Braintree enjoy themselves at Leyton Orient's promotion party

Vanarama National League

With a promotion party raging around them at the final whistle, Braintree Town could reflect on a satisfactory job done at the closing of their Vanarama National League campaign at Leyton Orient.

A 0-0 draw was enough for the O’s to be confirmed as champions with the resulting promotion back into the Football League, but the Iron could also take comfort in the way their season had ended.

Although the Iron’s relegation had been a certainty before April rolled round, the goalless stalemate continued a strong run of form at the end of the season for Danny Searle’s men.

It was a game played in front of a crowd of 8,241, which included 171 travelling Iron fans and they could be proud of their team’s late-season efforts once again.

The first meeting with Leyton Orient at the end of September had brought a 5-1 capitulation from Braintree as they were unable to live with their big-time rivals.

And while the intervening seven months had seen the sides battling at different ends of the table, the reverse fixture showed the progress Iron had made since Searle became manager at the end of January.

The draw meant they had finished the campaign with four wins and a draw from their final six games and that they kept a third clean sheet in a row.

And the point they got ensured the Iron would conclude the season in 22nd position in the league, above both Maidstone United and Havant & Waterlooville.

Boss Searle had opted to start with a side that was unchanged from the one that beat Dagenham & Redbridge 2-0 in their previous outing, although there was an early change as Oscar Borg replaced Rob Atkinson after the Fulham loanee picked up a knock.

It was a first half that was devoid of too much in the way of clear-cut chances at either end and although it was the hosts who dominated possession, Braintree more than held their own.

The game seemed to come to life on the hour mark when Leyton Orient’s Macauley Bonne thought he had broken the deadlock, but an offside flag denied the O’s striker.

But the Iron then went close at the other end as Borg’s cross found Andrew Eleftheriou, whose shot was deflected into the arms of Orient keeper Dean Brill.

Mo Sagaf was denied a fourth goal in as many games as Brill collected his late effort and the hosts kept pressing for a goal to cap their promotion party, but there was no way through for either.

It meant the game ended in a stalemate, but there was plenty for both sets of fans to celebrate when referee Josh Smith brought proceedings and the season to a close.

Braintree Town: Ben Killip, Andrew Eleftheriou, Cameron James, Courtney Richards, Daniel Matsuzaka, Kodi Lyons-Foster, Robert Atkinson (Oscar Borg), Sven Karic, Ifeanyi Allen (Alfie Cerulli 78), Mo Sagaf, Korrey Henry. Subs not used: Jayden Gibson, Shane Temple, Ikechi Eze.

Referee: Josh Smith.