Braintree Town manager Danny Cowley insists he and his team will channel the negative emotions of recent postponed fixtures in a positive fashion.

The Iron are due to return to action tonight with their twice rearranged FA Trophy first round tie against Vanarama National League rivals Bromley at the Avanti Stadium (kick-off 7.45pm).

A pitch inspection was held at 2pm ahead of the game to check that it was ready for action.

The playing surface passed muster, but the club said there would be another look at it at 6pm when the match official arrived at the ground. 

If it is played, Cowley’s team will head into the game without having had any action since their 2-1 league win at Tranmere Rovers on December 5 and they have not managed to get a home fixture played since the end of November.

That has been because of problems with the Avanti Stadium pitch following periods of wet weather, with the Trophy tie twice falling victim to postponements, and Cowley admits it has been a frustrating spell for him and his players.

However, he believes those feelings can be channelled to provide them with determination to push on when they do get back to action.

Cowley said: “It’s disappointing and I’ve felt sorry for the players as they have been working really hard in training.

“It’s really frsutrating for them, but it is what it is.

“We know there will be barriers in our way and it’s nobody’s fault, it’s just the nature of the situation.

“When you are a small club who rely on volunteers, you are going to have these issues and we all just have to accept it.

“It is up to all of us to try to make sure we all keep each others spirits high.

“The obvious emotion is one of disappointment as playing Wrexham on a Friday night before Christmas in front of the BT Sport cameras would have been a high profile one for the club.

“But these are the barriers we are up against.

“Anyone who walks into the Braintree Town dressing room and thinks it will be a smooth ride is kidding themselves and that’s what it is.

“However, the initial disappointment goes and it makes me more determined.

“Both (assistant manager) Nicky (Cowley) and I are like that and the players are like that as well.

“When you have these things go against you, you have a bit of a siege mentality and it makes you more determined.

“We talk about it all the time as determination and resilience are key qualities and I believe they can be developed.

“We have a lot of circumstances where we have to have these qualities.

“There are barriers in front of us all the time, but they are opportunities to build our resilience and there will be times in games when we will need them.