The Hawks take their first away trip of the season to Essex side, Braintree Town.

Havant & Waterlooville are in fine form entering this one, with last weekend’s win against Slough Town giving the side a big confidence boost when entering a season. McCarthy opened the scoring with an out of this world finish, before James Roberts doubled the lead. The Rebels got one back through Harris but it was Rooney to regain the two goal cushion and secure all three points.

Braintree Town will be looking to get their first points of the campaign, they come off the back of a 2-1 lost at Dulwich Hamlet. Alfie Matthews cancelled out George Porter’s opener in the first half, but it was Jayden Clarke who popped up with an 82nd minute winner for the Hamlet.

Gianni Crichlow will be a familiar face for The Iron fans, as he returns to his former club for the first time since making the move from Essex to Hampshire. Crichlow spent the 2021/22 season with Braintree Town where he made 26 starts in 39 appearances across all competitions. The 24-year-old notched six goals from wide areas last season and racked up plenty of assists along the way. He stood out on his competitive debut for the Hawks, assisting two and technically the third when the ball deflected off his back into the path of Jake McCarthy

Last time on the 260 mile round trip, the Hawks were the winners. Goals from Tommy Wright either side of the half meant Paul Doswell’s team left the hosts with all three points and a comfortable 2-0 win. The Iron visited the Draper Tools Community Stadium later on in the season, and again, it was a happy affair for the Hawks – who cruised to a 4-0 victory.

Paul Doswell often describes the trip as a tough one, as they all are, in the National League South, so it is bound to be an exciting match.

Written by Adam Nixon