A drab and highly uninspiring match between playoff chasing Braintree Town and mid-table Bromley was settled on the stroke of half-time by a Simeon Akinola header.
That Danny Cowley, Braintree manager, hailed this as his side’s most important three points of the season spoke volumes about Braintree’s ability to win when weakened and the grit and determination within his squad.
Bromley manager Neil Smith had shuffled the pack for the visit to Braintree, Ben May came in for the injured Adam Cunnington and Louis Dennis replaced the absent Rhodell Gordon.
Lining up in a familiar 4-4-2, the opening twenty minutes of the game were encouraging for Bromley as they passed the ball around efficiently albeit without being able to find the killer pass in the final third that could stretch the Braintree backline.
Lee Minshull was the first to threaten the goal from either side when his dipping volley from 25 yards flew just over the bar. A minute later Ben May placed his header the wrong side of the crossbar when he rose to meet Louis Dennis’ corner.
Yet despite Bromley looking the better side going forward, Braintree displayed clearly why they have only conceded 26 goals all season. Defensively the side is well marshalled by Mark Phillips and more importantly the side defend tigerishly as a unit. Neither Dennis nor Pierre Joseph-Dubois were able to get beyond their fullbacks consistently and the one time Bromley did get joy down the wing, courtesy of interplay between Joe Anderson and Dennis the former’s cross flashed across the penalty area with no Bromley player able to capitalise.
As the game drifted to the interval there was no sign of what was to come but in keeping with the sloppiness of the previous two games, Bromley were to prove to be the masters of their own downfall. A Braintee corner by Jack Powell, on the stroke of half-time, was headed in by a completely unmarked Akinola to give Braintree a lead to defend.
Given the pattern of the first half it was perhaps no surprise that Bromley were unable to find a breakthrough in the second half. The closest they were to come was as early as the 48th minute when Minshull hit a low effort from 18 yards straight into the arms of Tom King in the Braintree goal.
The remaining 40 minutes of the half played out in an almost interminable fashion with neither side able to create a note-worthy opportunity. Indeed fans of both sides were probably more concerned with fighting off the urge to fall asleep than watching the poor fare on show in the second half.
For Braintree the quality of the performance was neither here nor there, it is a hallmark of a good side to find a way to win when below their best and in racking up their fifth consecutive clean sheet they were able to move up to 4th in the league table.
Neil Smith lamented afterwards at the sloppy mistake that was to prove the difference between the two sides but he was right to also laud the effort and application of his charges. That Bromley could find no way through the Braintree rearguard was no disgrace and merely put them in the same category as league leaders Cheltenham Town who suffered the same fate the previous week.
That said with second place Forest Green Rovers visiting Hayes Lane on Easter Monday, Smith will be keen to ensure Bromley do not simply meander to seasons end if not only for his chances of securing the manager’s job full time but also so the fans can celebrate a potential top half finish.
Braintree Town: King, Brundle, Phillips, Isaac (Powell 35), Habergham, Fry, Davis, Woodyard, Akinola (Edgar 69), Sparks (Miles 79), Cardwell
Subs not used: Gardner, Palmer
Goals: Akinola 45
Bromley: Julian, Holland, Swaine, Minshull, Anderson, Francis, Joseph-Dubois, Fuseini, Dennis (Coombes 78), May (Cunnington 64), Emmanuel (Goldberg 61)
Subs not used: Rodgers, Higgs
Referee: Mr Richard Wigglesworth
Attendance: 1321