BILLERICAY Town manager Craig Edwards says he wants the bitterness and frustration from Saturday’s loss at Bognor Regis to act as motivation for the months ahead.

Edwards was left fuming after a late goal was disallowed for his team, and it was then exacerbated when the referee awarded Bognor a 94th minute penalty, which they converted to secure a 2-1 win.

Billericay play Tilbury in the quarter-final of the Essex Senior Cup at New Lodge tonight, before a crunch game at Leiston on Saturday in the Ryman Premier League.

And the Town boss said his side must use the hurt, having been ‘systematically robbed’ in Sussex.

“I have been doing this 19 years and it is one of those where you tell people and they will say they have heard it all before but we were systemically robbed,” he said. “I have never seen anything like it.

“There were identical misdemeanours by both teams and he handled them both differently.

“We had the game won in injury time when a Bognor player headed into his own goal. But it was apparently disallowed for dangerous play. I looked at the linesman and there was nothing so I turned to the stand and asked the Bognor fans why they thought it was disallowed and no-one knew.

“Two minutes later Lewis Taaffe makes a fantastic block in the box and the ball hit him in the head but it was given as a penalty. His hand was in a natural position anyway so I doubt that would have been a penalty.

“It was disgusting and I have never felt so bitter after a game. I have to take it on the chin. The implications are huge. It would have been a fourth 2-1 win and an away win at the leaders and we have been robbed of it.

“But I want to put a positive spin on it if I can and I said to the players let’s take the hurt into the next games against Tilbury and Leiston.”

Billericay are looking to recreate impressive recent runs in the competition, having been beaten finalists in 2015.

Tilbury have not made the last four since 1986, going out 3-0 to tonight’s opponents.

And Edwards is not taking the Ryman North side lightly, with them currently just three points off the play-off places in the Ryman North.

“It is a big game but we aren’t taking it for granted,” he said. “Gary has done a great job and he is an ex Billericay boy.

“We had a tough League Cup game at their place where we won on penalties but I would like to win before penalties this time around.”

Billericay will be without the cup-tied Billy Bricknell, Abs Seymour and Jimmy Shepherd.

Edwards was also full of praise for Frank Curley, who played his first game in 10-months against Bognor Regis, having recently returned to the club following a footballing ban.

And he said Curley alleviated any concerns he may have had about including him against the league leaders with his performance.

“Curley was tremendous,” he said. I was a bit worried about bringing him back in a game of that magnitude but I thought we can’t keep putting it off. It was a big game and he is naturally fit but he was excellent.

“There was a lot of encouragement.”