Braintree Town in National League South play-offs after Eastbourne win

The Iron produced a professional and all-round excellent team effort at the Dunmow Group Stadium, despite playing with ten men for almost the last half hour.

The success is a just reward for manager Braintree boss Angelo Harrop and his backroom team, in their first season at this high level.

It is also reward for all the Iron's players who have responded magnificently to the task at hand, often outplaying and beating more experienced teams with bigger and better paid squads.

Harrop said: "I'm absolutely over the moon at achieving the play-offs with a small squad of mainly young players who have had to compete at this high level for the first time.

"Also bearing in mind I only had two senior players left here when I took over just before the start of the season and we've had to build a new squad to compete and this we have done.

"I'm really proud of all the players who have worked so hard and I know I am demanding at times on them but I want to win and put everything in achieving success on the field.

"With this win against a very good Eastbourne side we have shown how well we can play and I think we fully deserve our promotion play-off chance.

"I also want to thank the fans in the 846 crowd today too because they have been tremendous all season in their vocal support of the team even when things or the odd results have not gone out way."

Braintree's opening goal came in the first half injury-time - a fantastic strike young Dagenham and Redbridge loanee Ansu Janneh.

Janneh picked the ball up just outside the visitors' area, dropped his shoulder to beat his marker and fired a half volley into the top far corner of the net.

With a slender one-goal lead the Iron were always vulnerable at the back in the second half.

They needed that second goal to give them some breathing space and it came on 83 minutes when Zak Bradshaw grabbed his second for the club.

He drove the ball low goalwards from just inside the area where it caught a defender on the leg and slithered into the net to beat Lee Worgan.

Harrop said: "I think overall we thoroughly deserved to win and I was disappointed that we dominated the first half and missed at least three comparative easy chances to have scored and been well in control by half-time."

"We knew they would come out stronger in the second half which they did but we stood firm, keeper Jack Sims pulled off a couple of excellent saves when needed and I always felt we would still go on to win the game.

"The second-half sending off for Kyran Clements was really harsh for his two bookings but again we weathered the storm as they say and even with ten men, continued to look strong and late on how we missed three close range.

"Overall I am absolutely pleased with our performance and now we have work to during this coming week, prepare for our last game away to Slough and then look forward to the play-offs."