A spirited fightback from Braintree Town proved insufficient as they were defeated 1-2 by Gateshead at the Rare Breed Meat Co. Stadium. The match began with an intense tempo, foreshadowing a closely fought encounter.
Gateshead made a fast start, with Kain Adom opening the scoring in the 3rd minute, assisted by Ben Williams. The visitors extended their lead in the 17th minute when Kyle Hurst, assisted by Curtis Edwards, found the net. Braintree responded to the early setback with a tactical change in the 33rd minute, bringing on Frankie Terry for Oli Davis.
Braintree emerged for the second half with renewed energy. Their efforts were rewarded in the 61st minute when Terrell Works, assisted by James Vennings, pulled a goal back. In the same minute, Gateshead replaced Kyle Hurst with Harry Chapman.
As the match progressed, Braintree manager Stephen Pitt, who received a yellow card in the 69th minute, made further substitutions, introducing Freddie Hockey for Goran Babic in the 77th minute, and John Akinde and Elliot Thorpe for Tom Blackwell and Jacob Pinnington in the 87th minute. Gateshead manager Alun Armstrong responded in the 84th minute, bringing on Will Flint for Josh Home. Ben Williams received a yellow card in the 72nd minute.
Despite Braintree’s late pressure, Gateshead defended resolutely to secure the victory. Gateshead’s win moves them up to 15th place in the National League standings with 14 points, while Braintree remain in 20th place with 10 points, having played 12 matches. Braintree will likely lament their sluggish start, which ultimately proved too significant to recover from, despite their improved second-half performance.
