IRON 4-0 St.Albans plus report

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Four first half goals settled it.

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A devastating twenty six minute four goal spell in the first half saw the Iron go marching in against the Saints and climb up to ninth place in the VNLS. Despite having scored four at home against Havant, boss Angelo Harrop made 2 changes to his starting line up, one enforced change was Norwich loanee keeper Vicente Reyes recalled giving a second start of the season to Josh Blunkell with Jack Sims still injured and Gianni Crichlow came in on the right wing with top scorer Aaron Blair on the bench. The game was played a frenetic pace with a damp slick surface enabling both sides to zip the ball about. It was the visitors who threatened first on 3 minutes with James firing just over the bar from outside the box. Braintree should've taken the lead on 12 minutes, great work from Blackwell on the left beating his man and delivering a powerful low cross, Coulthirst connected well with an outstretched boot, but the keeper made an instinctive reaction save to keep it out. The opening goal came on 19 minutes, Lambe as ever proving difficult to dispossess is fouled just inside the visitors' half and Grimwood stoops with a diving header to power home a deserved opening goal.Two minutes later and the Iron double their lead, City lose the ball on the halfway line and a rapid counter on the left sees Coulthirst played in beyond the City backline and he drives a low shot past the keeper. Braintree are now inn control and playing some good stuff with Blackwell probably having his best game so far, constantly beating his marker, whilst Will Davies is winning headers and spraying passes out to the flanks setting up attacks. On 36 minutes an Iron corner is cleared, Leon Davies strides up to meet it from 35 yards and hits a searing low drive that the keeper is at full stretch to gather at the second attempt. On 41 minutes and it's a third, Tompkins who is playing with a maturity beyond his 18 years, breaks up play i his own half and plays a good ball down the left, a couple of quick first time passes puts Will Davies away and he sweeps the ball home off the far post. Two minutes later and yet again City lose possession to devastating effect, one pass through to Coulthirst and he angles one across goal for his second of the night.
The visitors are out early for the second half, but again Braintree start on the front foot. A free kick on the left wing 25 yards out is curled in by Blackwell, there's a glancing header and it hits the post, but the lino's flag goes up. Crichlow gets in on the action down the right going past his marker,driving into the box and fires a low cross along the 6 yard box, but it evades everyone. On the hour and Coulthirst is put through as the Iron win possession again, he gets in om the left side of the area and shoots and it's cleared off the line. First sub sees Crichlow replaced by Blair. A Braintree corner is well met by Grimwood, but it's a looping header and the keeper gathers it easily.City are offering very little threat despite 3 subs and Braintree have a handball claim turned away when the ball appears to strike the arm of a defnder as he's sprawled on the ground following a goal mouth scramble.Will Davies is subbed on 75 minutes following a tackle with Ben Watt coming on. As the time ebbs away, the visitors have more possession, but good Iron pressing prevents them causing much alarm to Blunkell with him making a few routine saves.
The Iron now need to take their recent home form with them as they head for the south coast and Eastbourne on Saturday, with an abundance of attacking talent now available, they must fancy their chances against most sides in this League.