BBC Essex Senior Cup Final, Tuesday 24th March
It was that time of year again when the showpiece final for the County of Essex took place at The Community Stadium in Colchester, and it brought together Isthmian Premier Billericay Town and Essex Senior League Great Wakering Rovers, that is a gap of two divisions & levels in the non league pyramid (Step Three Vs Step Five).
This game was a culmination of a tournament that had began way back in August near the beginning of the season, the first games being played back in Round One in 16th August were Benfleet defeated White Ensign 2-1 in an all Essex Senior League tie and Harwich & Parkeston saw off Buckhurst Hill 2-1 and also in an all ESL tie, and seven months on only two sides remain after six rounds of battle.
Rounds One and Two saw sides from the lower Senior leagues, so The Essex Senior League and the Thurlow Nunn First Division North and South, begin their competitions, there were eighteen ties in Round One, and GWR, who are in tonight's final, played in one of those ties, and it was an unforgettable match, and a match they really should have lost and looked odds on to lose it.
They found themselves 5-1 down at home to May & Baker from the Thurlow Nunn South, with ten minutes of the ninety to go but somehow netted five goals in the remaining minutes to come out 6-5 winners, unbelievable, and it set them on their way to the final as we know now, their Round Two tie was slightly more straightforward as they netted a 3-0 win away to fellow ESL side West Essex, meaning they would join the other nine sides from those lower divisions in Round Three were the bigger Essex clubs joined the competition.
One of the sides joining in Round Three were tonight's finalists, Billericay Town, and they netted a 3-0 home win over Isthmian North side Waltham Abbey, a game I actually attended, here is a blog on that game if your interested (https://pedroslocalfootiefix.blogspot.com/2025/10/billericay-town-3-waltham-abbey-0-goals.html), elsewhere the biggest five clubs in Essex who entered at this stage, Colchester United, Southend United, Braintree Town, Chelmsford City & Hornchurch, had mixed results.
Chelmsford netted a 3-0 win away at Halstead Town whilst Hornchurch, who finished runners up last season, also netted an away win against Redbridge, however, Colchester, Southend & Braintree, who all fielded young sides as they normally do in this competition, all crashed out, The Us losing 3-1 at home to Aveley, Southend were beaten 4-0 at Grays Athletic, and Braintree were thumped 8-1 at Tilbury, showing that these Isthmian sides are not to be messed with.
And last years winners, Canvey Island, crashed out to ESL side Benfleet on penalties, this after Fleet keeper Flo Gislette had netted late on to take the tie to spot kicks, meaning they would join the other sides who had won through in the last 16 of the competition, although they would be beaten 9-0 at Aveley in that round, so coming down to earth with a bump you could say.
Billericay were given a scare in their Round Four game, edging to a 2-1 win away at ESL high flyers Little Oakley, GWR themselves caused s surprise by seeing off Isthmian North Heybridge Swifts 3-0 at home, I also attended a game in this round too which saw Chelmsford City require penalties to see off Bowers & Pitsea, here is my blog on that encounter (https://pedroslocalfootiefix.blogspot.com/2025/11/bowers-pitsea-1-chelmsford-city-1.html)
Chelmsford though would come unstuck in their Quarter Final at GWR as the ESL hosts stunned them 3-0 at Burroughs Park, Billericay thumped Tilbury 5-0 at home and with Hashtag United and Aveley getting through too, it set up the final four sides in the competition, and sadly it would be an admin error that decided one of those semi finals which involved one of tonight's finalists obviously.
Billericay were well beaten at Aveley 3-0 in their semi final, but due to an admin error, Aveley were thrown out and Billericay would take their place in the final, whilst GWR stunned again to take their place in tonight's show piece event, winning 2-1 away to Hashtag United, meaning they are potentially ninety minutes away from capping a superb run which started way back in August in Round One.
Could Billericay though take advantage of Aveley's error and take the trophy for a fifth time in their history, last lifting it in the 2021/22, season, this was their ninth appearance in the final and they were certainly favourites to go on and win this latest final, GWR had only appeared in one final in the history of the competition back in the 2006/07 season but lost out to Hornchurch so they were looking to win it for the first time in their clubs history.
The opening half hour saw a very tight battle as neither side managed to create to much in the way of chances, George Martin had to beat away a Billericay effort in the only real attempt on goal in that period of play, but twelve minutes before half time GWR edged themselves in front, Reece Conway seeing an effort heavily deflected beyond Blues keeper Jacob Adam and hand the ESL side a shock lead.
The Blues tried to level before the break but were unable to find a way through, and in fact it was GWR who could easily have made it two nil in the second period, however as the half wore on the Blues were the much stronger of the two sides and put a lot of pressure on the GWR backline, and with twenty minutes to go they finally broke through, Callum Watts crossing into the box were the unfortunate GWR centre half Harrison Topliss could only send the ball past his own keeper Martin and bring Billericay level.
The Blues sensed victory now, and it was to be another forgetful moment for centre half Topliss to hand Billericay the lead in the 83rd minute, a ball into the box saw keeper Martin come for the ball but miscommunication between him and Topliss saw the centre half try and head clear but instead head into the path of Blues forward Teddy Collis who headed into the unguarded net, and now Town were minutes away from lifting the trophy.
GWR had given everything in this game, and now had to find a leveller to take the tie to penalties and give themselves a chance of completing a fairy-tale run and becoming the first ESL side since Billericay Town fifty years ago to lift this cup, and in the ninth minute of added on time they so nearly levelled as Ben Search curled a free kick against the bar before the Blues scrambled clear and then heard the final whistle to go to confirm their victory and take this competition for the fifth time in their history.
It had been a really well contested final, congratulations to Billericay Town on coming from behind to win this one, and commiserations to GWR who pushed their opponents all the way in a very watchable final in front of a decent crowd of over 2,000, and that completed this years BBC Essex Senior Cup.
Full time Billericay Town 2 Great Wakering Rovers 1
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