STEVE Pitt felt his Braintree Town side thoroughly deserved their victory after two goals in the last 10 minutes from Aidan Francis-Clarke gave them a precious 3-2 win over fellow strugglers Truro City.
Francis-Clarke struck the Iron's all-important winner deep into stoppage to secure them a vital victory and draw them to within three points of safety in the National League, with 11 games remaining.
Pitt told the Braintree Town YouTube channel: “I thought it was thoroughly deserved, on the overall balance of the game.
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“First half, I thought it was a travesty that we conceded at the end of the half having dominated.
“The reality is that we should have been 2-0 up, 3-0 up.
“It was a really, really poor goal defensively to concede on the stroke of half-time.
“I thought second half, knowing what was at stake, I think we struggled with the magnitude of the game for the first 15, 20 minutes and the manner in which we went behind was really, really disappointing.
"The character we showed at the end was unbelievable, given what was at stake!"
Hear what Steve Pitt said to the camera after a vital win in Cornwall https://t.co/QQ08ofpJbX #IronArmy | Forged in 1898 pic.twitter.com/YhVbyv6mkW— Braintree Town FC (@braintreetownfc) February 28, 2026
“We addressed it with the players as kind of being a cup final really, in the sense of there was so much at stake because we knew the likelihood of what would happen to Truro if we did win, barring something unbelievable.
“I think that showed in the first 20 minutes of the second half but I thought the character we showed at the end was unbelievable, bearing in mind what was at stake.
“Effectively, if we lose today our season is over and we all knew that, right throughout the whole group so I thought the mentality and belief and character that we showed was unbelievable.
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“And let’s get it right, we deserved to win the game – it doesn’t matter how we win the game, we were the better side, without a shadow of a doubt.”
Braintree's John Akinde had already gone close when he opened the scoring for the visitors in the seventh minute with a powerful low shot.
But Truro equalised in the third minute of added time at the end of the first half, when Truro-born forward Freddie Issaka poked in his first goal since joining on loan from Plymouth Argyle.
ABSOLUTELY. MARVELLOUS!!#IronArmy | Forged in 1898 pic.twitter.com/vYGV4EBLdK
— Braintree Town FC (@braintreetownfc) February 28, 2026
The Cornish side were moving off the foot of the table in the 66th minute when Ben Drake turned Harry Charsley's ball into his own goal to give them the lead.
But Drake contributed for Braintree at the right end with 10 minutes remaining, crossing for Francis-Clarke to head in the equaliser.
And Francis-Clarke headed home again in the fifth minute of time added on to give Braintree a vital win which moves them to within three points of safety.
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