Billericay Town‘s Alan Julian will be dining out for years on the story of his dramatic injury-time equaliser against Sutton United in the FA Cup, not that you’d know it from the modest stopper’s post match interview!
The 36-year-old rescued the Blues in the fourth qualifying round on Saturday, salvaging a 1-1 draw when he rose highest at Gander Green Lane to head in his first goal in a long career spanning nine clubs and more than 450 appearances.
The keeper was the toast of New Lodge this weekend as the National League South side prepared for a replay on Tuesday night after leaving his goal in the dying seconds to guide home a deft header against one his former employers and keep his current ones in the cup.
The National League U’s had been leading through Omar Bugiel’s eighth minute strike before Julian’s intervention which had already been viewed by tens of thousands of fans on Saturday night after the footage was posted online by the club’s in-house TV station, BTFC TV.
93rd minute. Billericay Town need an equaliser. Goalkeeper @jules_alan to the rescue! Scenes! #FACup pic.twitter.com/QAXz4H0s5X
— The Non-League Paper (@NonLeaguePaper) October 19, 2019
Billericay manager Jamie O O’Hara told the station he was delighted for Julian after all the “stick” he normally gives him as the club looked forward to finding out who their opponents could be in the first round proper after Monday night’s televised draw on BBC 2 from 7.10pm.
O’Hara said: “The moment at the end was incredible. For him to come up and score was incredible.
“I am always giving him stick and moaning at him about what he should be doing better and he’s just kept us in the FA Cup. It is a special moment for him.
“To come and score in the 95th minute, that is what dreams are made of. I’ve only been a manager for about two weeks and I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve had this moment already and its crazy!”
Julian, who’d already made four fantastic saves to keep side in the tie, told BTFC TV he was just trying to cause a bit of “chaos”. Instead of lapping up the plaudits, he is focusing on the replay and Monday night’s televised draw .
The keeper said: “I was trying to cause a bit of chaos, I don’t know! I just wanted to get in there but listen, we are in the draw and we’ve got a big replay now and we’ve got to calm ourselves right back down. We go to work again next week.”
Images courtesy of Nicky Hayes/video BTFC TV/Twitter
