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 for Blues fans after his time as Director of Football and coach under Jody Brown in 2021/22, took over at Braintree last December and steered them to safety. Prior to his appointment as manager, Pitt was assistant under Angelo Harrop during the Iron’s successful 2023/24 promotion run, which saw them claim memorable away wins at Chelmsford and Worthing in the play-offs to clinch promotion.

The sides last met in 2021/22, facing each other three times: a 2-2 home draw, thanks to a Norman Wabo brace, a 2-1 FA Cup win at Cressing Road, and a 1-0 away victory on the final day courtesy of a Robert Adams goal, despite the Blues already being relegated.

Boreham Wood – Tuesday 15th July, 7:45pm, New Lodge

Boreham Wood visit New Lodge after bouncing straight back to the National League at the first attempt. They finished fifth in National League South last season and navigated a dramatic play-off campaign with wins over Dorking Wanderers, Torquay United, and Maidstone United.

Luke Garrard is back in charge for a second spell, having previously managed the Wood from 2015 to 2024. He left following their relegation but returned last September to guide them back up.

We’ve crossed paths plenty of times in pre-season, including last summer’s 2-1 defeat under then-Wood manager Ross Jenkins, when Frankie Merrifield netted our only goal. For competitive meetings, you have to go back to 2012/13 in the Conference South, a 3-0 away defeat and a 1-1 draw at home – Alex Osborn on target for the Blues.

Aldershot Town – Saturday 19th July, 3pm, New Lodge

Aldershot Town make the trip to New Lodge as seasoned National League campaigners. They finished 16th last season, five points clear of danger, and capped off the year by lifting the FA Trophy at Wembley with a win over Spennymoor Town – their first-ever visit to the national stadium.

Manager Tommy Widdrington took the reins in 2023 and brings vast experience from an EFL playing career and spells managing Salisbury City, Hemel Hempstead, Eastbourne Borough and King’s Lynn Town. His son Theo is a regular in the Aldershot midfield.

There’s plenty of history between the two clubs, with a fierce rivalry dating back to the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Our last competitive meetings were in the 2002/03 season: a 0-0 draw away and a narrow 1-0 defeat at New Lodge in front of 1,089, the only four-figure crowd at our ground that season.

Faversham Town – Tuesday 22nd July, 7:45pm, New Lodge

Faversham Town come to New Lodge fresh from a title-winning campaign, having topped the Southern Counties East League Premier Division by seven points to seal promotion back to Step 4.

Manager Tommy Warrilow, who recently signed a new two-year deal, has been at the helm since January 2024 and brings bags of experience from spells at Tonbridge Angels, Cray Wanderers, Thamesmead Town and Ashford United.

Remarkably, this friendly will be the clubs’ first meeting in over 50 years. Our last competitive clash came in the 1972/73 FA Amateur Cup, where we drew 2-2 at New Lodge thanks to goals from Peter Diver and Danny Westwood, before losing the replay 2-1 with Westwood again on the scoresheet.

Leiston – Saturday 26th July, 3pm, Victory Road

We hit the road for the first time in pre-season, travelling to Suffolk to take on Leiston. They finished 10th in the Southern League Premier Division Central last season, 11 points outside the play-offs.

Leiston are now managed solely by Chris Wigger, who took full charge in September 2024 after several years co-managing alongside Darren Eadie, who has since moved into a Head of Football Strategy role. Wigger, once a youth product at Norwich City, spent many playing years at Wroxham and managed Sheringham before joining Leiston in 2020.

Leiston have been settled at this level since moving from the Isthmian Premier in 2017/18 and have experienced both promotion pushes and relegation scraps. There’s a recent link between the clubs, as we signed last season’s Supporters’ and Players’ Player of the Season, Sam Donkin, from the Suffolk club last summer.

Our last competitive meetings were during our treble-winning 2017/18 season, a 4-0 home victory featuring a Jake Robinson hat-trick and a 3-1 defeat away. We also played out a 3-3 draw in a friendly at New Lodge in May 2021.

Chesham United – Tuesday 29th July, 7:45pm, The Meadow

Our penultimate pre-season outing sees us travel to Chesham United, who finished 13th in National League South last season on 59 points, consolidating well after their promotion the year before.

Joint managers James Duncan and Michael Murray have been in charge since October 2018, guiding Chesham from the Southern Premier Division South to promotion in 2023/24 as champions. Off the pitch, the club hit national headlines when comedian Alex Horne joined the board in 2022, bringing Taskmaster sponsorship and filming to The Meadow.

Our last competitive clash was in the 2015 FA Trophy, where Chesham won 2-0 at New Lodge in front of 271 spectators. Our last visit to The Meadow came in the 2009 FA Cup, where we lost 4-2 despite goals from Ian Cousins and Joe Flack.

Horsham – Saturday 2nd August, 3pm, The Fusion Aviation Community Stadium

We round off pre-season with a trip to Horsham, who dramatically edged us to the Isthmian Premier Division title last season on goal difference. Both sides finished level on points, but Horsham’s emphatic 5-1 win over Hashtag United on the final day saw them crowned champions despite our own 4-2 win against Cheshunt. The Sussex side also claimed the Sussex Senior Cup last season, defeating Littlehampton Town 1-0.

Under manager Dom Di Paola, Horsham have enjoyed a remarkable rise, moving from county football to the National League South for the first time in their 144-year history.

The Blues and Horsham know each other well from recent seasons. Last term, we won 2-1 at New Lodge with goals from Todd Miller and Femi Akinwande, while Horsham claimed a 1-0 home win in January.

Plenty of exciting tests await the Blues as we gear up for 2025/26. See you there!