WHILE he was pleased to secure a third consecutive win on home turf, Braintree Town manager Glen Driver says his team have to be better than they were in the first half against Dulwich Hamlet.

Goals by Ade Cole and substitute Alfie Cerulli saw the Iron come back from a half-time deficit to extend their unbeaten Vanarama National League South run to four games.

Braintree ran out 2-1 winners and they have now taken nine points from their last three games at Cressing Road, but the win was far from error-free for Driver.

The Iron boss was critical of his team’s first-half display, but he added that the way they came from behind to secure the win showed the heart and desire that his players have.

Driver said: “I was disappointed with the first half because we picked up where we left off (in the previous game) at Concord, where we weren’t good enough in the second half.

“We stopped playing there against ten men and it sometimes looked like Dulwich had 13 against us in that first half.

“We didn’t get tight, we let midfield runners go off us, we let forwards bring it down with ease, we let full-backs get forward and then when we got the ball and tried to put it into Tom Richardson, we weren’t good enough to support him.

“I felt for Tom because he’s been going through a bit of a barren spell, but we need to get more bodies in and around him.

“When the ball is travelling up there, we need midfielders to travel and join in, but we weren’t doing that and everything we did was an afterthought once Tom had won a header.

“The trouble was we never looked like we had played together in that first half.

“We never created a chance, we never got tight, we were sloppy with the ball and our deliveries were poor; I could take nothing good from that first half.

“But second half, I thought we were outstanding.

“I heard a supporter say they (Dulwich Hamlet) could have been out of sight at half-time, but you have to take your chances to win a game.

“We scored at the right time with a great goal from Ade and we then kicked on.”

Braintree have now won five and drawn one of their last seven league games and sit eighth in the National League South table.

However, they are having to do things the hard way too often for Driver’s liking and he would like his players to make sure they aren’t having to come from behind to win games.

“We showed character again,” added the Braintree boss.

“We went behind at Chippenham and won 2-1, we were behind against Dorking and won 3-2 and we were behind again against Dulwich and won.

“That shows character to me, but - and I know how new the side is together - you can’t keep putting yourself in positions where you fall behind.

“There were lots of positives to take from that second half, but we won’t ignore the negatives of that first half.

“I can’t keep turning up to matches and giving teams headstarts.

“I had fair hair before I came here and it’s going greyer by the day so we have to be better as a group and I include myself in that.”