Braintree 4s vs Havering 3s

Having rescheduled this match due to weather before the Christmas break, the 3s were well aware that they needed to hit the ground running after weeks of not playing if they were to walk away with a positive result

Due to lack of availability, the away side had to play through the entire match with bare 11, although it did not initially look that way as Havering remained in the driving seat for much of the first half. The Christmas cobwebs were evident however, with 4 short corners resulting in nothing for the visitors, although a James Downey push was unlucky to be called for high ball after some fine play in the D. Heads did not drop however, and Havering persisted, but could not break the deadlock in the first half

Knowing that a goal would come from persistence, the visitors were markedly more offensive in the second half, with both Will Tang and Taylor Ahmad often joining the attack from deep in defence to provide an extra man in attack. Havering often found themselves on the break running at the Braintree defence, albeit some fine defending and an goal line clearance meant Will Bailey was unfortunate to put the away side ahead. Further short corners also resulted in 0 goals for the visitors.

The deadlock was finally broken however by some positive play from Bailey, who once again got to a 50/50 ball before the home GK. After a scramble to the edge of the D, Terry Turner deftly flicked the ball beyond the keeper and two defenders on the line with Havering taking the lead with 7 minutes remaining

This would not be the end however, as Braintree finally managed to mount their own attack. Having lost his marker on the left of the field, the Braintree striker managed a brilliant reverse stick lob over the Havering GK to even the scores, catching the keeper completely unaware.

Despite a final push, Havering were unable to add to their tally and the game finished 1-1

A fine performance although a tad disappointing due to lack of fitness and cohesion after the Christmas break, although it is good to see the boys did well with the numbers at hand and that the rust should come off in the weeks to come. A congratulations also to the home side for a solid defensive performance, earning them their first points of the season

FT Braintree 4s 1-1 Havering 3s