Hapless Braintree Town are dumped out of FA Cup after inept display

Iron's Phil Roberts just fais to make contact. Photo: ALAN STUCKEY (Image: Archant)

The Iron were unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Cup at St James Park on Saturday and they can have no complaints either because it was their worse performance of the season and one which left manager Brad Quinton fuming with anger at the final whistle.

Lacking commitment and desire from practically all of his players from the first whistle he declared: “I’m very, very angry and bitterly disappointed from what I received from my squad of players today.

“There was no effort, desire or determination from the whole team, most of all who really failed to turn up for the game,” he continued.

“We had a game plan which we had worked out beforehand but it all went out of the window from the off.

“It’s very difficult to accept this kind of poor performance and me along with my staff now have to sit down and analyse everything and put it right because what went on today was totally unacceptable,” he added.

“The chance of a decent cup has now gone and the players are to blame but we have to put things right for our next league game.”

Home manager, the experienced Kevin Wilkins, said he was delighted with the win but thought it would be a much harder game for his players.

“We set our stall our, knew we had to stop their wingers from getting the ball and getting crosses into their leading goal scorer (Phil) Roberts and then at the other end attack them from our wings with high balls into their area where I thought they would be susceptible and which proved right on the day,” he explained.

The Iron were behind after just three minutes when Glenn Walker was given three successive chances to score with the visiting defence all at sea and drove the ball home at that third attempt past keeper Nathan McDonald.

With the Iron players showing little cohesion or determination both individually and collectively they were fortunate not have conceded a second goal on the half hour when Alex Gudger saw his header come off the post and cleared.

Any hope the Iron might salvage a draw completely disappeared within a two minute spell early in the second half when first the unmarked Luke Graham headed home from a right wing corner and almost immediately calamitous schoolboy defending by the Iron allowed right-back Ellis Myles to stride through and fire a shot straight at McDonald which the keeper should really have saved.

It went from bad to worse for the Iron on 68 minutes when Aaron Williams again made light work of dreadful Iron defending to easily poke the ball into the net for the home side’s fourth goal.

Despite three Iron substitutions, they hardly improved although late in the game Karl Olyide came on and scored what was merely a consolation goal and much against the run of play.

There was relief at the final whistle for the loyal band of Iron supporters who had witnessed an inept display by their side and lucky that the home side had not won by an even bigger margin.

Braintree Town: McDonald; Muleba (Frimpong 78), Gabriel, Obanwonyi. Okoye; Mugabo, Allen, Crook, Campbell (Grant 57); Michael-Percil (Olyide 62). Roberts. Unused subs: Baxter, Bettache, Bihmoutine, Wynter.

Attendance: 383

Referee: Tom Reeve.