Billericay Town will be hoping to build a useful lead against Division One visitors Maidenhead United at New Lodge tonight in the first round of the Ryman League Cup semi-finals.

Town go to Berkshire for the return a week tonight and will hope for a couple of goals advantage from this evening's game to give them a good cushion.

The other semi-final pits Billericay's Premier rivals Farnborough up against Barton Rovers.

The fact that both the top level sides remaining in the competition have already been reinstated on their way to this stage may devalue the League Cup in some ways, but all four remaining clubs won't worry about that if they carry off the much-prized trophy at the end of the season.

Billericay have never won the League Cup and it looked like staying that way when they lost at home to St Albans in the third round last December.

However, they progressed due to the Hertfordshire side having fielded an ineligible player.

Farnborough have twice benefitted under the ineligible player rule - firstly being given a second chance due to a Hitchin Town misdemeanour. Then, to give the lie to the old adage that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, they won through their quarter-final with Heybridge Swifts, despite losing 7-2 to the Essex club.

The League Cup and the Essex Senior Cup - which sees Billericay travel to Purfleet on Wednesday March 22 in the semi-finals - provide light relief for Gary Calder's Billericay as they battle for the League points to stop them dropping into the relegation zone.

Calder admitted that his team's first-half home showing in the League against Hendon on Saturday was bitterly disappointing, but was encouraged by a much brighter second 45 minutes display.

Tonight, injured Kirk Game and Stafford Browne are still likely to be missing, but Dave Culverhouse returns from suspension and Calder's two on-loan men from Dagenham, Steve Conner and Jeff Woolsey, are both eligible.

Maidenhead come to New Lodge in third place in Division One and anxious to show that they're ready for a move up to the Premier for next term. They are managed by former West Ham midfield star Alan Devonshire.

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