BRIGHTLINGSEA Regent coach Ryan Salter believes his players will have no problem bouncing back from their rare defeat on Saturday.

The R's suffered their first loss since Boxing Day after losing 1-0 at home to fellow high-fliers Thurrock.

Coupled with second-placed Maldon and Tiptree defeating Aveley 3-1, it means their lead at the top of Ryman League division north has now been trimmed back to three points. The top two have both played 38 games.

However, Salter insists his players will respond positively and points at their record this season to underline his point.

Brightlingsea have only lost back-to-back league games once this term, when they lost to Norwich United and Tilbury in the Autumn.

"If someone had offered us this position six weeks ago we'd have snapped their hands off. Without a doubt," said Salter, who works alongside first-team manager James Webster, assistant boss Chris Smith and head coach Angelo Harrop.

"And if you look at our results this season, whenever we lose we tend to bounce back very well.

"We've been known to do that over the years and we'll definitely get up and go again.

"There are some big clubs around us in the table and we're massively overachieving.

"We're doing superb so we're not going to be downhearted about one setback.

"We've got a very tough run-in but we'll keep going and do as best we can.

"Hornchurch (in fourth) lost to (sixth-placed) Cheshunt and Maldon go to Cheshunt next Saturday.

"It's going to be tight but we have to get our job done first, before looking at the other results."

Perry Dunn's 38th-minute goal settled a tense, hard-fought contest at North Road on Saturday, converting at the far post after a cross from the left.

Regent went close to levelling after the break when Robbie Rees was denied from a one-on-one opportunity and then, from the rebound, Connor Hogan's powerful effort smashed into team-mate Tom Richardson.

Richardson also went agonisingly close with a header that came back off the bar.

Brightlingsea had gone 14 games unbeaten, including winning their previous seven, since losing at Dereham Town over Christmas.

"I thought we let ourselves down in the first half and you can't afford to do that against a good side like Thurrock," added Salter.

"We gave the boys a bit of a gameplan and lots of information but maybe our midweek match killed us a bit, because we looked a bit tired.

"We got them in at half-time and changed the formation a bit, which helped us because we created a few chances after that.

"In the end, I thought we were a bit unlucky not to get a draw.

"On another day, we would have taken our opportunities but it just didn't fall for us."

Regent have eight matches left and their next assignment is at Waltham Abbey on Saturday.