The Career of Fola

Following this one! Love a lower league career! There's some good players in the Conference if you can get them, Guthrie and Akinola are a good start!

Thanks for the comments lads. Much appreciated, keeps me motivated when I know people are reading.

24th October 2015 - The Emirates FA Cup - Fourth Qualifying Round.


Starting XI: Walker; Phillips, Fry, Paine, Habergham; Edgar, Isaac, Davis ©*, Woodyard, Sparkes**; Akinola***.
Subs: Clerima, Guthrie*, Strutton, Crawford**, Cheek***.

Embarrassing performance as we crash out the FA Cup after a loss to Conference South side Bath. We dominated the first half but the second half was a shambles. Would of loved a good old Cup run as well as it would of helped our finances greatly.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Kenny Davis (7.3)
Next Opponent: Macclesfield (H)

31st October 2015 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 19.


Starting XI: Walker; Phillips, Miller, Paine, Habergham; Edgar, Isaac, Davis ©, Woodyard, Sparkes; Akinola*.
Subs: Fry, Guthrie, Strutton, Crawford, Cheek*.

Another lacklustre performance as we lost at home to Macclesfield. We deserved to lose to be honest and I just hope the lad's can regain their confidence and get back to winning games. Akinola missed a few sitters for us, I will probably drop him for the next game.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Alex Woodyard (7.1)
League Position: 15th
Next Opponent: Woking (A)

You clearly threw that game vs. Macclesfield!

10th November 2015 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 20.


Starting XI: Walker; Davis ©, Miller, Paine, Habergham; Isaac, Woodyard, Sparkes; Crawford*, Guthrie**, Strutton***.
Subs: Phillips, Clerima, Edgar*, Marks**, Cheek***.

Really happy with our comeback as we managed a great away win against Woking. We went two down early on but I made a few changes, brought on Edgar for Crawford and it worked wonders. We changed from a 4-3-1-2 to 4-4-2 when Edgar came on and he changed the game. Hopefully this result will get us back on track and lift the confidence up again.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Anthony Edgar (9.1)
League Position: 10th
Next Opponent: Halifax (A)

10th November 2015 - Vanarama Conference - League Table


So, with twenty matches gone we currently sit in tenth position. There are a few teams around us who have a game in hand on us but overall, quite happy with where we are at the moment. We are quite inconsistent which we obviously need to try and change. We are six points off the Play Offs and ten points off relegation. We need to ensure we keep within touching distance of the Play Offs and then we can start to dream, still twenty six games to play though so still early days.

14th November 2015 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 21.


Starting XI: Walker; Davis ©, Miller, Paine, Habergham; Edgar, Isaac, Woodyard, Sparkes; Akinola*, Guthrie**.
Subs: Phillips, Clerima, Strutton, Crawford*, Cheek**.

The inconsistency strikes again as despite playing quite well, we managed to lose to Halifax. Kurtis Guthrie had two clear chances in the first half but hit the post on both occasions. As we pushed for the win, we were hit on the counter and Halifax went away with all three points. Not good enough and need to show some cutting edge in front of goal.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Alex Woodyard (7.8)
League Position: 14th
Next Opponent: Kidderminster (H)

15th November 2015

I bigged this guy up massively when I took over at the club. He scored two in our first game of the season but since then has struggled massively. As @One Night In Grimsby said, he's a good player in this league, he just needs to gain some confidence. I will be sticking with him for the time being, I just hope he can repay my faith or I will be looking to make changes.

16th November 2015


It's a shame as he's done alright for me recently. I had been starting him recently and his pace was hurting teams. Even more pressure added to Akinola to find the goals for us.

21st November 2015 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 22.


Starting XI: Walker; Davis ©, Miller, Paine, Habergham; Edgar, Isaac, Woodyard*, Sparkes; Akinola**, Crawford***.
Subs: Clerima, Brundle*, Marks**, Strutton***, Cheek.

Brilliant result as we convincingly managed to beat Play Off contenders Kidderminster. Daniel Sparkes and Anthony Edgar have been quality on the wings for me and have chipped in with some important goals for me so far. Sparkes has now managed 7 goals and is our top goalscorer while Edgar has managed 6. All we need to get Akinola firing and we'll be sorted.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Sam Habergham (9.0)
League Position: 11th
Next Opponent: Torquay (H)

28th November 2015 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 23.


Starting XI: Walker; Davis ©, Miller, Paine, Habergham; Edgar, Isaac, Woodyard, Sparkes; Strutton, Crawford.
Subs: Clerima, Brundle, Marks, Akinola, Cheek.

Terrible, absolutely terrible. Torquay were sitting in the relegation zone and hadn't even scored for six games. We were outclassed throughout and deserved to lose. This inconsistency may cost me my job in the future. I have asked the board about a new deal but at the moment, they aren't interested.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Chez Isaac (7.2)
League Position: 14th
Next Opponent: Tranmere (A)

8th December 2015 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 24.


Starting XI: Walker; Marrs*, Miller, Paine, Habergham; Edgar, Davis ©, Woodyard, Sparkes; Akinola**, Crawford***.
Subs: Isaac*, Brundle, Marks, Strutton**, Cheek***.

We actually played really well against a strong Tranmere side. We more than deserved a draw before Liam Marrs, in his first game back since injury, decided to give them the ball in our own box with less than five minutes to go. He won't be seeing first team action for a while after this. Absolutely terrible. We face Kidderminster next in the FA Trophy, really not bothered about this tournament.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Matt Paine (7.1)
League Position: 15th
Next Opponent: Kidderminster (A)

15th December 2015 - FA Trophy - First Round.


Starting XI: Walker; Miller, Paine, Fry; Edgar, Davis ©, Woodyard*, Isaac, Sparkes; Akinola**, Guthrie***.
Subs: Habergham, Brundle*, Crawford, Strutton**, Cheek***.

Really not too fussed about the FA Trophy but it's still annoying to lose so late. I went for a 3-5-2 formation just as a change to see if we could stop the rot and it nearly worked. We have top of the league Wrexham next so it will be a tough one.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Anthony Edgar (9.0)
Next Opponent: Wrexham (H)

19th December 2015 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 25.


Starting XI: Walker; Miller, Paine, Fry; Isaac, Davis ©, Woodyard, Brundle*, Habergham**; Akinola***, Guthrie.
Subs: Edgar*, Sparkes**, Crawford, Strutton***, Cheek.

Great result against top of the league away from home. It looked as though we were going to struggle when Wrexham went ahead early on but substitute Charlie Strutton headed home after some great work from Kurtis Guthrie. Hope we can spring on from here and get some form as the Play Offs are slipping away.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Kurtis Guthrie (9.0)
League Position: 15th
Next Opponent: Boreham Wood (A)

26th December 2015 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 26.


Starting XI: Walker; Miller, Paine, Fry; Edgar, Davis ©, Woodyard, Isaac, Sparkes*; Strutton**, Guthrie***.
Subs: Clerima, Habergham*, Crawford, Akinola**, Cheek***.

Well, the positive was Simeon Akinola scored his first goal in 18 matches. The negative, was was that we were absolutely terrible. We should be beating teams like Boreham Wood. We are on some terribly poor form at the moment and I really hope it can improve soon. The transfer window opens in a few days where I will be looking to strengthen the squad.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Kenny Davis (7.3)
League Position: 14th
Next Opponent: Welling (H)

28th December 2015 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 27.


Starting XI: Walker; Miller*, Clerima, Fry; Edgar, Paine ©, Crawford**, Isaac, Sparkes; Akinola, Strutton***.
Subs: Brundle*, Habergham, Davis**, Guthrie, Cheek***.

The poor form continues as we were convincingly beaten by a poor Welling side. They are in the relegation zone at the moment but they battered us all over the pitch. Thank god that the January transfer window is coming up soon as changes are needed. I am sure that if this kind of form continues the board will not be happy.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Matt Paine (7.1)
League Position: 16th
Next Opponent: Boreham Wood (H)

28th December 2015

As expected, the board are not happy with my current performance as Braintree manager. I managed to talk my way out of it but if we continue to slip up, my job will be gone. We have now failed to win in our last five matches.

30th December 2015


Weirdly, only two days after my meeting regarding my poor performance I have been given a new contract by the board. To be honest with you, I am absolutely over the moon to have signed a new deal. I have got a contract until the end of next season. I have a few new signings on the horizon and I am sure a bit of fresh blood will help find our form. Also, I have extended Kurtis Guthrie's loan until the end of the season.

1st January 2016
Jordan Cox


Jordan Cox has returned from his loan spell at Conference South side Whitehawk. Cox scored eight times for Whitehawk in is six month loan spell and I hope he can be the man to freshen up our forward line. In other news, I have also signed a new player on loan until the end of the season.



Ricky Modeste has joined on a loan deal until the end of the season from fellow Conference side Dover Athletic. He can play on either wing and his pace should be an asset for us. He will be a great impact player to bring off the bench against tired defenders. Looking forward to seeing how he does for us.

7th January 2016

Our match against Boreham Wood got called off due to a waterlogged pitch so we play Torquay next instead. Yemi Odubade has joined us on loan until the end of the season from fellow Conference side Eastleigh. He can play on either wing, behind the front man or up top. He's quite quick too so hopefully he will be a good player for us.

9th January 2016 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 28.


Starting XI: Walker; Davis ©, Miller, Paine, Habergham; Modeste*, Woodyard, Miles, Sparkes; Guthrie**, Cox***.
Subs: Fry, Isaac, Edgar*, Akinola**, Cheek***.

Fantastic performance with a massively changed side as we managed to beat Torquay thanks to a late Micheal Cheek header. Modeste, Miles (from the Under 18 side) and Cox all made their first appearances of the season and all impressed. We changed to a flat 4-4-2 and it seemed to work. Nice to finally get a win under our belt and hopefully we can push on from here and move higher up the table.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Micheal Cheek (8.1)
League Position: 15th
Next Opponent: Boreham Wood (H)

12th January 2016 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 29.


Starting XI: Walker; Davis ©, Miller, Paine, Habergham; Modeste, Woodyard, Miles*, Sparkes; Guthrie**, Cox***.
Subs: Fry*, Isaac**, Edgar, Akinola***, Cheek.

Getting a point with ten men should please me but this is definitely a kind of match that we should be winning. We changed our shape a little when Woodyard was sent off and Kurtis Guthrie put us in front with a great strike. However Chez Isaac gave the ball away and we were punished with less than 20 minutes to go.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Kurtis Guthrie (7.0)
League Position: 14th
Next Opponent: Forest Green (A)

23rd January 2016 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 30.


Starting XI: Walker; Davis ©, Fry, Paine, Habergham; Edgar*, Isaac, Miles, Sparkes; Odubade**, Cox***.
Subs: Phillips, Brundle, Akinola*, Modeste**, Cheek***.

On paper, Forest Green have a much better side than we have. Fortunately for us, they are having a terrible season and currently sitting in the relegation zone. We should of won this match as well and it's this failure to puts teams away that will let us down in our Play Off push. Simeon Akinola scored a great goal to put us ahead but within moment Forest Green pulled it back.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Daniel Sparkes (7.4)
League Position: 15th
Next Opponent: Chester (H)

23rd January 2016 - Vanarama Conference - League Table


With sixteen matches to go, it really does look like a mid-table finish for us if we keep this up. We are 12 points off the Play Offs and 9 points off relegation so obviously that is a worry. We need to ensure that we push away from the relegation zone. We have just over a week until the end of the transfer window so I may look to bring in a few new faces, still not decided on that one at the moment.

30th January 2016 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 31.


Starting XI: Walker; Marrs, Fry, Paine, Habergham; Edgar*, Davis ©, Miles**, Sparkes; Strutton, Cheek***.
Subs: Brundle*, Modeste**, Guthrie, Akinola, Cox***.

Decided to make a few changes for this match and it worked wonders. I replaced Jordan Cox with the man mountain that is Michael Cheek and the 6ft 7' target man had an absolute stormer for me. He caused havoc in the Chester defence and managed to grab a goal with a great header. Matt Fry scored his first goal for the club while Club Captain Kenny Davis scored the winner. James Alabi looked impressive for Chester, he may be a player I will look to bring in in the Summer.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Daniel Sparkes (7.6)
League Position: 13th
Next Opponent: Gateshead (H)

31st January 2016

Decided to reward Michael Cheek with a new deal after his recent good form. He will never be an out and out starter for me but he's something different. A bit like a lower league Andy Carroll. He's lethal in the air and I'm glad to have signed him up to a new deal. Captain Kenny Davis has also signed a new deal. He's a key man in this team and even though his natural position is centre midfield, he can also cover at right back.

1st February 2016


No incomings for me on transfer deadline day but we did see one player leave the club. Sean Marks had been at the club for the last eight seasons but only managed nine appearances for me this season, scoring only the once. He was way down on the pecking order for my strikers so glad to see him gone.

9th February 2016 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 32.


Starting XI: Walker; Marrs, Fry, Paine, Habergham; Akinola*, Davis ©, Miles, Modeste; Guthrie**, Cheek***.
Subs: Brundle, Isaac*, Sparkes, Strutton**, Cox***.

Without a doubt, our best performance of the season. We made a few changes from our win against Chester with the most notable absentee being our top goalscorer Daniel Sparkes. Modeste was a more than worthy replacement and managed to grab a goal for himself. Kurtis Guthrie did well up top, also. Hope we can kick on from these two good performances and make a last dash for the Play Offs.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Liam Marrs (8.6)
League Position: 12th
Next Opponent: Southport (A)

13th February 2016 - Vanarama Conference - Matchday 33.


Starting XI: Walker; Marrs, Fry, Paine, Habergham; Sparkes, Davis ©*, Miles**, Modeste; Guthrie, Cheek***.
Subs: Brundle, Isaac*, Woodyard**, Akinola***, Cox.

We changed our shape slightly from our win against Gateshead with Daniel Sparkes coming into the team to replace Simeon Akinola. We played really well once again and managed a tight win, making it six games unbeaten for us which is our best run so far this season. Kurtis Guthrie scored just after half time with a fine header and he's a player really coming into form. I will definitely be looking to bring him here on a permanent deal in the Summer.

Braintree Man Of The Match: Matt Paine (7.4)
League Position: 11th
Next Opponent: Barrow (A)