Romford’s 3-1 win over former manager Dan Spinks’ Saffron Walden will live long in the memory of new Boro boss Kris Newby, who also saw his side progress in the Peter Butcher Memorial Trophy in midweek.

Chris Millar’s second-half double in Saturday’s long-awaited reunion between the two coaches sent Boro on their way, before Jake Gordon’s stoppage-time strike sealed the points.

“Leading up to the game, you could sense there was a buzz about the place when we arrived there,” said Newby.

“There was a big-game atmosphere and something bubbling underneath the surface. All the players were buzzing on both sides, and when we went out on to the field to warm up, you could just sense it.

“I said to the boys I was jealous I wasn’t playing. There was just an atmosphere around the ground, and our fans were superb. After the win, it was a great atmosphere in the changing rooms - like a party atmosphere! It’s definitely put a buzz around the place, beating them. It’s helped us stamp our authority as title candidates.”

And Newby also praised the efforts of the officials on the day, allowing the game to flow.

“I’m normally quite critical of the officials, but the referee managed the game really well," he added.

“There were a couple of flashpoints, and he dealt with them instantly, and it just made it a good game rather than a spectacle for the wrong reasons."

Newby and Spinks had enjoyed FA Vase glory in the sunshine at Wembley in May, but relationships were put to one side once the whistle blew last weekend.

“I met Dan for breakfast in the morning! We went to the cafe with a couple of their boys as well,” Newby added.

“It was a relaxed atmosphere in the morning, and we were just having a laugh. When we got to the ground, I saw Dan during the warm-up, and we were laughing and joking.

"As soon as that first whistle went, it was weird. We went from being mates to opponents all of a sudden. It was quite weird to be having a pop at each other.

“It was done with a sense of banter, and it was quite jovial, but at the same time, neither of us wanted to lose to each other. It was a surreal one because usually I’m getting screamed at by him for not doing my job, but it was fun."

Boro stumbled to a 2-1 cup win over Sawbridgeworth Town on Tuesday, leaving Newby mystified by several missed early chances to put the game to bed.

“How we weren’t 5-0 up after the first 10 minutes, I’ll never know,” he joked.

“We missed three of four gilt-edged chances. It was one of those games where I felt like after 20 minutes of the score being 0-0, it was going to go to penalties. Their keeper made three saves, and we had one cleared off the line. It felt like we could've been out there for 3-4 hours and still not be able to score.

“We broke the deadlock through Kennedy Feyi, and the boys looked like they had realised how easy it actually was. They slipped into that trap of trying to do their own thing by making the wrong decisions and rushing things. If they had slowed the game down and put their foot on the ball, it could have been a silly scoreline, to be honest.

“We were so wasteful in front of goal, but I put it down to the buzz of winning on Saturday. It was hard to get up for a Tuesday night cup game after that.”

Romford’s next fixture sees them host last season’s FA Vase final opponents Great Wakering Rovers, who currently sit a place above Newby’s side in the Essex Senior League by a single point.