BILLERICAY Town striker Adam Cunnington says a week to ‘recharge the batteries’ will help ahead of a crunch FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie at Brackley Town.

The rangy forward took his tally to nine for the season on Saturday, scoring twice as Billericay defeated Hendon 4-3 to remain top of the Isthmian Premier League.

And he is now looking forward to a match-free week, after Billericay played matches on each of the last four Tuesdays.

The club requested their midweek match at Harrow Borough be postponed because of their continued involvement in the FA Cup.

And Cunnington hopes the rest will help Billericay reach the first round for the first time in a decade.

“We have had a grilling schedule,” said the former Dagenham & Redbridge striker. “It is our own fault to a large degree as we have needed cup replays to progress in the FA Cup, but it has been hard.

“Now, it is all down to preparation and we will train hard and rest this week and go into the weekend at 100 per cent. Recharging the batteries is very important for everyone, wherever you play.

“We know how tough the weekend will be though. I live near Milton Keynes, which isn’t far from Brackley, and I know a few of their players and their manager.

“They are a talented team, who are doing well in a very competitive National League North.

“I know they have a nice surface there and that will help us play our football. We are all looking forward to it.”

Cunnington celebrated his 30th birthday with a brace as Billericay defeated second-placed Hendon in the league on Saturday.

Town were behind on two occasions before fighting back to lead 4-2 at half-time. And he said it was a good day all around, although he would have been happier if it had been less eventful.

“We didn’t want it to be quite that entertaining,” he said. “It is always a big match when it is first versus second and you want the points on the board as soon as possible.

“I think it was a deserved win for us, although they started brightly. It showed the character in the team to come back from those setbacks. When the other team score, you can wobble but we stayed cool and played our football.

“Scoring so late in the first half was a killer for them but a huge positive for us.

“It was great to score on my birthday and get the points, more importantly,” he added. “As a targetman, you want 10 before Christmas and 10 after Christmas, and I am going well at the moment.”