Braintree Town vs Grimsby Town Betting Tips & Predictions

Braintree upset their more illustrious opponents in the first leg on Thursday night after they withheld a barrage of attacks on their goal. The Iron then got a vital penalty just after half time and when Kenny Davies kept his composure to coolly score from the spot it gave Danny Cowley’s men a vital lead to take into the second leg. The failure to score means that Braintree have kept Grimsby’s attack scoreless for three games in this campaign and this is something that has been repeated in many fixtures against their promotion rivals. Out of the top 10 placed teams only Macclesfield and Forest Green Rovers hold victories over Braintree.

It was always going to be an uphill battle for Grimsby to turn their form around and end the playoff heatbreak. Last seasons defeated playoff finalists are now in the fourth successive playoff campaign and if they are to avoid repeating history they will need to overturn the narrow 1-0 deficit from the first leg. Manager Paul Hurst will take heart from the performance at Blundell Park but will be keen to stress to his team that they have to make their chances pay if they are to get through to Wembley this year.

This game is a classic case of attack versus defence. In the first leg Braintree had luck on their side but ultimately came away with a vital lead. They will be confident at home and have kept the better sides in the division at bay on several occasions this season. The form of Grimsby is hard to ignore as is their record against Sunday’s opponents. They will know that they will have to keep Braintree out at one end as well as doing the business at the other end. It is for that reason I am going to say that both teams to score: no is the way to go and you can get this bet at 5/6 with Betfair.