Cray get the blues at Billericay (From News Shopper)

Cray get the blues at Billericay

11:36am Sunday 26th February 2012 in Cray By Jerry Dowlen

IT was a distinct case of Cray Wanderers getting the blues at league leaders Billericay Town as they were no match for the home side's power and strength in a 3-1 defeat.

Billericay duly increased their lead at the top of the table, while Cray, in fifth place, are realistically looking at the play-offs for their route to promotion this season, if they can achieve it.

A tough tackle by Rob Swaine after five minutes set out Billericay's stall and after half an hour the Wands were three goals down.

Ruthless finishing by the league leaders began with Jay May holding up the ball on the left before setting up Harrison Chatting to cross for Courtney White to head home.

Billericay’s doubled their lead when a breakaway left Cray exposed at the back and Glenn Poole played in White who held off Tyrone Sterling before slotting past Andy Walker for his second.

Five minutes later it was effectively game over as Town scored their third.

A Sam Berry corner was only half cleared by the visitors allowing Poole to deliver the ball back into the area.

Chatting knocked it back across goal for Chris Wild to get a slight touch, taking the ball past Walker.

Far from being damage limitation by Cray, who had been trying to play their impressive pass-and-move style of football, it was nearly 3-2 at half-time as they came strongly and unexpectedly back into the game.

Chris Saunders pulled back a goal following a corner-kick, and then it needed a block by Wild to prevent a repeat goal from the Wands' next corner-kick.

After the interval, Billericay showed confidence that their solid defence could sit on their 3-1 lead while hitting Cray on the break.

That's exactly how it went with Cray unable to change the course of the game.

Cray are at home to Hastings United next Saturday (3pm).

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Cray: Walker, Young, Bentley, Saunders, Vines, Sterling, Whitnell (Power), Perkins (Dolby), Bremner, Phillips, Clark. Subs not used: Parkinson, Hall, Jenkins.