Braintree look back on another excellent campaign in which they fended off any slim threats of going into a relegation dogfight and secured another respectable mid-table finish. The Iron came ever so close to pinching a play-off spot in the previous campaign but the squad was weakened over the summer as two major players, Dean Wells and Dan Holman, departed. Alan Devonshire still made a few decent additions to the squad and started the season on a positive note. The Essex side secured four wins in the first seven games played and claimed the scalp of a strong Bristol Rovers side during that run. They were playing with their usual mix of determination, efficiency and physical supremacy and were getting some solid results on consistent basis. The team was sitting seventh in the table in mid-September but the momentum started to fade quickly after that and Braintree struggled badly for the next couple of months. The defence started to leak goals while the attackers were not really contributing, with an injury crisis hampering a small squad as well. A run of six losses in seven games and an utter battering at the hands of Chesterfield in the FA Cup severely damaged the confidence of the players. But Devonshire showed his nous and experience during these testing times and managed to galvanise his charges going into the closing weeks of the calendar year. They saw off Wrexham and Torquay at home for excellent victories and also claimed a festive double over Dartford to pretty much remove the possibility of a relegation struggle and lock down a place in mid-table. The season never really progressed from there as Braintree were content to secure the odd good result but lacked the quality to push on as they did an year ago. They still secured the odd impressive scalp, beating Gateshead 1:0 at home and also routing Torquay for a 5:1 away win. It was generally a serene and assured campaign for the Essex side and it is certainly an achievement for a small part-time club to finish consistently clear of the relegation places for a number of years now. But Devonshire’s tenure has ended shortly before the end of the season as the experienced manager rejected the chance to stay on for another season. He will be a massive loss but the club is equipped well to move on from him and enjoy further success and solidity.
