Braintree Town vs Truro City – Match Report

Enterprise National League

By Gareth Davies, Cressing Road, Saturday

Braintree Town 2 – Truro City 0

Goals inside the final 10 minutes from substitute duo Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and John Akinde saw Braintree defeat Truro City.

Emmanuel-Thomas, who joined the Iron from AFC Totton earlier this week, struck a fine free-kick. And then deep into stoppage time, veteran forward Akinde finished with aplomb, as City committed men forward.

It could have been far worse for Truro as the hosts hit the woodwork twice and James Vennings saw his second half penalty saved by Dan Lavercombe.

At the other end of the field, Will Dean’s header was cleared off the line during a purple patch for the Tinners shortly after the turnaround.

City boss John Askey made four changes from the side which went down 1-0 to Altrincham last time out. Luke Jephcott came in to partner Rekeil Pyke in attack as Dominic Johnson-Fisher dropped to the bench.

Tyler Harvey, City’s leading scorer from last term, was still only fit enough for a place amongst seven visiting substitutes, which included Zac Bell, Lirak Hasani and Sam Sanders, who all started against the Robins seven days ago.

The trio were replaced in the starting line-up by Max Kinsey, Shaun Donnellan who returned from suspension and a fit again Yassine En-Neyah.

After the game started at 3.03pm, with all National League clubs throwing their weight behind the campaign for a third side to be awarded a promotion place to the English Football League, the early stages were largely uneventful.

Indeed the most notable event saw play halted after six minutes by referee Robert Massey-Ellis owing to a problem with the Cressing Road floodlights. But after a short delay, play restarted with neither side able to grab the game by the scruff of its neck.

City were forced into an early change when Ryan Law was forced off with a dead leg after a clash with the lively Sahid Kamara, which was purely accidental. The former Argyle man was replaced by Sanders and with Dean registering a tame effort on target, Braintree grew in confidence.

Their first effort of real note came after a long throw from skipper George Langston was deflected onto the woodwork. The rebound fell nicely to Mani Omrore, who somehow lashed over from five yards when it looked easier to score.

It was a real let-off for the visitors and moments after Omrore’s miss,  Frankie Terry flicked a header into the path of Marley Marshall-Miranda, whose low strike forced a sharp save from Lavercombe.

Kamara was proving to be a real thorn in the Tinners’ side and he had two opportunities to break the deadlock – a header that failed to trouble Lavercombe and then an effort on target which the visiting gloveman held well.

Lavercombe was called into action once more as the interval approached as Vennings stung his palms with a left-footed drive, while Sanders received a final warning after Kamara skipped past him again.

In stoppage time, Terry tugged back Pyke as the striker broke beyond the halfway line, earning a yellow card, but City’s final attack of the opening 45 came to no avail.

Inside the first minute of the second stanza, Terrell Works forced Lavercombe to save at his near post before City enjoyed a spell of sustained dominance.

Dean looked like he would bag his fourth of the campaign only for a goalline clearance to deny the one-time Exeter City youngster.

The same player drove a free-kick from a good area straight at a resolute home wall before Jephcott’s shot that would surely have tested Thompson, was deflected wide by Goran Babic.

City forced a succession of corners but couldn’t make their dominance count and at the other end, a rare foray forward resulted in Babic and Rooney tangling in the box.

The referee pointed to the spot but Lavercombe guessed the right way and pushed Vennings’ poor penalty away with two strong hands.

There was a sense that this miss could have been Braintree’s lot but instead of home heads dropping, it appeared to have the opposite effect.

The Iron kept forging forward and with City creaking, home boss Steve Pitt rolled the dice by introducing Emmanuel-Thomas and Akinde with 18 minutes left.

Omrore went close again when he headed against the post before the game swung Braintree’s way with six minutes left.

Emmanuel-Thomas, who featured against City for previous club AFC Totton in the FA Cup last month, struck a magnificent free-kick into the top corner from 25 yards to send most of the sub 1,000 crowd inside Cressing Road into raptures.

It was the Iron’s first league goal since September 30 and instead of looking to protect their lead, Pitt’s charges went in search of more.

And a game clinching second arrived deep into six minutes of stoppage time when Akinde got the better of Sanders and bearing down on goal, the veteran striker nonchalantly dinked the ball over Lavercombe to seal Braintree’s first National League win at home since mid-August.

City: Lavercombe, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Donnellan, Law (Sanders, 16), Kinsey, En-Neyah, Rooney, Dean, Riley-Lowe, Jephcott (Harvey, 65) Pyke (Janneh, 80). Subs not used: Stone, Bell, Johnson-Fisher, Hasani, Janneh.

Braintree: Thompson, Langston, Omrore, Terry, Pinnington, Vennings, Marshall, Logan, Babic (Hubbard, 72), Works (Emmanuel-Thomas, 72), Kamara (Akinde, 72). Subs not used: Blackwell.

Referee: Robert Massey-Ellis

Attendance: 969 (76 away)

John Askey Post Match Reaction

Boss John Askey admitted that Truro City’s 2-0 loss at fellow strugglers Braintree Town flattered his side, who remain bottom of the National League table.

The hosts, without a win on home soil since August and a goal in the league for over six weeks, were deserved winners, with two goals coming inside the final 10 minutes from substitute duo Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and John Akinde.

Before the former broke the deadlock with a fine free-kick, it looked like City would somehow hold on for a point as Braintree had hit the woodwork twice, while Dan Lavercombe also saved James Vennings’ penalty on the hour mark.

Emmanuel-Thomas, who only joined the Iron from AFC Totton at the eleventh hour, struck from 25 yards before salt was rubbed into the Tinners’ widening wounds when veteran Akinde got the better of Sam Sanders to finish with minimal fuss, managing to lift the ball over an advancing Lavercombe deep into stoppage time.

“Dan has made a good save from a penalty and they hit the bar so were fortunate to only lose 2-0,” Askey said at full-time.

“We are struggling at the moment and the best team won. All over the park we were second best and especially in midfield we didn’t pick up and first or second balls. We didn’t retain possession when we did get the ball.

“The first 20 minutes we were OK, but the longer the game went on, we struggled. It is tough at the moment and I have told the players that too. Somehow we must dig in and get a result sooner rather than later.

“If we don’t then we will be cut adrift, if we are not cut adrift already.”

City’s loss on the road was their third in succession and all against sides in the lower echelons of the National League table.

Prior to this Braintree reverse, the side also had their colours lowered by Solihull Moors and Altrincham with Askey admitting that he is actively trying to add to his squad, with a potential incoming transfer this week.

“Prior to these latest games we were improving and everyone was optimistic,” he added. “In the past when we have needed results we have got them but since the Solihull game we have been lacklustre.

“We need a bit more zip and try and compete a bit more and we are trying to strengthen. We have been trying to do that since the start of the season and we are hoping to bring someone in that will give the other players a lift.

“Something like that could turn our season around.”