A couple of north Essex sides pushing hard in the promotion race put themselves in line for star performance honours in the Bostik League this weekend.

It is a tough call for who gets the top award on this occasion as both Maldon & Tiptree and Heybridge Swifts secured important division north wins in the push to get to the premier division.

Maldon’s came on Friday night and was a 1-0 win in an impressive team performance at Brentwood Town as Stephane Ngamvoulou’s solitary strike proved enough for the three points.

Swifts, meanwhile, had success on home turf the following day as they beat visiting AFC Sudbury 2-0 at Scraley Road with a 22nd minute strike from Luke Wilson and a Kreshnic Krasniqi goal three minutes from the end.

Both teams moved up a place in the division north table, with Maldon & Tiptree climbing into second spot behind leaders Bowers & Pitsea and Heybridge getting back into third.

However, it is Swifts who edge it in the star performance battle as they showed their resilience in bouncing back from a defeat the previous week when they had lost at Soham Town Rangers.

Another north Essex club in the promotion race are Coggeshall Town, but their run of indifferent form continued as they hosted division north’s rock-bottom club.

The Seedgrowers remained in fifth spot but they were unable to break down Dereham Town at West Street and a 0-0 draw has left them 13 points behind Bowers & Pitsea and only four ahead of sixth-placed Bury Town.

There was also a home draw for Witham Town as they were held 1-1 by visiting Barking.

A point apiece was probably a fair result in the end, but Witham were left disappointed as Joe Bruce’s 80th minute goal cancelled out one in the first half from Johnny Ashman.

Both goals were wonderful strikes from similar parts of the pitch into the same top corner that gave the respective goalkeepers no chance whatsoever.

Another team having to settle for a draw after being ahead were Brightlingsea Regent in the premier division.

A 2-2 draw at Wingate & Finchley has left Tom Rothery’s R’s four points off the play-off positions and they were pegged back in the dying embers of the game.

Harvey Hodd had put Brightlingsea ahead on 18 minutes and while Charlie Cole levelled for the hosts before half-time, Billy Jones struck on the hour mark to put Regent back ahead.

However, a dramatic finale saw Sean Cronin level from a 90th minute penalty and there was more to follow as Ola Williams was then sent off to make sure Wingate finished the game with ten men.