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 Keller smashed home a 90th-minute winner against Essex rivals Hashtag United on Bank Holiday Monday. Unfortunately, there was no such luck in the FA Cup, as the month ended with the Blues exiting the competition at home to Bowers & Pitsea.

September

Our FA Cup exit left just three league games in September, beginning with a tricky trip to Folkestone Invicta. After a cagey first half, Ashley Nzala continued his brilliant early-season form with a brace, before Jalloh added a third to seal a comfortable win, one that went viral thanks to ex-Blues striker Tom Derry’s bizarre red card after his reaction to Sam Donkin and Matt Johnson’s game of piggy-in-the-middle!

A two-week break followed before our first-ever meeting with Cray Valley Paper Mills. A frustrating afternoon produced our fourth 1-1 draw of the season, with Nzala on target, although our second-half performance deserved more.

The month finished under sunny skies at New Lodge as we swept aside Bognor Regis Town 4-0. Jalloh netted a brace, including a stunning curling effort from outside the box, Moses Emmanuel converted a penalty, and Harrison Day scored his only goal for the club. After an impressive return to New Lodge, Jack Paxman claimed the Player of the Month award for August/September.

October

October began with an FA Trophy trip to Chertsey Town. A close contest, which saw both sides reduced to ten men, ended with a penalty shootout defeat, ending our cup run at the first hurdle.

The lads delivered the perfect response three days later, thrashing Dartford 4-0 at New Lodge, with Tom Bender scoring his first goal for the Blues. A wet afternoon in Sussex followed, where two Danny Bassett penalties gave league leaders Lewes a comfortable cushion heading into stoppage time. What came next was one of the most remarkable turnarounds of the season. Bender pulled one back, and Emmanuel scrambled home a corner in the 97th minute to preserve our unbeaten record, sparking pandemonium behind the goal.

Attention turned to the Velocity Cup, where we eased past neighbours Basildon United 4-1. Bender’s late first-half header then secured all three points away at Dulwich Hamlet in another match featuring a red card for each side. October concluded with progress in the Essex Senior Cup, as goals from Frankie Merrifield and Decarrey Sheriff sealed a 2-0 win away at Concord Rangers. Tom Bender’s impressive run in the side, capped with key goals, earned him Player of the Month for October.

November

November proved frustrating for Gary McCann’s side, as we hit a rocky patch and lost key players to injury. Our only goalless draw of the season arrived at Whitehawk, where Montel McKenzie saw red and Moses Emmanuel had a penalty saved.

That frustration carried into Bonfire Night, as lightning struck twice against Chatham Town, who converted a dubious stoppage-time penalty to snatch a point. Injuries and departures prompted our first mid-season signings, including Arjanit Krasniqi and Todd Miller, brought in to provide cover during the congested winter months.

A dramatic collapse at Carshalton Athletic ended our unbeaten league run. Leading 3-1 at half-time, we ultimately lost 4-3 to a stoppage-time stunner. Emmanuel and Nzala helped secure a vital 2-1 home win over Bowers & Pitsea a week later, before we progressed in the Velocity Cup with a 3-0 win over Cheshunt. That night was particularly memorable as teenagers Bobby Kelman and Charlie Panton netted their first senior goals, and Ade Azeez made a goalscoring return after 11 months out with a serious knee injury.

Our longest trip of the season proved less enjoyable, as we fell 3-1 at Chichester on a wet and windy afternoon. Three days later, we exited the Essex Senior Cup at home to Chelmsford City, but finished the month on a high as Emmanuel’s second-half winner overcame Hendon, in a game featuring the return of Femi Akinwande. Charlie Panton’s run of standout performances earned him Player of the Month, following his promotion from the reserves.

December

December brought an unbeaten run to end 2024, albeit with two frustrating draws. The side showed real grit to edge out eventual league winners Horsham 2-1 on a freezing Tuesday night at New Lodge, with Miller and Akinwande on the scoresheet.

Charlie Panton struck a late winner on a stormy afternoon at Wingate & Finchley, in a game where we started without any recognised centre-backs yet kept a clean sheet. Two edgy 1-1 draws followed, at home to Hastings United and away at Cray Wanderers, the latter salvaged by Nzala’s stoppage-time equaliser.

We returned to winning ways on Boxing Day with a straightforward 3-0 victory over Canvey Island, Tommy Davis netting his first for the club. A top-of-the-table clash at Dover ended the month on a high, as Montel McKenzie’s first-half free kick secured a classic smash-and-grab 1-0 win, witnessed by a large travelling support despite travel chaos that saw the supporters’ coach arrive 15 minutes after kick-off. Sam Donkin was deservedly named Player of the Month, conceding only three goals in six games.

January

2025 began with a damp trip to Parkside, where Femi Akinwande’s brace secured a 2-1 win over Hashtag United, in yet another match where both teams finished with ten men. Tommy Davis’ first-half strike saw us past Potters Bar a few days later.

Our unbeaten run ended in Sussex with a narrow 1-0 defeat at Horsham, and we then met FA Cup foes Sheppey United in the Velocity Cup Quarter-Final, progressing thanks to an early goal from Sheriff. It was Sheriff who starred again that Saturday, netting a brace in a 2-0 victory over Dulwich Hamlet, which sent us to the top of the league for the first time all season.

Sadly, our stay at the summit was brief. A heavy 4-0 defeat at Dartford saw the Darts reclaim top spot, in a match that marked the debuts of Elliot Long and Bradley Williams. Sam Donkin claimed back-to-back Player of the Month awards.

February

February was perfect — four games, four wins. Williams’ stunner helped us past Cray Valley Paper Mills, followed by a successful seaside trip to Bognor Regis, where Williams scored again, alongside goals from Tyrell Miller-Rodney and Jack Paxman.

As the run-in approached, the goals kept flowing. Two thrilling home victories closed the month: first, an entertaining 4-2 win over Lewes, featuring a hat-trick from Akinwande and Elliot Long’s first for the club. A week later, we reclaimed top spot after another Akinwande hat-trick sealed a dramatic 3-2 win over Carshalton in a match that saw three penalties awarded. Unsurprisingly, Akinwande picked up Player of the Month!

March

Our goalscoring form continued into March with a 4-1 win away at basement side Bowers & Pitsea, featuring a brace from Alfie Cerulli. Three days later, we repeated the scoreline against Binfield to reach the Velocity Cup final, with goals from Emmanuel, Sheriff, Nzala, and Panton.

Our six-game winning run ended abruptly as Chichester City completed a league double over us with a 2-1 win at New Lodge. We bounced back with a 4-1 triumph at Hendon, featuring stunning goals from Williams and Cerulli, but it proved an unhappy Non-League Day as Wingate & Finchley spoiled the party with a 3-1 win in front of over 1,700 at New Lodge, dropping us back to second place.

March closed on a high with a resounding 5-1 demolition of Hastings United, with all six goals coming before half-time. Akinwande was once again named Player of the Month.

April

The final run-in began poorly with a 2-0 home defeat to Cray Wanderers, our third successive league loss. Focus swiftly shifted to the Velocity Cup Final, which turned into a memorable night at Parkside. Ben Steward’s first goal for the club and a close-range effort from Frankie Merrifield gave us a comfortable half-time lead over Chatham Town, but a quickfire double after the break levelled the tie. Enter Bradley Williams, who rose highest in stoppage time to head home a corner, sparking wild celebrations on and off the pitch as Gary McCann lifted his first piece of silverware with the club.

Three successive league wins followed, all with clean sheets — a 2-0 win at Potters Bar courtesy of an Elliot Long brace, a Merrifield double to defeat Folkestone on Good Friday, and a memorable Easter Monday derby at Canvey Island. Hundreds of travelling Blues were sent into raptures as three late goals sent us top of the league with one game to go.

Over 3,300 packed into New Lodge for the final day clash with Cheshunt with the title on the line, though not fully in our hands. Two early Cheshunt goals weren’t part of the script, but an incredible fightback saw goals from Merrifield, Johnson, Sheriff, and Panton secure a 4-2 win. The second-half atmosphere nearly blew the roof off New Lodge, but we came up agonisingly short, as Horsham’s 5-1 win over Hashtag United meant they clinched the title on goal difference. Remarkably, it was the first time Horsham had topped the table all season.

Attention then turned to the playoff semi-final against Dover. Another bumper crowd turned up, including 400 travelling fans from Kent. A tense, goalless 90 minutes went into extra time, and all seemed on track when Akinwande sent New Lodge mad five minutes into extra time. Yet two free kicks from Alfie Matthews, including a winner in the 119th minute, inflicted playoff heartbreak for the Blues.

Though it wasn’t the ending we dreamed of, the 2024/25 campaign offered unforgettable moments, silverware, and a genuine sense that the Blues are building towards something special. The spirit and support from everyone connected to Billericay Town ensures there’s every reason to believe that the best is yet to come in 2025/26.