Romford beat Great Wakering to lift FA Vase
Essex Senior League side Romford are the 41st team to win the FA Vase in the 50th edition of the competition
- Published
Romford beat rivals Great Wakering Rovers 3-0 to lift the FA Vase at Wembley, marking one of the greatest moments in the club's 148-year history.
Ninth-tier Boro scored twice in two second-half minutes to stun their fellow Essex Senior League side.
Hassan Nalbant's first of two goals broke the deadlock, before Sam Deering's neatly-placed effort doubled the lead on 54 minutes.
Nalbant added his second goal in stoppage time with a cool finish after being sent through.
Romford's first victory in a national cup competition comes 75 years after they lost the FA Amateur Cup final in their last appearance at Wembley.
The East London side looked sharp early on, with midfielder Charlie Morris curling a shot over the bar, while 17-year-old Finley Dorrell had a low effort saved by Rovers goalkeeper Luis Shamshoum.
The best chance of the first half came when Adalberto Pinto flicked on a header to allow Dorrell another shooting opportunity just inside the area, which he could only drag wide.
Great Wakering boss Marcus Bowers admitted during the first half that his side looked "nervy", but they created their first opportunity when Harry Talbot's shot was blocked by Romford defender Scott Doe.
Romford finished in third place in the Essex Senior League, three places above Great Wakering Rovers
Callum Boylan's dad Lee scored when Stevenage won the FA Trophy at Wembley in 2009, but the Great Wakering striker narrowly missed the target on the stroke of half-time as the teams went in goalless.
After the break, Romford made amends for their earlier missed chances as Nalbant capitalised on a Rovers mistake and calmly passed the ball into the net.
He then created the second goal by chipping the ball to Dorrell, who had a low shot parried by Shamshoum, with Deering slotting home the rebound.
Great Wakering rallied to try to get back into the game, with midfielder Jake Gordon having a shot blocked and defender Harrison Topliss' header being caught by Romford keeper Jake Anderson.
But Boro added gloss to their victory as Nalbant scored his 32nd goal of the season with the outside of his foot after being put through in added time.
Great Wakering Rovers: Shamshoum, Dawson, Topliss, Dunn, Burgess, Barton, Gordon, Gnandi, Search, Talbot, Boylan
Subs: Nolde, Locke, Jenkins, Bloss, Johnson, Martin
Romford: Conway, Sage, Smail, Powell, Shepherd, Watkinson, Hall, Ford, Wilson, Ahmed, Short
Subs: Wiggins, J Hursit, L Hursit, Siddick, Hurford, Elegushi, Nakipov-Getmansky