Braintree Town experienced a weekend of contrasting fortunes, securing a dramatic 3-3 draw at Dover Athletic before suffering a 2-0 home defeat to Farnborough. The results leave Steve Pitt's side 20th in the National League South standings with four points from five games, already 11 points behind leaders Dagenham & Redbridge.
Braintree Town recovered from two goals down to snatch a 3-3 draw at Dover Athletic in a thrilling National League South encounter. The Iron were trailing 3-1 after goals from Decarrey Sheriff and Luke Baptiste for the hosts, with Alfie Matthews scoring a penalty for Braintree. Manager Steve Pitt told the club's YouTube channel that his substitutes changed the game, leading to late goals from debutant Michael Olarewaju and Louis Johnson.
Pitt expressed disappointment with his team's defending despite the comeback. "I'm actually disappointed we didn't win the game," he said. "The manner of the three goals we conceded from a defensive point of view was so poor." The manager felt his side deserved their equaliser after reacting well to the setbacks.
Braintree Town slumped to a 2-0 home defeat against Farnborough in a disappointing Bank Holiday Monday performance at Cressing Road. The Iron failed to look like getting a point against a more accomplished visiting side. Alex Whittle put Farnborough ahead with a well-taken shot in the 53rd minute, and Tyler Frost added a second 18 minutes later as the Braintree defence struggled.
It was described as a tough time for the club and its fans, suggesting limited financial resources are impacting the quality of players available. The only bright spot was the performance of central defender Michael Olarewaju, while the team lacked organisation in midfield and penetration up front. The defeat contributed to their league position of 20th, having scored seven goals but conceded 13 this season.
Dover Athletic boss Jake Leberl felt his side never hit top form in the 3-3 draw with Braintree Town. Leberl believed Braintree came with a game-plan to slow the first half down. "I don't feel we ever got into a rhythm or any tempo," Leberl said. He acknowledged that Braintree's triple substitution brought new life to their attack.
Leberl revealed that his decision to take off defender Harry Beadle, who had been struggling, ultimately backfired as Braintree mounted their late comeback. He also felt the absence of suspended defender Nazir Bakrin was a significant miss in the closing stages. The Dover manager suggested Braintree had nothing to lose at 3-1 down and went for broke with their changes.
Braintree Town are waiting for a FIFA payment of £175,000 related to former player Tommy Smith's World Cup participation with New Zealand. The club hoped the payment from the FIFA Club Benefits Programme would ease financial pressure following their relegation and a transfer ban in May. However, the payment has been delayed until later this year.
It was noted that a significant sell-on fee from former player Kyrell Lisbie's transfer from Peterborough to Millwall actually led to the lifting of the transfer embargo. Braintree Town stated that despite assurances of immediate payment after the World Cup, FIFA has deferred payments via the Football Association to the end of the year. This news comes as the club battles near the bottom of the National League South.
Braintree Town will look to bounce back from their difficult start when they face Chelmsford City away on December 26th. Chelmsford currently sit 15th in the table, providing another challenging fixture for Pitt's squad. The Iron will hope to have suspended striker Anisius Lewis back for their upcoming matches after missing the Farnborough defeat.
The team's recent form reads LDLWL. Supporters can follow the team's progress and check upcoming matches on our fixtures page. Braintree's next game is against 15th-placed Chelmsford City on Boxing Day.
