Braintree Town succumbed to a narrow 0-1 defeat against Southend United at the Rare Breed Meat Co. Stadium in the English National League. The decisive goal came in the 20th minute, courtesy of Aribim Pepple, which proved to be the difference-maker in a closely contested match.
The first half saw both teams create scoring opportunities, but it was Southend United who capitalised on their chance. Aribim Pepple found the back of the net, scoring his team’s only goal of the match. Braintree Town’s Louie Annesley received a yellow card in the same minute for a foul, as the hosts struggled to cope with the early setback.
The second half saw both teams increase their intensity, with several yellow cards being handed out by referee Sam Mulhall. John Akinde of Braintree Town received a yellow card in the 54th minute, followed by Aribim Pepple of Southend United just a minute later. Further bookings were given to Ryan Clampin, Jermaine Francis, and Frankie Terry of Braintree Town, in the 70th, 100th, and 100th minutes, respectively.
Coaches from both teams made several tactical substitutions in the second half. Southend United’s Kevin Maher replaced Aribim Pepple with Macauley Bonne and Charley Kendall with Josh Walker in the 63rd minute. Braintree Town’s Stephen Pitt responded by substituting John Akinde with Tom Blackwell in the 64th minute. Further changes saw Josh Walker make way for Joe Gubbins, Kyrell Lisbie for Lanre Balogun, Noor Husin for James Morton, Jack Bridge for Keenan Appiah-Forson, and Ryan Clampin for Tariq Hinds, in the 75th, 76th, 88th, 89th, and 94th minutes, respectively.
Despite the substitutions, Braintree Town were unable to find an equaliser, and Southend United held on to secure all three points. The result sees Southend United move up to 14th place in the standings, while Braintree Town remain in 20th position. This match marked the first encounter between the two teams in the last three seasons, and Southend United’s victory puts them on a winning streak of one game.