Match report
By Derek Bish

MATT Groves spared goalkeeper Tim Sandercombe’s blushes by netting an injury-time leveller for Weymouth to stop the rot of four straight defeats.

A terrible mistake by Sandercombe had gifted George Purcell the opener, but substitutes Stephen Reed and Jake Reid combined to set up Groves for a dramatic equaliser.

It was the least the Terras deserved for a strong finish and resilient display against their promotion-chasing visitors.

Manager Jerry Gill made two changes to the team that lost 2-0 at Bath City on Saturday, one enforced, but retained the 4-5-1 formation that stifled Bath so well.

Josh Llewellyn’s ankle problem ruled him out, meaning Simon Radcliffe came into the side, while Jake Reid was relegated to the bench in favour of teenager Luke Benbow.

After a fairly even opening 13 minutes it was Braintree hitman George Purcell who fired the first warning shot when Sandercombe blocked his acrobatic volley from the right-hand side of the box.

The Weymouth stopper followed that up with another strong save as he got in the way of Tom Cham-pion‘s close-range free header.

Jacob Mingle headed on to the top of the stanchion as the Iron continued to look more dangerous, particularly in the air, against a Wey-mouth side employing everyone but Benbow behind the ball.

Some dogged work from Jordan Vincent and Nathan Davies handed Jamie McGuinness the Terras’ first sight of goal, but he curled the ball harmlessly wide of Nathan McDonald’s right-hand post.

There was certainly a notable change in attitude from recent matches with players willing to put their bodies on the line and their heads in where it hurt in a bid to keep Braintree out.

Paul Goodacre headed over, Sean Marks muscled past Scott Brice before shooting well wide and Martin Slocombe was booked for dissent but in truth the most interesting action towards the end of the opening period was the run for the cover made by supporters when rain started to fall.

Stephen Reed replaced Vincent at the break, meaning Jamie McGuin-ness slotted in at right back and the substitute into the middle of midfield alongside Davies.

After seven minutes of not much happening, Cameron Mawer nearly gifted Braintree the opener when his weak back-pass across goal was nearly converted, but Sandercombe scrambled it away.

The young Terras’ goalkeeper definitely would not be thanking Mawer after getting wiped out by a Braintree attacker in the process.

At the other end, Groves could not quite get enough power on his volley on the turn and Iron custodian McDonald was able to dive high to his left and hold Groves’ effort.

With the match petering out towards a dull 0-0, Sandercombe threw in a total howler as he let Matt Game’s fluffed low cross through his grasp and legs into the path of Purcell who only had to bundle the ball over the line from a yard.

Gill responded by switching formation to 4-4-2 and sent Jake Reid into the Weymouth attack, in place of defender Jamie Frampton.

But it was half-time substitute Stephen Reed who went closest when he struck a cracking left-foot drive from nearly 25 yards that McDonald did well to push over.

It was the home team who ended the stronger of the two and the Braintree defence had to scramble one off the line after Jake Reid headed Stephen Reed’s right-wing corner towards the bottom left-hand corner.

Another set-piece followed that dropped to Stephen Reed on the right corner of the box that he flashed just wide of the far top corner, but there was drama to follow after all.

Simon Radcliffe did brilliantly to hold the ball up on the left then tap it to Stephen Reed, who released Jake Reid on the left. Reid bullied his way to the byline and his cutback was fired over McDonald by Groves, who ran straight to the home fans behind the goal in the Carlsberg stand.

Suddenly it felt like the good old days had returned.