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Having weathered an early storm, Canvey's quality shone through to secure The Gulls' passage through to the next round.

The hosts started the better of the two sides and had the first shot on goal after 13 minutes. Chris Richardson got in behind the Canvey defence, but his shot was well saved by Andre Foster diving to his left.

Canvey's first attempt on goal came after 20 minutes, with Jason Hallett nodding the ball down for Jay Curran to strike from outside the area. The striker caught the ball well with his right foot, but Romford 'keeper Elliott Anderson did well to turn the ball behind for a corner.

From the corner Romford launched a counter-attack, which ended in Andre Foster saving low down from Adrian Clifton's shot.

The Gulls should have opened the scoring on 25 minutes when Jay Curran found himself well placed. Rob King had headed the ball over the Romford defence with Curran beating the offside trap, but unfortunately his shot went wide of the target.

One player who impressed throughout was Steve Ward, who returned to the first team after a lengthy period out through injury. On 27 minutes he proved his worth to the side by blocking Adrian Clifton's goalbound shot on the edge of the 6 yard box.

The deadlock was broken on 33 minutes thanks to some good attacking football from Canvey. The ball was slid through to Leon Gordon on the right wing, with the crowd favourite running the ball to the byline before squaring for Jason Hallett.

Hallett's shot was saved by Elliott Anderson, with the ball hitting the far post before being turned back across goal by Jay Curran for Hallett to bundle home.

Romford didn't let the goal dampen their ambition, and on 39 minutes Chris Richardson had a good opportunity to bring his side level, but his shot on the turn was comfortably saved by Foster.

However, with a minute to play until half time, Jay Curran was able to double the lead for Canvey. Leon Gordon once again got to the touchline on the right wing, this time chipping a pinpoint cross to the back post and onto the head of Alex Rhodes.

Rhodes' header was brilliantly kept out by a fine save from Anderson, but Jay Curran was on had to slam the ball home from close range to ensure that John Batch's half time team talk became that bit easier.

The hosts came out for the second half determined to get back in the tie, with Abayomi Seymour and skipper Paul Clayton both having shots saved by Andre Foster.

However, despite Romford going on the offensive, the Canvey defense of Andrew West, Jamie Mathews, John Easterford and Steve Ward looked solid and were proving hard to break down.

Danny Spendlove did well on 66 minutes to bring the ball out of midfield and square to Jason Hallett on the penalty spot. Hallett turned and unleashed a shot that was once again saved by the impressive Anderson.

On 68 minutes Canvey replaced Rob King with Danny Kerrigan, with Romford changing Abayomi Seymour and Chris Barry for Jack Barry and Elliott Long.

3 minutes after these changes Canvey had a good shout for a penalty turned down with Jamie Dicks appeared to handle the ball in the area. However, referee Mr Wood was having none of the appeals and play was allowed to continue, much to the disbelief of Jason Hallett who was in close quarters to the incident.

The final 20 minutes of the match was virtually one way traffic, with The Gulls launching attack after attack as they searched for the third goal to seal the victory.

Jason Hallett had another shot saved on 74 minutes, and Alex Rhodes thumped a shot into the side netting a minute later. Then Elliott Anderson did very well to race from his line to clear the ball with Leon Gordon charging in.

The pressure finally told on 77 minutes when the ball fell to Jason Hallett just inside the area, and the forward unleashed a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner to put the result beyond doubt.

There were further chances for Hallett, Danny Kerrigan, and Alex Rhodes to add further goals, but The Boro held firm to prevent any further breaches in defence.

As the full time whistle approached, Jamie Dicks had a chance from a corner to restore some pride for Romford, but his unmarked header went wide in moment that was symbolic of the home side's evening.