Braintree Town FC

The club was accepted into The North Essex League as Manor Works F.C. (the works team of Crittall Windows) at very short notice in 1898, after the former Braintree F.C. folded up over a debt of £6 10s 5 1/2d.  Manor Works took over their fixtures and most of their players.  Much success was enjoyed in The North Essex League and three league championships were accompanied by unsuccessful Essex Junior Cup Finals.

The club initially played at The Fair Field (1898-1903) where the Town Hall, Library and Bus Park now stand. They then moved to Spaldings Meadow in Panfield Lane, a ground where Iron drew with the mighty Woolwich Arsenal in 1906!

In 1921 the club changed its name to Crittall Athletic to enable it to be identified more closely with the parent company.  Two years later Crittall's opened their new Sports Ground at Cressing Road, amidst a blaze of publicity.  For many years it was regarded as the best ground in Essex, boasting a first-class running track and an 800 seat wooden grandstand, sadly destroyed in a gale in 1973, although most of the uncovered seating remained until 1989.  The new facilities spurred the club on, and the interest was so great that one particular local derby with Courtauld United was captured on film and broadcast in the town's cinemas that evening.  On another occasion a special train was chartered to see 'The Iron' knock Ipswich Town out of the F.A. Amateur Cup by winning 3-2 at Portman Road.  This was in 1927.  A year later the club turned senior and left the Essex & Suffolk Border League, their home for the past three years, and joined the Spartan League.

This really was a golden period for the club with gates of 2,000 plus and in 1926 a staggering crowd of 6,000 watched the Essex Junior Cup Final at Cressing Road between Rainham and Saffron Walden.  County matches became a regular occurrence.

Cecil Purkiss scored an astonishing 55 goals during the 1927-28 season, a record that stood until beaten by Gary Bennett in 1997-98 with 57.  As interest increased still further, the club became founder members of The Eastern Counties League in 1935. Reaching the first League Cup Final where they lost to Harwich at Layer Road, Colchester.   During these recessionary times the Crittall firm took on many men from the depressed areas of Wales and the North, providing them with jobs and housing.  As a result, the football club benefitted and the playing standard rose to top amateur level.  A gate of 4,000 watched a home cup tie with Barking that season. In 1937 Crittall won The Eastern Counties League for the first time and the following year reached the last 32 of the F.A. Amateur Cup before losing 3-1 at Dulwich Hamlet in front of 15,000 supporters.

In the immediate post-war years, Crittall's operated in The London League - reaching the League Cup Final three years running and winning it in 1949.  The East Anglian Cup was lifted for the first time in 1947.  In 1952 the club rejoined The Eastern Counties League and in May, Tottenham came to town for a charity game.  The crowd of 4,000 which witnessed their 8-1 win is still a joint record for a home Braintree match although in the 1920s, 8,000 were on the ground for a sports event.  After a disastrous flirtation with professional football in 1954-55, the club dropped into local football and remained in The Essex & Suffolk Border League until 1964.  At this stage the club joined the Greater London League and two years later The Metropolitan League.  Despite some attractive opposition and the advent of floodlights in 1967 (opened by a strong West Ham Side) it was still a hard struggle and support was meagre.  It was a long haul for an ever-dwindling band of enthusiasts to keep the club at senior level and even a return to The Eastern Counties League in 1970 failed to attract the missing fans back.

By now the company interest and subsidy had virtually gone and the club found it necessary to seek new means of raising income but this remained at a very modest level.  To assist in this and to foster a closer identity with the town, its name was added to the club title which became Braintree & Crittall Athletic in 1968.  Following a take-over of the company, the ground was sold to the local council but the club was able to remain as tenants, although by now the facilities were way below that required of a senior club.  In 1975 the club was at its lowest ebb, the ground was closed by the Essex F.A. and temporary homes sought around the town to complete home fixtures.  Enough work was done to bring the ground up to the minimum standard and the club just about survived, although only 13 turned up for a home game with Great Yarmouth Town.  All links with Crittall's finally ended in 1981 and after one year as Braintree F.C. the title Braintree Town was adopted.  Somewhat nostalgically the old nickname of "Iron" continued to be used after Crittall's iron window frames.

The appointment of Chris Symes as Manager in 1983 was to drastically change the clubs' fortunes.  An exciting new look line-up won the E.C.L. two years running and a number of other trophies including The Essex Senior Trophy, and The Eastern Floodlight Competition.  The 5th round of the F.A. Vase was reached twice and the club reached the 4th qualifying round of the F.A. Cup in 1985 only to lose in dubious circumstances at Halesowen, 2-1.  During these days the club had an excellent match programme, and editor Mark Paget’s efforts were rewarded in both 1984 and 1985 by winning the national Wirral Programme Club Non-League award.  The club therefore became the first club to win it three times after 17 year old editor Jon Weaver’s success in 1978. Gates increased dramatically, some above the 1,000 mark, and gradually facilities improved - first the present clubhouse was built and extended and this was followed by a 292 seat main stand, after 17 years without one.  As the club went from strength to strength a limited Company was formed.  After finishing runners-up four times and third once in a five year spell the club were finally accepted into The Beazer Homes League where they finished fourth in The Southern Division in 1991-92.  The ground was then brought up to Premier Division standard with the addition of cover and terracing on all four sides.   

In May 1994, they again reached the Final of the Eastern Floodlight Competition before losing 4-2 at home to Heybridge.  Later in May the club picked up its first silverware in six years when they travelled to Holland and won the prestigious Jan Havanaar International Tournament, beating Wilhelmus 3-0 in the final.  in fact, the only previous British winner of this trophy had been Shrewsbury Town in 1972! 

The club’s fortunes took a distinct upward turn following the arrival of Keith Martin in 1995.  The club were almost unbeatable after Christmas 1995, rising to fifth place in The Beazer Homes League Southern Division and winning both the Essex Senior Cup (2-1 v Billericay at Dagenham) and East Anglian Cup (3-0 v Sudbury Town at home).  All the success came while the club were fighting a battle with the Beazer Homes League to relocate to the Isthmian side of the pyramid.  Although this meant a drop of two levels in the pyramid it would rid the club of the burden of paying ridiculous travel expenses to the West Country for most of its away games.  After the bid was turned down by The Joint Pyramid Liaison Committee, the F.A. saw sense and sanctioned the switch, and the club promptly won promotion from the Third Division at the first attempt under the guidance of Martin's popular replacement Tony Hall.  The club also won the Eastern Floodlight Competition and Isthmian League Fair Play Award and were finalists in the Essex Senior Cup and Guardian Insurance Cup.  The team celebrated their success in style, enjoying an end of season two week break in Barbados, during which they beat a First Division side there, 4-2. The following season, 1997-98, was again successful, and included a run to the Fourth Qualifying Round of the F.A. Cup, and after 35 unbeaten league games finished as runners-up of The Ryman League Division Two and after three years at this level they moved up yet again. 

In 2001-02 the club competed in the Ryman Premier Division and in this debut season finished in a creditable 4th position, losing out on goal difference to Aldershot Town, the club also reached the 5th Round of the F.A.Trophy, setting a new record in this competition. After two seasons of struggle the fortunes of the club turned round again with the arrival of Lee Harding as Chairman and subsequent appointment of George Borg. In season 2004-05, the club reached the 4th Qualifying round of the F.A.Cup, and ended the season in 4th place in the Ryman Premier Division subsequently qualifying for the end of season Play-offs only to lose at Eastleigh. A year later they made no mistake winning the Ryman Premier Division Championship, with an impressive 94 points. Star Striker Alex Revell was sold to Brighton for £10,000. At long last the First Round of the F.A. Cup was reached, and Iron travelled to League Two side Shrewsbury Town only to lose 4-1. Brad Quinton scored Iron's consolation against Joe Hart, later England's No.1 keeper.

The following season 2006-07 saw major ground improvements including an extended main stand and a third placed finish helped them to a play-off final against Salisbury at Stevenage. The following year they again reached the play-offs.

There were no great expectations when Rod Stringer took over as manager at the start of the 2011-12 season however Iron started the season with three successive victories and led the table from December onwards, ultimately winning the title by seven points. Stringer promptly departed and was replaced by Ex-England and West Ham legend Alan Devonshire, who set about assembling a side to compete in the largely professional Blue Square Bet Premier, the top tier in English football. In a race against time the ground was brought up to Football League standard with new terraces on all sides of the ground. On the pitch Iron were unlucky to lose their first game 1-0 at Darlington but then shocked the football world by beating Grimsby Town 5-0 in the opening home game. A run of six successive victories earned Devonshire the September Manager of the Month Award and took Iron up to second place. Numerous great performances at home led to wins over big boys Lincoln, Darlington, Luton Town and Cambridge United. The twelve placed finish confounded critics who expected a swift relegation. Crowds rose 50% and Jai Reason, Nathan McDonald and Kenny Davis were selected for England 'C', the club's first full internationals since Peter Anderson in 1930.

In the second season in the top flight Iron improved and finished ninth. They won ten games away from home, including a memorable 3-2 win at Luton Town. At the end of the season Mansfield Town were beaten 2-1 at home to prevent them from winning the Conference Premier Division title….for a week at least. The club reached the F.A. Cup First Round for the second time and pulled out a plum tie against League One leaders Tranmere Rovers. The game was shown live on ITV and over 1,500 were in the ground to watch Tranmere win 3-0 at Braintree.

Pundits tipped Iron for relegation at the start of the 2013-14 season but once again the team excelled. A mean defence, in which Alan Massey and Dean Wells were outstanding helped Iron to sixth place, going in to the last game of the season at home to Grimsby Town with a chance of reaching the play-offs. For the first time a result was gained against a Football League team in the F.A. Cup. New boys Newport County were held 1-1 at Cressing Road before narrowly losing the midweek replay in Wales. On 12th April 2014 Braintree went to Luton Town in a match shown live on BT Sport. The cameras were there to see Luton pick up the three points which would have given them the title and promotion back to the Football League. A sell-out crowd of 10,020 – the largest post-war crowd to see Iron – were stunned as Braintree spoiled the party by winning 3-2. In the Essex Senior Cup Heybridge, Harlow, Barking and AFC Hornchurch were knocked out on the way to the final. Concord Rangers, managed by Danny Cowley, won the final at Dagenham 2-1.

The 2014-15 season began with an emotional farewell to Brad Quinton, who said farewell after being substituted during the second half of his own testimonial match against Ipswich Town. The progress of the previous three seasons couldn’t be maintained and a final position of 14th was attained. There were a few highpoints, former Football League team Torquay United were beaten 5-1 away and there was a prominent 2-0 home win over Bristol Rovers, on a one season hiatus from the Football League. In the away fixture Simeon Akinola’s overhead kick came third in a national goal of the season award. In the F.A. Cup Iron were again drawn at home to a highly placed League One team at home, losing 6-0 to Chesterfield. Devonshire left at the end of the season and was replaced by former Concord manager Danny Cowley and his brother Nicky. 

Under the Cowley’s Iron enjoyed a memorable season and finished third in non-league’s top flight. In the play-offs they beat Grimsby Town 1-0 away in the Semi-Final First Leg and held their opponents in the home leg until 14 minutes from time, just as the Wembley final and promotion to the Football League was in sight. Grimsby won 2-0 in front of 3,102. Three Iron players represented England C during the season, with Sam Habergham, Alex Woodyard and Chez Isaac all involved together away to Ukraine U20.  

Soon after the end of the season the Cowley brothers left for Lincoln City and the successful side broke up. Jamie Day took over as manager and had to build a new team with only three survivors left over from the previous campaign. After a poor start, he was replaced by Hakan Hayrettin.  A terrible end to the season saw the club relegated for the first time in their 119 year history.

Club legend Brad Quinton accepted an invitation to take over as manager for the 2017-18 season and set about building an exciting attacking team as a new era began. The team went on an unbeaten run that culminated on claiming the last play-off spot on the last day of the season. Against the odds they then overcame three away games, and beat Hampton & Richmond Borough on penalties in the final to reclaim their National League Premier Division place.

Several of the promotion winning side left in the summer, putting Quinton on the back foot when trying to assemble a promotion winning side. Their first win of the season, 1-0 at Gateshead, came at the 11th attempt after collecting just three points from their first 10 games. A bumper home crowd of 2,574 watched the 5-1 home defeat of Leyton Orient and after two further defeats Quinton departed by mutual consent. Hakan Hayrettin returned and led the team to a very creditable 2-2 draw at Salford City. After a good start, defeat followed defeat and the team slipped to the foot of the table. Hayrettin surprisingly jumped ship, joining fellow relegation contenders Maidstone United. He was replaced by Danny Searle. A good run of four wins and a draw from the last six games proved insufficient to save them and the team were relegated for the second time in three years. The final match at the top level of English football was an outstanding 0-0 away draw at Leyton Orient, watched by a near sellout crowd of 8,241. The home side needed the point to win promotion back to the Football League.

Within days of the end of the season, Searle left for Aldershot Town and the club were left to pick up the pieces once again. Gary Driver, formerly at Leiston, was appointed as the new manager. He quit after 18 games and was ultimately replaced by George Borg. His return was not a success and when the league season was suspended due to Covid-19, the team were hovering in the relegation zone.

Early in the 2020-21 season, Ryan Maxwell replaced Borg. Results slightly picked up, but the season was a struggle with all games behind closed doors. The league was again abandoned and declared null and void on 16th February with Iron just a point off the bottom of the table after 16 games played.

The 2021-22 season was the first to be completed since Iron returned to the National League South. A battle against relegation was ultimately successful; with Iron finishing 9 points clear of the drop zone. Maxwell departed and was replaced by Angelo Harrop from A.F.C. Sudbury.

Harrop had to build a new side, with only two players staying on. They quickly got into their stride and went on a 21 game unbeaten home run that helped the team secure seventh place and qualify for the end of season promotion play-offs for the first time since 2018. Fate sent Iron back to Worthing in midweek, just 18 days after losing a league fixture 2-1 there. The outcome was the same, but the season was an overwhelming success in no small part to Iron’s run to their fourth Essex Senior Cup Final. On the way they won away at Colchester United and Chelmsford City to take on Concord Rangers at Colchester. Iron fans took the competition to their hearts with over 2,000 purchasing tickets. Goals from Matt Rush and Alfie Pavey (penalty) secured a 2-0 win, sparking memorable celebrations.

Regrouping for the 2023-24 season, Iron emerged stronger and again had a great home record. After 1st January they went on a 13 game unbeaten run, rising from 13th on 23rd January to 3rd place two months later. The Iron Army were absolutely electric, with the noise behind the goal reaching unprecedented levels and all games ending in mutual love-ins between players and fans. Iron again qualified for the play-offs with a game to spare, going in to the final game with an outside chance of finishing in the runners-up position. Defeat again placed them in the Eliminator fixture. On a memorable night at Cressing Road, now renamed the Rare Breed Meat Co. Stadium, Bath City were beaten 1-0 in the dying minutes of extra-time. That set up a semi final derby clash at Chelmsford, with Jayden Davis scoring the extra time winner and setting off huge celebrations in front of a full house. Nine days later Iron returned to Worthing for the Promotion Final, with a score to settle. The game was an absolute classic, filmed live by TNT Sports. Ebbing one way then the other, Iron came out on top 4-3 with Reggie Lambe’s diving header in extra time returning Iron to the National League top flight after a five year absence.

Returning to the National League for 2024-25, Iron moved to a full-time hybrid model and Harrop set about building a new squad, with only Tom Blackwell staying beyond the first few weeks. After disappointing defeats to Boston United and Maidenhead United, Iron were in 20th place. Harrop was sacked and replaced by Steve Pitt. Form immediately improved. Top clubs Barnet, York City, Forest Green and Rochdale were beaten at home, with Iron finishing 17th and reaching the National League Cup Semi-Final.

The club were up against it in the 2025-26 season. Although always competitive, Cressing Road lost its impregnability. An opening day 3-0 home win over AFC Halifax Town briefly took Iron to the top of the table, but there were only four further home wins all season. Relegation came on Easter Monday, with the club finishing 10 points adrift of safety.

In the summer the club hit the headlines, with Iron centre-back Tommy Smith going to the 2026 World Cup in U.S.A., Canada & Mexico with New Zealand. He was an unused substitute in each of their group games with Iran, Egypt and Belgium.

Braintree Town Football Club Limited

Braintree Town Football Club is owned and managed by Braintree Town Football Club Limited, company registration number: 02050949. No one person or entity has overall control of the company, but the shareholders that have a significant interest in the company (who own more than 10% of the authorised and issued shares) are as follows:

L Harding 38.78%, The estate of K Cowell & Cowell & Cooper Limited 38.78%, V Dixon 10.33%.

All about the Cressing Road Stadium, home of Braintree Town FC

The Cressing Road Stadium site on some 4.36 acres is owned and managed by Braintree Town Football Club Limited. The adjacent 4.92 acres are leased by Braintree Town Football Club Limited from Braintree District Council and provide for a full-size grass training pitch, a car park for 150 vehicles and access to the designated 'visitors' part of the Cressing Road Stadium. In total, the site is some 9.27 acres. The capacity of the Cressing Road Stadium currently stands at 4,222.