by JAMES BROWNING

MALDON AND TIPTREE fans were handed a late Christmas present by their side as the Jammers ran out 4-2 winners against rivals HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS.

The Bostik League north division contest was watched by a crowd of 347, on Boxing Day afternoon.

Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe opened the scoring with a 25th-minute penalty before Ryan Gondoh scored his first just ten minutes later to give the Jammers a 2-0 lead.

Swifts midfielder Lewis Godbold pulled one back before the break, but Gondoh scored two second-half goals to complete his hat-trick and put his side 4-1 up.

A late goal from Swifts man Lewis Dark kept the scoreline respectable.

The derby win puts the Jammers 15 points ahead of their rivals, but the Swifts do have a staggering ten games in hand.

Elsewhere in the division, 67 fans braved the cold as WITHAM TOWN won 2-0 at Barking.

A first-half goal for Pat Ahern was added to in the 80th minute by Elliott Ronto to give Town their third consecutive win the league, as well as their third consecutive clean sheet.

In the premier division, BRIGHTLINGSEA REGENT played their part in a Christmas cracker at the Taydal Stadium.

Regent went 1-0 down to opponents Needham Market in the ninth minute and soon found themselves further behind when forward John Sands scored in the 17th minute.

Regent looked like mounting a comeback when Aaron Condon pulled one back just before the half-hour mark, but Gareth Heath restored Needham Market’s two-goal lead in the 56th minute.

Brightlingsea once again rallied, but Billy Hunt’s 90th-minute goal was too little, too late as Needham Market won 3-2 in front of a Boxing Day crowd of 219.