Braintree Town 1 Woking 3

Braintree Town missed a chance to pull well clear of the National League relegation zone tonight, after losing a 1-0 lead against strugglers Woking.

Sam Corne, fresh from a brace in last Saturday’s 2-0 win over basement dwellers Southport, fired the Iron into a 21st minute lead with a wonderful 25-yard shot into the roof of the net.

But Delano Sam-Yorke replied with a quickfire brace, all three opening goals squeezed into a five-minute spell, to put Woking in the driving seat.

Keiran Murtagh steered home the all-important third for the Cards, on 69 minutes, to propel them out of the relegation zone.

Ipswich Town’s Ben Morris, who is on loan at Woking, was an unused substitute.

Both sides should have scored inside the first five minutes.

Sam-Yorke was clean through on goal, only to see his shot diverted into the side-netting by Iron keeper Ben McNamara.

At the other end, leading scorer Michael Cheek teed up Kris Twardek, on the edge of the six-yard box, but the Millwall loanee’s effort was blocked at point blank range by Michael Poke, the Cards custodian.

It was a very open game, and Woking threatened again in the 12th minute. Jamie Lucas latched onto Kane Ferdinand’s through ball and powered goalwards, although his final shot was deflected off the outstretched boot of left-back Jerome Okimo, which enabled McNamara to gather.

But it was the Iron who broke the deadlock, via Corne’s fantastic long-range strike on 21 minutes, only for Sam-Yorke to bundle home an equaliser just three minutes later.

Ex-Colchester United right-back Sean Clohessy was desperately unlucky not to regain the lead for Iron within a minute – his curling 20-yarder beat keeper Poke, but rebounded off the far post.

And it was Woking who got their noses in front, almost immediately, with Sam-Yorke blasting home his second goal of the game on 26 minutes.

Into the second-half and Iron were almost caught out by Keiran Murtagh’s free-kick, on 47 minutes, which picked out an unmarked Joey Jones. However, the Cards midfielder aimed his header straight at McNamara, who saved.

Cheek scuffed a shot disappointingly straight at Poke in the 55th minute, before Murtagh made the game safe for the visitors with a smart finish on 69 minutes.

Squads

BRAINTREE TOWN: McNamara, Clohessy, Mbulu, Parry, Okimo, Corne (sub Barnard, 78), Isaac, Hall-Johnson (sub Henshall, 60), Twardek (sub Maybanks, 74), Midson, Cheek. Unused subs: Farrell, Musonda.

WOKING: Poke, Caprice, Saah, Yakubu, Thomas, Jones, Arthur, Murtagh (sub Carter, 78), Ferdinand, Lucas (sub Ugwu, 67), Sam-Yorke. Unused subs: Hall, Morris, Saraiva.

Attendance: 572