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Billericay Town Pre-Season Squad Update

With four friendlies played and less than three weeks remaining until the Isthmian Premier League season kicks off at New Lodge, Billericay Town’s pre-season preparations are in full swing. Saturday’s 3–1 defeat to National League side Aldershot Town marked the halfway point of a packed summer schedule, with manager Gary McCann continuing to assess his options across a squad that blends returning regulars, new faces, promising youngsters and a handful of players still looking to earn a contract. Here’s a look at where things stand heading into the final two weeks of pre-season. Familiar Faces Several familiar names have been ever-present so far this summer. Goalkeeper Sam Donkin has featured in three of the four fixtures, saving a penalty against Aldershot on Saturday, while club captain Matt Johnson has resumed his role at the heart of the defence. Left-back Jay Porter is now into his third season at the club and remains an ever-present on the left side of the back four. Y...
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2025/26 Billericay Town Pre-Season Preview

Hutton – Tuesday 8th July, 7:45pm, New Lodge We kick things off against familiar neighbours Hutton, who’ve become regular pre-season opponents since starting their groundshare at New Lodge two years ago. They finished fifth in the Eastern Counties League Division One South last season but fell short in the play-offs, losing 4-1 in the semi-final to eventual winners Hackney Wick. Taking charge this summer is former AS London manager Francesco Zabotti, who replaces Matt Singh after his successful stint in charge. Hutton will again use New Lodge this campaign, playing on the weekends when we’re away and on Wednesday nights. We’ve faced Hutton in our opening friendly for the past two summers, winning 3-1 in 2023/24 and 3-0 last year. Braintree Town – Saturday 12th July, 3pm, New Lodge Our first National League visitors of pre-season are Braintree Town, who survived their first season back at Step 1 by finishing 17th, four points clear of relegation. Steve Pitt, a familiar face ...
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Billericay Town 2024/25 Season Review

Our 2024/25 season is one that will live long in the memory for everyone associated with New Lodge. It showcased everything football is about, rising attendances, soaking wet away days hours from home, last-minute goals, a topsy-turvy title race, a trophy win, and arguably the cruellest end to a season in the club’s illustrious history. Let’s unpack how our crazy 52-game season unfolded. August After plenty of new faces and an encouraging pre-season, optimism was high as we hosted Whitehawk on the opening weekend. That optimism proved well-placed as we ran out comfortable 3-0 winners, featuring a spectacular acrobatic goal from Ansu Janneh. Three frustrating 1-1 draws followed. Ibrahim Jalloh’s first goal for the club was cancelled out in stoppage time at Chatham. Despite a positive performance, we shared the spoils with Dover, and a wet afternoon in Hertfordshire saw Aron Pollock’s header earn us a point at Cheshunt. The elusive second win arrived in dramatic fashion as Cain K...
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The Game Has Changed (Part One) - “He Won the Ball”

In the dying embers of Wednesday afternoon’s Club World Cup clash between Manchester City and Wydad Casablanca, full-back Rico Lewis launched into a 50-50 challenge. He won the ball cleanly, but the studs-up follow-through caught Samuel Obeng in the face, and Lewis was shown a straight red card. It was the sort of tackle that once brought crowds to their feet. Now, it earns a dismissal. Lewis looked visibly stunned, and a wave of outrage followed online. Social media was full of fans stating a familiar complaint: “He won the ball.” To fans steeped in old-school football culture, it was a perfect, hard challenge – robust, brave, committed. A red card? Ludicrous. But to others, viewing through the lens of modern player welfare and officiating standards, the verdict was clear: the challenge was reckless, the follow-through dangerous, and the red card entirely justified. This wasn’t just a one-off incident; it was another flashpoint in a two-decade-long cultural clash between eras....
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Why Sacking Postecoglou Was Levy's Most Self-Destructive Decision Yet

Tottenham Hotspur have sacked Ange Postecoglou. And in doing so, Daniel Levy has torched the club’s most hopeful chapter in years. A fractured fanbase. Protests inside and outside the ground. A disillusioned dressing room. Levy deserves everything coming his way. This is the most self-destructive move of his reign, and that’s saying something. There’s an almost comical irony to it all. Postecoglou is sacked the same week Beyoncé is selling out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. If anything epitomises the priorities of this chairman, it’s that. Two weeks ago, Postecoglou brought Spurs their first trophy in 17 years, securing a return to the Champions League. He did it all in the face of relentless injuries, media pressure, and after losing arguably the greatest player in the club’s history a day before his first game. On May 23rd, 220,000 fans filled the streets of north London for a historic trophy parade. The most united the club had felt since the Pochettino era. Sixteen days later, he’s bee...
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Essex Women’s Clubs Learn 2025/26 League Fate

The women’s football pyramid has taken shape ahead of the 2025/26 season, with 12 clubs across Essex discovering their league allocations. Among the headline news is Billericay Town’s reprieve at Step 3, ensuring a fourth consecutive campaign at that level for The Blues. While there will be no Essex representation at Step 4 this season, movement elsewhere in the pyramid includes promotions for Hutton, Brentwood Town, Colchester United, Hashtag United Reserves and She Can Play Panthers, who all rise into the league structure at Step 5 or 6. Step 3 - Women's National League Southern Premier Division Essex will once again be represented by Hashtag United and Billericay Town in the third tier of women’s football, with both clubs heading into 2025/26 under new management. Billericay Town have been handed a reprieve after finishing 11 th in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division last time out. The FA confirmed the decision under Regulation 6.4, citing Blackburn Rovers’ allocation t...
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The Case Against Delayed Flags

Football is no stranger to reform. Whether it’s the back-pass rule, goal-line technology, or even VAR, the game has continuously evolved to meet the demands of modernity. But there is one aspect of the VAR era that is long overdue for revision - the delayed offside flag. After yesterday's horrific news that Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been placed in an induced coma following a serious collision with a goalpost, the time has finally come to abolish the controversial, and frankly dangerous rule. Brought in to ensure legal goal-scoring opportunities won’t be prevented by human error, the rule requires assistant referees to delay raising the offside flag in borderline offside situations until the attacking phase of play concludes. In theory, it protects attacks that may have been wrongly stopped, but in practice, it’s a hazard. Since its introduction in the Premier League during the 2020–21 season, the rule has sparked frustration among fans, particularly those at...
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