and take the spoils in a seven goal thriller.James Webster would have been hoping that today's game would be easier on the blood pressure and that his team could build on last week’s one nil win against league leaders Maldon and Tiptree and further consolidate their position in the play off spots.Arguably the most pleasing aspect of last weeks win for the Rs was a rare clean sheet and Webster and his staff would have been looking for more of the same.As the game kicked off on a cold and gloomy afternoon in South East London it was clear that we weren't going to have a repeat of the previous encounter.Both sides struggled to put together any real moments of quality and when they did the resulting chances were wasted.

Brightlingsea were just about edging the game in midfield but were not creating the usual opportunities for the front men with both Aaron Condon and Tom Windsor operating on the fringes of a game that was passing both teams by. Thamesmead were not doing any better and with the Regent back four looking comfortable the first half came to an uneventful end.0-0.

The second half saw the visitors on the front foot and taking the game to Thamesmead. The ball was being worked into the wide areas much better with Condon and Phil Kelly starting to have more influence on the game and it was Arron Condon who set up the chance which saw Rs full back Russell Malton score the only goal of the game on sixty seven minutes.As the ball was hit low and across the Thamesmead six yard box former Regent keeper Ollie Bowles was impeded by his own defender who could only watch the ball pass through his outstretched legs and into the path of Malton who was arriving at the far post for a simple tap in.1-0 Regent.

With the Brightlingsea back four looking solid and Town offering little going forward the visitors saw the game out reasonably comfortably which in itself would have been pleasing to James Webster and his team especially as the approach the business end of the season.

Gavin Aplin