Billericay Town 2 Potters Bar Town 0

Isthmian League Premier Division, Saturday 7th January

My first match of 2023 saw me over at New Lodge as hosts Billericay Town saw second half goals from Eze Ebuzoeme and Marvel Ekpiteta help them to the three points against fellow play-off rivals Potters Bar Town in their Isthmian Premier contest.

Both sides harboured hopes of grabbing at least a play off spot by the end of the season, Billericay sat in tenth and four points off fifth placed Aveley who occupied that final play-off spot, whilst Potters Bar were in seventh and only outside those coveted play-off places on goal difference, so a win for either would be very useful indeed.

The hosts home form had largely got them to where they are so far this season, this after a very slow start to life back in Step Three of the non-league pyramid after relegation from the Vanarama National South last season, and despite losses to Corinthian Casuals (a rare home loss) and Cray Wanderers in December, there form heading into the new year was decent, with a big win over Aveley followed by a thumping win over struggling Brightlingsea Regent.

A goalless draw then followed in the new year at Bowers & Pitsea so they were looking to grab their first win of 2023 here against a Potter Bar side who had identical records both home and away, and had scored and conceded the same number of goals in total too, so consistent in one way you could say, but their form heading into the new year had not been brilliant, with their last six seeing just one win, one draw and four defeats, and heading into this one with back to back defeats.

Form then suggested a home win here, would the contest go the way the form book suggested? It was the hosts who certainly looked a threat early on and saw a volley from Javaun Splatt fly just over the bar before a pinball like situation inside the visitors box saw a home player fail to get a critical touch, and then Alfie Cerulli struck the inside of the post although it would not have counted as the assistants flag had gone up for offside.

The hosts though continued to look the likelier to break the deadlock and saw John Ufuah hit the inside of the other post, and four minutes before half time Ufuah again came so close to giving the home side the lead when he again struck the woodwork after getting round Joshua Rusoke, the hosts had certainly had the majority of the openings but thus far they had had no luck in front of goal.

Potters Bar were lucky to be level at the break although they did have their moments in the opening forty five minutes as they almost punished the hosts for their poor luck in front of goal, seeing a low driven cross the six yard box just missing a touch, a chance at the back post deflected over when it looked nailed on they would score, and then just before the break Mohammed Kamara saw a touch let him down and a chance go a begging, but they were warning signs for the hosts despite them having the better of the contest.

So, could the home side have better luck in front of goal in the second period? Well, barely a minute after the restart they had the lead when a lovely move down the right saw Bradley Stevenson play a lovely pass to Ufuah who in turn put it on a plate for Ebuzoeme who could not miss (I was still inside the VIP area watching through the window and hadn't made it outside for the second period, that's how quickly after half time it came!!!)

This settled the hosts down who quickly went in search of a second goal and probable clincher too, and a brilliant volley from Cerulli was superbly saved by a strong hand from visiting keeper Ted Collins, and then just past the hour mark a powerful effort from Ebuzoeme was superbly saved by Collins, but the effort had deflected off the referee, meaning instead of a corner the referee brought the ball back to where the shot had come from and the hosts would receive the drop ball.

Their seemed to be a bit of confusion as to why the referee had done this, and Potters Bar seem to fall asleep which led to a second for the hosts as the drop ball was lofted to Ekpiteta who had the freedom of the area and he duly netted to double the home sides lead, it was a weird few moments leading up to it but it was no more than the hosts deserved, and they were well on their way to the points.

Potters Bar did win a free kick right on the edge of the box after Harry Seaden, the Billericay keeper, decided to punch a cross away rather then catch the ball or let it go out of play, but the set play from Kasim Aidoo was straight at Seaden, which kind of summed up the visitors in front of goal in this one, and Billericay almost made it three after a counter attack ended with a Bradley Stevenson ball to Splatt who played it back to Imran Uche, and the latter's powerful effort was superbly saved by Collins, before the brilliant Ufuah could only send his shot over.

The hosts were cruising to the win now though and were in firm control of this contest, as they had been for the majority of this half, Cerulli sent a shot just past the far post whilst Seaden made sure of a clean sheet when a low driven free kick was cleared off the line by the home keeper, and the hosts duly saw out the remainder of the game to record a deserved win and another three points at home to boot.

Three straight home wins now for The Blues then, and four unbeaten, means they are up a place to ninth and just two points off those play-off spots, whereas for Potters Bar it's a third straight defeat and no league wins since November as they drop a place to eighth, so although they are only a point outside the play-off places, their alarming form of late needs to be curtailed sooner rather than later if they want to remain in that fight for the top five.

Full time Billericay Town 2 Potters Bar Town 0