1) The Iron
Braintree Town were originally founded as Manor Works in 1898. They were the works team of Crittall Window Company (that produced metal-framed windows), which led to their nickname. They took over from Braintree FC, which folded shortly beforehand, and signed most of their former players.
2) Name Changes
Manor Works were renamed as Crittall Athletic, in order to be more obviously associated with their origins, in 1921. 47 years later, they were renamed again, this time to Braintree & Crittall Athletic. In 1981, they became Braintree FC, before adopting their current name two years later.
3) Silverware
The last piece of silverware the club won was fairly recently, when they won the Conference South title in the 2010/11 season, securing automating automatic promotion to their current division, the National League.
4) Ground Hopping
After initially playing at Fair Fields after being formed (now the site of the town hall, library and bus station), they moved to Spaldings Meadow in 1903. 20 years later, they moved to a ground on Cressing Road. However, in 1975, they had problems with the pitch, and were forced to use numerous other venues in the meantime. They play at Cressing Road today.
5) Top Scorer
This season, forward Michael Cheek is the club’s top scorer in the league, with 11 goals to his name. This is relatively low, and the club’s 50 total league goals is the lowest in the top half of the table.
6) Defensively Tight
However, despite a lack of goals, Braintree Town are – at the time of writing – currently fifth in the National League. This is largely down to their watertight defence, which is the second-best in the league. Only the current league leaders (Cheltenham) with 29, have conceded fewer than Braintree’s 36.
7) Clean Sheets
Goalkeeper Will Norris’ stats exemplify the squad’s defensive form, with the fourth highest clean sheet percentage of any goalkeeper to play more than 10 games. In just 24 appearances, Norris has kept 10 clean sheets.
8) Heaviest Defeats
The club’s heaviest defeat was a 9-1 thrashing away at Arsenal in 1931. They also lost 9-1 to Phoenix Bessemer in 1882.
9) League Honours
Braintree have been league champions nine times, winning the Conference South, Isthmian League and the Essex & Suffolk Border League once each. They are also three-time winners of the Eastern Counties League and the North Essex League.
10) Cup Successes
They have won 5 cup competitions in their history: the Eastern Counties League Cup, the London League Cup (twice), the Essex Senior Cup, and the Essex Senior Trophy.
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