Kingstonian 1-4 Braintree Town
HOT IRON

Visiting Braintree may have been wondering whether the Kingston Road roadworks may have diverted them to the wrong destination for this re-arranged match. For only a couple of weeks previously had Kingsmeadow been filled like a swimming pool by late downpours, only to dry up into a dustbowl for their return visit.

The K's lined up in a similar manner to the win against Maidenhead at the weekend, with just Matt Flitter and Scott Steele dropping out to be replaced by Matt Elverson and Phil Wingfield.

Braintree featured their own Mark Jones at number three, along with the ever-popular David Culverhouse signed from Heybridge and Paul Cobb - formerly and notably of Dagenham & Redbridge.

Oliver Blackwell had an early chance for the visitors but sent his shot high over and into the neighbours' back gardens. Another opportunity for the Iron fell to his defensive partner Gary Waters, but his header fell harmlessly wide.

Visiting goalkeeper Paul Catley was tested by a Phil Wingfield free-kick, punched away, and a Craig Lewington cross-come-shot, gathered. Tim Sills fired an effort wide but the game was about to be hit by a real spark...

Cobb found some space along the right channel and struck a beautifully hit shot across goal from distance into the top corner of Lance Ley's goal. Unstoppable, and hard to do justice to with words.

As K's attempted to come back into the game, a cross from Wingfield was only partly cleared by a combination of Catley and Culverhouse before Louis Riddle completed the job.

Still in the mid part of the first half and Max Hustwick casually conceded possession, allowing a quick Braintree break which allowed Tommy Noble to get his head onto a left wing cross to score at the far post.

K's made another effort to pull something back, though Culverhouse in particular was doing a solid job in the away defence.

With some thirty-eight minutes gone and Tommy Noble slipped in between Chris Whelan and Key to knock in his second and Braintree's third goal.

Shell-shocked, it was of no great surprise when barely a minute later Cobb got his second goal - and Braintree's fourth - heading in a goal not dissimilar to his side's second (by Noble).

A case of damage restriction, K's managed to pull through into the break as it was, though Phil Wingfield was unlucky to see his header strike the crossbar from James Pinnock's free kick.

Come the second half and Braintree were clearly content with holding on to what was, after all, a comfortable lead in their quest for points at the wrong end of the table.

K's came out with more purpose and after a string of corners, Matt Elverson saw a goal-bound header cleared off the line by Luke Hammond.

A controlled period followed before, with a quarter of an hour left to play, a James Pinnock cross was clearly handled by Culverhouse in front of his goal. The resulting penalty was dispatched with ease by Tim Sills - a consolation goal clearly, but the performance continued to get better.

Elverson and Sills saw headers go wide of the target as the corner count continued to rack up. From one of these Sills saw his shot on the turn blocked on the line by Hammonds and Dean Parrott assumed the goal-line position to clear from Phil Wingfield in the final minutes.

Overall a very disappointing result - the worst scoreline K's have suffered this season, but it may well have been a game too many for a couple of the non-regular players. What was good was that the team continued to stick to their task and to put in a good second half performance after what had gone before.