Regent returned to familiar Saturday 3PM kick-offs at North Road for the first time since April, alongside a welcome return for former fans favourite Fin Adams.

Fin Adams was presented with the opening opportunity of the contest after a relatively end-to-end opening few minutes, shooting low from a dangerous position, being blocked on the line from a sliding stop on the line.

Regent promptly followed up from the early scare with their first clear-cut chance. Tom Cottle-Wood whipped a wide free-kick into the area, with Mekhi McKenzie rising highest, who was unable to accurately place his header, flying high over the bar.

Second later, Braintree responded at the opposite end of the pitch, as Fletcher Hubbard and Anisius Lewis linked up nicely for Braintree, crossing low before the shot was denied by an immense save from the Regent goalkeeper (trialist).

Braintree then broke the deadlock at the twelve-minute mark. Elliott Thorpe found Anisius Lewis in space thanks to a curled through-ball, chipping the Brightlingsea goalkeeper to bag on his debut for The Iron.

Their lead only lasted for approximately 120 seconds, with Brightlingsea Regent immediately responding, through some fancy footwork to dribble through two Braintree defenders, ultimately firing into the bottom-left corner past the Braintree goalkeeper’s outstretched hand.

Continuing a frantic few minutes, Braintree were denied yet another immediate response, after Anisius Lewis squeezed through a ball for Reuben Swann inside the box, who failed to avoid the goalkeepers' hands, eventually being cleared off the line out of the danger zone.

The early excitement gradually faded as both sides enjoyed extended periods of possession but struggled to create meaningful opportunities in the attacking third. Fletcher Hubbard went closest, uninspiringly firing straight into Regent’s trialist goalkeepers’ grasp, and Courtney Senior firing beyond the stand’s safety netting into the housing estate off-the-back of a scramble in the box.

However, just before the half-time whistle blew, Braintree went back ahead through an Anisius Lewis double. Courtney Senior redeemed his previous effort with a well-placed pass into Lewis at the edge of the box, before Lewis well and truly slammed it into the bottom left corner, in a shot that most goalkeepers would struggle to reach!

Wholesale half-time changes occurred for the visitors; however, the Regent lineup remained unchanged until around the 60th minute.

One of the many trialists playing for Braintree went incredibly close to making it three, as his downward header required a top-class save from the Regent goalkeeper once again just two minutes after the restart.

Braintree continued to go close, with the trialist cohort linking up minutes later to have a deflected shot wide, with the following corner being whipped straight into the arms of the Regent goalkeeper.

Another set-piece routine demonstrated relative effectiveness for Braintree, as they continued their momentum, with a quick linkup between Hubbard and Matthews on the freekick being parried over the bar.

Regent were next to go inches away from equalising against the run of play, after Hubbard went close again for Braintree. Mekhi McKenzie was found in acres of space after Luca saw his one-n-one effort blocked, relaying it backwards, however McKenzie's strike slammed the right-hand post and out of play for a goal-kick.

A quick-fire double chance for The Iron followed, as Alfie Matthews saw his free-kick from around twenty-five yards out saved, with the resulting corner being a more comfortable stop for the keeper, from ex-regent player Fin Adams headed effort at goal.

Regent ultimately were then presented with a golden opportunity to equalise, after the attacker was held-back in the area, leading to a penalty, which Mekhi McKenzie slotted calmly down the middle (perhaps justice for his narrowly missed effort ten minutes prior), wrapping up a draw for Regent against a higher-league opposition.

We continue our pre-season schedule with an away fixture at Barking on Saturday afternoon.