Football Season Guide

Braintree were the big overachievers last season along with Southport as they finished comfortably in mid-table having been tipped for relegation. The modest squad built by Alan Devonshire hit off very early and played some delightful football, getting some surprise results along the way. Another comforting mid-table finish will suit the small Essex team just fine in the coming season but the worry for them is the well-known second-season effect with the expectations now being set much higher for them. Devonshire has enough experience in football to do what is necessary to prevent the team slipping badly but he lost his two best attacking players from last season in Jai Reason and Ben Wright and the replacements hardly adequate at the moment. Daniel Sparkes from Histon could prove a good capture and Josh Dawkin showed good skills while on loan at Kettering last season but otherwise the summer business has been underwhelming. The squad is quite small and if injuries bite, the Iron will be in trouble. Therefore, a campaign spent flirting with the drop is on the cards and it remains to be seen whether the team has enough to came out unscathed.