Braintree Town manager Danny Cowley hailed another huge defensive effort as his team battled through injuries and tiredness to secure a 0-0 draw against Grimsby Town at the Avanti Stadium.

No-one in the Vanarama National League can touch the Iron’s defensive record so far this year and to shut-out a Grimsby team who are the division’s second-highest scorers was another source of pride.

But taking Braintree’s injury problems into account and the fact that they came into the game on the back of a gruelling midweek trip to Cheltenham Town – where they drew 1-1 with the leaders – made their efforts against the Mariners even more noteworthy.

Cowley said: “I think it was a great point because we had had a lot of adversity in the week before the game.

“We had injuries and fatigue in the group.

“We went into the game without Dan Sparkes and Chez Isaac, Sam Habergham was probably only 75 per cent fit after getting a nasty dead leg at Cheltenham and Mark Phillips still had a really swollen ankle.

“I thought their two performances epitomised what we’re all about and they were fantastic.

“It was hard-fought and a well-earned point.

“It may not have been a great one for the neutrals but we had a job to do and had to be effective.

“Grimsby are a free-scoring team and you only have to look at their four forwards with 16 goals between them.

“We had to be organised without the ball, which I thought we were.

“Grimsby are a really good side.

“If you press them, they go over the top of your press and if you sit off of them, they work the ball through midfield in wide areas with overloads.

“So they are a tough team to play against and we tried to make their play predictable.

“We tried to stop them playing through us and it forced them to play initially long diagonal balls and then long straight balls.

“We were good enough to deal with that and we were excellent defensively.

“When you’re as tired as the boys are, and you can’t underestimate what they did at Cheltenham, it’s a huge ask.

“To have the mental strength and toughness to put in that performance is a credit to that group and we have some really strong men in there.

“No-one comes to Braintree and gets an easy ride.

“We have the best defensive record in the league and that’s something we’re really proud of because it’s a collective effort.

“We defend from the front and it’s something we put a big emphasis on.”