Billericay Town secured a 2-0 victory over Dover Athletic at New Lodge in a National League South fixture on Saturday, marking a strong start to the campaign for the home side.

Dover came close to an early lead when Luke Baptiste’s free-kick struck the crossbar in the second minute. Billericay responded with an opportunity from Frankie Merrifield, but his effort was comfortably saved by Dover goalkeeper Mitch Walker. The breakthrough for Billericay arrived shortly after when Macauley Bonne capitalized on a corner delivered by Jon Benton, heading the ball into the net to put the Blues ahead.

Dover sought an equalizer, with Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite testing the visitors’ response, though his shot missed the target. Billericay nearly extended their advantage before halftime as Taylor Clark’s shot was blocked by Trent Rendall, keeping the score at 1-0 going into the break.

The second half saw Billericay maintain their momentum, with Callum Watts forcing Walker into a save early on. The lead was doubled in the 55th minute when Merrifield converted a cross from Jay Porter from close range. Bonne came close to adding a third goal as well, hitting the underside of the crossbar shortly after.

Dover attempted to mount a comeback late in the match; Nazir Bakrin’s header with ten minutes left narrowly missed the target. Despite late efforts from Billericay’s Siju Odelusi and Odei Martin Sorondo, the score remained unchanged, allowing the home side to collect all three points.