Billericay Town vs Cray Wanderers – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 23rd August – Match Preview & Directions
Photos: Steve Cullum and Edmund Boyden Photography.
Cray Wanderers after a very home based start to the season are on the road for the first time in 2025-26 as Tim O’Shea’s side visit Billericay Town. Kick off at the New Lodge, 3 pm.
The Wands have made a great start to the league campaign and lie 2nd in the Isthmian Premier League table with seven points from three games after wins at Flamingo Park vs Canvey Island and Wingate & Finchley and a draw with Folkestone Invicta.
Last Saturday, Cray had to find a second wind against Wingate & Finchley after leading 2-0 at the break with goals from Nods Bobomurodov, his second of the season and a Frankie Raymond penalty. Wingate & Finchley staged a spirited fightback and with ten men levelled with twenty minutes to go. However, Cray had to respond and substitute George Brooke who had come close to winning the game against Folkestone but for the woodwork this time wouldn’t be denied and slotted home Josh Williams pass for his first league goal for Cray and the Wands had to pass a tricky test.
The games come thick and fast in August and on Bank Holiday Monday, Cray host Brentwood Town but before that all focus will be on Billericay Town, once again one of the favourites for promotion.
The Wands have three ex-Billericay Town players available with goalkeeper Harry Seaden and forwards Ashley Nzala and Chris Dickson have both scored against Cray as Billericay players. The Essex side though with already a pretty stellar forward line with the likes of Liam Nash, Femi Akinwande and Frankie Merrifield to call upon made a marquee signing this week with ex-Wand Joe Taylor joining from Hornchurch. Joe made 73 appearances for Cray after signing in 2018 and scored 58 goals before later going on to Lewes and Ramsgate. Another ex-Cray player is full back Ike Orji who made 39 appearances last season scoring once.
Billericay Town have begun the season with four points from their first three games and Gary McCann’s side are 14th in the table. They started the season with a 2-1 win at home to Wingate & Finchley with goals from another key signing from Chatham Town, Jack Evans and Tyrell Miller-Rodney. The Blues then picked up a good point from a 1-1 draw at Dartford with a Liam Nash leveller in the second half. Last Saturday Billericay were beaten 0-1 at Carshalton Athletic and finished the match with ten men.
Billericay Town were one of three teams last season vying to the Isthmian Premier league title going into the final day of the season. Three home defeats in March and April including a fine Wands performance to win 2-0 on 5th April with goals from Soul Kader and Nyren Clunis proved important as they won their final five games of the season but missed out on the title by the narrowest of margins by one goal after finishing level on 87 points with Horsham. In the playoff semi-final, Billericay were beaten 2-1 after extra time by Dover Athletic.
In the Isthmian League era the teams have met 14 times with Cray winning three, Billericay nine and two draws including a 1-1 draw before Christmas 2024 with Josh Williams late goal for Cray cancelled out by a stoppage time Ashley Nzala goal.
This will be the toughest test yet for Cray but can take heart from their April performance and will have to show a similar side for a repeat but go into the match high on confidence and should be a great game to watch.
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/event/btfc2526007/billericay-town-v-cray-wanderers
Programme: Yes
PLEASE NOTE THAT BILLERICAY TOWN FC IS A CASHLESS STADIUM WITH FOOD & DRINK TO BE PAID BY CARD
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 13, 33 & 50 minutes past the hour and around seven minutes later from Stratford. Returns back to London are at 17, 37 and 57 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 Road. 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.
