I have loved my time at Billericay Town so far. Ever since I joined the club on a voluntary basis near the end of last season, everybody has made me feel so welcome and have been very supportive in what I want to achieve. It all started in March when I attended Billericay Town’s match against Oxford City in the Vanarama National League South. I had a nice chat Andy, one of the club’s stewards, and I asked if they needed any help on the media side of things at the club. He directed me to club secretary, Ian, who said that they needed help with The Non-League Paper reports – and that is how it all started. This is ‘What my matchday is like at Billericay Town.’
My first game reporting for Billericay Town came in a 1-0 defeat to Chippenham Town, before another defeat to Dartford and two 2-1 defeats to Bath City and Ebbsfleet United which wasn’t enough to keep the Blues up. The Non-League Paper reports are of the responsibility of the home side but on the final day of the season, I reported on my first away game in a win over Braintree Town.
In the five games that I reported on, I felt that I had made a good first impression and I was starting to build relationships with people at the club, as well as people in media at other clubs. I got the feeling that I would be carrying on reporting for Billericay Town in the 2022/23 campaign and I was right – something that made me immensely proud.
I usually arrive at New Lodge just after 1:30pm and I make my way to the boardroom to speak to Ian. I am then told how much I will need to write for the forthcoming match. Around 200 words is the amount that I am usually asked to write however, when it is the featured game, that is 350 words which includes quotes from both managers. In Billericay Town’s 3-3 draw with Biggleswade Town in the Emirates FA Cup, I wrote 120 words which was very difficult in a game that saw six goals.
While I am in the boardroom, I pick up the matchday programme which often has an interview of mine in with one of the first-team players. After, I stand by the tunnel and I speak to club steward Andy, about all things football and in particular Billericay Town. I then wait for the players to come out and I speak to them before they head out for their warm-up. Before the game begins, I make my way up to the media seats at New Lodge and make notes on the game as I include things like star man, key incidents and entertainment value.
Once the match has finished, I then head up to the media suite to write up my match report to send to the editors of The Non-League Paper. Once I have written my match report, I usually wait for one of the players to come out so I can interview them for my website about the result and how the game panned out. I have now spoken to the whole of the first-team squad but new arrivals are likely to happen over the course of the season.
You could compare my situation with Billericay Town manager Dan Brown. We both joined the club on an interim basis at the end of the last season, we did a good job and we have now earnt an official role at the club. Every single person I have met has been extremely supportive and have helped me a lot. If I ever make it into the world of football media, I will always tell the story of how it all started for me – Billericay Town.
JP Journalism 