Braintree Town face Horsham this weekend as they look to climb from 20th place in the National League South standings. The Iron's season began with a heavy 4-0 home loss to Tonbridge Angels before they secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Chesham United, a match reported by www.horshamfc.co.uk.
Their current league position shows three points from three games, with a record of one win and two losses. They have scored four goals but conceded eight, leaving them with a negative four goal difference. The club also sits nine points behind the early leaders, Dagenham & Redbridge.
The campaign started in difficult fashion with that heavy defeat at home. Their fortunes changed in the next league fixture against Chesham United, though they had to overcome an early setback. Hisham Kasimu put the visitors ahead after just three minutes. Braintree's Anisius Lewis equalised but was later sent off, forcing his team to play with ten men. Goals from Ange Djadja and George Evans secured a 3-2 win, with Matt Lench's penalty for Chesham providing a late consolation.
In the National League Cup, Braintree drew 1-1 with Ipswich Town's U21s. Luca Fletcher opened the scoring for the young Tractor Boys, but Alfie Lewis struck a last-minute equaliser to force a shoot-out, which Ipswich won 4-3. This mixed start follows a summer where most of the playing squad is new, a situation complicated by a transfer embargo that was only lifted on 5 August.
Last season ended with relegation from the National League, the third time this has happened in the past decade. On the two previous occasions, the club bounced back immediately by winning promotion through the play-offs. The stated intention for this season is to repeat that feat and secure a return to the fifth tier. This historical pattern provides a template for recovery that the current squad will aim to follow.
Horsham visit Cressing Road in good spirits after a 2-0 win against Hampton & Richmond on Tuesday evening. Manager Dom Di Paola was pleased with his team's performance. "We played well and could have won by more," Di Paola said. "If we’d been given the goal that was disallowed, which clearly wasn’t offside, it could have been four or five."
The Hornets have also drawn against Torquay United and Salisbury this season. They currently have four more points than at the same stage last campaign. Key players include goalkeeper Sam Howes and attacker Greg Luer. Di Paola also highlighted the impact of substitutes, saying, "It was good to be able to bring some gamechangers off the bench, in Cooky [Charlie Hester-Cook] and Greg [Luer].
The Horsham Independent Supporters Club is running a coach to the match at Cressing Road. It will depart from Hop Oast Park & Ride at 11:30, with a second pickup in the Carfax at 11:45. The cost is £20 for travel club members and £30 for non-members. Spaces are still available, and booking is done via email to horshamfcfans@gmail.com.
For Braintree, the immediate focus is on halting their inconsistent form. With a largely new squad now free from embargo restrictions, the match against a confident Horsham side represents a significant test. Building cohesion will be essential as they pursue their play-off ambition, and details on the squad shaping that challenge are on our squad page.
