Billericay open this season’s FA Cup campaign on Saturday as they welcome Buckinghamshire side, Burnham FC, in a 2nd Qualifying Round tie. The visitors compete in the Hellenic Division One East – level 10 in the football pyramid or four divisions below the Blues – and are clear underdogs.
For Blues fans, the match represents the first chance to see new manager, Dean Brennan, in charge of the home team. Unveiled on Tuesday night, the former Hemel Hempstead boss is now confirmed as Harry Wheeler’s replacement. He brings with him Tudors’ assistant manager, Stuart Maynard. Owner, Glenn Tamplin will also serve on the coaching team in the role of assistant manager.
Burnham has already successfully negotiated three previous rounds this season in the FA Cup to reach the current stage. Wins over Hellenic Premier sides Abingdon United (after a replay) and Ardley earned the side from Buckinghamshire a tie against Isthmian North side, Bury Town, in the first qualifying round. Despite being two divisions below the Suffolk side, Burnham made the most of home advantage to upset the odds by sealing a 1-0 win after a close range strike from Daniel Fosu.
The FA Cup success contrasts with what was a miserable previous season in 2017-18. With a disastrous start to the Hellenic Premier League campaign, Burnham remained rooted to the bottom of the League for the remainder of the season. Burnham eventually finished with just 21 points from 38 matches. Manager, Paul Shone, the third and final managerial appointment of the season, took up his duties in February 2018 but could not bring about an unlikely recovery.
Significant change off the field in the close season should provide fresh impetus for the club, which had stagnated under an outgoing ownership. In May 2018, news broke that the club had been taken over by three new co-owners, all with strong backgrounds in football. Best known to Blues fans is Tristan Lewis, former assistant manager at Billericay Town under Harry Wheeler. He is also Director of Football at United Select, a football coaching academy, which has a partnership with Burnham FC. He is joined by Nas Bashir, the creator of the FAB Academy at Bisham Abbey, and from the world of sports law, Glenn Skivington, an ex-professional footballer and former AFC Barrow captain.
With ownership secure, and Paul Shone tasked with securing promotion at the first attempt, Burnham are considered by some to be one of the title favourites this year. With five League games played this season, all at home, Burnham are in the top six having won three matches and suffered two defeats. Both reverses have come after FA Cup matches, which have proved disruptive. Burnham warmed up nicely for the Billericay Cup tie on Tuesday night with a fine 5-2 win over Aldermaston AFC. Among the scorers was winger, Lucas Sinclair, who helped himself to a hat-trick.
There have been significant changes to the Burnham squad since last season. The majority of players from the relegated team, with the exception of goalkeeper, Sam Bunting, and central defender, James Tripp, have moved on. In coming players include left-back, Jack Raines and Lucas Sinclair, both on board from Tristan Lewis’s United Select Academy. Sinclair, who has appeared for Millwall U-18’s, and recently featured for Bristol City U-23’s looks a promising attacking prospect. More experienced players such as midfielders, Dan Molloy, Adam Davies, and Ashley James have signed from other local clubs and striker, Aiden Higgs, is already among the goals.
In normal circumstances, we would expect Billericay Town to use a game against lower league opposition as a chance to give opportunities for squad members to gain vital minutes. However, with a new manager just arriving, we think that he will field a strong side to ensure there is no hint of complacency for a match that Blues are overwhelming favourites to win. It’s also a way of quickly assessing his best team for what promises to be a testing National South League match next Saturday away at high flying Hampton & Richmond.
With his interview this week alongside Glenn Tamplin hinting at several playing changes in and out, it may well be that we see Brennan hand debuts to a couple of new arrivals. Based on how Hemel Hempstead set up, we could see the Blues operating in a 4-3-3 formation on Saturday rather than the 3-5-2 adopted recently.
With four divisions between the two teams, this should be a straightforward win for Billericay Town. Whilst we’ve not seen much of Burnham and FA Cup matches can bring the odd upset, we think the Blues should successfully negotiate this level of opposition and make it through to the next round.
Enjoy the game!
Form: Last Five Matches
Billericay Town: D, W, L, W, L
Burnham FC : W, W, L, L, W (League Only)
Previous Starting Line–Ups
Billericay Town (v Dartford FC)
1. Alan Julian 2. Dean Inman 3. Callum Kennedy 4.Scott Doe 5. Rickie Hayles 6. Sam Deering 7. Joe Kizzi 8. Danny Waldren 9. Jake Robinson 10. Jake Howells 14. Adam Cunnington
Burnham FC (v Bury Town FA Cup)
1. Sam Bunting 2. Bradley Holland 3. Ramel Sutherland 4. Adam Davis 5. Tom Kemp 6. James Tripp 7. Theo Alexander 8. Ashley James 9. Aiden Higgs 10. Daniel Fosu 11. Ashley Watson
