While he appreciates time to get players rested and to work on things on the training pitch, Braintree Town manager Alan Devonshire isn’t keen on his side getting an enforced break from action.

Southport’s FA Cup involvement means the Iron are without a Vanarama Conference Premier game on Saturday and their next first-team action will come when they host AFC Sudbury in the first round of the FA Trophy on December 13.

It has left Braintree with an unscheduled two-week break and while Devonshire would rather his team didn’t have it, he will use it positively.

He said: “I’d rather not have it as you like to play games.

“There’s nothing better than that, but we’ll work them hard in training.

“It does give some players a chance to rest up, though.

“Charlie Strutton’s ankle was hurting after (the 1-0 defeat at Woking on) Saturday and Ryan Peters is still injured and neither would probably have been back if we’d had a game this weekend, so it’s good in that respect, but you do still want to play.”

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