After a competitive first half, Welling United were defeated by two goals in the first fifteen minutes of the second period.

Starting brightly, Welling pushed the ball around nicely and Craig Braham-Barrett got free down the wing but his cross skimmed the roof of the net.

Soon after Welling won a corner and Brendan Kiernan picked out Josh Hill who headed down well but it hit a team-mate and went wide.

One of many former Wings, Danny Waldren, had Billericay’s first chance when meeting Jake Howells’ corner but his flicked header flew wide of the far post.

Kieron Cadogan then got in behind but his shot from a tight angle was deflected into the side netting.

Two more ex-Wings were involved in Billericay’s next chance. Adam Coombes’ free kick was beaten out by Dan Wilks as far as Ross Lafayette. His follow up was also blocked out to the edge of the area and Charlie Wassmer skied a poor attempt from twenty yards.

Chances then became fewer and further between although Wassmer headed wide from a Howells cross.

Then from a break, Welling had a break that was only stopped when Kiernan was brought down by yet another one time Wing, Moses Emmanuel, who was booked for the foul.

Wassmer made a brilliantly timed tackle to thwart Danny Mills as he was about to pull the trigger from ten yards out just before the end of the first half as Welling ended the half strongly.

Any hopes that Welling had of building on the momentum were thwarted when the hosts went ahead three minutes after the interval. Joe Kizzi’s low cross was behind Cadogan, but he controlled it before spinning and firing home through a forest of legs.

Bradley Goldberg almost made an immediate response but his first time shot zinged the wrong side of the far post.

That proved to be decisive when with under an hour still on the clock, Billericay scored the crucial second goal. A cross came in and Coombes met it with a powerful header that gave Dan Wilks no chance in the Welling goal.

A combination of Wilks and the crossbar kept out Wassmer as Billericay looked to turn the screw but Welling might have pulled one back when Welling mounted a counter attack only for Kiernan to fire well over.

Steve King made changes bringing on Mekhi McLeod for his Welling debut then Jack Barham as he changed the formation to try and change the game.

They had a chance when Kiernan headed a Julien Anau free kick at Billericay goalkeeper Alan Julian. Then Kiernan tried a free kick himself but fired well over.

Connor Smith should have made it three nil when Alfie Potter’s long cross-field pass picked out Emmanuel and he squared for Smith but the Billericay substitute fired over from ten yards out.

In the latter stages, Welling twice came close. First Anau fired a free kick over the defensive wall but just wide with Julian a bye-stander.

Mills then had one final chance when Barham picked him out but he could only hook his shot directly at the Billericay goalkeeper.

Defeat dropped Welling down to sixth place in the National League South with Billericay leap-frogging them into fifth place.

Welling United: Wilks, Gibbons, Braham-Barrett, Audel, Hill (McLeod 65), Acheampong, Anau, Ijaha, Mills, Goldberg (Barham 67), Kiernan (McCallum 82). Sub not used: Agyemang.