ALEX Read led the way for Brentwood with four goals in this nine-goal thriller that also saw a hat-trick for Soham’s Robbie Mason.

In-form Rangers came into the game in seventh place in Ryman North and on the back of an 8-2 win away to second-in-the-table Heybridge Swifts last week, while Blues, who had not played for two weeks due to weather postponements, were in 17th, nine points behind, but with six games in hand on the visitors.

It was an open game from the start but it was 24 minutes before Mason got the better of the Brentwood defence to put Soham one up. There then followed an amazing spell when Read hit a hat-trick between the 27th and 37th minutes.

Butterworth slipped him in for the first goal and Ryan Doyle for the second in the 33rd minute, two perfectly executed finishes.

Then Butterworth’s cross evaded the Soham defence and Read had time to control the ball and score easily from eight yards out.

Brentwood looked likely to increase their lead and Louis Baucutt cleared a header from Sam West off the Soham goal line.

Bircham denied Read with another save but the Blues striker could not be contained and it was his pull-back from the right that set up Abs Seymour to make it 4-1 on the stroke of half time.

Miles saved well from Luke Stanley early in the second half although Soham’s comeback hopes were dashed when Robson drove a low shot inside the far post for Blues fifth goal in the 54th minute, but Mason did reduce the arrears three minutes later.

Miles tipped over a speculative effort from Baucutt that looked to be dipping just under the bar in the 78th minute but it was 6-2 in the 80th when Blues sub Abs Thompson was fouled in the area and Read emphatically drove home from the penalty spot for his fourth goal of the afternoon.

Soham continued to look for goals and put the Brentwood defence under some pressure that culminated with the impressive Mason smashing a shot into the roof of the net for his third goal in the 84th minute.

The result moved Brentwood up to 14th in Ryman North. Their next league fixture is away to Heybridge next Saturday.

Brentwood Town: Miles, Doyle, Llewellyn, C. Witherspoon, Blewitt, West, Butterworth (Thompson 77), Robson (Cohen 81), Read, Frost (Rees 67). Unused subs: Stokes, Bantick.