Bostik Premier League

BILLERICAY TOWN 5 NEEDHAM MARKET 0

JOHN CHUBB at the AGP Arena
@JohnCphoenixfm

Billericay Town emphatically increased their determination to be Bostik Premier League champions, as well as their lead at the top of the table with a comfortable victory over Needham Market.

Billericay Town’s Jake Robinson. Photo by kind permission of Nicky Hayes (@NickyHayesPhoto)

Blues only took 4 minutes to take the lead. Top scorer Jake Robinson’s initial effort was pushed away well by Needham goalkeeper Daniel Gay, but the former Brighton and Hove Albion striker netted from the rebound to put the home side 1-0 in front.

Then midfield man Sam Deering doubled Ricay’s lead in the 10th minute, as he skilfully cut inside and curled a right footed strike to the left of Gay to put his side 2-0 ahead.

After a quarter of an hour former Tottenham man Jamie O’Hara wasn’t far away from making it 3, when Robinson cleverly laid the ball on for him but his goal bound effort was parried away well by Gay.

But O’Hara did score a third just after the half hour mark, heading the ball home and Billericay were looking more than comfortable by this point.

On 35 minutes Blues won a penalty after Ricky Modeste was clearly tripped in the penalty area. Up stepped Robinson, and his powerful spot kick made it 4-0.

Robinson netted again in time added on at the end of the first period, following more good work from O’Hara but this time his effort was disallowed for offside.

Robinson again came close to securing a hat trick just after the restart, with a strike which almost found the right hand corner of the net but Needham’s shot stopper Gay was alert enough to prevent the home team from scoring yet again.

But Robinson eventually managed his third in the 66th minute, striking the ball into the net after being set up by the busy O’Hara – who had an excellent game in the midfield – to put Blues 5-0 ahead and bag his 7th hat trick of the season.

Ricay found it harder to break down the Suffolk side in the second half, but they had done more than enough by half time and are now 4 points clear at the top of the league going into their final 3 games. If they can produce more displays of this calibre in those matches, the title – and promotion – should be theirs.

Billericay Town: Alan Julian, Joe Kizzi, Josh Urquhart, Matt Paine, Dean Inman, Sam Deering (Brendan Ocran 70), Ricky Modeste (Nick Wheeler 57), Danny Waldren, Jamie O’Hara, Jake Robinson, Adam Cunnington (Liam Hughes 46).

Needham Market: Daniel Gay, Jake Dye, Callum Sturgess, Jeremiah Kamanzi, Kieran Morphew (Daniel Morphew 45), Samuel Nunn, Luke Ingram (Kieran Turner 70), Gareth Heath, Jamie Griffiths (Tyler Rose 80), Charley Edge, George Exworth.

Attendance: 741