Bromley make the relatively short trip up to Essex on Saturday to face struggling Braintree Town at Cressing Road in the National League looking for their league first win in five games that would all but secure their place in Non League Football’s top flight for next season.

The Ravens did get back to winning ways on Tuesday night when they won 1-0 at Tonbridge Angels in the Kent Senior Cup Semi Final, thanks to a goal from the prolific JJ Hooper, who has been sensational since joining on loan from Grimsby Town at the start of the year.

Prior to that Neil Smith’s injury hit side had lost three and then drawn at home to Chesterfield in the National League, but the victory over The Angels not only lifts the spirits, but guarantees a cup final at the end of the campaign for the supporters.

Braintree go in to the game rooted to the bottom of the table with 28 points from their 39 matches played. Currently playing under Brad Quinton, their third manager of the season, they have improved of late, beating Sutton 3-0 and running Solihull Moors close 1-2, but they are still fifteen points adrift from the fifth from bottom side.

The Iron do have a good record against Bromley though, The Ravens have only won twice at Cressing Road since the teams started to meet each other regularly at the turn of the century and when the teams met at Hayes Lane in October Braintree won 4-2.

Bromley are missing Jake Goodman and Adam Mekki for the rest of the season, plus Zavon Hines who has been forced to retire, but Neil Smith is hopeful he will have the rest of his squad back available to choose from.

These matches are usually entertaining and hard fought, with the stakes very high for the home side Bromley will need to be on their game to bring the points back home down the M11 with them.