Bank Holiday Monday’s 2-1 win at Tilbury maintained Romford’s unbeaten start to the Essex Senior League season, but even so, Boro were knocked off top spot by Woodford Town whose 5-0 win at Buckhurst Hill gave them a superior goal difference.

Michael Turner scored both Boro’s goals at Tilbury. Photo: Bob Knightley

Newly promoted from the Thurlow Nunn Division One South, Sporting Bengal United have made an impressive on their return to the Essex Senior League, and Romford will not be able to take them lightly.

Having won promotion through the play-offs last season – they beat Wormley Rovers in the Semi-Final and Stanway Pegasus in the Final – Sporting Bengal have started this season with league wins over Great Wakering Rovers, Ilford, and Barking, and have drawn with Buckhurst Hill. Their solitary defeat was at Tilbury.

Brief History:

Sporting Bengal United were formed in 1996 with the aim of challenging the under-representation of Asians in football. The club initially played in the London Intermediate League, before joining the Kent League in 2003, where they remained until 2011 when they transferred to the Essex Senior League, where their best finish was eighth place in in 2018-19. After eleven years in the ESL, they were relegated at the end of the 2021-22 season, but bounced back with promotion last season.

Previous Meetings:

There have been no previous meetings between Romford and Sporting Bengal United at First Team level, although the clubs’ reserve sides met in Essex Senior League South recently, drawing 2-2. Our opponents have a couple of players with Boro connections in their squad, however. Steve Carvell, who played 15 times for Romford during the 2012-22 season, spent all of last season with Sporting Bengal and scored 6 goals in 37 appearances. He was twice on target on Bank Holiday Monday in the 3-1 win at Barking, while another ex-Boro player, Sheri Artmeladze (2 goals in 5 games for Boro in 2021-22) scored the other, his fifth of the season.

Last Season:

A fourth place finish in the Thurlow Nunn League First Division South earned Sporting Bengal a place in the Play-Offs, where they won 2-0 at Wormley Rovers, and then on penalties at Stanway Pegasus. In the FA Vase, they kicked off with a home 2-0 win in the First Qualifying Round over Seaford Town and then beat Westside, Pagham, and Glebe before losing on penalties to Deal Town in the 3rd Round Proper. That run has resulted in their exemption to the First Round this season. The club were not eligible for the FA Cup last season.

Leading scorer last season was Sheri Artmeladze with 22 goals.

This Season:

Sporting Bengal’s win on Monday took them to fourth in the table with 10 points from 5 games. Those games included a dramatic opening day 2-1 win at Great Wakering Rovers in which Artmeladze scored a last minute penalty winner, but was sent off in the aftermath, and a 4-2 win at Ilford after they had trailed 2-0 at half-time. In the FA Cup, their Extra-Preliminary Round tie against Stansfeld ended 4-4 at the Mile End Stadium, but in the replay at Stansfeld they were beaten 4-3 on penalties after the game had ended 1-1 after 90 minutes.

Also in action tomorrow are Boro’s reserves who face West Essex Development in the Essex Senior League South Division.

This weekend’s fixtures:

There are four Essex Senior League games tomorrow, and they are:

Buckhurst Hill v Ilford
Great Wakering Rovers v Saffron Walden Town
Romford v Sporting Bengal United
West Essex v Halstead Town

In addition, two ESL sides are involved in the First Qualifying Round of the FA Cup, namely:

Hullbridge Sports v Kettering Town
Woodford Town v Felixstowe & Walton United