Luke Read must feel like the luckiest man in non-league football at the moment.

Last night, against AFC Sudbury, and for the third game running, he scored a fortuitous goal, helping Brightlingsea Regent to their third straight league win.

After netting deflected goals in the 1-0 wins against Maldon & Tiptree and Bury Town, Read struck again with another goal he knew very little about to open the scoring.

Luke Callander equalised for AFC Sudbury, but second-half goals from former AFC frontman Terry Rymer and skipper Josh Gould gave in-form Regent the points.

Following a pre-match minute’s applause for AFC Sudbury Ladies’ legend Emma Holloway, who sadly died five years ago yesterday, the teams kicked off with the visitors creating the first chance of the game after five minutes.

Lamell Howell tricked his way past Ben Robinson, but saw his low shot well-saved by Marcus Garnham.

The R’s went even closer in the 13th minute when skipper Josh Gould let fly from 30 yards, hitting the post. Rymer, eager to impress, tapped home the rebound, but was in an offside position.

Ryan Henshaw then headed over for Sudbury in a game that ebbed and flowed early on, with Garnham just about getting to the ball outside the area before the nifty Howell.

Sudbury failed to test goalkeeper, Ollie Bowles, who saw his loan spell come to a premature end at the Wardale Williams Stadium last month, until the 34th minute when he produced a flying save to deny Jordan Blackwell’s well-struck effort after neat approach from Craig Parker and Callander.

But the Yellows fell behind when Read scored another one of his trademark deflections in the 36th minute, after Jake Turner’s shot, in the aftermath of a corner, hit the midfielder before finding the net.

The hosts replied just two minutes later however when Robinson galloped forward to assist Callander, who clinically found the bottom corner.

George Clarke, a Monday evening signing for Sudbury from Regent, ironically, came on for namesake and injured Sam just before the break, and tried to make things happen after arriving.

Ricky Griggs and Warren Joseph blocked from Callander midway through the second period, but Rymer pounced to score at the second attempt in the 65th minute, celebrating excitedly against his former employees.

And three minutes later, Regent were celebrating again when skipper Josh Gould superbly flicked home from a delayed set piece.

Sudbury huffed and puffed, and Bowles did fantastically well to save Parker’s free-kick late on, while Robinson saw a shot cleared off the line in injury-time, but it was Brightlingsea, who did the double over Sudbury last season – and indeed thrashed the Suffolk side 5-1 in the Ryman League Cup earlier this campaign – who took the points.