BRAINTREE TOWN 1 FOREST GREEN ROVERS 2

Vanarama Conference Premier

This was a game that promised goals throughout, but wasn’t until the very end that they really came and unfortunately for Braintree, it was Forest Green Rovers who took the three points.

Both teams were even-matched in this Vanarama Conference Premier clash and the breathless action flowed openly from one end to the other.

The Iron and Rovers both had good chances to go ahead, but it was Forest Green who got their noses in front with 22 minutes remaining when Jon Parkin flicked the ball in from close range.

Braintree threw men forward and thought they had secured a share of the spoils with seven minutes remaining when Sean Marks prodded the ball in, but there was a sting in the tail for the hosts.

With their next attack, Forest Green secured the points when Parkin headed in from Elliott Frear’s cross and that proved to be a killer blow for the Iron.

Braintree opted to keep faith with the same starting line-up that had won 2-0 at Gosport Borough in the FA Trophy the previous weekend.

And that faith was quickly repaid as the Iron made an impressive start with all the early pressure being put on the visitors’ goal.

A corner in the opening minutes saw a Remy Clerima header deflected just over and Jordan Cox’s header was just wide of the target from the following corner.

The pressure was maintained in open play too, with the hosts playing at a quick tempo and they carved open the Rovers back line to create the best of the early opportunities.

A great touch on from Simeon Akinola found Chez Isaac, who got the wrong side of Forest Green full-back Marcus Kelly down the right and he crossed to the onrushing Cox.

All Cox had to do was tap the ball home, but he missed it completely as the ball appeared to get caught in the heavy surface of the goalmouth and the chance went begging.

Forest Green settled into the game after the hosts’ early burst, though, and starting pressing themselves in an open game.

Elliott Frear fired just over with a shot from the left and the ball was then worked back to Sam Wedgbury in a central position and he unleashed a fierce shot from 25 yards.

However, Nick Hamann got a telling touch to push the ball on to the crossbar.

Those chances began a period of dominance for the visitors as they dominated possession and most of the action was directed towards the Braintree goal.

The best of their chances fell to Aarran Rancine, who found himself unmarked on the penalty spot, but only needing to poke the ball towards goal to score, he contrived to push the ball wide of the target.

That meant it stayed goalless at half-time, but Forest Green had the best chance to break the deadlock just after the break.

A sweeping move out of defence saw Frear race clear, but rather than have a shot himself, he chose to cut the ball back to Jon Parkin, who skewed his effort wide of the goal once more.

The action stayed very open and it was then Braintree’s turn to break from the back.

Akinola evaded a challenge by Wedgbury and raced clear before switching the play over to Isaac on the right and he cut inside and had a shot that was smothered by Rovers keeper Russell.

The ball spun loose, but Cox was just unable to flick it goalwards and Russell got back to make the clearance.

The game was being played at a breathless pace and flowed relentlessly from end to end with neither able to have a telling moment of quality in front of goal.

However, the parity was broken on 68 minutes when Braintree failed to clear their lines from a corner and the ball eventually fell for Jon Parkin, who flicked it home from almost on the goal-line.

Braintree made changes to try and get back into the game with Cox and James Mulley being replaced by Sean Marks and Dan Sparkes and they combined to open a great opportunity.

Sparkes raced clear down the left and his teasing cross was almost met by the onrushing Marks, but a superb clearance from on his own goal-line by Aarran Rancine saw the danger cleared.

Manager Alan Devonshire made his final change with ten minutes to go as Charlie Strutton replaced Matt Paine as the Iron went in search of an equalising goal.

Two of his changes combined to get Braintree back in the game in the 83rd minute when Sparkes’ long free-kick into the box was volleyed goalwards by Kenny Davis and flicked home on the line by Marks.

However, having got themselves back into the game, they quickly found themselves behind again.

From Rovers’ next foray forward a cross from the left by Frear was met by the head of Parkin, who turned it past Hamann.

It was a bitter blow for the Iron and one they were unable to come back from as Rovers took the three points away.