The wait is finally over as this Tuesday, Great Wakering Rovers will be gearing up for a David vs Goliath showdown with Billericay Town at Colchester United's JobServe Community Stadium on Tuesday night in the final of the BBC Essex Senior Cup Final.

A total of 57 clubs entered the 2025-26 Essex Senior Cup, with the competition following its traditional straight knockout format. Ties were settled on the night, with penalty shootouts used if needed, and for those entering at round one there were six matches to negotiate to reach the final.

The tournament began in August and, as ever, brought together a wide range of clubs from across the county’s football pyramid throughout the autumn. Entrants ranged from professional sides such as Colchester United and Southend United, who entered in Round Three, to grassroots outfits like Step 10 newcomers Lymore Gardens, who took part in the competition for the first time.

This season’s edition has delivered plenty of drama, from high-scoring ties and heavy wins to notable giant-killings, with Great Wakering Rovers' remarkable run to the final standing out as the story of the tournament.

Great Wakering Rovers have defied the odds to reach the final of this prestigious competition from the very first round. Overturning a 5-1 deficit with ten minutes to play in Round One to defeat May & Baker 6-5 and claiming four scalps against higher-level opposition along the way.

Rovers will need the backing of their village more than ever for the night as all odds will be against them.

Isthmian Premier side Billericay Town entered the competition from the third round. They've dispatched teams from the lower leagues until losing to Aveley in the semi-final. However, Billericay were reinstated after initially losing their semi-final 3-0, with Aveley later found to have fielded an ineligible player.

Billericay Town will be looking to claim a fifth Essex Senior Cup triumph whilst Great Wakering Rovers will be aiming to lift the trophy for the first time ever.

Billericay have built a strong modern record in the competition. The Blues have reached nine finals and lifted the trophy four times, winning in 1975-76, 2010-11, 2017-18 and 2021-22. They also reached the 2019-20 final before the competition was left incomplete because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and have finished runners-up on five occasions, in 1985-86, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1995-96 and 2014-15.

Great Wakering Rovers, meanwhile, are chasing a first Essex Senior Cup win. Their only previous final appearance came in 2006-07, when they were beaten 2-1 by AFC Hornchurch at Roots Hall. They are also the first Essex Senior League side to reach the final since Billericay’s triumph in 1975-76, a neat historical echo that underlines the scale of Rovers' achievement and gives them the chance to follow a path Billericay set exactly 50 years ago.

There will also be a familiar face in the opposition dugout to many older supporters, with Billericay Town now managed by former player Danny Scopes. The former midfielder played for the Rovers from 1994-2005, playing 349 games and scored 31 goals. He was part of the side that won the Essex Senior League in 1995 and their rise into the Isthmian League before departing in 2005.

(Ben Mapp, 2026)

Brief History of Billericay Town:

The club was established as Billericay Football Club in 1880. They joined the Romford & District League in 1890, where the club played until World War I. They also started playing in the Mid-Essex League, winning Division Two in 1912–13, 1931–32 and 1932–33. The club remained in the Mid-Essex League until joining the Southern Essex Combination League in 1947. In 1946 they adopted their current name. In 1966 the club were founder members of the Essex Olympian League. The 1969–70 season saw them win the league and League Cup double, a feat they repeated the following season. Following their back-to-back titles, the club became founder members of the Essex Senior League in 1971, finishing as runners-up in its first season and winning the title in 1972–73.

After finishing as runners-up again, Billericay won back-to-back league titles in 1974–75 and 1975–76. The latter season also saw them reach the final of the FA Vase and beat Stamford 1–0 at Wembley, as well as a first Essex Senior Cup title when they beat Epping Town 3–2 in the final. Although they only finished third in 1976–77, they retained the FA Vase, beating Sheffield 2–1 in a replay at the City Ground in Nottingham after a 1–1 draw at Wembley. In 1977 the club switched to the Athenian League, which they won at the first attempt. The 1978–79 season saw them retain their Athenian League title and win a third FA Vase in four seasons, beating Almondsbury Greenway 4–1 in the final, with Doug Young becoming the only player to score a hat-trick in an FA Vase final at the old Wembley. The following season saw them move up to Division Two of the Isthmian League, which they also won at the first attempt, earning promotion to Division One.

Billericay's success continued in 1980–81 as they finished as runners-up in Division One and were promoted to the Premier Division, the first time back-to-back promotions had been achieved in the league by a new club. The club remained in the Premier Division until being relegated to Division One at the end of the 1985–86 season. This began a spell as a yo-yo club, as they were relegated to Division Two North at the end of the 1988–89 season. The club were placed in Division Two in 1991 after league restructuring, before being promoted back to Division One in 1992–93 and then to the Premier Division in 1997–98 after finishing as Division One runners-up. The 1997–98 season also saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 3–2 at home to fellow non-League club Wisbech Town.

In 2004–05 Billericay reached the first round of the FA Cup again, losing 1–0 at home to Stevenage Borough. They also finished as Premier Division runners-up, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. However, the club were beaten 2–0 at home by Leyton in the semi-finals. A fourth-place finish in 2006–07 saw them qualify for the play-offs again, this time beating local rivals Chelmsford City 5–3 on penalties in the semi-finals after a 1–1 draw, before losing 4–2 on penalties to Bromley in the final following another 1–1 draw. In 2007–08 they qualified for the first round of the FA Cup again, losing 2–1 at home to Swansea City.

In 2010–11 Billericay won the Essex Senior Cup for a second time, beating Aveley 2–0 in the final. The following season saw the club win the Premier Division, earning promotion to the Conference South. However, they were relegated back to the Isthmian League the following season after finishing second-from-bottom of the Conference South. In December 2016 the club was taken over by Glenn Tamplin, who funded several high-profile signings including Jamie O'Hara, Jermaine Pennant and Paul Konchesky. They won the Isthmian League Cup in 2016–17, beating Tonbridge Angels 8–3 in the final. The club reached the first round of the FA Cup for a fourth time in 2017–18, drawing 1–1 at Leatherhead in the first match and losing the replay 3–1. The season also saw them retain the League Cup, beating Metropolitan Police 5–3 in the final, as well as winning the Premier Division title, earning promotion to the National League South. Tamplin announced that he was leaving the club in September 2019.

Another FA Cup first round appearance in 2018–19 saw Billericay lose 3–1 at home to Chesterfield in a replay. The club finished bottom of the National League South in 2021–22 and were relegated to the Premier Division of the Isthmian League. In 2024–25 they were runners-up in the Premier DIvision, before losing 2–1 to Dover Athletic in their play-off semi-final.

Recent Form:

21st Mar: Dulwich Hamlet 0-1 Billericay Town
14th Mar: Billericay Town 3-2 Aveley
7th Mar: Cray Valley Paper Mills 1-4 Billericay Town
3rd Mar: Lewes 0-3 Billericay Town
28th Feb: Billericay Town 1-0 Folkestone Invicta

Previous Encounters:

Both teams have been leagues apart and have only met each other on two occasions in cup competitions with the Blues winning on both occasions.

Played: 2
Won: 0
Drawn: 0
Lost: 2

25th Jan 2011: Billericay Town 2-0 Rovers (Essex Senior Cup Quarter Final)
6th Oct 2014: Billericay Town 8-2 Rovers (Isthmian League Cup First Round)

The Teams' Route to the Final:

Billericay Town

Billericay entered the competition in Round Three in October and defeated three lower league opponents to reach the semi-finals.

The Blues began their campaign with a routine 3-0 win over Waltham Abbey, with Freddie Hockey, Jack Evans and Alfie Cerulli all on target. In the next round, they made the trip to north-east Essex to face Little Oakley in the first meeting between the two clubs. A first-half header from Ollie Parsons and a second-half strike from Liam Nash were enough to send a Billericay side featuring several young debutants through to the quarter-finals.

There, they hosted a youthful Tilbury team and produced their most dominant display of the run, winning 5-0 at New Lodge. Nash scored twice, with Daniel Izekor, Ben Steward and Tyrese Owen also finding the net.

That set up a semi-final trip to Parkside against fellow Isthmian Premier promotion hopefuls Aveley. The Millers won 3-0 on the night, but were later removed from the competition after fielding an ineligible player, meaning Billericay were reinstated and progressed to their first Essex Senior Cup final in four years.

Great Wakering Rovers

Rovers had two extra rounds to navigate and began their campaign back in August, with their route to Colchester packed with drama.

Their opening tie against May & Baker EC quickly became one of the stories of the competition. Rovers found themselves 5-1 down after just 36 minutes and were still four behind with ten minutes remaining at Burroughs Park. Mitchell Arthur pulled one back to offer a flicker of hope, before Jack McQueen and Alfie Whittaker struck in quick succession to make it 5-4. Shaun Gittleson then levelled in the 90th minute, before Max Gnandi completed an extraordinary 6-5 comeback in stoppage time to seal surely the most remarkable victory of the season.

Round Two was calmer by comparison, as Rovers beat fellow Essex Senior League side West Essex 3-0 thanks to an Alex Teniola brace and a goal from Emmanuel Okunja.

Their first upset followed in round three, when they won on penalties away to Takeley after a 1-1 draw after Harry Talbot levelled the game late on. Another came in round four, as Rovers beat Step 4 side Heybridge Swifts 3-0 at Burroughs Park. Sean Gittleson gave them the lead in the first half, before Harrison Topliss and a late own goal secured their place in the last eight.

Arguably their most impressive result came in the quarter-finals, when they beat National League South play-off contenders Chelmsford City 3-0 at home. Goals from Bradleigh Rowland, Luke Hirst and Max Gnandi sent Rovers into the semi-finals and set up a tie against Hashtag United.

The run continued with a fourth upset in the last four. Rovers came from behind to beat the Tags 2-1, with Bradley Bennett and captain Ben Search scoring the goals that booked their place in the final.

Words from the Gaffer:

“I think, as a club, it’s been a real, real club effort from top to bottom - from the Chairman to the Secretary, to the bar staff, to the Management Team, all the way down to every single player that’s represented the club in the cup this season. There’s been many, many people to thank. You have to dedicate a fair amount of time to football and, this season, everyone has.”

“It’s massive, a huge achievement for the whole club. It puts Wakering in a sort of bigger place on the map. They are a little village in the middle of nowhere, really. It’s a small place, but the attendances have gone up this season - it might be from the FA Vase run that we had a few years ago. But every year it seems to increase, which is really good for us.”

Admission Prices:

Match tickets will be available on the night from a self-service machine in the Club Shop (card only), though booking online and using the Print@Home/smartphone option is advised to reduce queuing. The game will only show on the self-serve machine on the day.

Rovers will be backed by 205 supporters and will need them to play their part as the 12th man on the night.

Adults £15
Seniors £8 (over 65)
U18s £8
U16s £2

Tickets can be purchased from the following link:
https://tickets.colchesterunited.net/Tickets/BuyTickets/SeatSelection/34946?away=true

How To Get There:

MATCHDAY PARKING - There is a large car park on site at the JobServe Community Stadium, with almost 700 spaces available. These can be booked in advance of each matchday via colutickets.com - you'll need to add your car registration to your booking to access via the ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) barrier on arrival. Parking spaces typically cost £7.50 per car.

Should you have any questions around the JobServe Community Stadium Car Park, please email ticketing@colchesterunited.net.

Park & Ride (£3): Cuckoo Farm Way, Off A12 Junction 28, Mile End, Colchester, Essex, CO4 5JA. After parking-up, supporters should then walk the Boxted Road route to the stadium (pathway at the back of the Park & Ride Car Park) rather than taking the risk of crossing the junction, which is very unsafe. This is an Essex County Council service and payment is made at the barrier upon departure.

Stadium (from £7.50p): Parking (including wheelchair, ambulant, disabled or carer parking) will show as available to purchase on the dashboard of the ticket account when created.

Only wheelchair, disabled or carer tickets can be arranged via (01206) 755161 (Monday to Friday, 10:00am-2:00pm). Anyone requiring wheelchair access should create an online ticket account first before contacting to book (all other tickets are to be booked online including ambulant disabled tickets).

PLEASE NOTE:
Please use the links below to purchase your BBC Essex Senior Cup Final tickets and parking, and note that the JobServe Community Stadium is a cashless venue.

By Car:

The stadium is served by the A12, easily accessible from Junction 28.

FROM THE SOUTH (IPSWICH-BOUND CARRIAGEWAY) - To access the stadium from the south, turn off at Junction 28, turning right at the first roundabout. Go across the bridge and then go straight over the second roundabout, before turning right on to United Way from the third roundabout. You are now at the stadium.

FROM THE NORTH (LONDON-BOUND CARRIAGEWAY) - To access the stadium from the north, turn off at Junction 28, turning left at the first roundabout. Turn right on to United Way from the second roundabout. You are now at the stadium.

Access to the stadium in a vehicle is only via United Way - there is a barrier blocking access from Boxted Road.

By Train:

The closest train station for the JobServe Community Stadium is the Colchester Station, which is on the mainline between London and Norwich.

It is a forty-five minute walk from the station to the stadium via Mile End Road, Nayland Road and Boxted Road, or you could catch a Park and Ride bus (check the timetable before travelling), which will get you to within a 10 minute walk of the stadium.

By Bus:

Park and Ride buses serve the park and ride to and from the town centre are available on Saturdays until approx 6:30pm. For midweek matches (7:45pm KO), buses will get you to the ground in good time, but will finish running before the end of the game.

Other ESL Fixtures: (Kickoff 7.45pm unless stated)

Tuesday 24th
Benfleet v Halstead Town
SOUL Tower Hamlets v Buckhurst Hill (To be played at Buckhurst Hill)

Wednesday 25th
Sporting Bengal United v Little Oakley