Soham Town Rangers’ new managerial team of Dave Theobald and Robbie Nightingale got off to the worst start possible as they kicked off their stint as joint bosses with a 3-0 defeat to Brightlingsea Regent on Saturday.

The Greens’ new management team were appointed during the week following Steve Fallon’s decision to stand down, and made three changes to the side which had lost at home to Carlton Town in the FA Trophy last weekend as Alex Luque and Ryan Sharman returned from injury, along with James McCabe.

This was the second meeting of the season between the two sides with Regent winning the League Cup tie at the Lane a month ago.

The game started at a quick pace as Ben Sawyer placed an early freekick at Brightlingsea’s Daniel Beeson, whilst up the other end Luke Read received Josh Mayhew’s ball to fire across goal.

Regent opened the scoring in the twelfth minute when Phil Kelly fired an angled ball towards the back post to Josh Mayhew, who after taking a touch to take the ball away from Harry Reynolds shot high into the roof of the net.

The hosts doubled the score in the 26th minute when Kelly got in front of Rob Ruddy to head on Daniel Beeson’s long kick to Luke Read to convert. Brightlingsea were now having the better of the play as Kelly put wide and the Greens’ goalkeeper Reynolds did well to tip over Mayhew’s strike.

From the resultant corner, Regent secured the points in the 34th minute when Reynolds punched clear but only to Keiron Baker to volley home. Matt Cripps could have further increased the lead for the home side moments later but headed over from another corner. Despite being three down, Soham started creating some opportunities in the final ten minutes, however Simon Swinton spurned multiple chances and Ben Sawyer went close when he received the ball down the left to get into the area, but after turning inside the defender was denied by Beeson.

Soham introduced Dale Archer at the interval, but despite creating a number of attacks, clear opportunities were limited. Sawyer and Ruddy put wide as Soham looked for a route back into the game.

With fifteen minutes remaining, substitute Jason Dobbs received a long ball to cut into the area, only to be denied by a diving Reynolds with the ball heading for the top corner. Soham came close to clawing a goal but when Josh Townshend delivered a long throw into Giovany Lopes, but with an angled shot the substitute fired over and Brightlingsea saw out the win.

The result sees Soham drop into the relegation zone in The Ryman Football League Division North ahead of tonight’s visit to Suffol side Bury Town.

Other Ely sides were in action over the weekend, with Burwell Swifts playing their part in a nine-goal thriller, beating Bar Hill Saturday 6-3 in the William Coades Intermediate Cup. Richard Chadwick and Carl Saxby score a brace each with Luke Hammett and Tom Williams rounding off the scoring and securing Burwell’s place in the next round.

In NMC 1B, Fordham drew 3-3 with Huntingdon United, with goals from Jamie Crawley, Graham Ford and Richard Kent. Fordham are now third in the league and face Mepal Sports in the Crake Charity Shield on Saturday.

In NMC 2B, top side Ely Crusaders crushed Cottenham United Reserves 7-0 and Little Downham Swifts kept on Ely’s heels in second by dismantling Wisbech St. Mary A 5-1. Isleham United lost their first game of the season, being narrowly defeated by Soham United Reserves 2-1.

Isleham Warriors were knocked out of the Lower Junior Challenge Cup after losing 3-1 to Wisbech St. Mary C, as were Ely Crusaders Reserves who lost 4-2 to Linton Granta A.

Burwell Tigers progressed, however, after beating Guyhirn 3-1 through goals from Norbert Macko, Ben Reed and Thomas Wilson.

Marchester United recorded their first points of the season in emphatic style with a resounding 6-0 win over Lakenheath Casuals Reserves with Lewing Greening and Chris Haddon scoring a hat-trick each.