BRAINTREE TOWN 1 WELLING UNITED 0

Vanarama National League

Braintree Town staged a ten-man rearguard action to record their third home win on the trot with a 1-0 Vanarama National League victory against Welling United.

Dan Sparkes’ ninth minute goal was the difference between the Essex and Kent rivals at the end as they added to wins against Wrexham and Chester in the last week, but it was a hard-fought three points for the Iron this time.

They had to do it with ten men for 57 minutes after the sending off of Sean Marks and it took a disciplined defensive display by the striker’s team-mates to earn their 15th clean sheet of the campaign.

Welling came into the game having not won in the league since October 13 and before their 1-1 draw with Barrow on Saturday, had suffered a run of five back-to-back defeats.

However, that draw at the weekend was their first game since Dean Frost had taken over as manager following the departure of Loui Fazackerley and the Iron knew the Kent side would be looking to impress their new boss.

Braintree were unchanged from the side that started the 2-0 win against Chester on Saturday and that winning formula worked again in the early stages.

Just as they had done in that game at the weekend, Braintree grabbed the initiative in the opening part of the game, but this time they took the lead even earlier.

The goal came in the ninth minute and it had been coming as the hosts had been threatening from the kick-off.

When it did come, it followed some good work by Sean Marks on the right as he held the ball up well and a low almost speculative cross into the middle travelled through a host of Welling players before reaching the advancing Sparkes at the back post.

It left Sparkes with the simplest of tasks in putting it past a woefully exposed Marek Rodak in the Wings goal as the home side got their noses in front.

Having dominated the first few minutes, Braintree stayed comfortably on top and looked good in possession, moving the ball effectively on the tricky Avanti Stadium pitch.

However, they were unable to pierce the Welling back line a second time and efforts were restricted to being more speculative than threatening.

At the other end, Welling grew in confidence, with former Braintree striker Michael Bakare a particular danger and Iron keeper Michael Crowe had to be alert on several occasions.

There was added hope for Welling, though, in the 33rd minute when Braintree were reduced to ten men.

Marks’ swinging elbow during a challenge against Wings centre-half Ian Gayle earned the Iron forward an early bath.

Referee Dean Treleaven hadn’t appeared to have seen the offence when it first happened but during treatment for Gayle, the assistant had a word and the official issued the straight red card.

It riled the home players, but down to ten, they realised they had a battle on their hands to hold on to their slender advantage.

Welling, meanwhile, were pumped up and went agonisingly close to an equaliser just before the break.

Midfielder Harry Lee hit a speculative shot from well over 30 yards out that dipped and swerved and had beaten Crowe but it came back off the apex of the bar and post and Matt Paine was alert to clear the danger.

It was a let off for Braintree and they kept themselves in front at the interval.

The half-time break actually came at a good time for the hosts as they had lost a bit of composure in the aftermath of the sending off and it gave manager Danny Cowley a chance to reorder things.

They returned with their focus back and looked compact and well-organised in defence in the opening stages of the half as Welling struggled to make their numerical advantage count.

It allowed Braintree to settle and they began to see more and more of the ball higher up the pitch.

A fierce volley from Akinola in the 68th minute ended a good move from the hosts and forced Rodak into a smart save, but Welling remained a real threat.

The hosts had to stay disciplined in their defensive formation, but they were almost undone in the 75th minute when Bakare skipped clear and hit a thunderous shot against the Iron post.

The ball rolled back across the goal and away to safety, but it was a definite wake-up call for Braintree and gave Welling added impetus for the latter stages.

However, the Kent side were unable to build on it and became increasingly frustrated as the minutes ticked by and Braintree held on to their precious three-point haul.

Braintree: Michael Crowe, Remy Clerima, Mark Phillips, Matt Fry, Sam Habergham, Matt Paine, Kenny Davis, Dan Sparkes (Chez Isaac 85), Alex Woodyard, Simeon Akinola (Taylor Miles 90), Sean Marks.

Subs not used: Anthony Edgar, Michael Cheek, Harry Anderson.

Referee: Dean Treleaven