Bulldog Breach typifies Rocks' spirit

The stand-in skipper was forced off with a back injury at Eastbourne four days before the Essex side visited and was still in some pain on Saturday afternoon.

He told boss Michael Birmingham hours before the game he was sore '“ but was playing.

Breach, in his 100th game for the club, not only scored the goal that got the Rocks on level terms after an hour, he was outstanding again next to the even-mor- impressive Duncan Jupp in the heart of defence.

Both were involved in the equaliser as Jupp and Dan Beck went up for Scott Chamberlain's floated free kick into the box.

Their pressure meant keeper Nick Morgan '“ kept busy all afternoon '“ couldn't gather, and Breach was there to nod in the equaliser.

Mark Knee got the winner 15 minutes later to make James Hawes' first-half opener for Braintree irrelevant.

Boss Birmingham said: "We'd had a big clear-the-air meeting on Thursday and we told the players what we were demanding from them in terms of performances.

"And on Saturday, they gave us exactly the response we wanted.

"For the first ten to 15 minutes, we weren't at the races but after that we dominated the game.

"When they scored on the stroke of half-time, it was a blessing in diguise for us. The Braintree manager had been going mad at the way we were dictating play, but at 1-0 up he had to change his team talk.

"We said to our players at half-time to carry on with the movement we were showing and not take too many touches. We're a good side when we play a fast tempo, but not when we play too slow."

Birmingham described Jupp's display as 'awesome', but felt everyone played their part.

But he was quick to bring his players back down to earth afterwards as they celebrated the win, which lifted them eight points clear of the drop zone.

"I didn't want to be party-pooper but I told the players it was no good enjoying it if they were going to blow it by losing next week," Birmingham said.

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