Brightlingsea Regent continued their unbeaten pre-season run, comfortably beating AFC Pegasus 6-1 in style, in the first first-team home game back at North Road since the 18th of April.

Ryan Salter’s men began on the front foot across the opening minutes, consistently finding themselves in good positions, however, were unable to capitalise, with the AFC Pegasus defence undertaking the necessary defensive actions to prevent any clear-cut chances.

The opening chance fell to Mekhi McKenzie, who latched onto a goal-kick from the first-half trialist goalkeeper, displaying impressive physicality to avoid a challenge, but failed to keep the shot down, blazing the ball high over the bar.

AFC Pegasus swiftly responded, after a low delivery from the wide area made its way to the far post, with AFC Pegasus’s number eleven failing to make a clean connection with the ball, despite being unmarked, as he stumbled over the ball, in what would have been an easy goal if he retained balance.

Charlie Collis proceeded to become the next player to threaten the opposition goal, firing from around the penalty spot, but denied from a high-quality, quick reflex save, with the follow up from Jake Clowsley lacking any accuracy, finding its way onto a roof behind the Dot Millgate Terrace!

Clowsley narrowly avoided an immediate redemption a few minutes later, heading Gianni Ashley’s pinpoint cross over the bar, yet the deadlock was promptly broken thanks to Tom Cottle-Wood's outside the box, picking up a loose-ball before firing off the bar to seal a goal.

Around ten minutes later, Tom Cottle-Wood doubled his tally for the evening. As the Pegasus defender stumbled and misjudged his header, the Regent youngster instantly pushed the ball forward, laying it off to Mekhi McKenzie, before returning the favour to find TCW unmarked with only the keeper to beat.

The referee thus brought the first half to a close, with six substitutes being made, allowing for a heavy rotation of minutes amongst the full squad.

AFC Pegasus appeared spur on by the half-time team talk, starting brightly from kick-off, forcing second half goalkeeper Ollie Pipa into action, although the efforts were dealt with comfortably.

Despite starting with intent, Regent broke through the Pegasus defence once again, with trialist at the time, but since new signing Will Mitchell shot from long-range, and albeit lacking any height, trickled its way into the bottom left corner beyond the outstretched arm of the goalkeeper. Practically from kick-off, another chance came begging, after the Regent number eighteen cut past his defender, however narrowly fired over the crossbar.

A matter of moments later, the goal tally ticked up to four, following an advantage being played by the referee, a ball was played through, and Dan Rowe’s fast-paced finish was parried, ultimately fumbled by the Pegasus goalkeeper straight into the path of Ben Sargent to tap in unmarked.

Ignoring the scoreline, Pegasus undeniably had their moments of quality, with their closest attempts (aside from the eventual goal) occurring in quick succession. Ollie Pipa was forced into a superb intervention from a one-on-one scenario, standing firm before being lumped away, alongside additional misfortune, as Pegasus’ number sixteen missed the opposite corner by a matter of inches from a tight wide-angle.

Ben Sargent hit back from the Pegasus momentum with goal number five of the evening, turning his marked before calmly firing into the back of the net, but the action was far from done here!

A controversially avoided potential offside call allowed AFC Pegasus number sixteen to blaze down the wing, eventually creating a one-on-one situation against Ollie Pipa, rounding the goalkeeper and ruining a Regent clean sheet.

To round off the high-scoring affair, Regent’s number fifteen (Trialist, hence why no name is given) displayed some fancy footwork to dribble past the full-back whom he tackled seconds prior, whilst they dawdled in possession, and looped the shot into the far-corner to take the final total up to six!

Were he to continue to display quality like that, it seems unquestionable that he will be signed up for the season!

We return to pre-season on Saturday, with a home friendly against National League South side Braintree.