Braintree Town 3 (Blackwell 9, Kamara 65, Emmanuel-Thomas 82) Wolves 2 (Edozie 27, Pond 70)
Wolves under-21s fell to defeat against Braintree Town in the National League Cup on Tuesday evening.
Down in Essex, James Collins’ side came from behind twice, but the hammering blow from Jay Emmanuel-Thomas in the 82nd minute proved to be the pivotal moment.
Tom Blackwell’s early strike gave the hosts the lead before Tom Edozie’s fantastic equaliser. Sahid Kamara then fired the hosts in front from close range prior to Alfie Pond’s powerful header had briefly got Wolves level, before the hosts struck late.
Ethan Sutherland’s early cross into Fletcher Holman showed promise for a young Wolves side, before Holman’s header glanced wide of the target. Moments later, Blackwell fired the hosts in front with a clinical finish on nine minutes.
Collins’ side were forced to wait for their opportunities, often shifting the ball over to Sutherland and Edozie, where they found joy down the left-hand side.
Edozie’s individual brilliance then created a fantastic opportunity for the forward, who made no mistake and slotted his effort past Jack Thompson to get Wolves back on level terms.
Half-time | Braintree 1-1 Wolves
Wolves had to deal with relentless pressure from the hosts after the restart, defensive duties did not prove to cause any difficulties for Wolves however, with Pond and Wes Okoduwa being key players within the set up.
Despite Wolves’ defensive efforts, Kamara was in the right place to regain Braintree’s lead from close range.
However, resilience was pivotal and Wolves responded moments later to get back level. Sutherland’s inviting ball was perfect for captain Pond to guide his header towards goal, powerfully beating Thompson.
Despite Wolves’ creativity going forward, the hosts regained the lead for the third time when Emmanuel-Thomas found the bottom corner in the 82nd minute to seal the win.
Full-time | Braintree 3-2 Wolves
Braintree | Thompson, Fracnis-Clarke, Langston, Vennings, Blackwell (Pinnington 59), Marshall-Miranda (Hubbard 67’), Walker (Emmanuel-Thomas 67’), Cooper (Kamara 59), Akinde (Hockey 67), Smith, Logan.
Unused subs | Terry.
Wolves | Benjamin, Okoduwa, Sutherland, Olagunju, Pond, Bradbury (Angel 78), Lopes, Rawlings, Holman, Ashworth (Esen 59), Edozie.
Unused subs | Brooks, Stevens, Williams, Stafford.
By Tom Gibson
