Post by admin on Oct 8, 2015 0:58:14 GMT
Injury-time equaliser denies Braintree Town a shock win at Cheltenham Town By Dave Ward.
Braintree Town's players shake hands with the fans at the end of the game. Photo by Alan Stuckey
A dramatic climax to a highly entertaining game at Whaddon Road on Tuesday evening saw Braintree Town almost pull off a shock result at former Football League side Cheltenham Town on Tuesday.
With 30 seconds of normal time remaining, substitute Anthony Edgar put the Iron ahead only for Billy Waters to equalise in the third minute of stoppage time.
A minute earlier the diminutive former Crewe striker had been denied a goal thanks to a brilliant save by Iron keeper Will Norris, who somehow managed to push his deflected shot round the post for a corner.
And in the final minute of the six added on by referee Adam Hopkins, Norris again pulled off a fantastic save to stop Amari Morgan-Smith from grabbing a winning goal.
Delighted Braintree Town boss Dan Cowley said: "All the players had given everything and worked their socks off with probably their best performance for me at the club.
"We were struggling a bit at times in the second half after we lost two key players with injury in the space of four minutes and then had to reshuffle our side."
Left-back Sam Habergham had to be helped off on 56 minutes after he injured himself four minutes earlier denying the home side what looked a certain goal and then Chez Isaac hobbled off with a hamstring problem, forcing Cowley to move Dan Sparkes back and to fill Habergham's position.
"Dan was not fully fit really as he picked up a hamstring strain from Saturday's game and we had queried whether to play him or not but he did a tremendous job dropping back to fill in," said Cowley. "But all the players were excellent and I couldn't have asked for anything more."
Before kick-off Cowley had been forced to change his back line with Mark Phillips unfit from an foot injury picked up on Saturday, replaced by Remi Clerima and Mitch Brundle coming in at right-back.
The Iron, with Matt Paine their man of the match in the heart of the defence, had come fully prepared to contain the home side and then try to catch them on the break with five in midfield and just the one lone striker in Michael Cheek.
The first half saw the Iron looking the more dangerous and twice Simeon Akinola nearly opened the scoring, first on 27 minutes when he slipped clear of the last defender only to see his low shot deflected away by the out-stretched leg of keeper Dillon Phillips.
Five minutes later Akinola threaded his way through only to see his shot somehow pushed behind for a corner by an acrobatic Phillips save.
On 38 minutes another forward push by the Iron saw the ball fall to the unmarked Sparkes on the left but his first-time shot brushed along the crossbar and out the other side.
It was end-to-end stuff all evening, giving fine entertainment for the 2097 crowd which included 35 loyal Iron supporters who made the long midweek trek.
The Robins had their moments too, striking the Iron woodwork twice, but along with some stout defending at times, which included a goal-line clearance by Paine, the visitors held on.
Then with just 30 seconds remaining, an excellent move between substitutes Sean Marks and Edgar left the latter to cut through the home defence and fire home a tremendous 25-yard shot that beat Phillips.
It was soon backs to the wall and, with tired legs and the home side simply pumping balls forward more in hope than anything else, it was Waters who snatched a late equaliser.
"It was really disappointing to concede in that way but my part-time players had given everything and I'm really proud of all of them," said Cowley. "Coming here I said we wanted at least a point from a really difficult game but to then see all three snatched away so late is heartbreaking but I have no complaints – that's football."
"We knew it was going to be difficult later on but having the injuries only added to the problems and we weathered the storm and then scored that last minute goal.
"Conceding then as we did was frustrating but the overall performance was really fantastic and again we have shown what spirit and commitment we have in the team to come to a side favourites for promotion and on their own ground."
Braintree host Grimsby Town this Saturday, kick-off 3pm.
Braintree Town: Norris; Brundle, Paine, Clerima, Haber ham (Miles 56); Isaac (Edgar 60) Davis, Woodyard, Sparkes; Cheek (Marks 68), Akinola. Unused subs: Walker, Haigh.
Read more: www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Injury-time-equaliser-denies-Braintree-Town-shock/story-27939994-detail/story.html#ixzz3nvwiC5mu
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Braintree Town's players shake hands with the fans at the end of the game. Photo by Alan Stuckey
A dramatic climax to a highly entertaining game at Whaddon Road on Tuesday evening saw Braintree Town almost pull off a shock result at former Football League side Cheltenham Town on Tuesday.
With 30 seconds of normal time remaining, substitute Anthony Edgar put the Iron ahead only for Billy Waters to equalise in the third minute of stoppage time.
A minute earlier the diminutive former Crewe striker had been denied a goal thanks to a brilliant save by Iron keeper Will Norris, who somehow managed to push his deflected shot round the post for a corner.
And in the final minute of the six added on by referee Adam Hopkins, Norris again pulled off a fantastic save to stop Amari Morgan-Smith from grabbing a winning goal.
Delighted Braintree Town boss Dan Cowley said: "All the players had given everything and worked their socks off with probably their best performance for me at the club.
"We were struggling a bit at times in the second half after we lost two key players with injury in the space of four minutes and then had to reshuffle our side."
Left-back Sam Habergham had to be helped off on 56 minutes after he injured himself four minutes earlier denying the home side what looked a certain goal and then Chez Isaac hobbled off with a hamstring problem, forcing Cowley to move Dan Sparkes back and to fill Habergham's position.
"Dan was not fully fit really as he picked up a hamstring strain from Saturday's game and we had queried whether to play him or not but he did a tremendous job dropping back to fill in," said Cowley. "But all the players were excellent and I couldn't have asked for anything more."
Before kick-off Cowley had been forced to change his back line with Mark Phillips unfit from an foot injury picked up on Saturday, replaced by Remi Clerima and Mitch Brundle coming in at right-back.
The Iron, with Matt Paine their man of the match in the heart of the defence, had come fully prepared to contain the home side and then try to catch them on the break with five in midfield and just the one lone striker in Michael Cheek.
The first half saw the Iron looking the more dangerous and twice Simeon Akinola nearly opened the scoring, first on 27 minutes when he slipped clear of the last defender only to see his low shot deflected away by the out-stretched leg of keeper Dillon Phillips.
Five minutes later Akinola threaded his way through only to see his shot somehow pushed behind for a corner by an acrobatic Phillips save.
On 38 minutes another forward push by the Iron saw the ball fall to the unmarked Sparkes on the left but his first-time shot brushed along the crossbar and out the other side.
It was end-to-end stuff all evening, giving fine entertainment for the 2097 crowd which included 35 loyal Iron supporters who made the long midweek trek.
The Robins had their moments too, striking the Iron woodwork twice, but along with some stout defending at times, which included a goal-line clearance by Paine, the visitors held on.
Then with just 30 seconds remaining, an excellent move between substitutes Sean Marks and Edgar left the latter to cut through the home defence and fire home a tremendous 25-yard shot that beat Phillips.
It was soon backs to the wall and, with tired legs and the home side simply pumping balls forward more in hope than anything else, it was Waters who snatched a late equaliser.
"It was really disappointing to concede in that way but my part-time players had given everything and I'm really proud of all of them," said Cowley. "Coming here I said we wanted at least a point from a really difficult game but to then see all three snatched away so late is heartbreaking but I have no complaints – that's football."
"We knew it was going to be difficult later on but having the injuries only added to the problems and we weathered the storm and then scored that last minute goal.
"Conceding then as we did was frustrating but the overall performance was really fantastic and again we have shown what spirit and commitment we have in the team to come to a side favourites for promotion and on their own ground."
Braintree host Grimsby Town this Saturday, kick-off 3pm.
Braintree Town: Norris; Brundle, Paine, Clerima, Haber ham (Miles 56); Isaac (Edgar 60) Davis, Woodyard, Sparkes; Cheek (Marks 68), Akinola. Unused subs: Walker, Haigh.
Read more: www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Injury-time-equaliser-denies-Braintree-Town-shock/story-27939994-detail/story.html#ixzz3nvwiC5mu
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