A brace from Liam Feeney was just about enough to see the Missioners through a tough replay with Billericay at Church Road on Tuesday evening.

Kevin Hill made three changes to the side that started the original game at New Lodge with Daniel Dyer, Jon Dyer and Michael Bartley coming into the side in place of Ryan Ashe, Shaun McAuley and Josh Scott. Positional changes also saw Kieran Knight drop back to strengthen the central midfield area.

Both sides had an early chance to open the scoring, and it was the visitors who took full advantage. Billericay defender Darren Blewitt was caught napping by Jon Dyer on the edge of his own area, the striker blocking keeper Ronnie Worsters clearance only for the ball to role agonisingly the wrong side of the post. Within a minute our own Kevin Davies stretched to push a 30 yard free-kick by Lee Hodges over the bar, the good work however was undone from the corner as Blewitt was left free to stoop and head home from 12 yards, just squeezing the ball inside the upright.

We were rocked by this early blow and the visitors began pushing for a second, and they would netted but for the brilliance of Davies. Having failed to properly clear, Dave McSweeney was allowed time to shoot from the edge but missed the target and minutes later we again failed to get sufficient distance on a clearance, the ball finding its way to Hodges whose pinpoint cross found Blewitt 6 yards from goal only for Davies to superbly block his volley at point blank range and Dave Collins shot the rebound across goal and wide.

This scare seemed to awaken the Hayes side and four minutes later we were level. Davies pumped a free-kick towards the Billericay area, Bartley chested a perfect ball to Feeney who touched the ball to the right before curling an unstoppable shot into the top corner giving Worster no chance.

As the visitors had, the Missioners took heart from their strike and pushed forwards in search of a second. Knight set up Feeney but this time Worster was equal to his shot, saving at the base of the post and the keeper was again well placed when Knight curled a free-kick over the defensive wall into Worsters midriff.

Then on 34 minutes we scored what I’m sure the visitors will consider a controversial winner. Hodges was tackled in his own half and went down injured, the ball found it’s way to our end of the field and after moving it into the centre circle Knight played a through ball that Jon Dyer chased, having been played onside, by the injured player, Worster did well to block his shot only for Feeney to pick up the loose ball, again touch to the right and clip it into the far corner of the net.

Within minutes it was almost level again, Dave Collins found space to cross on the left, his centre was knocked down by Joe Flack to Nathan Elder who beat Davies only for his effort to come back off the crossbar before being hacked clear by Gilbert Nuako. The final kick of the half saw Daniel Dyer try his luck from distance but his volley narrowly missed the target.

The second half was to see no less chances, just two minutes in Collins again found space on the left and crossed to Flack who could only head wide of the target under pressure from Nuako, with referee Martin waving away cries for a penalty from the visiting bench. Within minutes Flack again met the ball with his head, this time from a Hodges cross, but the result was the same.

Still ‘ricay pushed for the equaliser, Orlando Jeffrey failed to get distance on a clearance, Flack fed the ball to skipper Jamie Dormer but his effort was well defended by Peter Collins who conceded a corner, the kick finding the head of Elder but his effort was easily held by Davies.

A brief respite for the Hayes back-line saw a Nuako throw headed back to Feeney who was inches wide with a volley that would have given him a hat-trick. Play soon swung back to the other end where Hodges was allowed to move from the right side to centre before firing a shot that Davies allowed to pass the post by inches, good judgement or luck – you decide!!

Hodges again caused problems when he chipped a free-kick into the mix, Adam Logie did well to reach the ball first and half clear to Flack, his centre being met by Blewitt whose overhead effort failed to trouble Davies.

As we approached the final five minutes Jon Dyer twice had chances to seal the victory, firstly he got a touch to a shot by namesake Daniel only for Worster to save at the post and within a minute Feeney broke away down the left before finding the striker who turned the defender but again could not beat Worster.

The failure to kill the game off almost came back to haunt us during the seven minutes of stoppage time played by Mr Martin, thankfully the excellent Nuako twice managed to throw himself into the firing line to block away shots from Elder that were no further than eight yards from goal and could have caused Davies serious problems.

Report by Kevin Watts.