Sutton were forced to share the spoils at the VBS on Saturday as, after taking a deserved lead through Josh Coley nine minutes after half time, some defensive slackness allowed John Akinde to grab an equaliser that saw Braintree claim a point in their bid to climb away from the Vanarama National League relegation zone. The result left U’s nine points off the playoffs, but could have been worse as Akinde went close with two headers after scoring the equaliser, and with Besart Topallaj picking up Sutton’s first red card of the season near the end U’s were in the end grateful not to have lost.

A generally scrappy game saw Sutton have the better of the first half but some promising moves were often let down by an extra touch or snuffed out by some determined Braintree defending, but Finley Barbrook, returning after his two match ban, did send one shot just wide from the edge of the penalty area and Will Davies dived to meet an inviting cross from Eduino Vaz but put his header too close to goalkeeper Henry Gray. Braintree threatened on the break, with Kyrell Lisbie prominent and Marley Marshall-Miranda impressing on his return from injury, and Matthew Robinson sent in one low shot which was saved to his right by Jack Sims.

Sutton came out strongly at the start of the second half, and Davies just failed to make sufficient contact with a good low cross from Topallaj before Lewis Simper, confidence high after his sensational goal at Gateshead, wasn’t far from repeating the act with a powerful 25 yard volley that was just too high. However the goal did come, in route one style as a long clearance from Sims carried over Davies to Coley, who lifted the ball over the advancing Gray and inside the far post.

It was a short lived lead, though, as within three minutes a U’s attack broke down and Aiden Francis-Clark’s low pass forward found U’s defence in disarray, and as Sims came outside his area to try and clear the danger he was beaten to the ball by Akinde, who rolled his shot in to the empty net.

Akinde went close five minutes later with a header from a left wing cross that was well saved by Sims, tipping the ball over the bar, and the experienced striker put another headed effort just wide as Braintree pushed for a winner, the chances of which improved when Topallaj reacted to a foul by substitute Chay Cooper and was sent off by referee Thomas Parsons. However Sutton finished the game on the attack, Davies failing to keep a header from a corner down, but neither side was able to find a late winner.

Sutton: J Sims, R Jackson, B Topallaj, J Taylor, A Kirk, F Barbrook, J Coley(sub J Wadham 90), L Simper, W Davies, A Nadesan(sub H Sandat 74), E Vaz(sub D De Silva 73). Subs n/u M Kerbey, T French, S Odelusi, A Woodyard. Booked: Taylor. Sent Off: Topallaj.

Braintree: H Gray, A Francis-Clark, R Clampin, G Langstone, L Annesley, M Robinson, J Pennington (sub C Cooper 80), M Marshall-Miranda, J Akinde, J Francis, K Lisbie(sub T Blackwell 71). Subs n/u P Nelson, J Fyfield, E Okunowo. Booked: Marshall-Miranda.

Referee: Thomas Parsons

Attendance: 2,508(118 away)