BILLERICAY Town record breaker Leon Gutzmore says he experienced mixed emotions after his 20-year single season goal haul was eclipsed.

Gutzmore, who played for Billericay between 1995 and 1998, scored 51 goals in the 1997/98 season - a club record that still stood until this season.

Jake Robinson scored 57 goals as Billericay secured won the treble and secured promotion to the National League South.

And Gutzmore, now 41, says while he was pleased for the former Brighton & Hove Albion hotshot he couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness.

“Everyone wants to keep a record they have set but it can’t always happen,” said Gutzmore, who signed for Aldershot Town for £11,000 in the year after his stellar campaign.

“I felt a bit sad after seeing Jake had gone past it but I don’t want to take anything away from him.

“I dropped him a line saying well done. I’ve had my day and we are worlds apart. I’m genuinely pleased for him.

“I didn’t have much idea he was close in all honesty. I had kept an eye on results but not who had scored the goals.

“I think I remember seeing something about him scoring in five games in a row and I saw mentioned that hadn’t happened since I scored six in a row when I was at the club.

“At the end of the day it’s an unbelievable achievement. If it was easy then every striker would do it so I take my hat off to him.

“Having someone that can score goals in the team can give everyone a lift and you know if you put the ball in the right areas then the goals will come.

“I was often in the right areas and most of my goals came from inside the penalty area and I know Jake has scored a few wonder goals too so good on him.”

Gutzmore still boasts a better goal to games ratio than Robinson, with the former’s 51 goals coming in 54 matches.

And the man who is now assistant manager at Barton Rovers, who play in the Evo-Stik Eastern Division, says he has nothing but fond memories from his time at New Lodge.

“I can just about remember a few of those games,” he said. “1997/98 was a good season. “We got promotion from the (former) Ryman Division One North and we reached the first round of the FA Cup and FA Trophy.

“Personally, it was a good season but it started quite slowly. The manager John Kendall had brought in another striker and I didn’t have the best end to the previous season.

“I had had a few injury problems and I got an injury in pre-season so was on the bench for the first few games. But when the other striker got an injury I got my chance. I got two goals in that game and it went from there.

“I actually set myself a target of more than 50 goals before the season started. Based on the previous two seasons I thought I could do it and I did.”