HORNCHURCH 3 BILLERICAY 2 aet
Urchins started well, kicking towards the windmill end of the ground. A Janney cross led to a corner, which Tomlinson floated over, and Janney returned the ball to Andy who tried a first time shot which was blocked by Heffer. Tomlinson again, winning the ball on the half way line and feeding it through to Dean Green, who cut inside and hit his shot somewhat wide of the goal, narrowly missing the windmill. Green then started off the next move, and sent a good ball through to Janney, who was tackled by Dumas for a corner. Tomlinson took the kick, Wall headed it back to McFarlane, and Jim’s header was saved by Tony Tucker. And now it was long throw time, when Billy Coyne hurled the ball into the goalmouth and McFarlane headed back to Janney, whose shot hit the packed defence and rebounded clear.

Billericay almost found the net in their first attacking move when Jamie Dormer’s spectacular overhead kick was well saved by Dale Brightly, who tipped the shot over, the corner then being cleared by Barnard.

Barnard then dispossessed Semanshia and slotted the ball up to Green, who weaved his way past three defenders and laid the ball hard across goal, where no one could get the final touch. At the other end Billy Bricknell hammered the ball high over the bar after taking a pass from the right wing. Billericay thought they had scored when Dale Brightly turned a hard shot against the post and Semanshia followed up to touch the ball over the line, but he was slightly offside – by about ten yards, and the goal did not count. Urchins tried hard to open the score as half time approached, and went close when another long Coyne throw found McFarlane, whose header was turned over the bar by Tucker. Tomlinson took the corner and McFarlane again got to the ball but headed wide. Almost on half time Janney sent Green away on the right and he played the ball over to Tomlinson, whose first time volley was blocked right on the line by a defender.

Urchins started the second half confidently and an early attack saw Heffer turn the ball out for a corner. Tomlinson took the kick and the ball was played straight back to Andy, who crossed for Elliot Styles, whose shot went just wide of the post. But then Billericay had their best spell of the match, starting when Wood-Garness raced away and his shot was well saved by Brightly. Curley broke up another move, but the ball was quickly returned to Deane to played it upfield to Bricknell, whose dangerous centre was headed away by Goodfellow. Deane then got in another hard shot from the edge of the area, with Styles just getting in his tackle in time to turn the ball out for a corner. Dormer sent the ball into the middle, and Dale Brightly dropped the cross, but was fouled in the process. Billericay took the lead in controversial fashion, when Flack was sent clear on the left wing, and appeared to be about twenty yards offside. The whistle never came and Flack carried on, crossed the ball low into the middle where BRADLEY WOOD-GARNESS fired it into the net. The referee then booked Jim McFarlane who understandably disagreed with the decision.

Billericay were awarded a free kick, the defensive wall lined up and Dormer hit the ball over the wall, and the ball was last seen disappearing into the general direction of Upminster Bridge station. Urchins rallied and a good move involving Green, Wall and Tomlinson ended when Andy’s shot was saved in spectacular fashion by Tucker, who turned the ball around the post. Tomlinson’s corner was headed away by Heffer. A Coyne cross found Wall and Heffer hammered the ball away into the gardens in Bridge Avenue, and Coyne’s long throw caused chaos in the area but the ball was eventually cleared. Billericay went further ahead when Tony Tucker’s huge clearance fell to Joe Flack, who sidestepped McFarlane and drove the ball low across goal. Dale Brightly could only parry the ball and it rolled across goal where Barnard and BILLY BRICKNELL went for the loose ball and it ended up in the net. From then on it was one way traffic as the visitors decided to hold on to their lead.

Urchins had a great chance to pull a goal back when Tomlinson moved along the left side, found Wall, who then turned the ball to Simon Parker, but he could not control the awkward bounce and his shot was saved by Tucker. And when Coyne’s long throw reached Kris Lee, it began to look as if they would not score, when Kris mistimed his shot and the ball bobbled wide. But with six minutes to go, Kris Lee made a good run on the left, played the ball over and SIMON PARKER put Urchins back into the game. A minute later, a Parker dummy allowed the ball to run on to Tomlinson, and Andy’s goal bound shot was cleared off the line by Marron. A long throw by Coyne found Kris Lee who turned and fired his shot inches wide, and a shot by Elliot Styles saw Tucker drop the ball against the post, and it was scrambled away. In the final few seconds of stoppage time, Dave Sadler won the ball in midfield and played it out to the right wing. Dean Green rounded the defender and sent it across to SIMON PARKER, who glided the ball home, to set off scenes reminiscent of the Weymouth celebrations.

And so into extra time. Billericay brought on three substitutes, and changed their tactics, with Rikki Burbridge, Dave Wareham and Leon Hunter adding to the attack. But apart from a Wareham corner, they rarely looked threatening. Urchins had two scoring chances in the first period of extra time, Lee finding Parker, whose trade mark chip shot lacked power and was saved by Tucker. And a Tomlinson free kicked was headed home by McFarlane, but the whistle went for an infringement.

In the second period of extra time, Billericay could not break out from defence, but Urchins found it hard to penetrate their defence, although Tomlinson tried a solo run and went close with a hard shot from the edge of the area, whilst a long throw by Coyne was headed out by Heffer. Another corner was cleared, and with time almost up, the ball was again booted out for a throw. Billy Coyne crossed over to take the throw, and hurled the ball into the goalmouth, where it was headed down and JIM McFARLANE bundled it over the line, to score the winner, causing Sir Gary to leap fully three feet into the air, with Wayne diving for cover as Sir Gary crash landed.