WREXHAM 3 BRAINTREE TOWN 0

Vanarama Conference Premier

Braintree Town’s post-Alan Devonshire era started with a 3-0 defeat at Wrexham in the Vanarama Conference Premier.

Academy boss Mark Sansom took charge as caretaker manager for the trip to Wales after Devonshire’s departure on Thursday evening.

However, he was unable to guide them to victory at the Racecourse ground as their progress was halted by having to make some unscheduled substititions.

Despite having the better of the chances in the first-half, injury interruptions to Sean Marks, Matt Paine and Chez Isaac did little to help Braintree and they conceded three goals, with Wrexham top scorer Louis Moult grabbing two of them.

In front of a crowd of 2,766, that included 18 from Braintree, Sansom opted to make two changes from the line-up that Devonshire had used to start in his final game in charge at Southport on Tuesday.

Goalkeeper Nick Hamann dropped to the bench while Carl Pentney came in between the sticks and striker Marks returned in place of Jordan Cox.

Braintree were quickly put under pressure by the hosts with them having a let-off as Connor Jennings rattled the crossbar with a header from a corner as early as the fourth minute.

That set the pattern for the early action, with the hosts on top but they failed to take advantage and that allowed Braintree to settle.

Having struggled to match Wrexham in midfield in terms of numbers in the early minutes, Sansom reacted by moving Bernard Mensah into a deeper position and that allowed them to get a better measure of control.

Braintree gradually started to carve out some chances as sights on goal became greater as the half wore on and they ended the first period well on top.

In the 34th minute, Paine tried his luck from outside the box after latching on to Dan Sparkes’ corner kick, but his shot was over the bar and they then went even closer.

Skipper Kenny Davis showed great technique to flick the ball on for Isaac to get a shot away, but he was denied by a good save from Andy Coughlin as the Wrexham keeper clawed it away to safety.

Cox, who had come on in the closing minutes of the first half after Marks had picked up a knock, almost profited as Mensah pounced on a mistake by the home defence, however, the substitute was just unable to turn his shot on target.

And Braintree’s strong finish to the half continued as top-scorer Sparkes had a fierce shot that would have beaten Coughlin had it been on target, before Mitch Brundle fired just over as it stood goalless at the interval.

Braintree were forced into another change early after in the second half after a head injury for Matt Paine saw him come off and Simeon Akinola was brought on.

Neither side was really able to build a clear advantage as play became a bit scrappy, but Wrexham did get their noses in front with 61 minutes on the clock.

A ball in by Sam Finley was initially saved by Pentney but Moult, was in the right place to slam the ball into the net for his 21st goal of the season and 14th in the league.

The goal gave Wrexham confidence and with the Iron failing to really put much sustained pressure on the home goal, they forced a succession of corners at the other end.

A leg injury for Isaac in the 67th minute didn’t help their cause either as he had to come off in another unscheduled change.

And the hosts went further ahead in the 78th minute when Moult added to his tally as he headed in at the near post from Joe Clarke’s cross.

That put the game beyond doubt, but there was enough time for Wrexham to rubber stamp their second-half superiority with a third goal in stoppage-time as Andy Bishop headed in to make it 3-0 at the final whistle.

Braintree: Carl Pentney, Mitch Brundle, Alan Massey, Chez Isaac (James Mulley 67), Sam Habergham, Remy Clerima, Matt Paine (Simeon Akinola 53), Kenny Davis, Dan Sparkes, Sean Marks (Jordan Cox 40), Bernard Mensah. Subs not used: Nick Hamann, , Joe Maybanks.