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MATCH REPORT: Braintree Town (H)

Aldershot Town have to settle for another point in a game that saw them hit the woodwork three times. It was a true tale of two halves for both sides with all four goals of a 2-2 draw scored in the first-half.

Kyrell Lisbie put the visitors in front but James Henry and Josh Barrett turned the game in favour for the Shots only for John Akinde to level things up before the break.

The Shots looked to have started lively and broke forward after just 15 seconds only for Ryan Jones’ through ball to be too powerful for Josh Barrett to race onto.

Braintree made no mistake from their first attack, however, and took the lead after just three minutes. Kyrell Lisbie scored twice in the meeting between the two sides earlier in the season and added another to his tally in this encounter pouncing on a misplaced header back from Will Armitage to slot the ball past Marcus Dewhurst.

The game started very open and the Shots were looking to exploit this with quick breaks forward. Josh Barrett’s cross from the left caused problems for the Braintree defence a few minutes after they took the lead but Henry Gray was able to gather the ball eventually.

But the visitors should have doubled their lead within the first 10 minutes as Jermaine Francis found himself in space down the right but could only fire wide as he had already begun wheeling away in celebration.

The Shots began to find some rhythm, though, as Jack Barham blasted a shot wide and Ashley Akpan began to find some joy down the right wing.

Josh Barrett looked to have drawn the Shots level after 15 minutes but was denied by the underside of the bar. On a swift counter attack, his first shot was weak but falling back to him, he chipped it over Gray and was denied another magical goal by the woodwork.

But the equaliser did come just a minute later through James Henry. Ashley Akpan did well to cut in from the right wing and find Henry with a smart pass as Henry took a touch and found the bottom corner with a nice finish.

And Barrett had his goal in the 24th minute to give the Shots the lead through another chipped effort. Getting onto the end of a long ball forward before Braintree ‘keeper Henry Gray, he lobbed him and saw this effort go under the bar and into the back of the net on this occasion.

But Braintree were able to find themselves level before the break as John Akinde got on the end of a deep cross to finish from close-range.

The visitors should have been going into the break in the lead as Kyrell Lisbie found himself unmarked at the back-post but could only head wide from just a few yards out deep into first-half stoppage time.

HALF-TIME

There was an early chance for the Shots after the break as just three minutes back into the action, a superb ball over the Braintree defence from Josh Barrett found James Henry who was able to round the ‘keeper but forced too wide, couldn’t get a shot away or find a teammate in the centre.

The second-half was certainly far less end-to-end and saw far less action at either goal than the in-comparison frantic first 45. It was James Henry and Josh Barrett linking up again just over 10 minutes later as Barrett saw a shot blocked.

In the 70th minute, Jack Barham nicked the ball from Henry Gray’s grasp but at a very tight angle could only hope to cross it back into the middle but his first attempt was blocked and his second couldn’t find a teammate as Aldershot began to look the more likely to find a late winner.

They should have gone in front eight minutes later as Tyler Frost’s in-swinging cross found Theo Widdrington at the far-post but the midfielder could only smash the ball against the post from close-range.

Frost then had a decent chance himself not long later following a good move from the Shots. Jack Barham headed down Ashley Akpan’s cross for Frost to fire his effort wide from the edge of the box.

As the 90 minutes were almost up, Josh Barrett almost had a second as he received the ball back from a short corner, drifted in from the left and curled an effort towards the top-corner that was well tipped over by Henry Gray.

From the following corner, the Shots hit the woodwork for the third time as Tyler Frost guided his header against the foot of the far-post.

Ashley Akpan was forced off with an injury deep into stoppage time as he looked to have done damage to his knee whilst attempting to stop a Braintree counter. Akpan committed a foul in the process and from that, they should have found a last-minute winner as John Akinde headed wide whilst practically stood on the back-post.

Attendance: 1437 (40 Away)

Shots lineup: 28. Marcus Dewhurst, 5. Christian Maghoma, 6. Theo Widdrington, 10. Josh Barrett (C), 11. Ryan Jones (9. Kai Corbett, 72′), 18. Olly Scott, 21. Ashley Akpan (24. Maxwell Mullins, 90+2′), 22. Jack Barham, 27. James Henry (8. Tyler Frost, 64′), 34. Dejan Tetek (7. Cameron Hargreaves, 64′), 36. Will Armitage.

Subs not used: 1. Jordi van Stappershoef, 17. Aaron Jones, 19. Jonny Stuttle.

Braintree lineup: 13. Henry Gray, 3. Ryan Clampin, 4. George Langston, 5. Louie Annesley, 6. James Vennings, 11. Chay Cooper (10. Aidan Francis-Clark, 77′), 14. John Akinde, 16. Kyrell Lisbie (7. Tom Blackwell, 69’), 18. Matt Robinson, 23. Jermaine Francis, 24. Jacob Pinnington.

Subs not used: 1. Phillip Nielsen, 12. Jamal Fyfield.