On Saturday, October 31st, Hampton & Richmond Borough make the trip to Essex once again, this time to face Braintree Town at the Rare Breed Meat Co. Stadium.
It has been another rollercoaster week for the Beavers, who fought back from behind to earn a hard-fought 2-2 draw at high-flying Billericay Town on Tuesday night. It's a result that will offer some encouragement following the agonising defeat against Truro City at the weekend and shows real character from a group still finding its feet under interim management.
Saturday's trip to Essex presents another tough assignment against opposition in a similar
position. Braintree were relegated from the National League at the end of last season, but
despite this they find themselves battling in the lower reaches of the National League South
table, currently sitting in 20th.
Last time out, Braintree picked up an impressive win against promotion-chasing Dagenham & Redbridge 2-1, which ended a run of five straight defeats in the league.
Much of Braintree's threat going forward is expected to come from Alfie Matthews, who has four goals so far this season. In fact, The Iron have scored the most goals out of the bottom ten, netting twenty times in the opening thirteen, but have the second leakiest defence in the league, conceding 34, with only 24th-placed Slough Town conceding more with 37.
For reference, we have not fared much better in the opening months, scoring sixteen yet conceding 32.
However, the Beavers have scored eleven goals in our last three games, with the new additions Bright Siaw and Wilson Waweru making an immediate impact with five goals between them in that time.
Historically, this has been a fixture Braintree have had the better of, leading the overall
head-to-head, having won five of the last ten meetings between the sides, with Hampton winning two and three ending level.
With confidence growing after Tuesday's spirited comeback, Saturday offers another chance for Max Kretzschmar, Craig Saunders and the squad to build on that momentum against a side also searching for form of their own — a big result on the road would be a big step to turning the Beavers' fortunes around.
Let's get behind the lads and make some noise in Essex!
UTB!
The Beavers are back at the Bev on November 7th against Maidenhead United. Secure your tickets HERE!