Braintree Town took the lead and then came from behind against 10-man Fleet to inflict the first defeat on the champions since New Year’s Day.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Ben Chapman’s goal midway through the second-half – the 100th in the league this season – seemed to suggest more points for his side too but the visitors were undone by two set pieces.
Still in pursuit of those points and goals records, Dennis Kutrieb named another strong lineup with four changed starters as Haydn Hollis, Billy Clifford, Chapman and Shaq Coulthirst came in.
Play-off-chasing Braintree would have wanted a good start but almost came unstuck in the first minute when a back-header nearly caught out goalkeeper Jack Sims. The new champions were soon in the hunt, however, and a carbon copy of Dominic Poleon’s early miss on Good Friday was served up by Omari Sterling-James on six minutes, a cross from the right somehow eluding the Fleet top scorer in the six-yard box.
From the same route, Chapman’s delivery across to Coulthirst on 12 minutes deserved more but like Poleon, Coulthirst could only swing at it as the ball skipped free.
It was the home side who took the lead on 14 minutes, however. Aaron Blair was quick to intercept Hollis’s pass and he took the ball wide on the right, aiming a cross towards Alfie Pavey at the far post. With Mark Cousins and his defenders perhaps keeping one eye on Pavey, Blair’s cross eluded everyone as a deflection allowed it to drop inside the goal.
Franklin Domi tried to get his side back into things, a good shot from 18 yards turned away by Sims. And a powerful run moments later by the same man released Coulthirst in the box but he was held up.
The game turned on the half-hour mark when Sterling and Baris Altintop became involved in an exchange over a goal-kick in the corner of the ground. A Fleet player appeared to be flung to the floor as the incident boiled over before referee Callum Walchester picked Poleon out for a red card for an apparent raised arm, though how he was sure in the melee was open to question.
Leon Davies had a smart opportunity to lob over Cousins five minutes later but just missed the target and Braintree were left to rue that as the equaliser came three minutes before the break. Sterling carved out some space to stab a ball on to Coulthirst who needed no second invitation to crash a shot home.
The first-half wasn’t quite done as Pavey met a delivery to the right with a venomous shot that seemed goalbound before Cousins got a strong fist to it and got in the way of the follow-up before being glad to hear the whistle for a foul on him.
Fleet started the second period in a positive frame of mind, attempting to catch Braintree on the hop before they could settle into their numerical advantage once more.
Whereas the first-half had been played in some occasionally torrential weather conditions, the second had to put up with a swirling,strong wind. The conditions caught Domi out on 49 minutes, allowing Blair to get behind him and lay off to Pavey who drew another good save from Cousins. At the other end, Chapman rolled an inviting effort across goal but the ball ran clear with Sims scrambling.
On 57 minutes, Coulthirst might have got his second with a smart, strong turn and shot saved before Sterling seemed to have a good opportunity to find the net but preferred to try and find Coulthirst, allowing Braintree to clear.
But two minutes later, Fleet were in the lead. The impressive Clifford broke quickly to release substitute Toby Edser and he in turn released Chapman who ran on goal and fired home past the despairing Sims.
Fleet were knocking the ball around well enough for a 10-man side but Braintree fancied their chances from set pieces. Sure enough their two goals came from just such an avenue, the first on 68 minutes. Domi upended his man and from Kyron Farrell’s floated free-kick, Pavey rose highest to touch the ball over Cousins and into the net.
Substitute Greg Cundle got away down the left to the byline in an attempt to restore Fleet’s lead but lost the ball as he tried to pull it back into the box before Braintree wrapped up the points on 78 minutes. Like their equaliser it came from a set-piece, a Farrell corner sent dipping in through the wind for Kyran Clements to get the firmest head and send it past Cousins.
Staring their first defeat in 19 games in the face, Fleet had a couple of chances, Coulthirst cushioning a Luke O’Neill delivery to squeeze through two defenders but Sims grabbed the ball as it ran a little too far from the Fleet attacker.
And Cundle struck a good effort on target in time added on that Sims had to push away but having got their noses back in front, Braintree succeeded in winding down the clock and cementing their position in the play-offs. The returning champions will have to wait for their heroes’ welcome back at home on Saturday to take another shot at the 100 points.
EUFC: Cousins, O’Neill, Hollis (Edser 46), Solly, Wright (Cundle 62), Clifford, Chapman, Sterling-James, Domi (Finney), Coulthirst, Poleon. Subs: McQueen, Romain
BTFC: Sims, Davies (Reynolds 68), Farrell, Altintop, White (Rush 61), Clements, Bradshaw, Payne, Pavey, Janneh (Turner 52), Blair. Subs: Regis, Matthews
Attendance: 858
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