BRAINTREE TOWN 0 EBBSFLEET UNITED 4

Vanarama National League

Any hopes Braintree Town had for a happy New Year lasted less than three minutes of their Vanarama National League game against Ebbsfleet United.

The Iron signed off 2018 with a valuable victory at Maidenhead United and knew points were vital against the Fleet as they looked to get clear of the clutches of the relegation zone.

However, the first day of the year proved a humbling experience as 2019 kicked off with one to forget as the Kent side put four goals past them for the second time in quick succession.

There was just one change for Braintree from the side that won the final game of 2018 at Maidenhead on Saturday and that was an enforced one.

Club captain Joe Ellul had announced in the wake of that win that he was leaving Braintree to take up the opportunity to play in New Zealand and his place in the heart of the Iron’s back line was taken by the returning Ejiro Okosieme.

Apart from that, it was unchanged for the Iron as they looked to replicate the result at Maidenhead, although Courtney Richards inherited the captain's armband after the departure of Ellul.

It took Ebbsfleet just two minutes to take the lead in the Boxing Day fixture in Kent – that they won 4-2 - and, while it wasn’t quite as quick this time, they were soon ahead again.

On this occasion, the opener came in the third minute from a corner that was poorly defended by Braintree.

Former Witham Town player Cody McDonald was given too much space in the box and was able to glance a header into the Iron net.

It wasn’t the start to 2019 that Braintree had been hoping for and it allowed the visitors to take control of the game.

The Iron were unable to gain anything in the way of quality possession and Ebbsfleet hit them with runs from deep time and time again.

There was another chance for McDonald when ex-Chelmsford City man Bagasan Graham cut the ball back to him, but the former Norwich City and Coventry City striker headed over the target.

Fleet then broke again on 14 minutes and Ben Killip had to make a good save from Graham at his near post.

However, the second goal wasn’t too long in coming as Ebbsfleet went further ahead on 22 minutes and there was more than a passing similarity to the first.

It was from another corner and Michael ex-Braintree hitman Michael Cheek profited from some poor defending this time as he headed in.

Oscar Borg did his best to keep the ball out on the line but the goal was given.

Braintree just couldn’t gain any meaningful possession and it looked only a matter of time before the visitors scored a third as they kept the pressure on.

They looked particularly threatening from a series of corners they forced as the Iron’s defences were often in disarray and Ebbsfleet’s players were regularly quickest to second balls as the home side were kept on the back foot.

The third goal didn’t come, though, and Braintree did begin to see more of the ball in the visitors’ half but Fleet keeper Nathan Ashmore was never really tested as the half ended with the Iron trailing 2-0.

They knew they had it all to do after the break and it was a more encouraging start from them as possession was better and the home players were sharper to second balls than they had been in the first half.

And with that came chances.

The first came two minutes after the restart after the ball broke to Borg, but when through one-on-one with Ashmore, he inexplicably chose to square the ball to a non-existent team-mate rather than go for goal himself and the chance went begging.

There was also an opportunity for Callum Morton, but he fired high and wide of the target.

With no breakthrough coming, the Iron’s luck was encapsulated as they found themselves further behind on the hour mark.

Ebbsfleet hadn’t threatened after the break, but a challenge by Ricky Gabriel on Ebrima Adams was judged to be a foul in the box by referee Josh Smith and he pointed straight to the spot.

Up stepped Cheek and he drilled the ball low into the corner of the goal to open a three-goal lead that put a lid on Braintree’s resurgence.

In fact things got worse when the visitors added a fourth on 78 minutes after Cheek’s ball into the area found Corey Whitely, who somehow sneaked the ball in past Killip from an acute angle.

It summed up the Iron’s day as the game ended in a 4-0 defeat and they’ll be hoping that the remaining 364 days of 2019 are considerably better than the first.

Braintree Town: Ben Killip, Jon Muleba, Ejiro Okosieme, Ricky Gabriel, Kodi Lyons-Foster (Taylor Curran 79), Oscar Borg (Marcel Barrington 55), Cameron James, Courtney Richards, Lyle Della-Verde (Nick Clayton-Phillips 66), Callum Morton, Justin Amaluzor.

Subs not used: Luke Allen, Mo Sagaf.

Referee: Josh Smith.