Date   27th September 2008     Competition   FA Cup sponsored by E.ON,  2nd Qualifying Round     Attendance   410     Referee   Ashvin Degnarain (Islington)

Lineup   1 Paul Nicholls     2 Jack Smith    56 Palmer 3 Alan Bray     4 Gavin Heeroo     5 Chris Collins     6 Karim El-Salahi     7 Delando Smith    68 Hann 8 Adam Wilde    56 Dunn 9 Karl Murray     10 Daniel Webb     11 Gavin McCallum     12 Dean Palmer     14 Matt Hann     15 Steve West     16 Steve McKimm     17 Billy Dunn     18 Craig Dundas, 19 Danny Bracken

Four days after losing in unsatisfactory circumstances in the Ryman League at New Lodge, Sutton turned the tables in the FA Cup on Saturday with a fine second half performance that saw them through to a place in the 3^rd qualifying round. They had some uneasy moments in the first half but after Delando Smith, preferred to Matt Hann in the starting line-up, had rattled the crossbar on the half hour U’s gained increasing control, and three second half goals, sparked by a spectacular substitution that saw Billy Dunn score with his first touch seconds after coming on, earned a deserved victory. The goal that saw U’s defeated on Tuesday had come when striker Joe Flack blocked a drop-kicked clearance from Paul Nicholls, but the controversy then was nothing to what would have been caused had Billericay taken an early lead on Saturday when another incident between the two players saw Nicholls left on the ground after a collision, and the ball launched from the halfway line towards an unguarded goal with referee Ashvin Degnarain waving play on. Fortunately for U’s Alan Bray was able to chase back and clear from inside the six yard box before Nicholls was able to receive three minutes’ worth of treatment. U’s had already had one chance, Ashley Dumas making a fine clearance from Gavin McCallum as Adam Wilde crossed low, but it was the visitors who held sway early on and U’s were grateful that Nicholls made a sufficient recovery to save well with his feet from Flack when the striker went through, and then block a fierce angled shot from Steve Heffer. This was Billericay’s best spell of the game, but didn’t produce a goal and U’s began to create chances of their own. Debutant striker Daniel Webb, signed the day before the game, had his first chance in the 26^th minute but under pressure failed to get any power in to his shot after being set up by Wilde, however four minutes later U’s came close to breaking the deadlock in thrilling style when McCallum put Smith away, and the winger outpaced Dumas before hammering in a shot from the edge of the penalty area that crashed down off the underside of the bar. Although the second half started inauspiciously for U’s when Karim El-Salahi was booked for a foul within ten seconds, they again came close to going ahead soon afterwards when goalkeeper Jack Buckfield fumbled a low shot from Wilde and only just managed to keep the ball from crossing the line and Delando Smith’s follow up effort was blocked. Wilde was one of two players then replaced as Dean Palmer made his return from injury and Dunn, the match winner against Canvey Island a week earlier after coming off the bench, was sent on by manager Paul Doswell, who can scarcely have imagined that the change would have an impact quite so quickly. Gavin Heeroo was waiting to take a free kick as the changes were made, and Dunn went straight to the near post to meet Heeroo’s delivery with a glancing header that found the corner of the net. Palmer also came close to marking his appearance with a goal, a low shot from the right just missing at the far post, but after the lively Smith had made way for Hann U’s should have had a second goal when fine work by McCallum set up a clear chance for Webb, but his weak first shot was saved and he poked the rebound against the post. Redemption wasn’t far away, though, as a minute later a corner was cleared out to Karl Murray, and when his crisp low shot was only parried by Buckfield,  Webb reacted quickest to force the rebound home for a debut goal. That should have settled things, but Billericay replied with a 20 yard effort from Billy Bricknell that went just wide, and then gave themselves hope when a cross from Dave Wareham that drifted over Nicholls and landed in the net by the far post. Their chances of recovering to prolong their interest in the competition quickly receded, though, firstly when defender Lynvall Duncan, booked earlier for a foul on Webb, held back the same player as they tried to reach a long clearance from Nicholls and was sent off, and more emphatically six minutes from time when U’s launched a superb counter-attack through Hann, who timed his pass perfectly to put McCallum through for a chance that he took with some style as Buckfield came out. But for a fine save by Buckfield McCallum would have had another before the end, but by then U’s were safely through.

Billericay: J Buckfield, N Marron, A Dumas, L Duncan, T Cole, S Heffer, S Ferguson, L Hunter(sub S Henry 83), J Flack(sub J Dormer 63), B Bricknell, D Wareham.  Subs n/u R Worster, H Chatting, J West, S Keys. Booked: Heffer(64-persistent infringement), Duncan(75-foul), Wareham(85-foul). Sent Off: Duncan(81-foul-second bookable offence)

Adam Wilde runs at the Billericay defence.
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Delando Smith holds the ball up on the right wing.
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Paul Nicholls claims a cross.
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Billy Dunn's header goes in to give the U's the lead.
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Dan Webb pounces on a parried shot to score on his debut.
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Gavin McCallum curls a shot past the Billericay 'keeper to score Sutton's third.
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