BRAINTREE Town manager Ryan Maxwell admitted he was 'bitterly disappointed' after seeing his side fall to a 1-0 home defeat to Hampton and Richmond at the Dunmow Group Stadium, writes DAVID WARD.

A totally dismal and disjointed second-half performance by the Iron allowed the National League South game slip from their control, in what was probably one of the most disappointing showings of the season.

There's simply no excuse for such a second-half performance where the side lacked ideas, commitment and showed no energy or the ability to pass the ball to one another and force any pressure on the visitors' rearguard.

It allowed Hampton and Richmond to snatch a winning goal in the 68th minute, much against the run of play with the usual solid Iron back line for once all at sea.

Maxwell said: "Yes, I am bitterly disappointed at the way the game went in the end and I know they defended well, particularly in the first half, but we were wasteful and didn't raise the tempo of our game and create the kind of pressure we have seen in recent games.

"It's frustrating and I know they were well organised but we let ourselves down, particularly with such a poor second half."

Hampton and Richmond's makeshift side saw them forced to play seven back four defenders, including a 17 year-old debutant.

They had looked there for the taking in the first half but sadly the lack of a renowned goalscorer up front meant several wasted chances for Braintree when in reality they should have been at least a couple of goals to the good at the break.

After the tremendous win at Slough the previous week, it was like a case of "after the Lord Mayor's Show'' for Braintree.

Every player suffered a big doze of reality and they all need to realise they have to keep up the pace, tempo and commitment when playing at National League level.

"We played well in that first half and needed to continue to up our game again in the second but it simply didn't happened and there can be no excuse for that," said Maxwell.

"Admittedly we missed the influence and control of our skipper Matt Johnson in midfield (he was absence due to a family commitment) and it's a hard task to cope without him because he's such a key player, working hard up and down the pitch for use and generating our attacking moves and leading by example.

"It was ironic that their first attack to split our defence was in the second half was when they scored their goal and of course they gives any side confidence but we still had enough about is to get ourselves in the game late on.

"Even then I thought we could have scored an equaliser and at least gained a point which I felt over the whole 90 minutes we deserved."

The final flurry or Iron attacks in the last 20 minutes of the game should have seen them score but the nearest they came was on 71 minutes when Jean-Baptiste Fischer rattled the visitors' post with a first time when he should really have scored.