Brightlingsea United Football Club: Contribution from Harry Beere.
30 Dec 2006

Early league action saw Brightlingsea playing their football in the Essex & Suffolk League, and virtually one hundred years on the current team compete in the same competition. Records state that in the season 1908/09 Brightlingsea Town won the 2nd Division title with the Army Service Corps runners-up.
Football was keenly contested in the 1920's with the town boasting other teams as well as The Town team, and a junior team also entered competition as well as a United eleven. Games were played on Bell Green an area now known as Bellfield Close, before the recreation ground in Regent Road became the regular home venue for the teams. The current pavillion was in those days double tiered and even in those early days a real atmosphere was generated especially for the local derbies against Wivenhoe & Gt Bentley.
A United team moved to the current North Road site in the 1920's, whilst the other main Brightlingsea team namely Athletic and nicknamed "The Tics" continued to play on the rec.
The game continued to flourish in the forthcoming years and plenty of successful seasons kept the now United team collecting a number of cups & trophies. We have the word "bung" being bandied about in this year 2007, but in the pre-war years the local agents were busy recruiting any army personnel stationed at Colchester barracks, to travel to the town and wear a United shirt.
Moderate success during the 50's & 60's saw United continue to enjoy their football in the Essex & Suffolk League, before a move to the newly formed Essex Senior League in 1971 saw a new challenge for the club. These early years saw competitive league fixtures against teams such as Billericay, Heybridge, Witham & Maldon, an indication of the standard required to compete at a higher level.
The club enjoyed some successful seasons during the 70's & 80's winning back to back Championships and League Cups under the management of Jackie Parkinson and in the later seasons current BUF&SC vice-Chairman Steve Dowman was the man at the helm.
A then major step was undertaken in 1990 when the club moved to the Jewson Eastern Counties League. A grey day on the 25th August 1990 saw them start their new era with an away match at Yaxley, almost into Leicestershire, where the team fought out a nil nil draw. The first Jewson League line up was as follows, L Pentney, S Howe J March, R Schultz, G Higgleton, W Ward, R Woodall, C Dines, P Frost, T French, G Staines, subs were P Daley & P Carter. This proved a difficult period for the club although a brief experience in the Premier Division provided some notable fixtures & results. The spiralling costs of travelling, match officials and general expenses were proving difficult to maintain. The longest serving manager in this period was local personality Frank Thompson who competed well with the limited resources and is still plying his trade with Arlesford.
Again decisions were made at the club, and at the end of the 2001/02 season they left the Jewson League and returned to the Essex & Suffolk Border League, now completing a full circle. The final Jewson fixture was on the 25th April 2002 when a 5-1 defeat ensued at Somersham, the goal scored by J Chatters. The line up for that day was G Wood, D Wilson, D Booker, J Morris, S Gove, G Salmon, T Chatters, G Staines, M Simkin, D Saunders, J Chatters, with subs T Payne, B Weeford, D Allen, R Meadows.
Back in the Border League the new season opened on 17th August with a 3-2 defeat at Hatfiled Peverel with the United line up R Meeking, J Reynolds, D Marks, N Turner, W Saunders, J Wilde, D Saunders, J Walters, M Wheeler, D Razor, K Welsh, subs were J Chatters, J Baebone, G Fisher with the goals from N Turner & W Saunders.
Once again another chapter opened for the club when the amalgamation developed with the successful Regent Park Rangers set up, which now sees an umbrella of some 18 teams from 7 year olds to the senior team giving football to players & spectators no doubt for another one hundred years.

Amalgamation:
31 Dec 2006

Brightlingsea United FC and Regent Park Rangers FC amalgamated at the start of 2005/06 season to become Brightlingsea Regent Football Club.
In our 1st season the Saturday men's squad went to the Essex Junior Cup Final, the U18's won their league and qualified for their League Cup Final & our U10 Blues won their league, a good start which we hope will continue.

Brightlingsea United league details
06 Sep 2008

BRIGHTLINGSEA UNITED

1972-73 Joined Essex Senior League
1988-89 Essex Senior League Champions
1989-90 Essex Senior League Champions (2nd time)
1990-91 Joined Eastern Counties League Division One
Eastern Counties League Division One runner-up
Promoted to Premier Division
1993 Relegated to Division One
2002 Left Eastern Counties League

SEASON LEAGUE P W D L F A P POS

1972-73 ESSEX 18 7 6 5 30 27 20 4/10
1973-74 ESSEX 18 3 3 12 15 51 9 8/10
1974-75 ESSEX 28 4 4 20 24 69 12 15/15
1975-76 ESSEX 28 11 9 8 45 35 31 6/15
1976-77 ESSEX 32 18 8 6 56 36 44 4/17
1977-78 ESSEX 30 10 4 16 47 50 24 11/16
1978-79 ESSEX 32 12 9 11 53 51 33 9/17
1979-80 ESSEX 30 2 6 22 27 75 10 15/16
1980-81 ESSEX 32 10 4 18 33 52 24 13/17
1981-82 ESSEX 32 12 9 11 34 44 33 9/17
1982-83 ESSEX 32 9 6 17 38 56 24 14/17
1983-84 ESSEX 32 4 14 14 41 63 22 16/17
1984-85 ESSEX 30 8 6 16 42 60 30 12/16
1985-86 ESSEX 32 10 8 14 46 52 38 11/17
1986-87 ESSEX 32 2 14 16 27 63 20 17/17
1987-88 ESSEX 32 11 9 12 58 57 42 11/17
1988-89 ESSEX 32 21 5 6 68 28 68 1/17
1989-90 ESSEX 30 21 5 4 70 22 68 1/16
1990-91 EAST-1 36 24 5 7 77 38 77 2/19
1991-92 EAST-P 42 11 9 22 60 83 42 20/22
1992-93 EAST-P 42 2 12 28 35 104 18 22/22
1993-94 EAST-1 34 15 5 14 54 53 50 8/18
1994-95 EAST-1 36 20 5 11 69 46 65 7/19
1995-96 EAST-1 32 8 11 13 44 61 35 10/17
1996-97 EAST-1 34 14 14 6 50 33 56 6/18
1997-98 EAST-1 34 5 7 22 30 67 22 17/18
1998-99 EAST-1 34 7 11 16 53 68 32 14/18
1999-00 EAST-1 34 5 4 25 31 84 19 17/18
2000-01 EAST-1 32 4 7 21 32 88 19 16/17
2001-02 EAST-1 36 9 4 23 49 105 31 17/19

F.A. CUP

1948-49 EP HARWICH & PARKESTON H 1-3
1949-50 EP CLAPTON A 0-4
1992-93 PRE FISHER ATHLETIC A 1-2 @ Brightlingsea United
1993-94 PRE CANVEY ISLAND H 1-3

F.A. VASE

1974-75 1 TIPTREE UNITED H 2-1
2 COGGESHALL TOWN A 2-4
1975-76 1 MALDON TOWN A 1-4
1976-77 PRE HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS H 1-0
1 WITHAM TOWN H 1-0
2 ALMA SWANLEY A 1-2
1977-78 PRE SAFFRON WALDEN TOWN A 0-2
1978-79 1 RAINHAM TOWN H 1-1
1r RAINHAM TOWN A 0-1
1979-80 PRE POTTON UNITED H 3-4
1980-81 PRE SOHAM TOWN RANGERS A 3-2
1 GREAT YARMOUTH TOWN A 0-3
1981-82 PRE HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS H 0-2
1982-83 PRE BARKINGSIDE A 1-0
1 RANSOMES A 0-2
1983-84 PRE CROWN & MANOR H 0-2
1984-85 PRE DISS TOWN A 2-5
1985-86 PRE SOMERSHAM TOWN A 1-2
1986-87 PRE NEWMARKET TOWN H 3-2
1 STOWMARKET TOWN H 1-1
1r STOWMARKET TOWN A 0-5
1987-88 EP AVELEY A 2-4
1988-89 EP HUNTINGDON UNITED H 4-2
PRE BURNHAM RAMBLERS A 0-4
1989-90 EP SAWBRIDGEWORTH TOWN H 4-0
PRE HARWICH & PARKESTON H 2-1
1 STOWMARKET TOWN A 1-0
2 STEVENAGE BOROUGH H 0-2
1990-91 EP SOMERSHAM TOWN H 1-1
EPr SOMERSHAM TOWN A 4-1
PRE L B C ORTONIANS H 2-1
1 MARCH TOWN UNITED A 0-3
1991-92 EP DOWNHAM TOWN A 0-1
1992-93 EP DOWNHAM TOWN A 1-1
EPr DOWNHAM TOWN H 1-1
EPr2 DOWNHAM TOWN A 0-3
1993-94 EP CLACTON TOWN A 0-1
1995-96 2Q LONG SUTTON ATHLETIC A W/O
1 NEWMARKET TOWN H 0-1
1996-97 1Q MARCH TOWN UNITED A 2-1
2Q SWAFFHAM TOWN H 1-2
1997-98 1Q BRAINTREE TOWN A 1-6
1998-99 2Q MILDENHALL TOWN A 0-2
1999-00 1Q MARLOW A 0-6
2000-01 2Q NEEDHAM MARKET A 0-2
2001-02 2Q BICESTER TOWN A 0-2
2002-03 1Q CLAPTON H SCR

Thanks to The Football Club History Database