Braintree Town's trip to Ebbsfleet United on Wednesday could possibly be the Iron's most important game of the campaign.

The Boxing Day fixture is always one to savour in any season, but this year's offering should be especially mouth-watering for Braintree and their fans.

It may not be as enticing on the face of it as the local derby against Chelmsford City was last year and the Fleet may not get the juices flowing in quite the same way, but the significance of the game is what makes this such a crunch encounter.

It's no secret that the Iron's situation at Christmas is less than rosy and being eight points away from Vanarama National League safety at this stage of the season does not make for enjoyable festive viewing.

But with plenty of games in a short period, a lot can change over the Yuletide period and that has to be a beacon of hope for the Iron.

They will, however, have to convert opportunities into points and that's why I think the trip to Ebbsfleet may be their most vital outing of the season.

I don't want to pile any extra pressure on a group of players who know how crucial each and every point is going to be between now and the end of the campaign, but they must recognise the significance of this game.

With the position they are in, they need to have a run of games where serious points are picked up.

I'm not talking about one or two wins in a run of five or six, they really do need to string together three, four or even five wins to get back in touch with the sides above.

And they have a great opportunity to kick-start that right now.

An unbeaten run must start with something other than a defeat and Saturday's draw against Boreham Wood was just that.

I said last week that Braintree could take inspiration from near neighbours Witham Town and that still holds true.

Witham were in a similarly dire situation a few weeks ago - sat rock-bottom of the Bostik League division north table - but a five-game run has boosted both their league position (now out of the drop zone) and confidence for everyone at the club.

It is a run that was kick-started by a draw - just like the one that Braintree got on Saturday.

The Iron really deserved all three points, but while the fact they only got one must have stung, they will know that it was an encouraging performance and one that can definitely be built on.

And what more perfect time to do that than at Ebbsfleet on Boxing Day.

The players and staff insist that morale remains strong and they are confident they can get themselves clear of danger, but time is not on their side and a winning run must be started now

So a win at this most busy of times for footballers would be a huge lift.

The kind of lift they could carry on at Maidenhead on Saturday and then when they face the Fleet for a second time on New Year's Day.

Who knows where the team could be heading into January if that little run produced wins?

And that's why I think this trip to Ebbsfleet is such a crunch encounter.