Despite their status as a yo-yo club, bouncing between the National League and the National League South, Braintree Town have an impressive record at The Racecourse. In fact, they arrive today looking to secure a third consecutive win in North Wales, and have an impressive record of three wins in six games in our back yard.
They beat us 1-0 at home in November 2016, following up a 3-2 win in March that year, in a match which extinguished our unlikely hopes of sneaking into the play-offs. Simon Heslop gave us a fourth minute lead, and Lee Fowler struck just before half time, but twice Michael Cheek equalised to send the sides in level at the break. A Mitch Brundle strike with nine minutes left secured all three points for The Iron.
They also emerged victorious in September 2013, in a bizarre game which saw us score two own goals in a 3-2 defeat. We conceded an own goal from Mark Carrington in the third minute and were 2-0 down soon after, but a stirring fightback was capped by goals from Johnny Hunt and Jay Harris, and with the momentum in our favour it looked like we’d go on to claim a win in the second half.
We failed to kick on after the break, though, and Steve Tomassen’s own goal earned Braintree another 3-2 win at The Racecourse.
Our two home wins over Braintree came in April 2015, when two goals from Louis Moult and one by Andy Bishop clinched a 3-0 victory, and in April 2012, when Braintree’s first trip to The Racecourse went badly wrong. Andy Morrell, Adrian Cieslewicz, Mathias Pogba and Danny Wright had already put the game well beyond the visitors; grasp when Neil Ashton’s injury time penalty, his first goal for Wrexham, wrapped up a 5-1 win.
Rob Lainton plays in the hundredth game of his career today. It shows how impressively our defensive stats stack up this season that he’s kept a clean sheet in 20 of his 40 league appearances this season, having managed a total of 18 in his previous six seasons as a professional.
Also, Kevin Roberts plays in his 350th league match today.
DragonHeart 