This game looked on paper that the hosts who had signed a raft of players after a take-over would be a home win. The fact it was played on grass and a very frosty grass pitch and that AFC’s team spirit and team ethic showed through. It was without doubt Sudbury’s best performance of the season as they deservedly brought all three points back to Suffolk.

It seemed perhaps the game may not take place with a heavy coating of frost on the New Lodge pitch, but after a pitch inspection the referee deemed it playable and both sides did well in the circumstances.

Jordan Blackwell and James Baker had to sit the game out through suspension, so young players Alfie Carroll and Aidan Austin again took the full-back roles. The both performed admirably.

The game started with the home side eager to please and they got forward with Krasniqi using his long throws to cause problems in the AFC box. Marcus Garnham did well on several occasions punching the ball clear when under pressure.

Rob Eagle and Dylan Williams, two very willing workhorses in the AFC side combined well but Stephenson cleared. Billericay went in front on ten minutes following another long throw when Sam Clarke tried to clear but the ball fell to Johnson who fired home.

Sam Bantick looked very lively and had a shot save by Giddens in the home goal. Carroll was on hand to clear a Taaffe shot off the goal line. AFC countered and a free kick taken by Austin came back to Craig Parker whose shot went into Giddens' arms.

It looked like AFC had equalised on thirty-two minutes Eagle got the ball inside to Williams and the Cambridge loanee curled a shot around the keeper only to see it come back off the post.

Bantick was proving a handful with his direct running at the home defence and he saw a shot of his cleared off the line by Vancooten. At the other end Garnham saved well from Bricknell before AFC levelled. Some good work by Eagle and Luke Callander before the ball came out to Dylan Williams who kept his shot down and saw it go into the back of the net on forty-minutes.

Things got better three minutes later a long ball out found Parker and then Eagle who waltzed into the penalty area beating defenders and then unselfishly laid the ball to Luke Callander to score from close range.

Half Time;- Billericay Town 1 AFC Sudbury 2

Not happy at the break Billericay introduced to substitutes at the start of the half and as expected the side dominated the opening minutes. Unlike in recent games AFC stood firm and did not concede in that time.

Bantick continued to attack at every opportunity and he lobbed the ball over Giddens but it was cleared away by Wilson. Williams broke away from halfway and had Callander with him and the latter had a chance but was tackled as he went to shoot. Soon afterwards Williams was on the ball again and got the ball to Austin whose shot was deflected just wide.

Eagle went off with a slight muscle pull and Tyler French replaced him going to left back with Austin pushing forward.

A third goal was soon to come and what a goal it was as Captain Sam Clarke from twenty yards lashed home a great strike into the top corner with no defender of keeper able to get near it.

Monville and Hubble both had shots one wide the other well over as AFC looked good for their lead. Bantick had a shot at the Billericay goal and Sobers very nearly put through his own net.

Jack Newman took the place of the limping Austin as the home side built up a head of steam and thought they had scored through Bricknell but he was offside.

Clarke had his name taken by the referee who did well throughout the evening with a tricky pitch. Liam Wales came on with six minutes left taking the place of Bantick.

On the stroke of ninety-minutes Bricknell from close range bundled the ball home and then AFC had to see out three minutes of stoppage time. They did so and during that time Carroll twice cleared off the AFC line.

The final whistle went and it had been a great team performance and three points in the bag.

Att 273

YNOT