A pulsating opening twenty minutes saw Braintree Town and Gateshead exchange blows in a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Rare Breed Meat Co. Stadium. The hosts ignited the match in the fourth minute when Jermaine Francis, expertly latching onto a clever pass from Chay Cooper, fired Braintree into an early lead. Their joy was fleeting, however, as Gateshead responded with almost immediate parity. Just three minutes later, in the seventh minute, Owen Oseni levelled the score, capitalising on a Joe Grayson assist. The frenetic pace continued. In the 14th minute, Louie Annesley restored Braintree’s advantage, sparking jubilant celebrations amongst the home faithful. But Gateshead, clearly undeterred, hit back once more. Grayson, having turned provider for the first goal, found the net himself in the 19th minute, restoring parity again in a breathless opening spell.
The remainder of the first half witnessed a slight decrease in intensity, but the drama persisted. A flurry of yellow cards, including one for Braintree’s Inih Effiong and two for Chay Cooper – the second of which resulted in a red card early in the second half – disrupted the flow of the game. This dismissal forced Braintree to reshuffle and contend with ten men for the majority of the second period. Both sides made tactical changes after the break, seeking to regain control and find a winner. Gateshead replaced the influential Grayson, who had been directly involved in both their goals, while Braintree introduced fresh attacking options, including Kyrell Lisbie and John Akinde, hoping to exploit any gaps left by the visitors pushing forward. Despite end-to-end action and several chances for both sides, neither team could break the deadlock, and the match ended in a hard-fought 2-2 draw.
The result leaves Gateshead in 4th place with 38 points, while Braintree Town remain in 19th with 20 points. While the historical head-to-head record offered little insight given the lack of recent meetings, the draw arguably benefited Gateshead more, consolidating their position in the play-off places.