2026-27 Recruitment Plan for Braintree Town

Player Decisions

Retain

Jacob Pinnington, Aidan Francis-Clarke, Sahid Kamara, Amir Hadi, Goran Babic, Tommy Smith, Tommy Blackwell, Josh Blunkell

Release

Callum Harriott, Fletcher Hubbard, Manny Omrore, Emmanuel Okunowo

Lose

George Langston, James Jennings, Lewis Walker, Elliott Thorpe, John Akinde, Chay Cooper, Ryan Clampin

Loan End

Zavier Messiah-Edwards, Adrian Akande, Matt Dibley-Dias, Ryan Battrum, Ben Drake

Retained Squad

New Signings

David Aziaya (Sutton United – free)

Mason Terry has enjoyed a hugely loan spell with The Iron during 2025-26, and that form will likely lead to a) closer involvement with the first-team and b) next to no chance of a return. As such, Steve Pitts needs to sign a new #1. One option that I would look at if I were Scott Davies is Sutton United’s David Aziaya.

Sutton United already have a top shot-stopper in the form of Jack Sims, while Chris Haigh is in a player-coach role. As such, Aziaya has – perhaps understandably – found game time hard to come by. If I am advising Aziaya, I think that the 21-year-old needs to go and find himself a new opportunity this summer to afford him the luxury of regular playing time for the sake of his development.

The youngster is an imposing goalkeeper standing at 6ft 3in. He has a number of the attributes that I would typically look for in a goalkeeper and represents a really attractive profile. A big frame to come and dominate his area. He is agile off his line. Comfortable in playing out. The reflexes and athleticism required to get down low. A good kicker. I just think that he needs an opportunity to go out and show what he is about, and getting regular first-team minutes will do him the world of good. 

I think that he has a lot of potential, and if I was in Aziaya’s shoes then I would view joining Braintree Town as the perfect chance to go and play, develop and then use that as a pathway to get an opportunity higher. Braintree Town have already helped the development of young players in making that step up, notably in Mason Terry (last season) and prior to that Kyrell Lisbie. While it would be a step down for the goalkeeper, I feel that the prospect of joining The Iron would allow him to go and kick-start his career as a goalkeeper.

Aaron Jones (Sutton United – free)

Steve Pitt has been rather hamstrung by the amount of financial wiggle room he has in the recruitment department, and so the majority of the deals they do have had to largely be unproven players stepping up to the level or first-time loans. The success of their recruitment will hinge on the ability to add one or two experienced faces. 

One player that I would look at and who I think may well be tempted with the offer of joining Braintree Town as being one of the leaders of the dressing room. In his role with Aldershot Town and Sutton United, Jones has held captaincy roles and is someone that I have always been quite impressed with from a personal point of view in terms of his leadership. Vocal. Passionate. A good organiser. Hugely demanding from his team mates. The type that drives standards throughout the group. 

As a profile for a full-back, Jones is not the biggest, however I really like the fact that he is so aggressive in trying to step out, engage and win the ball. At times, I feel that he can perhaps be overly aggressive and positionally perhaps needs a bit of work, but in terms of his tenacity in winning turnovers, how committed he is and desire to win the ball then I think that he is ideal in a side that wants to play a front-foot brand of football. 

In terms of his other attributes, Jones is your ‘modern-day’ full-back in the sense that he is strong on the ball and in playing out. His small frame and speed allows him to be fairly agile and he is quite competent in the carry, and a threat in transition as an outlet down the right. He covers the ground pretty well in stepping out, and has a good recovery pace. 

He is the type of hard-working, no-nonsense professional that I think has got a value in the game, and so he would be on my list. After spells with Aldershot Town and Sutton United, he might well be holding out for another National League opportunity. However, having had time out with injury he may well see going somewhere he is more likely to get minutes under his belt would be an easier sell for him as a prospective next destination.

John Clarke (Reading – free)

One area in which The Iron definitely need to strengthen is at left-back. One player that I have been impressed with when I have seen him in 2026-27 is Reading youngster John Clarke. A player that finished the campaign on loan at Slough Town, I think that he would be a good project for Steve Pitt to work with. 

Clarke has got experience of playing at Step Two this season, and so he has got the appreciation for the level at which The Iron are going into. He has only played seven times for The Rebels under Scott Davies, but in the small sample size of minutes that I have seen on him in the division I have been hugely impressed with how the youngster has performed. The style of play that The Rebels employ is very transitional and high-octane, and I think that in more of a structured 4-2-3-1 where he can play as a more orthodox left-back I feel he represents a good option. 

As a profile, Clarke is an aggressive, athletic, front-footed defender whose first instinct is to get up in support of the play as an attacking outlet. He is a good size, physically strong, tenacious in the tackle and has got the engine to get up and down the left flank with powerful running, athleticism and speed. 

I think that the youngster ticks a number of the boxes that I would be looking for in a full-back, and so I feel that he is a good starting option for Step Two. If they can get him – be it on loan, or a permanent deal – I believe that would be a good piece of business for The Iron to complete. He has the type of physical profile and temperament for a young player that I would be confident can climb the leagues off the back of a full season at National League South level, and so signing for The Iron is an attractive proposition.

Ben Coker (Ebbsfleet United – free)

The second player on this list that I have picked out as a possible signing for Braintree Town during the summer that would definitely fall into the ‘experienced campaigner’ category that can contribute to the ‘leadership group’ under Steve Pitt is Ben Coker. 

Coker is now 35 years of age, but I feel that he could provide value for The Iron in terms of mentoring a younger full-back (in John Clarke) while themselves being a capable left-back and someone that I think is more than good enough for the level. I would overlook the fact that Ebbsfleet United got rid of him and be confident that with a new opportunity and a different environment that he is still more than good enough. 

One of the benefits that The Iron would get in signing Coker is experience of having been in and around successful changing rooms, having won promotion with Barnet in 2024-25 and getting promoted with Southend United from League Two. Simply having players around the building of his knowhow and experience will be incredibly useful – I feel – in creating an environment that will allow Pitt to create a competitive side despite signing largely young players. 

The other major benefit in signing Coker is that he is more than capable of playing a dual role. I am expecting The Iron will have a fairly small squad, and so they are going to have to find players who are perhaps capable of playing different roles in the group. While he is predominantly a left-back, I think that he has got the experience and positional intelligence to play as a makeshift centre-back if it was required. 

If the deal is financially right, I feel that Steve Pitt could get real value out of this. Even if he is not the type to play 46 games a season due to his age and fitness, just having a professional around the group of his experience could be beneficial. Coker was a top left-back himself in his younger days, and I believe that John Clarke has got the raw skillsets to be a good player himself in time, and so having a player like Coker represents a useful squad option.

Tom Dickens (King’s Lynn Town – free)

Given that Braintree Town are not one of the bigger hitters financially, I think that a lot of their approach to the market has to be in identifying players who are perhaps of lower stock or off the back of underwhelming seasons. One player who may fit that bill is Tom Dickens. 

Dickens has been with National League North side King’s Lynn Town during the 2025-26 campaign, albeit by way of their dismal underachievement Dickens might not be in the shop window as interest to other sides. Instead, he might represent a bit of an under-the-radar pick that Braintree Town could take advantage of in attracting the club. 

In my opinion, Dickens is the exact type of profile that they should be going for. Young, hungry, with a point to prove, out of a good academy at a higher level, and a bit of a project that they can develop. He is 24 years of age, formerly of an EFL side having progressed through the academy at Cambridge United, and he has had a number of loan opportunities in non-league whereby he has developed his game. I don’t think that he has found that permanent home in which to play his regular football and properly develop into a top centre-back, but I feel that signing for Braintree Town could be a good option for him to do that. 

As a profile, Dickens is your archetypal box defender. A physically imposing figure at 6ft 4in, with good aerial qualities, aggressive in his defending and someone that is really combative in winning the ball back. 

I think that King’s Lynn Town are going to have a tricky summer, and I don’t get the impression that the ‘feeling’ out of the club is all too positive at the moment. I am expecting a fair bit of upheaval, and as such I wouldn’t be surprised if a player like Dickens wants to move on to pastures new and pursue a new opportunity in which to play his football. In any event, it also wouldn’t come as a major shock to see Paul Caddis let the youngster leave the club to enable him the wiggle room to make the changes that he wants to the group. Regardless, I feel that he would be a good option for The Iron.

Matt Burgess (Worthing – free)

One player that I think may well have dropped off the radar – or at the very least down the pecking order – by way of their recent injury news is Matt Burgess. The Iron are likely to have to take a gamble on a few players that perhaps more cost-effective solutions, and so I feel Burgess might be one for The Iron to look at.

Burgess is recovering from a nasty injury that he sustained at the end of the campaign, and so it might take him a little while after the start of the 2026-27 season in which to get up to speed. However, I feel that offering him a deal at this stage might be an attractive proposition for Burgess in potentially signing for less in order to have the security of an income.

He spent the second-half of 2025-26 out on loan at Eastbourne Borough, and by way of their relegation I don’t see  him returning to them during the summer. I feel Burgess is – at the very least – a Step Two player, and a top-end operator at that.

In terms of his profile, Burgess is a box-to-box midfielder. In a 4-2-3-1, I think that he is ideal for playing as part of the double pivot as he can contribute effectively to both phases of the play. He has got the size and physicality to be combative against the ball, yet when they turn the play over he has got the passing range, vision and ball-carrying to progress the ball up the field. One thing that particularly impresses me with Burgess is that he can be progressive in different ways, both with direct, incisive passing through the lines or in making use of his frame and technical close control to carry the ball.

He is 23 years of age, and I think he represents a really well-rounded project for Steve Pitt. He can pass. He can break up play. He can carry. He can score goals. He has got a lovely temperament. The key things I would look for in a midfielder in terms of technical quality and physical profile he has, and so I think it is a bit of a no-brainer for The Iron if they are willing to be patient and overlook his injury worries.

Ryan Doherty (Ipswich Town – loan)

One of the key avenues I have gone down with the signings I have suggested The Iron make is the loan market. Of the picks I have made, the one that can definitely be filed under the category of adventurous, albeit one I feel would really benefit from the loan, is youngster Ryan Doherty. 

Doherty signed for Championship side Ipswich Town in the January window, having impressed with League One Stevenage in their academy side and having made a couple of appearances for them adhoc in League One. He is still only 17 years of age and is very much in the infancy of his still very fledgling career, and so I’d overlook his involvement with Stevenage as a barometer for where he should be playing but more so use it as an indicator of where he could be playing in 12-18 months’ time. 

If I was advising him or indeed in Ipswich Town’s shoes, I think that the prospect of sending him to the National League South might actually represent a good development opportunity for him. At Stevenage, he was playing alongside one of the best #6’s in the league (Houghton) and one of the best athletes in the league (Phillips). In terms of his game intelligence and physicality, there is still a lot of work to do. 

Going into a revamped and new-look Braintree Town side would – I feel – help his development by improving his physicality, and playing regular first-team minutes that he wouldn’t otherwise get with Ipswich Town. I don’t personally see the harm in him going and playing 46 games for The Iron, with a view to then going and getting a top-end National League or League Two move off the back of that having had a full year in the men’s game and 18 going on 19 years of age. 

As a player, Doherty is a deeper-lying midfielder that looks to screen the backline. Recycle the ball. Keep playing ticking over. The type of player that goes unnoticed, yet is hugely important to the way the team functions. These types of players don’t always grow on trees, and so I think that he might well represent an ideal option to form the new fulcrum of that Iron midfield. 

It would definitely be a scalp if they could get him, but with the adage of 46 games under his belt and regular minutes, I think that the 17-year-old would learn a lot from the spell and return to The Tractorboys a far better player who is physically matured and more appreciative of the demands of first-team football, and that is only going to benefit him in the long run.

Joe Davies (Peterborough United – free)

One avenue that I feel The Iron should be looking at in terms of the signing of prospective players is in identifying players released by EFL sides, largely young players, that potentially have the ability to be a good long-term option. One player I feel fits that profile is Peterborough United youngster Joe Davies. 

Davies was released at the end of the campaign by The Posh on a free transfer. He will be looking to get back into the game this summer to continue his development, and I think that joining a side in the National League South represents a good level at which to pitch the youngster in taking that next step. The Iron has proven to be a good environment for young players to play their football, and so I feel that he is a good project for Steve Pitt to work with. 

The youngster is a technical operator, with a delicate weight of passing, strong ball-striking and technique, and is always positive in looking to play forward. Personally, I think that his best position is as a #8 whereby he is able to get on the ball and dictate the tempo of a game and be progressive in playing through the lines. 

One of the main reasons as to why I feel he is an attractive profile is because he is naturally left-footed, and so he offers balance to the The Iron attack. They have perhaps missed that left-footed option in their group this season, and so being able to add that would allow them to diversify their attack and offer more natural width. 

One of the advantages that The Iron would get in signing a player of Davies’ profile is that he is capable of playing in a number of attacking positions, and so provides Steve Pitt with the versatility in how he is deployed. He can be used as a left winger, more centrally as a #8, or in behind the front as a #10. He has got the intricacy and skill to play centrally in playing through the lines, yet has the agility and speed to play wide in isolating full-backs and in attacking space in transition. 

The former Posh player is only 19 years of age, and so is very new to first-team football and would require patience in being able to find his feet and develop organically. However, I think that he has had a good technical grounding, been well-coached, and has a good reputation within the youth game. As a project for The Iron to work with and develop, I feel that he could represent quite an exciting option.

Jayden Harris (Sutton United – free)

I am expecting that Braintree Town are going to have to take a fair few gambles under Steve Pitt in signing young players that are new to the level or indeed new to first-team football, but if they are going to be successful then I think they have to try and find one or two options in the 25-30 years of age bracket. One option I would look at as a prospective candidate is Sutton United’s Jayden Harris. 

Quite a lot of the players that I have picked out in this piece for Town to sign are younger and more technically biased, and so it is important that they add a more physical profile in the middle of the park that can provide that size and presence. Even this season, they have missed that type of profile in their squad. As such, I feel there is real value in them being able to add that profile to the group during the summer in being able to handle the physicality and aggression of the level. 

In terms of his attributes, Harris is a big, industrious, powerful, physically strong midfielder that uses his frame well in the carry as a box-to-box player. His real strength is in stepping onto the play and going from back-to-front with his long-legged running style in being able to cover ground effectively. 

Harris was let go at the end of the 2025-26 campaign by Sutton United, and it will be interesting to see where he ends up. Given that he has had one or two injuries to contend with, I think that there may well be a chance for a side at Step Two that go for his signature and that they provide him with the environment in which to more likely play regular first-team minutes. Indeed, he is more likely – I feel – to get that opportunity in the National League South than playing in the top flight of non-league. 

With there being a potential question mark surrounding Harris’ fitness, I wonder whether or not he may be able to tempt Harris into the National League and into dropping down a division in the summer.

Jesse Effa (Cheshunt – free)

One player that The Iron definitely missed during 2025-26 was Kyrell Lisbie. The youngster’s end product, unpredictability and trickery in the final third was a real asset, and they perhaps failed to properly replace that last summer. 

While there has been a fair bit of interest in his services, one player that I would look at if I were Steve Pitt is Cheshunt’s Jesse Effa. He has been one of the standout players in the Isthmian League during 2025-26, and is tipped by many to make the step up this summer to a higher level. If that is the case, I feel that The Iron could well provide him with the environment in which to make his first moves in the National League South. 

In terms of his profile, Effa is a balletic, skilful, jinky winger. A brilliant athlete with his running power, good agility, is quick and his first instinct is to play direct-to-goal in carrying the ball from deep, I think that he represents a really nice mix of attributes. 

With Kyrell Lisbie departing the club to join Peterborough United, I feel that The Iron have missed that athletic profile that has got the close control, quick feet and frame to carry and face up full-backs. That ability to take risks in possession. Effa is a bit earlier in his development and is formerly of Brentford in the youth team, and I think that he is the type of player that with better coaching and with the environment in which to go and play regular minutes at Step Two he can go from strength-to-strength. 

I feel that he is very raw and very unpolished, but there is something about his unpredictability which I really like. He reminds me very much of Josh Osude in the way that he wants to just get his head down and hit the byline, and so I think he would be a good gamble to take a chance on. He has previously been in professional football with his time at Barnet earlier in his career and it didn’t work out on that occasion, but I feel that he is a player very much on the way up. If they can get him, I think it would be a good addition.

Jesse Olukolu (Brentwood Town – free)

After Brentwood Town missed out on promotion from the National League South in defeat against Billericay Town in the Isthmian League play-off final, I think that there will be a few players in their group that will be of interest to teams higher up the pyramid. One player that I would look at is Jesse Olukolu. 

The way that Brentwood Town have played this term has been based around fast-paced, direct, transitional football that relies on having speed and power in the wide areas. Kymani Thomas has been the star attraction off the left-hand side, but I think that Olukolu has quietly impressed for Town off the right with his energy, running and willingness to commit players. 

In terms of his profile, the winger is your archetypal wide attacker in that he looks to attack space, engage in foot races and use his athleticism in stretching teams. One thing that I feel Braintree Town have missed this season is that physical profile to provide them with threat on the counter and in really taking the game to the opposition, but Olukolu is a good stylistic fit for that with his attributes. 

One thing that I particularly like about Olukolu is that he is unpredictable in his movement. Harnessed in the right way, I think that trickery can be used really effectively in making the attack difficult to defend against. He has got a deft drop of the shoulder and the low centre of gravity to allow him to change direction, is a little bit unpolished in his control of the ball yet super skilful, and is someone with the off-the-cuff, no-fear desire to keep receiving the ball under pressure and running direct to goal. 

He has been one of the standout wide players in the Isthmian League this season, and while Brentwood Town might not be playing at Step Two next year I think that Olukolu has provided a sufficient body of work at the level to suggest that he is worth a shot at taking the step up and playing National League South football. I think that The Iron should look at younger options that they can provide a chance to in stepping up, and using the club as a stepping stone to go and get opportunities at a higher level. Olukolu represents quite a nice project for Steve Pitt to work with, and I feel they should go all out to get him.

Makise Evans (Cray Valley Paper Mills – free)

While I expect The Iron would like to keep John Akinde going into next season, I think there is a good possibility that Akinde will depart ahead of 2026-27. One player that I would look at as a potential replacement for him and who I believe is attainable is youngster Makise Evans. 

The youngster is 19 years of age, and has been playing for Cray Valley Paper Mills this term having come through at Stevenage and spending time at Colchester United. He has failed to make a breakthrough in either of those spells at EFL level, and is still very much in the infancy of his professional career and is learning his trade. 

In terms of his attributes, I feel that he ticks a number of the boxes. He is quick, powerful, well-built, a good size, physically strong, athletic and uses his body well. He is a little bit raw as you’d expect for a player that is still fairly new to first-team football, but he is a good physical profile and the like of which I think – with the right coaching, and harnessed correctly – could grow into a similar mould to that of Akinde. 

His goal record with Cray Valley Paper Mills has been fairly good this term, albeit over a small sample size. The youngster has got the aerial qualities and physicality to be an effective outlet in getting on the end of crosses, but equally got the speed and agility to offer an option in beyond the play as a runner off the shoulder. He is more mobile than Akinde, and while he is perhaps not as polished or intelligent in the way that he plays I think that he has got some lovely attributes to work with. 

As a replacement for John Akinde, he is a very different profile given that he is at the other end of the age spectrum to the 36-year-old. However, given the resources and finances that Braintree Town have to work with I expect that they may well have to take a chance on a younger option, put their trust in and be patient with in growing into the role as being a National League South #9.

Sam Ashford (Woking – free)

John Akinde has been one of the standout players for The Iron in 2025-26, and remains one of my favourite players in the league. I maintain that he is still hugely effective at what he does. With his departure perhaps expected, successfully replacing him is likely to present a real challenge. 

He may not be the flashy type that is suddenly going to transform their output in front of goal, yet in terms of providing ‘fit, form and function’ for what The Iron need in terms of that experience, physical reference and final third knowhow then I think he ticks a number of boxes. By way of the fact that he isn’t prolific, I feel there won’t be too many eyes on him and so The Iron could get him on a free transfer. 

Woking will no doubt freshen up their forward line in the summer, and given that he has already been surplus to requirements this season then I don’t envisage that will change. The striker is likely to depart at the end of the season, and so will be available to sign. 

In terms of his profile, Ashford is a tall and rangy striker that has a good frame, fairly strong in the air, and the type of player that occupies defenders and brings others into play. As a reference at the top end of the pitch that the team can play off, I think that he offers a lot of value for this Braintree Town side in giving them the platform. 

He isn’t a clean ball-striker nor goal-scorer, but I feel that for what The Iron need he could serve a real purpose. He is incredibly hard-working, experienced, and local to the area having been born in Chelmsford, and so I feel he would be of interest to Steve Pitt. I don’t expect him to be kept on with Woking, and so I think that dropping down into the National League South may well be the most logical next step in his career.

Nikolay Zlatev (Southend United – loan)

The final player on this list is perhaps the one that I am most excited about as a prospective signing for The Iron in the form of young striker Nikolay Zlatev.

Zlatev is currently on the books at Southend United, yet has had little first-team opportunities with Kevin Maher’s side. To date, his only opportunities have come with a loan spell at Basildon United in which he has caught the eye. 10 goals in total. The opportunity has been hugely beneficial for the 18-year-old in developing his craft and handling the physicality of first-team, non-league football.

Short-term prospects of being part of a Southend United side who are aiming to win promotion out of the National League are slim, but longer-term I think that the youngster may well be viewed as one worth giving a chance to. Certainly, from what I have seen of the young forward that is definitely a player there and under the right coach and in the right system he could be a real handful. Playing in the National League South would be the highest level he has played at, but I think that will represent a credible next step for his development. 

With the youth team, Zlatev has been prolific. Given that it is his first loan spell away from the club, I think that his return this year with Basildon United represents a strong return, too. When I watch him, I can’t quantify it in terms of numbers, yet there is something about the youngster which has the makings of the type of up-and-coming talent. The confidence. The fearless edge to his game. His physical development. His calmness in front of goal. 

He is only 18 years of age, and so this would be a bit of a gamble for Steve Pitt. However, he has shown that he is able to relish working with younger players and in taking low-stock and platforming them effectively. It would be beneficial for Southend United to get him first-team experience and especially on their proverbial doorstep to be able to monitor his progress, but I feel that this may represent quite a clever loan avenue to go down.