Buoyed by Saturday’s comeback draw against Wingate & Finchley, Kevin Watson’s side wasted no time in getting stuck into this game and after only three minutes, the lead was theirs.

Capitalising on a mistake not far from the Billericay Town box, Thomas collected the ball before taking aim at goal, curling his shot beyond the reach of Harry Seaden to put the hosts ahead.

Stung by going behind so early on, Town dusted themselves down and began to push the Bay back, with Dan Johnson’s header in the seventh minute preventing a red shirt from giving Perrin something to think about.

Width was proving to be an early avenue into the Bay half for Billericay and but for Perrin smothering the ball among a sea of legs, Uche’s low cross might have found its target.

However, less than sixty seconds later, it was the hosts who came closest to hitting the back of the net again, with Mason Saunders-Henry left cursing the reflexes of the visiting ‘keeper, who pulled off a terrific save to palm the ball away from the top corner.

With just under 20 minutes on the clock, many at the MBS Stadium were left wondering just how Billericay hadn’t equalised when Eze Ebuzoeme had the freedom of the Bay box to fire into the bottom corner, only to scuff his shot wide.

Both teams were looking dangerous when in possession of the ball and after surviving a wave of Billericay pressure, they Bay looked to get back on the front foot in the 26th minute when Emmanuel Martins’ surging run down the left allowed him to pick out Tushaun Walters just outside the box.

However, with enough time to take a touch, he attempted a first-time effort, once which sailed harmlessly over Seaden’s goal.

Less than sixty seconds later, the combination of Thomas and Saunders-Henry almost unlocked the experienced Town defence. Stealing the ball in the centre of the pitch, Saunders-Henry threaded the ball through to Kymani, who dribbled his way into shooting space, only to fire narrowly wide.

However, ten minutes before the break, the visitors found themselves level when Uche, who was in the right place at the right time to line up a shot, blazed home from inside the Bay penalty area, through a sea of bodies and past a helpless Perrin.

The Bay of old might have buckled at that point but under Watson, improvements have been evident and six minutes after surrendering their lead, only a heroic block from Michael Chambers denied Thomas his second goal of the game.

However, the in-form forward was not to be denied for much longer and in the 44th minute, a brilliant run and shot left Seaden with no chance, with the ball rifling into the back of the net, giving the Bay the half time lead.

The second half start matched that of the first, with the Bay coming out all guns blazing and in the 50th minute, Krabbendam’s defence-splitting pass found Thomas, but a heavy touch denied him the opportunity to try his luck at a hattrick.

That near miss seemed to breathe a little bit of life into the men in red, with Alfie Cerulli testing his luck from range in the 51st minute, only to find Perrin to be more than a match.

As the second half went along, it seemed that Billericay were starting to gain momentum and with 65 minutes played, they were awarded a spot kick when Johnson brought his man down just inside the penalty area.

Stepping up to take it, Stevenson would have had his heart in his mouth when Perrin appeared to get a hand to the strike, but fortune was on Billericay’s side, with the ball still nestling into the bottom corner.

The game was beginning to open up as both sides went in search of a winner. In the 67th minute, another excellent pass from Krabbendam found Walters with enough space in which to attack, but when a first time cross seemed the best option, the Maidstone United loanee took one too many touches, allowing the Town defence to recover and clear.

Watson’s side were beginning to get forced back towards their own goal and having given away a free-kick in a dangerous position, Krabbendam would have been relieved to see Perrin pull off a spectacular save, tipping Cerulli’s effort away from the top corner, with the ball moving violently in the air.

However, as both sides began to tire, sloppiness started to creep into the game, with the Bay and Billericay both afraid of committing the mistake that might ultimately cost them the game.

Approaching full time, substitute Rory Smith, who replaced Walters with 15 minutes to space, came within a whisker of grabbing all three points for the Bay in the 89th minute, only to see his shot whistle wide in what many thought was the last chance of the game.

However, with seconds remaining, Watson’s side almost bagged the most dramatic of winners through Saunders-Henry, who collected the ball about 35-yards out from goal before trying his luck on the Billericay goal. With Seaden beaten, the visitors breathed a big sigh of relief to see the shot an inch or two off target.

Final Score: Herne Bay 2 Billericay Town 2

Herne Bay Starting XI: Jordan Perrin, Troy Williams, Laurence Harvey ©, Dan Johnson, Tushaun Walters (Rory Smith 72’), Mason Saunders-Henry, Kymani Thomas, Che Krabbendam, Bode Anidugbe, David Ozobia, Emmanuel Martins (Eddie Allsopp 86’)

Unused Substitutes: Euan Bunn, Monty Saunders, Mike West

Billericay Town Starting XI: Harry Seaden, George Wind, Toby Stevenson, Montel Agyemang, Marvel Ekpiteta, Michael Chambers, Bradley Stevenson, Eze Ebuzoeme (Chris Dickson 61’), Alfie Cerulli, John Ufuah, Imran Uche

Unused Substitutes: Lawrie Wilson, Jayden Robinson, Henry Lukombo, Henry Burnett