Crusaders take a six-hit

Cup hopes ended by vibrant Billericay

Billericay Town 6 Hungerford Town 1

HUNGERORD were hammered out of the FA Cup by Billericay’s power as the Essex side added a splash of colour suited to the glorious mural that adorns one of the new stands at The AGP Arena.

Hungerford did their best to throw some mud onto the glitter, but it was too hard a task for a patched up side shorn of too many key elements, and Billericay’s power-packed squad fully deserved their trip to Brackley in the next round and the £7,500 purse as small change for owner Glenn Tamplin’s rebuilding of the club.

The home were driving forward from the start, and although Hungerford did their best to counter, they did not have the home side’s varied resources at their disposal.

Even the loss of former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder Jermaine Pennant after only a dozen minutes proved lot be no real loss as his replacement Billy Bricknell went on to net a hat-trick.

The opening goal however, went to the equally dangerous Louie Theophanous after 18 minutes, set up by Ricky Modeste as Billericay sent in a three-pronged attacking force around unyielding target man Adam Cunnington.

He was involved when Bricknell got off the mark five minutes before the break, just as Hungerford were beginning to find some space going forward. And for a spell after the interval, it looked as if they might claw back the tie when Stefan Brown turned in Louis Soares’ cross at the near post.

But defence quickly turned into attack for the home side, who broke twice the space of four minutes as Bricknell completed his triple.

The rampant home side were limited to only two more goals by dogged defensive work and the outstanding Marcus Beauchamp with Jeremy Lynch ghosting through and Paul Konchesky directing in a sweet free kick ploy off a defender to keep Billericay buzzing and no doubt a little more in the public eye for a while to come.

Billericay Town: Julian; Paine, Ellul, Evans, Konchesky; Cunnington, Deering, Waldren, Pennant; Theophanous, Modeste. Subs: Bricknell, Chambers, Whymark, Lynch, Robinson.

Hungerford Town: Beauchamp; Tyler, Read, Hering, John; Clark, Rees, Simpson, Soares; Brown, Bignall. Stonehouse, Rusby, Lawrence, Kelly, Boardman.

Referee: Jack Packman (Kent). Attendance: 1020.