Post by dbbn on Apr 19, 2024 9:55:45 GMT
Match Preview
Saturday 20 April 2024
Vanarama National League South
Braintree Town v Eastbourne Borough
Braintree Town welcome Eastbourne Borough to the Rare Breed Meat Company Stadium for their last home VNLS fixture of the season. The two teams also met on the last home game of last season in 2022/23 in a winner take all final play-off spot up for grabs.
This season with Braintree having already assured a play-off place, they are now playing to ensure they get a home tie in either the first play-off qualifier by finishing fourth, or play one less game and host a semi-final by finishing second or third. The Sports currently sit in twentieth place in the VNLS table, but are safe from relegation after Taunton Town lost their game in hand on Thursday evening.
The Sports record this season is P45 W 13 D10 L 22 GF 50 GA 72 Points 49.
On their travels they have P 22 W 4 D 6 L 12 GF 21 GA 34 Points 18 the wins coming at Havant & W (1-2), St Albans C (2-3), Welling U (0-2) and Dartford (0-2). Apart from the two clean sheets shown in those wins, the only other time they’ve achieved a shutout was at Truro C nine days ago.
Safety was looking bleak a few weeks ago, but a run of one defeat in their last ten games has secured them another season at this level. That run coincided with the signing of striker Yahya Bamba from Cray Wanderers who in his short stint at the Sports has found himself joint top scorer with Decarrey Sheriff on six goals.
The two sides met on the south coast earlier this season on Remembrance Day 11 November 2023 and turned out to be a day to forget for the Iron as the hosts ran out comfortable three-one winners. Billy Vigar opened the scoring in the first minute for the Sports, but the Iron composed themselves and levelled in the twentieth minute after Tom Blackwell punished some wayward passing from the Sports defenders. A mistake by Tompkins then let in Fletcher Holman to score in first half added time. The game was wrapped up with ten minutes to go by Leone Gravata. That was the only victory Eastbourne recorded in ten matches between 8 October 2023 and 15 December 2023.
That game last season was on 22 April 2023 with the Iron taking that seventh place play-off spot winning two-nil. Ansu Jannah edged the Iron ahead on the stroke of half time having missed a golden opportunity to open the scoring earlier. Zac Bradshaw then doubled that lead on sixty four minutes before Kyran Clements saw red three minutes later.
There are still many connotations as we head into this game which could see Braintree finish anywhere between second and fifth. If Braintree win and Worthing (H v Weston S-M ) and Chelmsford City (A v Chippenham T) lose, then second will be theirs. If the Clarets avoid defeat then only a big Worthing win will take second off them.
If Braintree doesn’t win, then Maidstone (H v Hampton & RB) would need to win to move us down to fifth. What is certain is that with Eastbourne’s current form, this will not be an easy game.
Saturday 20 April 2024
Vanarama National League South
Braintree Town v Eastbourne Borough
Braintree Town welcome Eastbourne Borough to the Rare Breed Meat Company Stadium for their last home VNLS fixture of the season. The two teams also met on the last home game of last season in 2022/23 in a winner take all final play-off spot up for grabs.
This season with Braintree having already assured a play-off place, they are now playing to ensure they get a home tie in either the first play-off qualifier by finishing fourth, or play one less game and host a semi-final by finishing second or third. The Sports currently sit in twentieth place in the VNLS table, but are safe from relegation after Taunton Town lost their game in hand on Thursday evening.
The Sports record this season is P45 W 13 D10 L 22 GF 50 GA 72 Points 49.
On their travels they have P 22 W 4 D 6 L 12 GF 21 GA 34 Points 18 the wins coming at Havant & W (1-2), St Albans C (2-3), Welling U (0-2) and Dartford (0-2). Apart from the two clean sheets shown in those wins, the only other time they’ve achieved a shutout was at Truro C nine days ago.
Safety was looking bleak a few weeks ago, but a run of one defeat in their last ten games has secured them another season at this level. That run coincided with the signing of striker Yahya Bamba from Cray Wanderers who in his short stint at the Sports has found himself joint top scorer with Decarrey Sheriff on six goals.
The two sides met on the south coast earlier this season on Remembrance Day 11 November 2023 and turned out to be a day to forget for the Iron as the hosts ran out comfortable three-one winners. Billy Vigar opened the scoring in the first minute for the Sports, but the Iron composed themselves and levelled in the twentieth minute after Tom Blackwell punished some wayward passing from the Sports defenders. A mistake by Tompkins then let in Fletcher Holman to score in first half added time. The game was wrapped up with ten minutes to go by Leone Gravata. That was the only victory Eastbourne recorded in ten matches between 8 October 2023 and 15 December 2023.
That game last season was on 22 April 2023 with the Iron taking that seventh place play-off spot winning two-nil. Ansu Jannah edged the Iron ahead on the stroke of half time having missed a golden opportunity to open the scoring earlier. Zac Bradshaw then doubled that lead on sixty four minutes before Kyran Clements saw red three minutes later.
There are still many connotations as we head into this game which could see Braintree finish anywhere between second and fifth. If Braintree win and Worthing (H v Weston S-M ) and Chelmsford City (A v Chippenham T) lose, then second will be theirs. If the Clarets avoid defeat then only a big Worthing win will take second off them.
If Braintree doesn’t win, then Maidstone (H v Hampton & RB) would need to win to move us down to fifth. What is certain is that with Eastbourne’s current form, this will not be an easy game.