Billericay Town will be hoping to end their first season back in the Ryman League Premier Division for 12 years in party style on Saturday afternoon.

The New Lodge side end the campaign with a home game against Aylesbury and it's worth reflecting on just how much has been achieved by the club this season.

A disappointing second half of the campaign, during which they've been cruelly weakend by a huge injury crisis, tends to mask just how well Town have done this term.

Whatever the result, Billericay are likely to finish the season in the top half of the table . . . and in such exalted company that's something they would certainly have settled for when the campaign started.

There's no doubt that the club will be looking to strengthen the playing squad in the summer months.

However, with players of the stature of defender Gary Waters, plus front-runners David Adekola and Lennie Dennis, set to be fit and ready to return next season the future is far from bleak.

Tomorrow's contest promises to be far better than a tepid end of season affair. Aylesbury themselves have had problems during the second half of the campaign.

At one time they were clear favourites for the title and subsequent place in the Nationwide Conference that goes with that honour.

They were eventually pipped for the championship crown by Sutton United and need to win tomorrow to be certain of runners-up spot.

Billericay, hoping to bounce back from last week's dreadful defeat at relegation-threatened Carshalton, will have central defender Chris Moore back after completing his suspension.

Also, flankman Martin St Hilaire, out for a spell with a nasty rib injury, should be fit to return.

In a season during which he's collected representative honours, Hilaire could be a top candidate for the supporters club's Player of the Year prize, which will be awarded at the fans' annual disco at New Lodge on Saturday night.

Another sign of success will be provided before the game when the Billericay ladies team parade the Great London Women's League Russell Cup, which they won last week with a final success over their counterparts from West Ham.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.