IT’S RICAY TIME
Three cups in one crazy year for Blues
They may have made hard work of it, but Billericay celebrated in style after winning the Bostik Premier
FOR all the talk, Billericay Town certainly delivered. It was far from straight forward but 74 games and three trophies later, Ricay are sailing in the right direction.
After reaching the FA Cup first round and the FA Trophy quarter-finals, the Essex Senior Cup was the first piece of silverware to be lifted with a win over the National League South’s Chelmsford City. A thrilling 5-3 triumph over Met Police after extra-time in the Isthmian League Cup final followed before they saved the best ‘til last, going up as Bostik League champions in a title race with Dulwich Hamlet that repeatedly swung from South London to Essex and back again.
While there is no doubt the financial backing owner Glenn Tamplin provided has been a major factor in Billericay’s success, it doesn’t guarantee results.
And so it was left to 29-year-old Harry Wheeler to manage a dressing room brimming with talent, egos and some Premier League experience.
“It’s been a big rollercoaster and personally a great learning experience,” he told The NLP. “There’s been lots of up and downs, changes in players and staff. There’s a lot of things behind the scenes people don’t know about. The boys have been unbelievable; it’s been difficult at times but enjoyable. “Regardless of the financial position, to do the treble is an amazing achievement, I don’t think people can take that away. The lads have lived up to their reputation and have done it across a staggering amount of games. We had to keep the squad fresh, but keep the consistency.
Challenge
“You finish a game on a Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning you’re reading scouting reports and speaking to other managers about other teams for a match the next day. I’ve really enjoyed the challenge; I live and breathe it.”
An opening-day defeat to Kingstonian, managed by former Billericay boss Craig Edwards, was almost inevitable. The subsequent reaction of the Non-League community was near palpable.
Yet from then, Billericay, the side everyone wanted to beat, never looked back although still felt a few bumps in the road. “You can’t get distracted by people’s opinions or comments,” said the former St Albans manager. “You’ve got to protect the players and create an ‘everyone’s against you’ environment. That was a positive. “I span it like that all season and it got more out of the players. We turned any negative into a positive. “They’re going into a higher, stronger league and hopefully they will make another challenge. If the budget is reduced then staying there is a great achievement. It’s the highest league they’ve played in. “For myself, we’ll see, I’m meant to be here next season. I’ve had a lot of people speak to me. I want to go to the top and manage as high as I can. “We plan as if we’re here next year and take it from there.” There will be more twists and turns in the Billericay story, but the first chapter has undoubtedly been a success.