Brentwood Academy – 1 Braintree 3’s - 2

The secret of any good relationship is, they say, communication. Letting the other party know when you’re not happy. Well, the team certainly followed this mantra in letting your match report writer know that standards had slipped. Warning shots fired, lessons to be heeded.

There was a little surprise that this match went ahead, following a week of frozen temperatures the mercury went above zero just at the right time. The Academy this week had 13 fit and firing players. Substitutions this week would be for ‘normal’ hockey type squad management, not because someone overdid it the night before at a 50th birthday party – looking at you Nick Edwards.

That said the least said about the Academy warmup the better. Imagine a pre-match warm-up resembling a group of penguins attempting synchronized swimming on dry land, but with even less coordination and more wobbling. I know that a few of us like to check out the pre match routine of our opponents and certainly Ian Anderson and I were checking out some of the Braintree short corner routines but our pre match activities would have spread confidence throughout out opposition. Our ‘lace’ seemed more a chaotic dance routine that would leave Braintree wondering if they were preparing for a game or auditioning for a slapstick comedy. Passes were as accurate as a GPS with a sense of humor. It was a warm-up routine that could have easily been mistaken for a scene from a sports-themed sitcom, complete with misplaced enthusiasm and a distinct lack of athletic finesse. It didn’t bode well.

But then the match gets underway and as I have so often typed the Academy started the stronger. Not creating anything particularly clear cut but dominant on the ball. Sam Anderson hits his stride quickly. Starting to look the business is Sam has his right side of the pitch locked down. Great defensive partnership with Fraser and making good decisions on when to pass and when to run with the ball.

As is always the way with these things you do need the opposition to start some attacks to give yourself some attacking space and as the game balances out, we get a few. A low percentage shot here and there. Our first short corner sees the ball come back to me from Rob Sanders, admittedly I should have dome better and at least made contact to get the ball on target but in fairness I’m already arranging the details of the chance in my head to ensure a high-quality match report for you dear reader. I’ve never been a multitasker.

The Braintree attacks are decent though. The move the ball very deliberately through the thirds seeking out space. They have a couple of handy operators in the middle of the park who are careful in possession and have a trick or two to create space. They get their short corners which we deal with. As the first half wears on Braintree do gain the upper hand. Fraser, Ian and Roffe have work to do, Chris and I in midfield can’t switch off for a minute. Despite our best efforts, Braintree get two goals. They weren’t great goals and not the best finishes. I’m blaming our warmup. A higher quality execution of the lace would have got Boothie better prepared. He does make an excellent stick save later in the half with a high shot that had the look of a ball dipping into the goal.

Down but absolutely not out. On the restart form the first goal Sam Anderson and I combine down our right side and we nearly create a chance. But we do hit back a few minutes after the second. Rob Sanders feels his calf go so has to be pushed further up the pitch. Braintree leave him alone – I assume thinking he’ll be working back as he had done so far throughout the game. Ian spots him in glorious isolation, quick ball and Rob finds enough to go through one on one with Braintree defenders retreating at pace but Rob has enough to lift over the keeper and we’re back in it. It must be said Rob kept a fairly high position for the remainder of the game but was never left in so much space again. Fool me once and all of that.

We start the second half as we mean to go on. Ian Anderson lobbing the ball into a dangerous are on the edge of the Braintree D to me, we create a half chance from the melee. The second half is quite easy to describe. It wasn’t absolutely all one-way traffic. Braintree did have short periods of possession and get into our D a few times and won I think 4 short corners in the second half. So, they had their moments, but it was all about what we could do. We went at them repeatedly. Frank Edwards running at them causes issues, Sam Anderson is someone they need to watch, Rob Sanders is the pivet point up front. Isaac Minor, using his pace troubles Braintree on a couple of occasions, Doug Muncey gets involved. Max Bakal has his best half affecting the game. Jake Sanders has to cover for his Dad a little deeper and works hard in an unfamiliar area of the pitch. But the Braintree defence hold. A few short corners come and go, their keeper is good for the level. We get a few shots off. A couple of shots cry out for someone on the post, the ball flashes across the D in the final minute just needing a prod to divert it in. But it just doesn’t happen. Its not to be its not the Academy’s day.

All in all it was an enjoyable match. We came close and battled hard throughout. More of this please.

Team: Richard Booth, Fraser McLauchlan, Ian Anderson, Simon Roffe, Chris Minor, Gary MacDonnell, Rob Sanders, Sam Anderson, Isaac Minor, Max Bakal, Jake Sanders, Doug Muncey Frank Edwards.

Man of the Match: Again a number of votes spread but Sam Anderson gets it this week.