PREVIEW: Braintree Town vs Wealdstone
- Aryan Jolly
- 13 hours ago
- 4 min read
Gary Waddock’s second game in charge of Wealdstone sees his side make the short trip to Essex to face Braintree Town following a disappointing defeat in midweek.
The Basics
Date: Saturday, March 7
Venue: The Rare Breed Meat Co. Stadium, Cressing Road, Braintree, CM7 3AL
Competition: The Enterprise National League
Kick Off Time: 3:00 pm
Broadcast Information: The game will be available to watch live via DAZN (non-UK residents only)
News From The Vale
There was a new face in the Wealdstone squad on Tuesday night as Jack Hinchy made his debut for the club after joining on loan from Notts County.
Hinchy made two appearances for Brighton and Hove Albion as a teenager and had a stint on loan at Altrincham earlier this season. To read more about our newest arrival, click here.
Welcome to HA4, Jack!
Following a dramatic victory via penalties against Kidderminster Harriers, the draw for the FA Trophy Semi-Final was made on Monday.
The Stones will host National League North outfit Marine in the contest, with the game due to take place on Saturday, March 28. Tickets for the game will be available in due course.
As a result of our progression in the FA Trophy, our Enterprise National League match at home against Boston United has been moved to Tuesday, April 14. The game will kick off at 7:45pm.
The Wealdstone Women’s side continued their excellent run of form last week as they comprehensively beat Edgware and Kingsbury to extend their winning streak to a whopping 10 consecutive games in all competitions!
The Opposition
Recent form: DLLWL
League Position: 21st
Braintree Town are one of the less well-resourced teams in the fifth tier and, despite consistently showing fight throughout the campaign, this has shown in terms of results.
The Iron currently occupy 21st place in the National League and have scored the fewest goals of any side in the division, meaning they are set for relegation in their second season in the fifth tier as things stand.
Saturday’s game is particularly important to both teams as a win for the Stones takes them nine points clear of the relegation zone, whilst a Braintree victory would put them on the same number of points as 20th-placed Brackley Town.
The reverse fixture: The reverse fixture between the two sides saw the Stones pick up a solid one-nil victory.
It was the visiting side who had the better start in early November, creating a couple of chances in the opening 10 minutes, which required Dante Baptiste to make two good saves.
After the Stones looked to have gained some control of the contest, Chay Cooper found Terrell Works with an excellent cross in the 38th minute. Despite being just a few yards out, the young attacker fired his shot over the bar.
The Stones came out after the interval with a renewed impetus, Terrell Agyemang forcing Mason Terry into making a solid save less than two minutes into the second half.
Wealdstone began to ramp up the pressure as the second half wore on, Nathan Tshikuna hitting the crossbar with a powerful strike in the 67th minute.
Against the run of play, James Vennings had a one-on-one opportunity in the 71st minute, which Baptiste did excellently to thwart.
The first goal finally came in the 83rd minute. Dylan Kadji slipped substitute Daniel Nkrumah in behind, and the frontman produced a well-placed shot to give the Stones the lead!
Following the goal, Braintree began to push for an equaliser, but the game became the Dante Baptiste show. The Stones’ number one made a string of phenomenal saves in injury time to preserve his clean sheet and the victory!
The danger man - John Akinde: One of the attackers denied by Baptiste late on in November’s clash was John Akinde, a critically-acclaimed EFL and National League striker.
Now 36 years old, Akinde has represented a whole host of clubs throughout his career, winning the Golden Boot in the National League and in League Two, alongside firing many a side to promotion.
He joined the Iron in the summer of 2024, providing an impressive 14 goal contributions in 40 league appearances last term.
Although his goal-threat has somewhat dried up this season, the frontman is as strong and powerful as ever, and he netted an early goal in Braintree’s most recent victory against Truro City.
Buy Your Tickets Now!
Saturday’s game will be the first chance that Gary Waddock has to experience the Stones’ incredible away following. Why not make the short trip to Braintree to be the 12th man and start building a newfound togetherness as we head into the final weeks of the season?
Please note that tickets purchased on the day are subject to a £3 price increase.
