Match Preview

By no stretch of the imagination would a trip to Dover be seen by Grays fans as a “local derby” fixture - but it’s the same distance that the Blues will travel this weekend (weather permitting) to fellow Essex side Brightlingsea Regent ! What a county we live in.

For their near century of existence, Brightlingsea have plied their trade in the lower levels of East Anglian football. For many years they played in the various divisions of the Essex & Suffolk Border League. From the early 1970s, they were members of the Essex Senior League and then twenty years later, moved to the Eastern Counties League. However, in the early 2000s, the club fell to its rock bottom, withdrawing from the league and effectively starting again.

The seeds of a revival were sown in 2005 when Brightlingsea FC merged with local youth football club Regent Park Rangers. A steady climb back up the divisions so that by the end of the 2012-13 season, they were back in the Premier division of the Eastern Counties League and a season later, for the first time, into Isthmian Division 1 North. That division was won in 2016-17, resulting in a stay in the Premier Division that lasted six years, (including the “covid years”), ended by relegation back to Div 1 North for this season.

One item of real note is that in 2014, the club bought a 107-seater stand off Ebay for their North Road ground ! Something for us to bear in mind if we ever need to fit out Ship Lane.

Back at this level, they have made a great start to the campaign, winning five of their league games to date - with those fixtures seeing 34 goals ! There was also a fine FA Trophy run, only ended in the 3rd qualifying round by Premier division Horsham and also good FA Cup progress to the 2nd qualifying round where Billericay Town proved too strong.

Interestingly, our two clubs have virtually no history against one another ! A friendly in 2021 and the Isthmian League Cup encounter earlier this season, won 5-0 by Brightlingsea against a young Grays Ath XI are the only fixtures on record. So a first-ever league meeting awaits.

Come on you Blues.