Potters Bar Town's lack of football came back to haunt them as they suffered a lacklustre defeat away to Brightlingsea Regent.

The Scholars' trip to the Essex coast was only their second game in a month and first since New Year's Day but second-half goals handed the hosts a 2-0 win.

It was their fourth successive loss and more frustratingly came in a rearranged fixture, the original game having been abandoned due to a floodlight failure in November with Lee O'Leary's men leading 1-0.

They were second best this time around.

Nathan Livings had to be alert to hook the ball off the line in the first real sign of danger for Bar after seven minutes and goalkeeper Hafed Al-Droubi had to make a save from Valter Cachiote Da Rocha.

The best chance went to Connor Barnby but he fired wide when well placed.

Bar did have some chances. Ben Ward-Cochrane headed wide from an Aryan Tajbakhsh cross and Bilal Sayoud couldn't react quick enough as a ball pinged out to him, hitting him and rolling wide.

The second-half began with substitute Kieron Cathline making a fantastic headed clearance off the line but Brightlingsea finally got their noses in front on 54 minutes, Cachiote Da Rocha lobbing the ball over Al-Droubi on the counter.

The Scholars missed a chance to equalise when a free-kick from Sayoud bounced back to him off the wall, but his looped volley bounced off the crossbar.

And Regent made them pay with a second on 65 minutes, Aaron Blair beating the offside trap and then beating the keeper.

Ward-Cochrane managed to force a good save from Charlie Turner as he looked to claw a goal back for Bar but that was their last real opportunity as the hosts took the points.