Saturday's Cup tie was always likely to be a tight affair with both sides unbeaten in Division One so far and Leyton also being aware that on the last occasion they visited Cressing Road 12 months ago they were slammed 8-2.

Right from the start this time the east London side set out their stall to defend in depth and with always plenty of bodies behind the ball.

It was not pretty to watch especially as they also overdid the physical stuff.

As a result the exchanges generally got no further than a midfield scrap with neither goal being really threatened.

It was not until the 25th minute that the first positive move came when Nicky Smith gained possession on the right and turned inside to deliver a firm shot that went just wide of the post.

At the other end goalkeeper Nicky Rust had little to do as Mark Keen and Lee Hunter effectively took control at the back.

There was another near miss for Braintree when Robbie Reinelt, their most likely scorer, sent in a high looping drop shot which almost deceived goalkeeper O'Neill who just managed to hold the ball right under the crossbar.

The nearest attempt by Leyton so far came just before the interval when a free kick from Braintree's Richard Philp failed to reach its target and only succeeded in setting up a Leyton break from which Adrian Allen got clean through only to put his shot wide.

The second half play was punctuated by a succession of stoppages and what little constructive work there was came mainly from Braintree although front men, Reinelt and Gary Caldon, seldom received the right kind of service.

Leyton were still proving a tough nut to crack and the longer the stalemate continued the chances were that a solitary goal would settle the issue.

So when Leyton grabbed the lead out of the blue in the 73rd minute it looked as though Iron's hopes of a bit of Cup glory had disappeared at the first hurdle.

In a momentary lack of concentration, they allowed Allen time and space to get in a shot from the edge of the area, giving Rust no chance.

The visitors appeared overjoyed at their unexpected success and maybe they were also caught off guard amid their celebrations when Braintree immediately broke back to claim the equaliser.

Gavin Cowan made ground down the left to swing over an accurate centre for Mark Adams to apply the finish with a solid header.

In the remaining quarter of an hour, tension increased as both sides went flat out for a decider and after one midfield clash Leyton's Sharland was sent off for a second bookable offence.

But despite this the visitors managed to survive Braintree's final onslaught in which Smith went closest to snatching the winner just before the end.

Braintree Town: Rust, Philp, Cowan, Hunter, Keen, Reinelt, Adams, Renshaw (Bell), Caldon (Crane), Smith and Forbes.

Forthcoming fixtures: Saturday, August 28 v Romford, away, Ryman League, 3pm; Monday, August 30 v Leatherhead, at Cressing Road, Ryman League, 3pm.

Hands up . . action from Saturday's FA Cup tie between Braintree Town and Leyton Pennant at Cressing Road.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.