BRIGHTLIGSEA Regent secured a great 3-0 win at Aveley
However, it was marred by accusations that home striker Tyler Devlin bit Regent defender Matt Cripps during the early stages of the match at Mill Field.
Cripps reeled away in anger after the incident, claiming Devlin had bitten him on the forearm.
A melee ensued but neither referee, Steve Parmenter nor his assistants spotted the alleged bite and Devlin stayed on the field, only to be pulled off by Millers boss Justin Gardner at half-time.
Regent manager James Webster was convinced it was a bite.
He said: “I was very shocked. There is no place for that sort of behaviour on a football pitch.
“But credit to Aveley once it was confirmed what the player had done by his own team-mates they subbed him off at half-time.
“However, the referee didn’t see the incident.”
Millers boss Gardner contests that version of events.
He said: “"I never saw anything. There wasn’t really that big a reaction. Some of their players said ‘he bit me’, but no-one spoke about it for the rest of the game.
“The two players went down and I couldn't really see what was going on. At first I thought Tyler had stood on him.
“I can’t really comment having not seen it but if someone had bitten me I would have been furious. The referee said he never saw anything either.
“I made three changes at the break as we were struggling.”
Speaking about the win, Webster said: “It was a great team performance, up there with our best of the season.
“Ollie Canfer’s goal wouldn’t look out of place on Match of the Day and Ben Newson’s wasn’t bad either.”
Brightlingsea took the lead when Newson volleyed Ricky Griggs’ long ball into the corner of the goal.
The visitors doubled their when Phil Kelly capitalised on an Aveley mistake and cut in and curled the ball home on 31 minutes.
Brightlingsea made it 3-0 when Canfer fired home from 30 yards on 42 minutes.
Aveley improved after the break but didn’t threaten the Brightlingsea goal.
The home side were also reduced to ten men on 68 minutes when Sammy Knott was sent off for pulling Jake Turner’s shirt.