Cressing Road Stadium

The Ironmongery Direct Stadium or Cressing Road Ground as it is more well known, has an imposing Main Stand on one side. This has 553 seats and runs for around half the length of the pitch, straddling the halfway line and has open portions of terracing to either side. It does though have several supporting pillars running along its front. It also has a large television gantry situated on top of its roof. Opposite is the Cressing Road Terrace. In a former life, the framework for this stand was the old Main Stand at Bedworth United. This pitch-roofed covered terrace has the dugouts located in front. A total of 1,130 can be catered for on this side, with 755 of them under the cover.

Both ends are uncovered and the Clubhouse End (capacity 1,131), is split into two blocks of terracing with a gap in the middle that leads to the bar, main exit and an excellent supporters club shop (an Aladdin’s Cave of programmes, badges, books, cards, sundry old shirts for a fiver, scarves and ephemera). The concrete terrace behind the goal is the older one and the newer metal one next to it was added after promotion to the Conference in 2011. The ground has a set of eight old-school lattice floodlight pylons, four of which are situated behind each of the stands at the sides of the pitch. They are the original set, provided by Christy Brothers Limited in 1967, and sadly a rarity in the modern age. The pylons are set back from the pitch as there was originally a county standard running track at the ground. If standing on the top terrace at the away end and turning around you can still make out the sweep of the old running track as the outer perimeter fence still follows the path of the former curved terracing. There is a second souvenir shop in the home area, by the corner flag on the main stand side. That one sells mostly shirts, training tops, tee-shirts etc but also scarves and other souvenirs.

The blue and orange main gates at the club were originally at the Crittall Factory in Coggeshall Road (Braintree Town were originally the works team of Crittall Windows and known as Crittall Athletic until 1968, and Braintree & Crittall Athletic until 1981). Just inside those gates, and a little to the left is an old ornate turnstile bolted to the ground. For a while, this was in use at the ground after being obtained from Stowmarket Town in the 1980s but it has a far grander history and was originally at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road ground in the 1930s and possibly much earlier.

In October 2019 the Club had painted a mural on the large water tank between the away turnstiles and the Main Stand, of the late Keith Flint, the iconic Prodigy frontman. The band were synonymous with Braintree and formed in the town in the 1990s. Thanks to Jon Weaver for providing the photo of it.

If segregation is in force, then away fans are housed in the Quag End (pronounced ‘Kwog’. This is short for Quagmire – a boggy mud heap, which is exactly what this end was in the mid-1980s before it was concreted over. Braintree’s loyal fans would stubbornly stand at this end with their banners and air horns no matter how muddy the conditions). This terrace was redeveloped in 2012 with a new larger terrace, that has a capacity of 1,408. However, whereas the old terrace was covered, the new one was open to the elements. Nowadays there is an eleven-step metal terrace in place at this end, and some additional terracing runs from the away turnstile and around the corner towards the larger terrace. To the left of the away turnstiles is the main stand, with the last block of seats reserved for away supporters. For larger away followings the segregated area can be continued around to the far side and possibly include half of the covered Cressing Road terrace up as far as the dugouts. This section has also been opened in the past to away supporters during inclement weather, although the vast majority of National League fixtures each season are unsegregated. There is a burger wagon in the away end, although it is only open when segregation is in place. There is also a toilet block which is much better than the primitive facilities in the home section.  The away turnstiles are tucked out of sight. Take the footpath to the right of the ground that runs alongside the training pitch. The entrance is at the far end.

• The Orange Tree – Cressing Road, CM7 3PH
• Picture Palace – Fairfield Road, CM7 3HA
• Nags Head – 8 Market Place, CM7 3HG
• The Swan – 31 Bank Street, CM7 1UL
• The White Hart – Bocking End, CM7 9AB
• Horse & Groom – 20 Rayne Road, CM7 2QA
• Boars Head – 85-87 High Street, CM7 1JS

Monster burger at Braintree Town (@braintreetownfc)

💷 £5.50 pic.twitter.com/835MUJCxea

— Footy Scran (@FootyScran) February 5, 2022

The club have been attempting to move to a new stadium for over a decade now and various plans have come and gone. The council envisage houses being built on the current site sooner rather than later and has earmarked a site at the end of Springwood Industrial Estate off Rayne Road. There have been encouraging sounds about this since Braintree’s brush with the National League play-offs in 2016 although it is anticipated that no move would take place before 2019. The new stadium would be up to Football League standards. The new ground looks a horrendously long way out of town, being at the far end of Rayne Road and then a very long walk along the only way into and off the industrial estate along Springwood Drive. There is a much shorter walk from the town centre however that would take barely 15 minutes down Panfield Lane (past the site of the first ground), and then down a footpath beyond Tabor Academy. There are plans for the industrial road to be continued through to Panfield Lane at some stage.

The stadium was built as a general sports ground by the Crittall Window Company, the parent company of the club, then known as Crittall Athletic. It was opened on 25th August 1923 by the fourth annual Crittall Sports and Show, which had previously taken place at the club’s old ground on Panfield Lane, with an attendance of 6,000.

The first football match was played on 15 September 1923, with Crittall beating Great Leighs 4–0. A 400-seat grandstand was opened in December 1924 and the ground became the regular venue for the Essex Junior Cup, with a record football crowd of 6,000 attending for the 1926 final between Rayleigh Athletic and Saffron Walden. This was equalled in the 1928 final between Leigh Ramblers and Wimpole Road Wesleyans and an Essex Senior Cup semi-final between Chelmsford and Colchester Town in 1931. A non-football record of 8,000 was set for the Crittall Sport and Show in 1926.

In the mid-1970s the ground had fallen into a state of disrepair and the club was forced to play at other venues for a time due to problems with the pitch. Half of the main stand was removed in the early 1970s and in January 1974 the rest of the stand was badly damaged in a storm. With the ground being in such poor condition the club had to play at alternative venues. These included Heybridge Swifts’ Scraley Road (a single match on 26 April 1975 arranged at such short notice that many fans arrived at Cressing Road for the match and only 50 attended the game), Braintree Rugby Club’s Tabor Avenue (at the start of the 1975–76 season) and the Courtaulds Sports Ground in Church Street in Bocking (a single match against Gorleston on 6 September 1975 with a crowd of 73). However, after winning the Eastern Counties League in 1983–84 the club began to upgrade the ground, building a new 292-seat grandstand at the end of the 1980s.

Leave the M11 at junction 8 and take the A120 towards Colchester. Follow the A120 for 16 miles until you reach the ‘Galley’s Corner’ roundabout (with McDonalds on your right). It is the first roundabout after the M11 and you will know when you are near it because you will get stuck in a lengthy tailback! Take the first exit into Cressing Road. After three-quarters of a mile turn left into Clockhouse Way (signposted Braintree Town FC, and Braintree Tennis Club) and then first left again for the ground.

Car Parking
There is a small car park at the ground which costs £2 but closes on police advice 30 minutes before the match. No ‘car park full’ signs are placed out on the road, and it can be difficult to turn around as kick-off time approaches if you are turned away. Considerate street parking is a good option, and there is plenty of it available particularly along Stubbs Lane (the last turning on the left along Cressing Road before the ground is reached).

Braintree Railway Station is situated just under a mile away from the Cressing Road Ground. It is served by trains from London Liverpool Street. Exit the station and turn right along the Station Approach. Cross Rose Hill at the pedestrian crossing into Railway Street. Turn right at the traffic lights into the wondrously named Trinovantian Way. This becomes Manor Street and then Lakes Road. After the ‘Sportsmans’ Snooker Club turned left into Chapel Hill. At the triangular junction turn right into Clockhouse Way. Turn left at the bend at the end of the road and then the entrance to the ground is on the right. There is a distinct lack of signage in the area. It takes around 20 minutes to walk from most parts of the town centre.

Please note that Braintree has two train stations. Braintree Freeport may technically be a little bit closer and is ideal for the huge shopping centre and cinema complex but is not ideal for the football club unless you know where you are going. The shortest route to the ground is via a hidden footpath that has confused many a visitor. The walk from Braintree station in the town centre is a little longer but has more food and drink options, people to ask if you are unsure where to go, and also taxis!

All areas of the ground

Adult: £15
Concession: £10
U18: £5

Official Programme: £3

Chelmsford City.

Record Attendance

4,000 v Barking
Essex Senior Cup, 8th February 1936

4,000 v Tottenham Hotspur
Friendly Match, 8th May 1952

Average Attendance
2023-2024: 769 (National League South)
2022-2023: 631 (National League South)
2021-2022: 519 (National League South)
2020-2021: 0 (Covid) (National League South)
2019-2020: 517 (National League South)

Official Web Site:
www.braintreetownfc.org.uk
Unofficial Web Site:
Iron Chatter Forum

If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me [email protected] and I’ll update the guide.

Special thanks to Jon Weaver for providing photos of the Main Stand and Cressing Road Terrace, as well as providing some of the information for this page.