Billericay Town 1 (Long 20) – Folkestone Invicta 0
Match report by Benn Mapp.
Match photos by Stephen Mold – Photofold Camera Club (c).
Elliot Long’s first half strike proved decisive as Billericay Town defeated runaway league leaders Folkestone Invicta to return to winning ways at New Lodge.
The Blues began on the front foot and looked to unsettle the division’s strongest defence from the off, and they nearly did so in spectacular fashion on 11 minutes when Charlie Ruff tried his luck from 30 yards, his audacious effort dipping narrowly over the crossbar.
The breakthrough arrived nine minutes later and owed everything to Ruff’s pass, as his superb through ball released Long in behind, and the forward skipped past Joel Odeniran before calmly rolling his finish beyond Ted Collins and into the bottom corner.
Billericay continued to carry the greater threat as the half wore on. Teddy Collis fired just wide on 33 minutes, and Ruff soon stung the gloves of Collins with a powerful free kick as the hosts pressed for a second.
Invicta had to wait until the 38th minute for a meaningful opportunity, when Donell Thomas’ header was blocked by Tommy Davis. The visitors ended the half strongly, and Joe Pigott’s sharp turn created space inside the box, but his effort flew over as the Blues went into the break with a slender advantage.
The league leaders emerged the stronger of the two sides after half time. Mikey Berry went close twice in quick succession, first seeing his shot blocked by Ryan Scott before firing over at the second attempt. Thomas then dragged an effort just wide on 57 minutes as Invicta pushed for an equaliser.
Billericay gradually regained control of the tie on the hour mark. First. Long forced Collins into a sharp save, and Callum Watts’ ambitious lob drifted inches wide on the hour. Macauley Bonne also tested Collins as the game entered the final 20 minutes, while Watts fired over from distance and Long saw another effort creep wide.
The Blues were made to work for their clean sheet though, as with ten minutes remaining, Keon Lewis-Burgess produced an outstanding block to deny Pigott, who looked certain to score, before the Invicta striker saw a free kick clip the wall and flash wide.
The visitors’ best chance fell to Liam Smith eight minutes from time, but his looping header landed on the roof of the net. Matters worsened for Invicta on 88 minutes when Smith received a second yellow card for a foul on Alfie Cerulli.
Billericay almost added gloss in stoppage time as Frankie Merrifield’s shot was pushed behind by Collins, but it mattered little, as the Blues saw out the closing moments to secure an eighth win in nine games and inflict just a fourth defeat of the season on the league leaders.
Billericay Town: Adams; Lewis-Burgess, Scott, Davis, Porter; Miller-Rodney (Evans 66), Watts; Long, Ruff, Bonne (Cerulli 75); Collis (Merrifield 72)
Subs not used: Barnum-Bobb, Parsons
Folkestone Invicta: Collins; Smith, Lokko, Odeniran (German 78); Mason, Woodyard (Dolan 89), Lovatt (Berry 46), Thomas, McKenzie (Kingsford 65); Pigott, Hutchinson
Subs not used: Earle
Referee: Michael Robertson-Tant
Attendance: 1,269
