Braintree is in Essex, between Chelmsford and Colchester.  The club are known as ‘The Iron’ due to a long association with Crittall Windows, who make steel-framed windows.

Braintree FC finished 5th in the National League South last season, winning promotion through the play-offs, beating Bath City, Chelmsford City & Aaran Racine’s Worthing (4-3 in the final).

Maybe not the most vegan-friendly club, they play at the Rare Breed Meat Stadium (or Cressing Road, as the locals would prefer).

Braintree are in 20th position in the National League with 13 points from 13 games.  3 wins (all at home), 4 draws and 6 defeats is their record so far.

Braintree’s early season issue seems to be scoring goals.  They’ve netted only 10 times in 13 games (the worst attacking record in the league).  However, they have only conceded 13 times in those 7 games.  Maybe we shouldn’t expect a goalfest!

11 of Braintree’s points have been at home, with just 2 away draws at Hartlepool & Solihull in their 6 away games.

Last time out, Braintree set up in a 4-3-2-1 formation with number 9 Inih Effiong leading the line.  John Akinde sometimes replaces Effiong.  Akinde is a veteran of some 17 former clubs – his longest spell was with Barnet.

Kyrell Lisbie (son of former Colchester striker, Kevin) signed for Braintree in the summer and is top scorer with 3 goals.

Formed in 1898, it took Braintree until 2011 to earn promotion to the 5th tier (then called the Conference Premier).  In 2017 they were relegated back to the National League South.  In 2018 they won promotion back to the National League via the play-offs.  However, this was a short-lived stay – by 2019 they were relegated back to the National League South.  They finished 5th in the the National League South in 2024 and earned promotion, again via the play-offs.

Braintree is 46 miles to the north-east of London, with an urban area population of about 55,000.  It’s in the flat part of north Essex and it would struggle to describe itself as a tourist hotspot.

An agricultural market town, Braintree developed a wool cloth trade through the Middle Ages.  In the 19th century the Courtauld family established a silk mill in the town and many of the town’s public buildings were established by the family in this period.  By the 20th century the town was better known as the home of Crittall’s windows.  Crittall’s have their steel-framed windows all over the world, including the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, Yale & Princetown Universities, the MCC Building at Lords etc.  Their windows are particularly associated with the Art Deco and Modernist movements of the early 20th century.  Crittall’s is still in business and based just down the road in Witham.  The company was the driving force behind the creation of Braintree FC (originally they were called Manor Works, the works team of the company).

Some Crittall’s windows.

Singer Olly Murs was born in nearby Witham.

Understated rock band, The Prodigy, were formed in Braintree.