BILLY Crook believed it was Braintree Town's recent experiences that lifted them to "another level" that they needed to book their place in the Vanarama National League South play-off final on Sunday.

It was Crook's 72nd minute goal that earned the Iron a 1-0 victory in their play-off semi-final at Dartford last weekend, but the Braintree midfielder knew that the seeds for their win had been sown over several weeks leading up to that game.

While the Darts came into it on the back of the disappointment of seeing the league title wrenched from their grasp on the final day of the regular season, the Iron were buoyant after a strong run-in to the end of the campaign that had included a penalty shootout win in a play-off game at Hemel Hempstead a few days earlier.

And Crook recognised the value of that momentum in earning them victory in the Kent sunshine.

He said: “We have belief in ourselves after having gone on a great run and that has carried us through.

“Even playing on the Wednesday (at Hemel Hempstead), I felt it gave us an edge over Dartford, who had had a rest.

“It gave us another level to go to.

“We knew that if it went past 90 minutes and extra-time then we had what it took to be confident in penalties and that gave us belief.

“Nath (McDonald) pulled off some great saves in the first half when we were a bit edgy but in the second half, we dealt with their directness and our pace caused them trouble.

“We worked their keeper more and I felt we deserved it.

“The back four were wicked and keeping another clean sheet was immense.

“It’s not easy going to Dartford, who were the top goalscorers in the league, and to keep them relatively quiet.

“Play-off games can be edgy.

“You want to play your best football, but that’s not always the case and you have to adapt to the situation.

“At the start of the season, I think that was probably our best and most attractive football, but then as the season has gone on, we know we can’t always play like that.

“So now in the play-offs, we feel we are the complete package.

“We are still trying to play attractive football, but we have shown that we can do the ugly stuff."

Braintree's win has set up a play-off final at Hampton and Richmond Borough on Sunday and Crook will be keen to impress after his last trip to face the Beavers saw him harshly sent off after less than half an hour.

It will be the 27-year-old's first play-off final action and he is looking forward to it after the win at Dartford.

“It will be my first final," he said.

“I went close last year with Enfield when we lost to Dulwich, but I’m glad to have made it this year.

“Now we’re in it, we want to enjoy the occasion.

“We’re just one step closer and that’s been the same in every play-off game, but we have nothing to fear.

“The way we kept going at Dartford shows the fitness we have and this next one is just one game so we have to give it our all.

“We beat Hampton at home and then went there and got a draw despite being down to ten men for 20 minutes.

“You can’t rely on that as an indicator but we’ll go there with confidence after beating a team that should have been league champions."

Crook is also hoping to see another big following of Braintree fans after large contingents gave vocal backing at Hemel Hempstead and Dartford.

“The fans have been with us and that means so much," he added.

“We were all new faces to them at the start of the season but the bond between the fans and the team has pushed us on.

“Now we have to do it again for them in the final."