BRAINTREE TOWN 1 WELLING UNITED 1

Vanarama National League South

Braintree Town extended their unbeaten Vanarama National League South run to four games as they drew 1-1 with Welling United, but they will look at a number of missed chances to have recorded a third win in a row.

They had the lion’s share of the play, especially in the second half, and created more than enough to have taken all three points.

Welling also finished the game with ten men after the sending off of Joe Healy for two bookings within a minute of each other, but it came too late for Braintree to really make the numerical advantage count.

Welling had chances of their own, though, and will rue them themselves as they were left still searching for a win on the road.

Braintree made two changes from the side that beat Oxford City on Saturday, with Phil Roberts starting after coming off the bench to score the winner at the weekend.

Roman Michael-Percil was the other incoming player as he made his first Braintree start, while Alfred Mugabo and Tyler Campbell were the two dropping to the bench.

It was a reserved start from both sides as they felt their way into the game, but while the Iron had most of the early possession, Welling gradually started to press them back.

That created chances for the visitors, but they were rather wasteful as Jack Jebb fired wide and then over and a 13th minute corner saw Jack Parkinson get a solid head to the ball but only direct it wide of the target.

Braintree began to build at the other end of the pitch themselves, though, and Luke Allen fired into the side netting from a corner before a good cross from Roberts fell under the Welling bar and it took a strong punch from keeper Dillon Barnes to take it off the head of the onrushing Karl Oliyide.

Braintree had to wait until the 26th minute for the opening goal to come and it was Roberts who made the breakthrough as he continued the good work he started at the weekend.

It came as Michael-Percil capitalised on a slip by Welling full-back Connor Dymond on the wet surface and he surged forward before laying a delightful ball in to Roberts.

The Iron striker showed his confidence by neatly tucking the ball past Barnes at the near post to give the hosts the lead.

It only lasted ten minutes, though, as Welling responded well to falling behind.

Jefferey Monakana was wasteful twice as he got into good positions before being unable to deliver a killer blow, but they were warnings that the Iron didn’t heed.

It was third time lucky for Monakana in the 36th minute as the former Preston forward, who spent a while on loan at Colchester United four years ago, found the target with a stylish finish.

The ball came to him in a wide position on the right and he cut inside before curling in a lovely shot that dipped over Nathan McDonald and under the Braintree crossbar.

It made it level at half-time but it really should have been the hosts leading at the interval as they spurned a wonderful chance to regain the advantage.

In the dying seconds of the half, some neat interplay around the Welling box saw the ball fall to Allen about ten yards out but his shot was skewed horribly wide with the target open to him.

Barnes then made a save at full stretch to deny Roberts in time added-on as the half finished in lively fashion for the hosts but it stayed 1-1 at the break.

Things remained tight between the two after the restart, with both sides pressing and both sets of defences having to work hard.

The better chances fell to the Iron, though, and play gradually became almost one-way .

In the 55th minute, a nice cross to the back post by Allen saw the ball nicked off the head of Michael-Percil by a Welling defender.

The resulting corner landed on the head of Osa Obamwonyi as Barnes was unable to claim but the Iron defender's effort was wide of the target.

Allen then fired a sweetly-struck shot into the midrift of Barnes and the Welling keeper had an easier take as he kept out an attempt from outside the box by Christian Frimpong.

By this point, most of the play was directed towards the Welling goal and Barnes had to be alert again in the 63rd minute when a flowing move across the pitch ended with Jon Muleba surging up from full-back and curling a low shot that the visiting keeper held on to well.

The Iron made changes to try to find a way to unlock the Welling and one of the substitutes, Tyler Campbell, was involved heavily as the hosts kept pressing.

One wonderful switched pass from him opened the Welling defence and the danger had to be cleared in scrappy fashion by the visitors as the flow of play was almost entirely towards the visitors’ goal.

Roberts sent a shot into the side netting from an acute angle on the turn and another substitute, Dernell Wynter, curled an effort just over from the edge of the box.

Having weathered a storm, Welling did start to pose more threat again and Christian Nanetti forced McDonald into a smart save at his near post and play flowed from one end to the other in the 76th minute.

First a Welling corner was headed goalwards and kept out on the line by McDonald but the loose ball was sent down the other end to where Campbell raced forward and Barnes made a great save with his feet.

The game was on a knife edge heading into the final few minutes but it was Braintree who did the pressing.

Two yellow cards with a minute for Welling’s Joe Healy saw him sent off in the 89th minute and the resulting free-kick almost resulted in a Braintree winner.

The ball fell at the feet of Frimpong and his shot slammed into the base of the post, with the rebound flying to Allen, who just couldn't direct it on target.

It meant the game ended in a 1-1 deadlock and Braintree had to be content with a point rather than the three they craved.

Braintree Town: Nathan McDonald, Jon Muleba, Ben Wyatt, Christian Frimpong , Osa Obamwonyi, Scott Shulton, Luke Allen, Billy Crook (Ricky Gabriel 81), Phil Roberts, Karl Oliyide (Dernell Wynter 69), Roman Michael-Percil (Tyler Campbell 57).

Subs not used: Alfred Mugabo, Mahrez Bettache.

Referee: Matty Bounassisi.