Ryman North Brightlingsea Regent 1 Bury Town 0 Aaron Condon’s 35th goal of the season allowed Brightlingsea Regent to open up a nine-point gap at the top of the Ryman North Division on Saturday.
Clinical Condon got on the end of a superb team move that he started, in the 69th minute, to edge table-topping Regent past a competitive Bury side.
Bury perhaps shaded the first half, and definitely had the better chances, but Regent flew out of the blocks in the second half, and could have scored before and after they eventually did.
It was the visitors who almost took the lead inside 90 seconds. Former Regent midfielder Luke Read picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and arrowed a fierce strike that only just cleared the crossbar.
The Essex side immediately responded when Condon let fly from 25 yards, stinging the palms of Neil O’Sullivan, with the linesman ruling Phil Kelly’s rebound out for offside.
The battle of the teams’ long-throws was an interesting spectacle throughout, and it was from a Josh Gould launch that Regent striker Tom Richardson saw a header well-saved by O’Sullivan.
Ryan Jolland missed a golden chance to give Bury a half-time lead. A mistake from Connor Witherspoon saw Jolland scamper through, but he rushed his shot and smashed well-wide with far more time than he thought.
Seconds before the break, Darcy De’Ath’s long-throw was scrambled off the line by desperate Regent defenders, but the R’s attacked from the off in the second half.
Only a brilliant save from O’Sullivan denied Connor Hogan from scoring in the 52nd minute, with the shotstopper blocking well from Richardson shortly after, while Condon fizzed over.
Bradley Barber and Taylor Bannister went close for Bury, who made the afternoon a hard one for Regent, but the R’s moment came in the 69th minute.
After switching the play to fellow winger Kelly, Condon made a perfectly-timed run into the box to meet Hogan’s precise cross and head beyond O’Sullivan.
Regent missed further chances to seal the win. Richardson, Condon, and sub Robbie Rees all should have done better late on, but Regent didn’t care as, with second-place Maldon & Tiptree losing, this was a big win in their quest to win the Ryman North Division.
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