Chesham United Football Club

Chesham: Richard Hayward, Andy Keepence, Carl Bruce, Michael Sharman, Nick Leach, Dom Masala, Danny Talbot, Dave Fotheringham, Danny Burnell, Phil Turner, Matt Skinner. Subs: Ed Chemlal, Kevin Cotton, Tomasz Bogdanski, Ashley Higgins, John Christian, Steve Cawley, Kyle Kilmartin, Jonny Montgomery.

Chesham gave a creditable performance in this friendly against a Braintree side who lost narrowly to Salisbury in last season's Conference South play-off final. The scoreline did not reflect the balance of play, but Braintree punished Chesham for any error in defence.

The first half-hour was fairly uneventful with both sides trying to find some rhythm. Chesham's best moment came just after the half-hour when Dom Masala ran down the right onto Danny Burnell's pass and crossed to the far post where Matt Skinner's effort was blocked. However it was the visitors who took the lead after 37 minutes when a corner was cleared, the ball was played back into the Chesham box and former Chesham player Chris Sullivan was allowed to control the ball with his back to goal, turn and shoot into the corner of the net from ten yards.

Four minutes into the second half James Hawes made it 2-0 when he cut in from the left and beat Richard Hayward at his near post with a shot from the edge of the area. Soon afterwards the usual rash of substitutions began, Chesham replacing everyone before the end apart from Hayward and Andy Keepence. Chesham looked comfortable at the back but on 70 minutes Hayward and Michael Sharman each left it to the other to clear a through ball and Sullivan nipped in to round Hayward and roll the ball into the empty net. Braintree's solid back line barely allowed Chesham a sight of goal, but late in the game Steve Cawley pulled the ball back to Kevin Cotton who could only shoot over the bar from just inside the box.