MEET THE OPPOSITION | BRAINTREE TOWN
With Oxford City set for a tough mid-week game, we take a look at Tuesdays opponents, Braintree Town, ahead of an important play-off clash at Court Place Farm.
History:
Braintree Town was Founded in 1898 and were the works team of Crittall Window Company. They have been a highly successful club.
In 1937, they joined the newly established, Essex County League. However, this league folded after only a season, where the club then returned to the Eastern Counties League.
The club went on to secure promotion to the National Conference League for the first time since the 1980s. Furthermore, in the 2012/13 season in which the Iron spent three consecutive seasons finishing 8th in their inaugural season before their eventual relegation in 2014/15.
Braintree have had momentous success in recent season too, including being crowned Isthmian League Premier Division in 2005-06 and winning the Conference South in the 2010-11 season. The most recent success of the club came in 2015 when Danny Cowley became manager.
That season Braintree secured their highest-ever finish of third place in the National League, and qualified for the play-offs.
Current Form:
As is stands in the VNLS, the Essex-based side currently sit third with a one-point lead over Havant and Waterlooville, Worthing, and City.
Braintree have had an excellent 2023, securing a total of 25 points out of a possible 36, winning 7 games out of 12. They have been unbeaten since early January and their last two matches against Hampton & Richmond and Farnborough, have both resulted in a 1-0 victories.
February was a very successful month for The Irons, winning all 6 of their matches. This has seen them soar into 3rd in the table, 5 points behind second place, Dartford.
Meet the gaffer: Angelo Harrop
The job that Angelo Harrop is doing at Braintree is nothing short of remarkable. Last season Braintree did superbly to beat the drop under ex-Manager Ryan Maxwell. However, after Maxwell stood down from his post suddenly, many fans and pundits alike were predicting another difficult season for the Essex side.
However, the season has not turned out the way people expected it at all. Braintree have been one of the season's surprises and a lot of that can be attributed to Harrop.
Harrop, a former Colchester United youngster as a player, took over at the start of the season after making the switch from Isthmian League side AFC Sudbury. A football man at heart, he has worked his way up the management ladder starting off at Stanway Rovers in 2013, and with his successes this season, he may climb higher in the future!
Club Captain: John White
Braintree Town defender, John White brings a huge amount of experience to the Essex side. The defender initially joined Braintree Town in 2022, after spending one year on loan at Wimborne. He previously spent 9 years at Southend United, making 243 appearances and scoring 8 goals.
The 36-year-old started his career at Colchester united where he spent 9 seasons there. White then spent a year on loan at Stevenage, and then another season on loan at Southend United. This is where he then signed full-time for Southend United.
Key Player: Alfie Matthews
Amongst a Braintree Town side, fighting for a top two finish in the VNLS, Alfie Matthews has been a standout player for The Irons.
The centre-forward has scored in Braintree's last two matches, being the only goal scorer in their 1-0 victories over Farnborough and Hampton & Richmond.
Alfie has made 33 appearances for the club this season, scoring 7 goals. He has been a vital team member to his side, securing vital points for The Irons almost single-handedly.
He's no new-comer to National League South either after helping Welling United survive the drop last season.
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