Match report by Simon Williams.

Billericay made the journey to title favourites Sutton on Saturday and left feeling that with a bit of luck, and better judgement from the referee, they might have taken at least a share of the points. After gifting their hosts an early lead, Town gave a good account of themselves with Danny Charge hitting the bar before, in the dying minutes of the game, they were denied a penalty when the referee decided that Matt Hall had been fouled just outside the area despite Sam Page's challenge occurring a good yard and a half inside the box.

There was one change to the side that beat Canvey on bank holiday monday with Ashlee Jones having left the club on Friday, Will Viner was signed as a late replacement in goal.

Town started the game brightly enough, but as with the trip to another of the fancied teams, Kingstonian, in August they were their own worst enemies as they gave away a sloppy goal. Billericay looked to have cleared the danger when Richard Jolly broke, but a mix-up between Viner and Dave Collis let in former Blue Bradley Woods-Garness who prodded home.

The early goal boosted the hosts who had plenty of pace in attack, giving the Blues something of a difficult afternoon. They weren't able to convert the territorial advantage into clear-cut chances, however and as the half wore on Billericay began to come increasingly into the game as an attacking force. Ten minutes before the break, Danny Charge was inches away from restoring parity when he curled a chip onto against the bar with the 'keeper beaten.

The second half followed much the same pattern as the first with Sutton enjoying the better of the play in the early exchanges and Billericay finishing the stronger. The home side had a couple of chances to extend their lead with Tom Davis firing over and Richard Jolly hitting his shot straight at Viner.

The introduction of Walid Matata, Junior Luke and Matt Hall injected some much needed pace into the Billericay attack for the final twenty minutes, and Sutton were forced into some, at times, desperate defending. Luke almost marked his debut with a goal when Kevin Scriven palmed Charge's cross onto the wingers head, but with the ball arriving at pace he couldn't direct it goalwards. All that was left was for the referee to miss as clear-cut a penalty as you could wish to see, the resultant free kick was taken by Matt Hall who was unable to get the ball past the lengthy Sutton wall.


Team: Viner, Oates, Flanagan, Collis (Hall), Cousins, Wild, Ngakam, Hyde, McKenzie (Matata), Charge, O'Rawe (Luke)

Subs Not Used: Street, Ceesay