12.5 miles separate the two football grounds of Brightlingsea Regent and Stanway Rovers. With 13 points separating the two sides in the table, with Stanway sitting in 6th place and Brightlingsea in 13th, the game is shaping up to be more than what appears to be a foregone conclusion, as anything can happen in local derbies.

This evening, the two sides clash in what promises to be a great fixture as everything is on the table with Stanway Rovers looking at promotion, and Brightlingsea Regent looking to get back to winning ways and claim their first win in 2026 in style.

The R’s suffered defeat in their most recent game against tricky opposition Redbridge, something that new signing Ellis Ashworth emphasised, saying it was a ‘frustrating game in terms of the result’ and that Brightlingsea ‘just couldn't make their pressure and dominance count’, also claiming that Regent were ‘the better team’.

Manager Ryan Salter says the difference between the two sides was that Regent ‘have to be better in both boxes’, and gave praise to his side saying that ‘they played really well’ in a post match interview.

Looking ahead, Salter gave credit to their rivals, saying how they are a team which makes them ‘very difficult for most teams in this league to beat’, but hoping they can do that job.

However the main difference in this game will be about you, the fans. Salter has personally called upon each Brightlingsea Regent fan and said ‘We will need all of you right behind us as always’. This shows how valued that each fan is to the squad, especially in tough fixtures like this one looks to be.

Chairman of Brightlingsea Regent, Terry Doherty, has also urged fans to ‘roar them on in Regent style’, really emphasising the importance of this game to him and the club.

With both clubs looking for the local bragging rights, it’s all set up to be one of the games of the season at North Road. So get yourselves down there, be the 12th man, ‘bounce around’, and back your Regent!