FC Halifax 1 Braintree 0: Shaymenleave it late

FC Halifax Town manager Neil Aspin (Picture: Bruce Rollinson).

Halifax saw off the Essex side 1-0, Jack Muldoon seeing an effort chalked off for offside shortly before Jackson’s header.

Aspin said: “I was always hopeful, but you’d be lying if you said you expected a goal to come in the 90th minute.

“Once we got the ‘goal’ disallowed I thought that was our chance gone. But we got it (the win) and it’s all about picking up the three points. “

Just when the clock was about to reach five hours since the last goal between the sides, Jackson stooped to head in James Bolton’s cross and break Braintree hearts.

Halifax had dominated possession throughout, but created few chances in the opening half, which followed an impeccably-observed minute’s silence in memory of the club’s director of business development Debbie Charlton, who died the previous weekend.

FC Halifax Town: Glennon, Bolton, M Roberts, Hutchison, McManus, Smith (Muldoon 65), Pearson (Hatfield 82), Maynard, Marshall, Hattersley (Jackson 57), Peniket. Unused substitutes: Senior, K Roberts.

Braintree: Hamann, Brundle, Habergham, Paine, Massey, Clerima, Akinola, Isaac, Sparkes (Mensah 71), Davis, Marks. Unused substitutes: Maybanks, Pollen, Peters, Pentney.

Referee: S Ross (Lincs).

Man of the match: Matt Glennon.