Football League money, Football League ambitions, and Billericay Town kept alive their plans of taking on the big boys by rescuing an FA Cup first-round replay at Leatherhead.

Builder Billy Bricknell snatched a second-half equaliser as a substitute with a penalty to cancel out first-half Jack Midson’s header which had threatened an upset.

This meeting between two seventh-tier teams was ranked as a mis-match due to Billericay’s big money and former Cup finalists Paul Konchesky and Jermaine Pennant.

But the scrappy Tanners, playing in what player manager Sammy Moore labelled ‘our Cup final’ more than deserved a second shot at the tie after a plucky performance at Fetcham Grove.

Billericay started the contest with all the confidence of a team with an owner-manager who exudes it and flying high in the league.

They were in on goal inside three minutes, Ricky Modeste’s header sending Jake Robinson through one-on-one only to be thwarted by an excellent save from Zaki Oualah.

Town were a constant, quick threat on the counter and the opening goal only looked like going one way. But Leatherhead grew into the game.

They began to restrict the movement of the ever-dangerous Sam Deering and burly centre back Jerry Nnamani was getting to better grips with Adam Cunnington through the middle.

With that, Moore and Co could thrive. Leatherhead won a corner out on the left with their player-manager stepping up to take, only finding the head of first man Konchesky.

But the threat was far from over. The ball came back to Moore, who re-set, swung it to the near post where Midson darted ahead of his marker to touch a glancing header beyond the goalkeeper and into the corner.

Chants about ‘dirty money’ rang out from the Bernard Edwards Stand after all the delirium.

For all the running of Deering in trying to push back for an equaliser, Leatherhead looked mainly comfortable heading into half-time.

Tamplin responded by hauling off part-time Cristiano Ronaldo lookalike Louie Theopahnous, part of a double change, and bringing on Pennant alongside No 9 Bricknell.

Aside from a couple of dangerous free-kicks, the former Arsenal and Liverpool winger’s first contribution of note was to be booked for dissent.

It took until after the hour for them to really start piling on the pressure but when it came, it came hard. Deering danced past a marker on the left and crossed for Bricknell to nod against the post.

The centre forward had his head in his hands, but it wasn’t long until he would have the chance to restore parity.

Bodies were piling into the Leatherhead box and it produced space on the right for Ricky Modeste to attack. He instantly jinked into the area where Sam Blackman’s dangling leg was left for him to fall and referee Alan Dale to point for a penalty.

Bricknell stepped up to convert, bottom-right, just past the dive of Oualah.

Both sides had chances towards the end, with Robert Swaine almost finding a winner with his header at a corner — only for it to land in the keeper’s arms.