By Ron Fosker

It was clear from the start that Braintree Town’s only realistic aim this season had to be simply to survive.

That remains the case although their prospects have begun to look a bit brighter in recent weeks following their five-match unbeaten league run in November and December.

But they are still only just recovering from that dreadful summer when nearly all their players, their manager and assistant manager walked out the door.

To illustrate the task facing new manager Jamie Day it is worth listing the players who left: Sam Habergham, Alex Woodyard and Taylor Miles joined managers Danny and Nicky Cowley at Lincoln; Matt Paine and Kenny Davis went to Boreham Wood; Matt Fry to York; Dan Sparkes to Torquay; Mitch Brundle to Gateshead; Sean Marks and, eventually, Remy Clerima to join former boss Alan Devonshire at Maidenhead (currently walking away with the National League South); Mark Phillips to Ebbsfleet; and Anthony Edgar to Woking.

In addition loanees Tom King and Sean Long returned to their parent clubs.

That left Simeon Akinola, Michael Cheek and Chez Isaac for the new manager to build the squad around.

It was a task to rank with Sisyphus’s attempts to push boulder up a hill.

In the Greek myth, the boulder kept falling back and hitting Sisyphus, a feeling Day must have sympathised with.

With the season fast approaching he had little alternative but to sign and sign quickly something resembling a team.

It was not an ideal scenario and it became clear early on that some of his signings came under the heading of a panic buy and were not up to the standard required.

Or was it that Day failed to get the best out of them?

Whether it was his choices or his motivation that was at fault, the board decided after 12 league games and just nine points that he had been given a fair trial and had failed.

In stepped Hakan Hayrettin who promptly oversaw two defeats and a draw at home to York, a team who eventually dropped to the bottom of the league.

It was not an auspicious start and although the team showed a glimpse of their fighting qualities by coming from 2-0 down to beat Bromley in the FA Cup in their next match, they followed it with a horror show at Dover where their 6-1 defeat represented their worst result in six years at national level.

But after that things have begun to turn round.

Hayrettin has not only discarded some of Day’s purchases, but has also produced distinctly improved performances from the likes of Jerome Okimo, so shaky to start with but now a steadying influence at full back, Harry Lee, initially wasteful and hesitant and now much more confident, and Jack Midson, originally played out of position on the wing, now a thrusting presence up front.

Hayrettin’s main concern continues to be in defence, particularly at centre back, where injuries have given the team something of a revolving door look.

Players have been injured, replacements found, only for them to be injured as well.

On two occasions, he has lost both centre halves in one match.

Jon Ashton and Ian Gayle started the first few games but never convinced.

Jake Goodman has looked promising but has been unlucky with injuries.

Jack Cowgill was brought in on loan but was soon also injured and then Danny Rumens was given an instant baptism against Bromley when Ashton was injured in the warm-up Manny Parry was then added to the squad and played in the next fixture, the edge-of-the-seat 5-4 win at Southport but both he and Rumens were cup-tied so Hayrettin had to get out his little black book again and secured the services of Zak Jules, on loan from Reading, for the cup match at Millwall.

In the middle of all this came George Elokobi’s loan spell and one of the main reasons for a turnabout in Iron’s fortunes.

His experience and knowhow brought a much needed consistency to the centre of the defence and it was a major frustration when Colchester United decided they needed him back just before the league match against Bromley.

The season started with eight different goalkeepers (if Essex Senior Cup matches are included).

There have now been nine players occupying the centre-back berth.

The trials and tribulations at the heart of defence sum up the difficulties Hayrettin has had to face as he tries to produce a settled line-up and he must be desperately hoping that Goodman will be fully fit by the time Jules has to return to Reading.

Elsewhere the team has begun to take on a greater appearance of permanence with the experienced Sean Clohessy, signed at the beginning of November, at right back, an improving Lee in midfield alongside Isaac, whose up-and-down season has involved him taking over as captain but then being dropped, Akinola on the wing, and Cheek and the rejuvenated Midson up front.

The loss of Akinola, transferred to Barnet on New Year’s Eve, was not unexpected but leaves a large hole to fill.

Although he has not reached the heights of the previous two seasons – the possibility of a move into the Football League seems to have been hanging over him – he was still capable of moments of magic and will not be easy to replace.

Akinoal is, incidentally, not the first Iron player to move to Barnet; Andy Yiadom having travelled the same route a few years ago and he is now a regular with Barnsley in the upper reaches of the Championship.

It is not impossible that this could also be the first step for Akinola to climb up the leagues, though it is doubtful if he will be converted into a full-back as Yiadom has been.

The cups, not traditionally a highlight of a Braintree season, have brought encouraging results that have had something of a galvanising effect on the team.

After the turnaround against Bromley when they recovered from 2-0 down to win 4-2 came the record-equalling 7-0 win against Eastbourne and a polished performance not reflected in the 5-2 scoreline at League One Millwall.

And in the FA Trophy, there was a further morale-boosting win over a Torquay side they had lost so limply to earlier in the season.

Hayrettin will no doubt have to continue using loan players, as Cowley did last season, but he now has something of a nucleus of signed players to continue to build a settled side round.

But he cannot afford too many below-par performances in what has become something of a dogfight at the bottom of the league.

On the Saturday before Christmas, for example, when Iron earned a commendable draw at Gateshead, all the bottom six gained at least one point.

However, by pulling themselves out of the relegation places with their wins against Boreham Wood on December 20 and Dagenham and Redbridge on Boxing Day, history could be on his side.

Last season only one of the bottom four on Boxing Day climbed out of the relegation places.

The previous two seasons the bottom four at Christmas were the bottom four at the end of the season.

Iron’s own history is on his side too.

They have consistently shown themselves to be a second-half-of-the season team. For each of the five seasons they have been in the National League, their position at the end of the season has been higher than it was on Boxing Day.

Despite the clear improvement under Hayrettin, at the league’s halfway point Iron had still taken only 12 points from his 13 matches in charge.

Devonshire famously set a target of 50 points each season, but even that would not have been enough three years ago when Chester finished in the bottom four with 51. At the halfway point, Iron had 21 points from 23.

With a target of 52, that means 31 from the next 23.

It will still be an uphill struggle.

Hayrettin needs to keep pushing the boulder.