BILLERICAY got back to winning ways at the expense of near neighbours Aveley in a dour Ryman Premier clash.
The game started, in what was to be the theme for the whole game, in scrappy fashion and it wasn’t until midway through the first half that Billericay had the first chance of the game but Harrison Chatting struck the ball straight at keeper Dave McCartney.
Billericay were fortunate not to have their goalkeeper sent off after half an hour when a long punt downfield from McCartney saw Ashley Jones leave his area to try to clear the ball but he miskicked it and was only saved from the ball rushing past him by an apparent handball but the referee turned down Aveley’s frantic pleas and allowed play to carry on.
Aveley had the chance to break the deadlock ten minutes before the break when Orlando Smith played in Junior Dadson who forced a save from Jones. The final chance of a poor first half fell to Billericay when Bennett Johnson again played in Chatting but this time his shot didn’t trouble McCartney as it went well wide.
The game’s only goal came 25 minutes before the end when Billericay sub Benson Paka turned in the box and scored after appearing to miss his chance to score after he originally took too long to shoot when the chance first opened up.
There was controversy at the end of the game when Billericay’s James Lawson was shown a straight red card for tripping Kenny Beaney, which was perhaps a bit harsh and prompted arguments between the players on the field and between the two sets of coaches on the sidelines.
