BILLERICAY Town manager Craig Edwards admitted to having mixed emotions following Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Thamesmead Town.

Town conceded three goals in a seven-minute spell in the first half but clawed their way back into the game with goals from Richard Halle and Ricky Sappleton.

And Sappleton netted the equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time to secure a point.

“It was an amazing game and I’m delighted to have come back from 3-0 down with the last kick of the game,” said Edwards.

“But I’m disappointed that, after dominating the game for 80 minutes, that we dropped two points.

“We started well and for the first 20 minutes we were really pressurising them but then they scored a goal and then got two more.

“They were all avoidable goals from our point of view but for the last hour we smashed them.”

Edwards admitted ring rustiness might have led to the three goals being conceded and admitted the weather conditions had affected training and led to a string of home games being postponed.

After their home games to Canvey Island and Maidstone United were called off because the New Lodge pitch was waterlogged, Billericay were raring to get back into action following their 2-1 Boxing Day win over AFC Hornchurch.

The match at Bayliss Avenue passed a pitch inspection but after controlling the opening exchanges Thamesmead took the lead when Shamir Mullings scored his first goal for the south London side in the 24th minute.

Two minutes later Rashid Kamara doubled the Ryman Premier strugglers’ advantage with a 35-yard shot.

And things looked bleak for the visitors when Baff Addae headed home a third in the 31st minute.

But Billericay rallied and pulled a goal back in the 43rd minute with a powerful header from Halle to make it 3-1 at half time.

Billericay took the game to their hosts but were unable to put their chances away until Sappleton bundled a corner home in the 78th minute.

Thamesmead were under the cosh as Billericay pressed for an equaliser and looked to have snatched only their fifth win of the season when Sappleton netted in stoppage time.

“It was important to get a goal back,” added Edwards. “When we played them earlier in the season we were 2-0 down at half time and we beat them 3-2.

“We have done that throughout the season and there is unbelievable spirit in the team; they did not throw the towel in.

“We missed a few chances and had one crashed one against the bar and it looked like being one of those days.

“But it would have been a travesty if we had not got a point out of it.”

Billericay are due back in action tomorrow night against Lowestoft Town at New Lodge. The match has already been postponed twice due to a waterlogged playing surface.

>Billericay’s home league game against Maidstone United has been re-arranged for Tuesday, February 18 (7.45pm kick off). The original fixture on Saturday, December 28, was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.