Billericay Town 1 Cray Wanderers 2

[Billericay Town Unofficial]

Well, I'm not entirely sure what to make of that performance.

 

Crays win their third game in 16, all three wins against Essex teams.  I understand they're applying for entry to the Essex Senior League.

 

Billericay spent a lot of the game looking scrappy.  Crays weren't great but took their chances and defended in numbers.  Billericay looked a lot more combative and lively when Ricky and Joe came on.  Ricky adopted a shoot on sight policy which never really worked well.  Joe hasn't looked the same player for a few games now.

 

MOTM was the referee.  His inept performance turned the game and helped Crays. 

They spent most of the game diving at the slightest touch and the referee fell for it every time.  He also listened to every one of their players that shouted at him every time they saw something they didn't like.  The diving and foolhardy officiating got worse , and more prolific, the longer the game went on.

 

If a referee makes a good decision, not matter which way it goes, then I will say so but today the referee was terrible.  I have it on good authority that there was an assessor in the main stand, hopefully his assessment will see this referee on a muddy council pitch referee two pub teams in the near future.

 

Crays looked a poor side and dragged Billericay down to their level.  There were times when The Blues appeared to not have a midfield in the second half as the ball was lofted aimlessly forward in the general direction of Ricky Sappleton.

 

Overall it was a lovely day ruined by 90 minutes of dire sport.  There must have been about 15 minutes of football, the rest was taken up by Crays players rolling around for nothing and the ball being hoofed over the top.

 

Hopefully the fixtures settling down will give the players more time to rest and help them pick up the form again.

 

I did however get a photo of the plane that went over, honest!

[blue pilgrim]

Well, I'm not entirely sure what to make of that performance.

 

Crays win their third game in 16, all three wins against Essex teams.  I understand they're applying for entry to the Essex Senior League.

 

Billericay spent a lot of the game looking scrappy.  Crays weren't great but took their chances and defended in numbers.  Billericay looked a lot more combative and lively when Ricky and Joe came on.  Ricky adopted a shoot on sight policy which never really worked well.  Joe hasn't looked the same player for a few games now.

 

MOTM was the referee.  His inept performance turned the game and helped Crays. 

They spent most of the game diving at the slightest touch and the referee fell for it every time.  He also listened to every one of their players that shouted at him every time they saw something they didn't like.  The diving and foolhardy officiating got worse , and more prolific, the longer the game went on.

 

If a referee makes a good decision, not matter which way it goes, then I will say so but today the referee was terrible.  I have it on good authority that there was an assessor in the main stand, hopefully his assessment will see this referee on a muddy council pitch referee two pub teams in the near future.

 

Crays looked a poor side and dragged Billericay down to their level.  There were times when The Blues appeared to not have a midfield in the second half as the ball was lofted aimlessly forward in the general direction of Ricky Sappleton.

 

Overall it was a lovely day ruined by 90 minutes of dire sport.  There must have been about 15 minutes of football, the rest was taken up by Crays players rolling around for nothing and the ball being hoofed over the top.

 

Hopefully the fixtures settling down will give the players more time to rest and help them pick up the form again.

 

I did however get a photo of the plane that went over, honest!

A fair assessment James.

 

Whilst I don't begrudge Crays their win, their antics were pathetic, aided and abetted by very poor officiating. Even one of their supporters confirmed that the free kick that led to their winner came from a dive. I could see that halfway down the ground but it was beyond the nous of a very feeble ref.

[Billericay Town Unofficial]

Out of all the dives today that was the most feeble.  The marking for the goal was appalling so The Blues can blame themselves for that.

 

A reporter tried to get a response out of Brian Clough once on a referee.  He said "out of all the people on the pitch the referee made less mistakes than the players."  He would fine players for arguing with the ref.  I'd like to know what he would have said about the refereeing today?

 

Late in the second half the linesman in front of the main stand spoke to the Crays bench for their opinion on what had happened.  He then went and spoke to the ref who booked a Blues player.  Surely if the lino didn't see it he shouldn't be getting someone's opinion on it!

 

I really should join the group behind the goal for one game before the end of the season.  Join in with the noise and see what the atmosphere is like.

Edited March 29, 2014 by James1981

[GazzaBTFC]

Not the best day at the office for the club both off and on the pitch. We are not a happy bunch are we. Which is a shame. But hey ho.

 

As for the game, poor very poor. The officials were bad, Cray had their own agenda which was to break the flow of the game up. If you are a Cray official or supporter and you have to watch that, I pity you. But hey, you got the three points so you can go back over the river and be as smug as you like. You pulled it off.

 

As for our lads, tired legs caused some of our problems and definitely affected or composure. Obviously some at the club think that the players are supposed to be supermen, despite the obvious diminishing support. People can point fingers at performance but we are not going to go anywhere as a club if we all just give up. Some if the players have played seven games in two weeks. Even professionals will have issues with that. And they don't have full time jobs to consider. And I am not making excuses here, just pointing out how I see the situation. We don't have the biggest of squads for various reasons. So, what we see is what we have got. And some of those guys deserve so much more than is being fed back from the sidelines. So what is the best way of lifting a team? What is the best way of lifting your supporters? There does appear to be a lack of understanding from both sides of the fence. If we can just keep our collective fingers off the applications of social networking and speak to each other, be adults and face each other instead of bitching on twitter (I aim this comment to everyone), we may find we can agree on some common ground and may find something to support and play for.

 

But I digress. I can't fault James post and I will agree that the officials allowed Cray every opportunity to engage in some "sportsmanship". As for the fracas at the sidelines, I agree. I don't think anyone saw what happened but their bench appeared to be blessed with total recall. And as for the assistant official to look for guidance from them was disgraceful.

 

Anyway, onwards and upwards to Wealdstone. Those of you that are travelling, see you there.

Edited March 29, 2014 by GazzaBTFC

[Plumstead Blue]

Congratulations to all at Billericay, as losing at home to Cray Wanderers puts you in the upper echelons on mediocrity.

 

It's a highly select group that doesn't include many teams!

Edited March 29, 2014 by GazzaBTFC

[thevoiceofreason]

Strange how referees are seldom the deciding factor when your team wins, isn't it?

[Billericay Town Unofficial]

I think the tiring of the small squad shows the need for investment in the pitch.  Less games being cancelled will mean less of a fixture pile up.

 

I think we have a core of a decent side.  With a few leaving and some decent replacements coming in the club can really push on.  I won't name names as people have different opinions on different players.  Obviously restrictions on the wage budget limit the standard of player the club brings in, we all understand that you have to cut your cloth accordingly.

 

I will say that when I started frequenting The Cow Shed in 2012 that no one had a good thing to say about Richard Halle.  That has drastically changed.  He came in last season and steadied the defence and is surely a show-in for March Player of the Month.  A steadying influence in a very young team.

 

Strange how referees are seldom the deciding factor when your team wins, isn't it?

 

Very true, but today shows us otherwise.

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if The Blues returned from Wealdstone with a point or three!

 

COYB.

Edited March 29, 2014 by James1981

[I am Spartacus]

Congratulations to all at Billericay, as losing at home to Cray Wanderers puts you in the upper echelons on mediocrity.

 

It's a highly select group that doesn't include many teams!

 

I must say I did enjoy our win last week against LOWestoft made up for the 2 losses we have recently had against other teams.

[stormin norman]

Congratulations to all at Billericay, as losing at home to Cray Wanderers puts you in the upper echelons on mediocrity.

It's a highly select group that doesn't include many teams!

What s dick licker you are ...nuff said !!!

[Plumstead Blue]

What s dick licker you are ...nuff said !!!

 

Woosh - 

 

- You fell for that cast and snagged the lure.

 

Essex has never been top of the education tables.

[GazzaBTFC]

I think the tiring of the small squad shows the need for investment in the pitch.  Less games being cancelled will mean less of a fixture pile up.

 

I think we have a core of a decent side.  With a few leaving and some decent replacements coming in the club can really push on.  I won't name names as people have different opinions on different players.  Obviously restrictions on the wage budget limit the standard of player the club brings in, we all understand that you have to cut your cloth accordingly.

 

I will say that when I started frequenting The Cow Shed in 2012 that no one had a good thing to say about Richard Halle.  That has drastically changed.  He came in last season and steadied the defence and is surely a show-in for March Player of the Month.  A steadying influence in a very young team.

 

 

 

Very true, but today shows us otherwise.

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if The Blues returned from Wealdstone with a point or three!

 

COYB.

I agree with most of what was said here. Supporters have to realise that we are not cash rich and we afford what we can get (or have). I think Craig has done very well with the players that he can afford to get and some are certainly ones for the future. It's a shame that reason by a minority of people that like to call themselves supporters gets shelved.

 

Supporting your club is as emotive as it gets but it is just no good booing and sulking. If you don't like which direction your club is going then do something about it. Engage. Be part of the change that you want. On the other side of the fence I think the club has to realise that there are some disengaged people who do like to think of themselves as supporters and want a change. Or at least some information as to what the off pitch challenges the club faces. Through ignorance, there is a hell of a lot of rumour that comes from miss information and gossip which finds itself on the social network from the miss informed and sometimes idiotic. I do see it from both sides and I do understand but on both sides there are personalities which quite frankly need to disengage, stand aside and let both the Chairman of the club and of the Supporters Club sit down and discuss properly their view of what they feel is wrong with the club and what is right and what to do about it to continue to take it forward.

 

True, whatever is decided or not relies on support but then it's up to the supporter and official to decide which and what level of support they wish to lend. And if it's nothing except your admission fee then so be it. Can't knock you for that but hopefully, at least, there will be a better understanding on both sides.

[GazzaBTFC]

In addition to my post I note we are 11th in the league but some of us are behaving as if we are fit for relegation. Go figure....

[thevoiceofreason]

Respect to you, Gazza, for the final paragraph of your post especially. Sometimes, people have busy, fulfilling lives and turning up, paying and maybe expressing an opinion will suffice for them. A tenner of a casual fan is worth exactly the same, financially, as that of those who, perhaps can seem preoccupied with hobby politics to an unhealthy degree. If you have the time and inclination to throw yourself into a club at whatever level, that's fine, although perhaps believing that this makes your view more valid, insightful or relevant can sometimes be seen to be incorrect.

[Brightside Bloke]

In addition to my post I note we are 11th in the league but some of us are behaving as if we are fit for relegation. Go figure....

 

 

Very true 11th place, Beaten by the team that are soon to be relegated.  Go figure..... 

[GazzaBTFC]

Oh dear, I post a reasonable comment and opinion and guess who comes along to accentuate the negative...

Edited March 30, 2014 by GazzaBTFC

[Billericay Town Unofficial]

One season in the Conference South has seemingly got people believing that's where the club should be and anything less than promotion is failure.

 

Its clear there is a limited budget to work with and, apart from a few players, Craig has had to build a team from scratch.

A top half finish is good, anything more than that would be a bonus.

 

Modern football relies on funds. If people are that concerned then they need to get involved and find ways to attract more people through the turnstiles.

 

This is only my second season watching The Blues but I really enjoy going. The match is only part of it, (most of) the people I've met are great and a good laugh. If any floating supporters turn up and hear the abuse and moaning aimed at our own players they'd be inclined to float elsewhere.

 

Yesterday was one defeat during a busy fixture backlog. We can now move on and go again.

 

COYB

[blue pilgrim]

Putting aside our resident troll, who has been outted by his own Club, it's good to have a half sensible debate.

 

We have reached safety, so lets all rejoice. The pitch has recovered and is looking pretty good - well done to those who worked so hard during the dark days. Whatever their ability, the lads have worked hard this season and don't deserve abuse from the sidelines or on social media. 

 

Yes we got beaten by the bottom club yesterday - so did Hornchurch and they are likely to be in the play-offs. Chelsea are in the Champions League Quarter Finals but lost at Palace yesterday - isn't football across our leagues just brilliant in it's unpredictability and interest.

 

The Season is over, lets have some fun and if possible chuck a few youngsters on in the remaining games because IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER GUYS !!!!!

 

COYB

[Ryan.c]

On the subject of youngsters, when was the last time we had an Under 18 player involved in the first team? I thought we had a clear progression from youth to first team...

[GazzaBTFC]

It is nice to have a sensible chat and BP I do like your post.

 

Both players and supporters are engaged in the social media of the day and both sides are acting like brats in my opinion. I call it "Twatter" for a reason. The only thing I can see is it fuelling the discontent. If you want to help, engage on a personal level and keep those fingers off the keyboard.

 

Anyway, off to Wealdstone on Monday to support the team.

[GazzaBTFC]

On the subject of youngsters, when was the last time we had an Under 18 player involved in the first team? I thought we had a clear progression from youth to first team...

Where we have had first team friendliest a number of youth players have been picked to play but I am told that they are just not ready yet for first team football.

 

Reading James last post and his piece concerning "floating supporters" it also goes for making the club attractive for players to want to play for. Obviously we can throw insults at each other on "Twatter" as well... Go figure... There is no right here but plenty of wrongs on both sides.