BRAINTREE Town's winning run came to an end when they were beaten 4-0 by National League South leaders Ebbsfleet United.

The hosts proved too strong for Iron at the Kuflink Stadium, who were prevented from scoring for the first time this season.

Two goals apiece from Dominic Poleon and Greg Cundle gave Ebbsfleet victory, ending a three-match winning run for Braintree for whom manager Angelo Harrop has been nominated for the Vanarama National League South Manager of the Month award.

It was a tough task for the Iron against a side who have not dropped a point all season.

Braintree assistant manager Steve Pitt admitted it was a tough night for them.

Writing on social media, he said: "Steep learning curve for us tonight @braintreetownfc Time to focus and prepare for the start of our FA cup campaign on saturday."

Braintree now turn their attentions to the FA Cup and a second qualifying round trip to play Pitching In Isthmian League division north side Heybridge Swifts, on Saturday.

Swifts have made a strong start to the season after a mid-table finish last term, winning three and drawing one of their first four league games alongside an impressive cup run.

A stunning 3-0 victory over Hitchin Town booked their place in the next round, but they must now go one better against a Braintree side that sit fifth in the National League South.

The Iron have had a strong start to life under new boss Angelo Harrop, who has FA Cup pedigree himself after a run to the First Round Proper last year with AFC Sudbury.

And Tilson knows his players will have to be on top form to get past their fellow Essex side.

“For us to win, we’re going to have to be at our best and hope they have an off day, that’s being realistic,” he added.

“It’s one of the toughest ties we could have had, they’ve had a fantastic start in Step 2.

“We’ve had a good start, we’re full of confidence, and on the day you never know what might happen.”

Swifts overcame FC Romania on the road before travelling to Hertfordshire to face Hitchin, but now have a home draw back in Essex.

The lure of a local cup tie could bring a bumper crowd to Scraley Road, and Tilson is hopeful that some extra spectators will be in attendance, and could come back wanting more as a result of Heybridge’s passing play.

“In any cup competition you want a home draw and at last we got one,” continued Tilson. “We’ve had some difficult away ties, it’s nice to be at home.

“We try to get it down and play, and being on the 4G helps us, but we’ve got an outlet if we need to go back to front.

“I like to get the ball down and play attractive football and hopefully that attracts people to come and watch. We’ll give it a right go and hopefully it’ll be good enough.”

Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain, has launched a multi-million-pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/