Billericay Town v Cray Wanderers – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 5th April, 3 pm – Match Preview
Cray Wanderers begin the final month of the 2024-25 season with a visit to Essex to face promotion chasing Billericay Town at the New Lodge. Kick off 3 pm.
Certainly the fixture computer back in July wasn’t too kind on the Wands for the final six games with four of the games against sides in the top 5 following last Saturday’s game with Dover Athletic and with matches against other title contenders Horsham and Dartford to follow over Easter.
Last Saturday’s game may have seen the end of Cray’s fourteen game unbeaten home run but there were plenty of positives to take from the 1-2 defeat and certainly there was little to choose between 11th placed Cray and 5th placed Dover with the exception of taking two chances to one.
The Wands goal was one of the strikes of the season from Josh Williams who curled in his 7th of the season and Cray came close to a second almost through an own goal and Frankie Raymond firing just over. Dover though levelled just before half time and grabbed a winner in a scrappy second half in the 66th minute.
Tim O’Shea’s side on 54 points have had a great run to move up the table with a fairly thin first team squad and have been in touch with the playoffs but more realistically now will be settling perhaps for a top 10 finish. The Wands have just come up short in the last three games against playoff contenders, Chichester City, Carshalton Athletic and Dover Athletic and certainly have made the opposition work for the three points.
Cray can take heart from the performance against Billericay Town on 21st December when a game that was a slow burner for eighty minutes came alive late on with Josh Williams putting Cray ahead seven minutes from time. However, Billericay levelled in the 93rd minute through Ashley Nzala and in the end finished in a 1-1 draw.
Cray will be hoping for better fortune than last season’s trip to Billericay on 13th January which ended in a 0-6 defeat and certainly was one of the more least memorable trips of the season. The Wands last win at Billericay was in March 2014 with a 2-1 win with goals from an own goal and Dmitri Larin.
Gary McCann’s Blues side were one of the pre-season favourites for promotion and have been a contender from the off. The team were unbeaten for the first fourteen league games and have been vying in 2025 with Dartford for top place in the table. Billericay come into the game though after two successive home defeats to Chichester City and Wingate & Finchley but before that only Dover, Chatham and Hastings United had avoided defeat at the New Lodge.
Billericay are 2nd in the table on 75 points, one behind Dartford who Cray meet on Easter Monday. Horsham are also very much in the mix and are 3rd on 72 points.
Last Saturday Billericay were in very clinical form winning 5-1 at relegation threatened Hastings United with all the goals in the first half from Matt Johnson, Femi Akinwande (2), Alfie Cerulli and Frankie Merrifield.
After Saturday Billericay are away at Potters Bar Town next Saturday, at home to Folkestone Invicta and away to Canvey Island over Easter and finish the season at home to Cheshunt. Billericay are through to the final of the Isthmian League Cup after four home wins against Basildon United, Cheshunt, Sheppey United and Binfield and will meet Chatham Town in the final at Aveley on Wednesday 9th April.
At home Billericay have beaten Whitehawk (3-0), Hashtag United (2-1), Bognor Regis Town (4-0), Dartford (4-0), Bowers & Pitsea (3-0), Hendon (1-0), Horsham (2-1), Canvey Island (3-0), Potters Bar Town (1-0), Dulwich Hamlet (2-0), Cray Valley PM (2-1), Lewes (4-2) and Carshalton Athletic (3-2). They drew with Dover Athletic (1-1), Chatham Town (1-1) and Hastings United (1-1) with the only defeats at the hands of Chichester City (1-2) and Wingate & Finchley (3-1). Away form has been very strong and picked up three points at Folkestone Invicta (3-0), Dulwich Hamlet (1-0), Wingate & Finchley (1-0), Dover Athletic (1-0), Hashtag United (2-1), Bognor Regis Town (3-0), Bowers & Pitsea (4-1) and Hastings United (5-1). They drew at Chatham Town, Cheshunt, Cray Valley PM, Lewes, Whitehawk and Cray Wanderers. They were beaten at Carshalton Athletic, Chichester City, Horsham and Dartford. Leading scorer is Femi Akinwande with 14 goals.
Although this will be a tough assignment for the Wands the team and fans can go there at least after at times a difficult season comfortable in the knowledge the team are safe from any relegation concerns and can enjoy the challenges ahead.
DIRECTIONS TO BILLERICAY TOWN FC
New Lodge
Blunts Wall Road
Billericay
ESSEX CM12 9SA
Admission Prices: Adult £13.00
Concession £8.00
Young Adult (12-17) £5.00
11 or Under£1.00
Admission by card only – at gate or online
https://billericaytownfc.ktckts.com/…/billericay-town…
Programme: Yes
DIRECTIONS
Driving: There is no parking available for supporters at the ground so it is a case of finding some street parking,
Leave the M25 to Junction 28 and take the A12(E) towards Chelmsford. Leave the A12 at Junction 12 and head for a short distance towards Mountnessing (B1002). At the next roundabout take the second exit onto Widvale Road (signposted Billericay). Continue along Wivdale Road as it bears right and then becomes Wash Road. At the next mini roundabout take the first exit onto Rayleigh Road. This is the A129 Billericay Road. On reaching a Ford Garage on the left hand side of a crossroads turn right onto Tye Common Road and then take the second next right onto Blunts Wall Road for the ground.
Train:
Services to Billericay go from London Liverpool Street or London Stratford and take around half an hour to get there. Trains from Liverpool Street are at 03, 18, 33 or 48 minutes past the hour and around seven minutes later from Stratford. Returns back to London are at 05, 20, 35 & 50 past the hour.
The railway station is located one mile away from the ground or around a 20 minute walk. As you exit the station entrance, proceed straight up the station approach road in front of you. At the top of the station approach road, turn right onto Radford Way. At the bottom of Radford Way turn right at the mini roundabout onto Stock Road. Proceed across the bridge above the railway. After passing the Railway Pub on the right, take the next right hand turn into Western Way. Continue straight along Western Road for around three-quarters of a mile, until you will reach Blunts Wall Road, where you turn right for the ground entrance.
Where to Drink
On past visits to Billericay Town, the club house is exceptionally good and has some upstairs seating but expect it to be very busy.
There is plenty of choice in Billericay High Street if you get there early enough.
For Wetherspoon’s fans there is the Blue Boar and close by are the Railway pub which is an excellent choice and the Coach & Horses on Chapel Street, both listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for the real ale lovers amongst you. A little further away on Mountnessing Road is the Inn on the Green and you also have the Kings Head, The Duke’s Head which lies in the small village of Little Burstead in the Countryside so a bit out of the way.
A new choice since our last visit is the Billericay Brewery, a micropub only opened last year and is already popular amongst travelling fans with it being in walking distance from the station and ground.
The Railway – Billericay – 1 High Street, Billericay
https://www.therailwaybillericay.co.uk/
The Blue Boar (JD Wetherspoon) – 39 High Street, Billiercay, Essex CM12 9BA
https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/food-drink/
The Coach & Horses – 36 Chapel Street, Billericay, Essex CM12 9LU
https://thecoachandhorses.org/food-menu-catering/
Billericay Brewery – 54 Chapel Street, Billericay CM12 9LS.
https://billericaybrewing.co.uk/
The Inn on the Green – Mountnessing Road, Billericay CM12 0EH
https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/essex/inn-on-the-green/menu
Kings Head – Southend Road, Billericay CM11 2PS
https://www.vintageinn.co.uk/restaurants/east/thekingsheadbillericay#/
Dukes Head
https://www.dukesheadlittleburstead.co.uk/#/
Churchill’s Fish & Chip shop (60 High Street) is probably the nearest to the ground and amongst the very impressive High Street.
Billericay is a commuter town in Essex in the borough of Basildon. During the Peasants revolt of 1381 there was a battle between King Richard II’s army at Norsey Wood in Billericay and the local rebels which the King ultimately won. The club badge features the legendary Mayflower ship which set off with the Pilgrim Fathers to settle in the East Coast of what is now the United States and Billericay was used as a meeting place by the Pilgrim Fathers before setting sail and the Ship’s governor, Christopher Martin was from Billericay. The badge is one of three that features the Mayflower along with Plymouth Argyle and Boston United. In 2016 during the 1st World War, a German Airship was shot down over Billericay and just missed the High Street.
Billericay is the birth place of singer-songwriter Alison Moyet, comedian/actor Lee Evans and TV presenter/author Richard Osman. Also one of the great punk/new wave lyricists of all time Ian Dury introduced the world to “Billericay Dickie” on the 1977 album, New Boots & Panties and his amorous ways especially with Joyce and Vicky. There is also an Ale named Billericay Dickie sold at the Billericay Brewery see above.
