed on)
Max Bolton
Khadean Campbell
Danny Jones
Taylor Tombides
Toby Barlow
Roddy Lemba
Darnell Gaother Braitwaite
Rhys Hughes
Stephen Reynolds (Signed on)
Kris Newby (Tilbury)
Golden Igbineweka
Jamie Marsh
Harry Prince
Greg Akpele
Michael Clarke

Transfers Out:

Further reading