United the only winners on North Wednesday

Since defeating Maldon and Tiptree on August Bank Holiday Monday, Sporting Bengal United had been struggling for form. Ten matches had come and gone, seven of them in the league, and apart from draws with Concord Rangers and Heybridge Swifts the East Londoners had nothing to show for their efforts. Last night they welcomed Brightlingsea Regent to Mile End, the visitors looking for a win which would have lifted them into the top five, but Regent, who have been in good form of late, found their hosts too hot to handle. 

Regent didn’t have the best of preparation for the match, kick off having to be delayed by half an hour because they were stuck in traffic- but they could have done little about the goal that sent them behind on twenty minutes, Brandy Makuendi’s effort a thing of absolute beauty, a volley which found the top corner of the net. The visitors had their chances, but fifteen minutes from time Jay Knight made it two, latching onto a pass from skipper Steve Carvell and firing home from close range to seal victory. There was a late red card for the hosts Joe Gregory, but it mattered not, and United climb out of the bottom four and up to seventeenth. Regent stay seventh.

Regent are home to Walthamstow on Saturday, whilst United host Ipswich Wanderers. 

After a long winless run, last week saw Gorleston find form once more, defeating Maldon and Tiptree before hitting hapless Haringey Borough for seven on Saturday. Wednesday saw them at home once more, a confident Brentwood Town side their visitors, and it looked like they’d won this green v blue battle by the break- only for the visitors to decide otherwise. Captain Adam Tann put the hosts ahead on sixteen minutes, and four minutes later it was two-nil, Zach Dronfield doubling their advantage. On fifty eight minutes, Brentwood introduced their veteran midfield warrior Lee Noble from the bench, and within four minutes he had dragged them back into the match and halved the deficit- and on seventy three minutes the visitors were level, Daniel Ogunleye taking his tally for the season up to eleven. 

Gorleston ended the evening in ninth, five points away from the top five and one place and one point behind their visitors. Town are four points away from the top five but have one, two or even three games in hand of the sides currently occupying those places. Both have tough matches at the weekend, the Greens travelling to second place Witham Town, the Blues to fifth place Felixstowe and Walton United, where they will have to try to be the side that ends the Seasiders one hundred percent home record.