Braintree bow out of Essex Senior Cup after quarter-final defeat at Chelmsford

Essex Senior Cup quarter-finals

Braintree Town’s name won’t be in Wednesday’s Essex Senior Cup semi-final draw after they were beaten 2-0 in their quarter-final tie by old rivals Chelmsford City.

The Clarets won with a goal from Max Porter and a Shaun Jeffers penalty, but it could easily have been a greater winning margin as they enjoyed by far a greater share of possession and chances.

It meant the home fans could claim bragging rights against an old foe who they hadn’t met in a number of years.

However, it may be difficult to judge how strong those bragging rights can justifiably be as both clubs fielded sides that were changed from their usual looks - especially Braintree’s – in their respective leagues.

However, that would probably have mattered little to the Chelmsford support that made up the crowd of 558.

Their team started the game with four of the side that had beaten Dartford in the FA Trophy on Saturday, with a further five of that previous side on the bench.

In contrast, the Iron had no-one in their matchday squad who had been involved in their own Trophy success at East Thurrock.

You couldn’t say it was an inexperienced Braintree line-up, though, as it included the likes of ex-Stevenage defender Jon Ashton and Craig Barrett and Barney Williams, who has been first-team regulars at the start of the season.

However, it was an unfamiliar team and alongside those more experienced players were youngsters from the club’s reserve and Academy sides.

The game was a bit slow to get going, but despite their lack of previous time together, it was the visitors who showed the greatest ambition in the opening stages.

They looked most lively with Claudio Dias on the ball through the middle and some decent combinations with Luke Mallett on the right provided the Clarets with a few early threats.

The home defence dealt with it all without any dramas though and they began to get forward more as they enjoyed greater possession.

In the tenth minute, wasteful play from Braintree in midfield allowed ex-Iron Luke Daley to get clear, but his cross into the centre was ill-directed and was straight into the arms of Braintree keeper Ben McNamara.

The Iron custodian then had to be alert as the half approached the midway point and a free-kick arrived at the feet of Chelmsford’s Michael Spillane.

He unleashed a fierce drive that McNamara had to palm over the crossbar to maintain the status quo.

There was also a heart-in-mouth moment on 26 minutes as McNamara just about beat Clarets forward Philip Roberts to a long ball forward.

However, the Braintree keeper spilled it and only just recovered before the loose ball was poked in.

The home side appeared to be building a head of steam, with Roberts stinging McNamara’s hands with another shot.

At the other end, all Braintree had to show for their efforts was a Jake Thompson strike from distance that bounced off the turf and into the arms of Clarets keeper Ross Fitzsimons.

With neither side able to breach the other’s defences, it remained in a goalless stalemate at half-time and that stayed the case in some edgy encounters after the restart.

Both struggled to gain too much in the way of meaningful possession, although Chelmsford should really have taken the lead as the game reached the hour mark.

On 58 minutes, a free-kick landed at the feet of Clarets skipper Chris Bush but dwelt on ball too long and Braintree were able to make the clearance.

The ball was recycled by the hosts, though, and the move ended with a header from Spillane being claimed by McNamara.

The Iron escaped on that occasion, but it heralded a period of pressure on the visitors’ goal that they were rather fortunate to come away unscathed from.

Last-ditch blocks and clearances had to be employed, but there was no reprieve in the 66th minute when Max Porter rose highest from a corner and powered a header past McNamara.

It was a setback for the Iron, but they almost hit straight back when Dias surged clear and Fitzsimons had to make a superb stop to deny the Braintree man.

The respite was brief, though, and it was McNamara back in the firing line soon as he had to get down well to keep out a driven free-kick by Bush as the Clarets looked to close out the tie.

They kept the screw turned tight as the visitors were kept on the back foot and a second goal predictably came in the 84th minute.

It was from a penalty when it did come as Danny Rumens hauled down Shaun Jeffers, who picked himself up and slammed the ball into the net from the spot to double the Clarets’ advantage.

That put the tie beyond doubt and meant the hosts could see out the tie in comfort in the knowledge that it would be their name heading into Wednesday’s semi-final draw.

Braintree Town: Ben McNamara, Yassin Houtfouakin, Barney Williams, Danny Rumens, Jon Ashton, Matt Baxter, Luke Mallet, Jake Thompson (Tommy Hayls 70), Amos Kabeye (Alfie Manley 83), Claudio Dias, Craig Barrett.

Subs not used: Charlie Webb, Harry Aldridge.

Chelmsford City: Ross Fitzsimons, Matt Young, Danny Blanchett, Max Porter, Chris Bush, Michael Spillane, Luke Daley, Josh Rees, Shaun Jeffers, Philip Roberts, Kane Haysman.

Subs not used: Chris Dickson, Mark Haines, Bagasan Graham, Anthony Church, Robbie Willmott.

Referee: Ron Whitton.