With Ron Head announcing his retirement, Harry Stannard’s return from representative duty in his place was the obvious change and Ken Perkins came in for Doug Munday who was suffering from a cartilage injury as the Dons travelled to Essex in search of further Isthmian League points. Romford, suffering their worst season since the War, were without their Scottish amateur international MacKenzie and selected an experimental side with seven positional changes from their 0-1 defeat to Kingstonian the previous week.

There was a gusty wind across Brooklands at kick-off and the result was a scrappy game, although it could not be excused for some of the aimless passing and wayward shooting that afflicted the game for long periods. Charlie Smith had several chances, but only managed a couple on target, from range, once skying the ball yards over from close in after Harry Bull had lobbed the ball at his feet. Romford had started the brighter, but Perkins and Ken Lister dealt comfortably with most of their forages and in the nineteenth minute Jock Woods placed a corner that had Ivey flapping and Bull scored with an overhead kick. It wasn’t until ten minutes before the break that Jim Haydock was called into action, even then it was only to watch Bridges shot scrape wide of the upright. Two minutes later Smith fastened onto a poorly taken free-kick from Cave and pushed the ball forward for Bull to run on to and shoot. Ivey got his hand to the ball, but couldn’t prevent it going into the empty net.

Romford were much improved in the second-half, but without ever looking likely to get on top. Pearson proved a menace, and scored with a brilliant header from Brookes cross in the sixty-seventh minute but, for the most part, Lister had the game under control. Romford’s last desperate rally saw Pearson test Haydock with awkward placement from a corner, the Dons keeper punched out and then parried Morton’s returned pot-shot and when Jennings poked the rebound back towards goal Pat Field was there to clear off the line.