Early on Lucas Pattenden was teed up through into the penalty box but was denied by a good defensive challenge.

Frankie Merrifield did well in response to win the ball as Bognor failed to clear it but he managed to win a corner.  Spencer Spurway was there to head it away.

Then Dan Gifford in response set up Jasper Mather and his little run inside ended with him shooting high and wide on 7 minutes.

Dan Smith picked out Pattenden on the right on 10 minutes and in turn Pattenden crossed it to Smith but on the volley the Bognor striker couldn’t get enough of it to trouble Daniel Wilks.

Ryan Henshaw went into the book on 18 minutes for a bad challenge on Gifford on the turn.  Bognor wanted a penalty for a handball soon after but instead won a corner.  The short corner kick to Ben Anderson broke down though and was cleared.

Then Ryan Hall had to stop Bradley Stevenson with his low strike after a good ball through from Merrifield on 23 minutes.

Harvey Whyte went to ground as he tracked back to try and deny Merrifield. Stevenson had a shot in the end forcing Hall into a reaction save, pushing it off for a corner.

The resulting corner by Stevenson was headed into the path of Alfie Cerulli but his glancing header hit the top of the crossbar and out on 29 minutes.

Whyte did well to win possession and get a cross in low and Henshaw got his boot to it in defence but it only just flew wide of the right post on 32 minutes.

On 36 minutes Jasper Mather’s back pass was snatched by Merrifield who spotted Hall off his line but he was back enough to stop the shot which he didn’t manage to hit over him on 35 minutes.

Spurway was called into action as Bognor’s attack broke down and he denied Merrifield a certain chance with his run inside into the box after Oliver Peters had set him up on the counter attack on 38 minutes.

HT 0-0

Early on in the second half, Merrifield set up Stevenson with a cross through the penalty area but his diversion was blocked by the Bognor defence.

Matt Burgess made a good run from midfield, much like he did at Whitehawk in midweek, but after beating the defence his low strike rolled wide of the left post on 50 minutes.

Kieran Douglas replaced Whyte for Bognor on 51 minutes as Whyte was struggling with his running after picked up a knock in the first half.

Joe Rabbetts had a chance after being set up down the left but he fired his effort over the bar on 54 minutes.

Burgess was pushed down by Henshaw and the referee awarded a freekick.  Anderson hit the freekick through the defensive wall and wide off for a corner.  Unfortunately the ball played it was too deep and cleared.

Henshaw committed another foul in the Billericay half but again got away with not being given his second yellow card.

Hall was equal to Cerulli’s low strike from outside the box after a swift move down the left soon after from the visitors.

Adam Leathers fouled Burgess as he had beaten him on the turn.  He rightly went into the book as well for Billericay.

Jay Porter’s corner picked out Henshaw on the far post and it was Hall who tipped it around the post with a fine save on 65 minutes.

Smith came off for Tommy-Lee Higgs on 67 minutes for Bognor.

A long ball forward bounced through to Cerulli who beat the backline to it, but his strike low flew wide of the left post on 70 minutes.

Cerulli brought down Rabbetts on the left and he won a freekick. The ball into the area was headed out for a throw in.

Burgess squared it back to Spurway who made an effort from distance but the ball flashed over the crossbar on 73 minutes.

A long ball forward by Spurway saw Pattenden and a defender clash on the right and both required treatment.  This held up play for some minutes.  Pattenden, after having lengthy treatment, did return to action.

Rabbetts swung in another cross but Wilks gathered it.  Burgess then received a square pass by Gifford before blasting it high over the crossbar on 83 minutes.

A long throw by Spurway saw Pattenden win a freekick on the right.  Burgess picked out Douglas with the freekick but he headed it over the bar on 85 minutes.

Oliver Peters hit one on the volley from outside the box and it ricocheted off the underside of the crossbar and it looked close to bouncing over the goal line.  However, the ball hadn’t crossed the line according to the officials on 86 minutes.

But Bognor were battling for the winning goal and amazingly got it on 87 minutes.  Pattenden made a good run down the right and a brilliant cut back pass for Tommy-Lee Higgs saw him beat one man before shooting it wonderfully into the bottom left corner with a curling effort.

Right after this Billericay had a chance to score as Cerulli put the ball on a plate for Merrifield with a pinpoint cross but after a short inward run he shot it along the deck and wide of the far post when he really should have done better.

Nerves were high at the end as Bognor held onto the win after almost 7 minutes of time added on.  They now travel to Haringey Borough next on Saturday 3rd February with kick off at 3pm.

FT 1-0

Rocks: Hall, Whyte (Douglas 51), Rabbetts, Burgess, Spurway, Robson (c), Pattenden (Briffa 90), Anderson, Smith (Higgs 67), Gifford, Mather
Subs not used: Olaniyan, Bridgman