Entertaining Irons

Braintree Town 2-3 Scunthorpe United (National League)

I’m knackered today, after getting back from Denmark via Bristol around 9pm last night, I’m back down south for a National League match this afternoon, a couple of hours and more journey time I need to be heading off for 11am, so after a quick dog walk and recharge with full flask of coffee I’m heading to Essex, to watch a couple of sides I’ve seen a bit of this season.

Nicknamed the Iron, Braintree are in the relegation zone, they have one of the smallest squads in the league and one of the lowest playing budgets so it’s no real surprise, the club have stuck with their 77-year-old Manager Steve Pitt and in fairness his team have never gave up the fight despite being limited in personnel, they rescued a point at Morecambe last time out with on loan goalkeeper Max Terry getting an assist, he’s been making a name for himself in both boxes since joining from West Ham, often voted as fans man of the match he has a couple of late goalscoring contributions this season having also netted a 95th minute leveller in a cup match at Truro in January.

Also nicknamed the Iron, Scunthorpe are going well in the playoffs. Better than most predicted? They only came up from the National League last season but they have a fair sized budget and pedigree, a former Football League regular they get decent crowds at Glanford Park usually over 4,000 and I keep saying it, they have the best player in the league in Callum Roberts.

Apparently it’s their Manager Andy Butler’s 100th game in charge today, I don’t think they have ever played Braintree before, I’m told they stopped in nearby Colchester last night to ease themselves in to the surroundings, the sun is shining as I make my own journey towards Cressing Road, down the A1 and M11 before crossing the A120 at Stansted, listening live to the Premier League game on the radio where Brighton are beating Liverpool thanks to a couple of Danny Welbeck goals.

The Venue

It’s a gorgeous spring day and one that is perhaps too warm for my Gillet, but I keep it on in any case as the back of the stand at the Rare Breed Meat Co. Stadium is well shaded.

I’ve pulled up by the Orange Tree pub and walk across to Co-Op for some goodies, before heading on foot down Clockhouse Way towards the venue entrance, the Scunny bus reverses into a tight space in the car park as I head for the turnstiles where there’s a queue, navigating through that I aim for the cash only counter where the girl with the guestlist sits, my names not down but my acting-on-behalf of is, “they’ll only be one of us here today” I tell the nice lady, “so if anyone else says they are from us, don’t let them in”.

You enter in the corner of the ground, it’s serene at this early stage, sun shining there’s a couple of paramedics sitting down outside their first aid cabin, a few players out walking the pitch as the groundsmen look at the condition of the goalmouth which has a bit of sand inside the six yard box.

I walk around to the Main Stand where the Scunthorpe officials are already here, suited, there’s a friendly scout who I know, he goes with them everywhere but didn’t make it to Truro or Yeovil recently though, the South West perhaps a bit too far for his stiff neck which he suffered in a recent accident. “7 hours drive” he tells me it took some fans on Tuesday night just to get to Cornwall, Scunny won 2-1 with goals from Leo Farrell and Alfie Beestin.

Sat here at the back of the stand there’s a good few hundred Scunthorpe fans here already, some behind the goal to my right, some even with their shirts off they have their flags planted onto the fencing behind and someone banging a drum, some sat in the stand to my right, those of an older, quieter generation mostly, whilst their Directors are starting to sit down to my left in the reserved section for corporate people, it feels there’s more Scunny than Braintree here today.

The Game

I’m joined by a local journalist who tells me he didn’t come to the last home match here because he got sent to Dagenham & Redbridge which was a bigger news story as KSI became a minority stake holder of the Daggers, he got to sit up close and personal with the Youtuber and Andy Carroll, which I’m sure would have been fun.

As the players make their way out from behind the goal to my left, Braintree in bright orange and blue, Scunthorpe in black, the fans of the home side start also to drip in from the clubhouse bar, there’s a good thousand in total today which adds a few coffers to the clubs credit bank, “£25 a ticket today” I’m told, as I notice a man with a bucket of beers walk by, he's no doubt encouraging the away support to spend some more.

Braintree kick off and immediately Drake sends a long ball over the top of Scunthorpe’s early high line, big John Akinde is running onto it, big Andy Boyce is treading water behind him, he can’t catch the sixteen stone forward, Akinde through on goal slides home an opener, there’s less than 60 seconds gone and the home team are in front.

It’s a terrible start for Scunthorpe but I’ve never been a fan of their defensive duo, Boyce is good in the air but relatively slow, he’s playing next to Branden Horton who is relatively slow but not so good in the air, Horton is actually a decent left back, but the club keep playing him in the centre.

It’s a start which gives confidence into the relegation threatened hosts armour, they chase everything down as Scunthorpe mis-place passes and struggle for composure, they have star player Cal Roberts as well as top goalscorer Danny Whitehall on the bench, “brave to be without both their primary goal source” I tell the journalist sitting next to me.

Scunthorpe however pair a new duo in tandem, Patrick Jones has signed from Chester and he looks lively in attack, willing to take on his man and work defenders, he’s besides Leo Farrell who looks a cracking player on loan from Barnsley, and the two combine as Jones drills in a low cross for Farrell to bundle home on 39, Braintree have had the better chances but Scunthorpe more of the ball, both go into the break level and perhaps a little annoyed not to be holding at least slender advantage.

The Score

Cal Roberts is expectedly introduced after half time, he comes on for Alfie Beestin and from that moment I have more faith that Scunthorpe might win this match, and they improve after a turgid first half for them where they hardly tested Terry, Roberts immediately hitting a post from a tight angle, at the other end Akinde is denied a second by Jones, but Scunthorpe get the goal their persistence deserves, Oli Ewing in space, composed, inside the area, he shoots low to place home right footed.

You feel that might be the blow to put out Braintree’s fire but the hosts immediately fight back, a wicked corner swung in by Drake causes problems and Lewis Walker prods home on the line, defensively Scunthorpe exposed again, the game set at 2-2.

It’s a stop start second half as at one point two Braintree players collide on halfway to receive treatment, Roberts has a free kick on the edge of the area which he swings left footed against the underside of the crossbar, a huge goalmouth scramble at the other end leads to panic in the visitors’ defence and Jones does well to keep out an audacious overhead by substitute Massiah-Edwards, but ahead of the board going up for ten added minutes, Cal Roberts cuts into the area with yet another jinking run, he’s tripped with the Referee having no option but to give a spot kick, Roberts steps up, scores, and celebrates with the fans behind the goal.

There’s still a bit to go but the Roberts winner is enough for Scunthorpe to hold onto, Jean Belehouan comes on to provide extra defensive support in the closing stages, he’s huge and immediately wins a header against John Akinde which has been by no means feat for others, “perhaps they should have started with him” I ponder, by now the Braintree fire has been well and truly extinguished, a brave effort, but Scunthorpe simply have too much goal threat and in a footrace of Iron-awe they are purposely designed to outscore inferior National League opponents like these.

The Stars

Patrick Jones looked a real livewire up front for Scunthorpe in my first viewing of him, he’s just 22-years old and works hard, is direct and loves the left channel, getting to the bye-line and taking his man on the outside, he’s leggy and quick and offers Scunthorpe a different dimension to simply relying on Cal Roberts cutting in from the right and Danny Whitehall scoring from seemingly everywhere.

On an unassuming afternoon until Roberts entered the fray, Oli Ewing was perhaps the other best of a bad bunch for Scunthorpe, but despite defeat Braintree had plenty of positives, Aidan Francis-Clarke on the right defended well but for a mistake which led to the first Scunthorpe goal, young Ben Drake played with real determination and possesses a lovely left foot on the left side of a three, their debutant Ryan Battrum one of three on loan from West Ham played well left of midfield next to former Ipswich youngster Manny Okunowo who I really like in the holding role, another debutant having a solid start to his Iron career, Callum Harriott in attack, “he reminds me of Julian Joachim” I tell the journalist sitting next to me, whilst John Akinde and Lewis Walker caused trouble up front with their size and strength all afternoon.

The Verdict

I don’t rule out Braintree from survival just yet, as I see plenty of character in their play, just too many mistakes made, they gifted Scunthorpe all three of their goals from errors of judgement, and you can’t do that against teams who are clinical in attack, a tough ask ahead, Braintree have a huge six pointer at Brackley Town on Tuesday, before facing Carlisle, Southend, Woking, Forest Green, Rochdale and Tamworth to end the season.

Scunthorpe should make the playoffs, they sit fifth with a nice twelve point cushion on Southend who are the best just outside with the rest, whilst one of Rochdale and York City are fighting for the title, whoever fails won’t fancy playing Scunthorpe with their attacking quality on offer, as I said to their scout before he said goodbye and headed back home north “Scunthorpe can beat anyone in the National League on their day”.

The Teams

Braintree Town: Mason Terry, Aidan Francis-Clarke, Ryan Clampin (Elliott Thorpe 68), James Vennings (Emmanuel Omrore 75), Ryan Battrum, Lewis Walker (Zavier Massiah-Edwards 75), Tommy Smith, John Akinde, Ben Drake, Callum Harriott (Chay Cooper 59), Emmanuel Okunowo.

Scunthorpe United: Louis Jones, Branden Horton, Andy Boyce, Alfie Beestin (Callum Roberts 46), Joe Rowley, Patrick Jones (Aidan Sausch 59), Oli Ewing (Jean Belehouan 90), Joe Starbuck (Ross Barrows 23), Zain Westbrooke, Leo Farrell (Danny Whitehall 59), Tyler Denton.

3:00pm Kick Off. Saturday 21st March 2026, Cressing Road, Braintree (att 1,021).