On-loan Braintree Town defender Joe Grimwood has been recalled by parent club Barnet just five days before the sides are due to meet in the Vanarama National League, as per Barnet’s official website.
Grimwood came through the youth system at AFC Sudbury and spent six years with the yellows alongside the likes of Cambridge United winger Josh Stokes as they were promoted from the eighth tier to the seventh tier of the football pyramid.
In June 2023, Grimwood made the step up to the National League South as his former manager at AFC Sudbury, Angelo Harrop, brought him to Braintree.
The powerful centre-back had an excellent season in the sixth tier last year as he missed just 44 minutes of football, scored four goals and won the Manager’s Player Of The Season award as the Iron got promoted via the playoffs.
The defender was snapped up by Dean Brennan’s Barnet ahead of the current campaign but was sent back to Braintree on loan just before the season started.
Grimwood has had an excellent start to life in the fifth tier. He has played every minute of the season for the Iron and was included in the most recent National League Team Of The Week.
Despite having a very large senior squad, Barnet were unable to fill their bench on Saturday against Gateshead.
The centre of defence is an area where the Bees seem to be struggling as club captain Danny Collinge, Nik Tavares and Richard Nartey were all absent for the trip to the Northeast whilst Adebola Oluwo was only making his first start since returning from injury.
Braintree have even more problems than Barnet when it comes to squad depth. Grimwood’s departure leaves the Essex-based side with just four defenders currently at the club.
The Iron have been operating with a small core squad of no more than 19 players throughout the season. Injuries and other departures have meant that they have not named a full seven-man bench at all this season.
Writer’s View
Angelo Harrop’s side have adopted a bold strategy of spending their limited budget on a small group of high-quality players and, although results so far have been reasonable, it looks as if it will backfire on them.
One would expect that former Southend United defender Louis Lomas will be recalled from his loan spell with Slough Town to give the Iron another defensive option. However, Braintree desperately need more squad depth and a better goalscorer if they want to avoid relegation.
The reason for Barnet recalling Grimwood is uncertain at the moment and Dean Brennan’s team selection for tonight’s match against Altrincham will reveal a lot.
There is a chance that Grimwood has simply been recalled because of his impressive performances to start the season. But, there is also a chance that the Bees’ injury problems have worsened which would be a big blow to their promotion push.
Aryan Jolly is an aspiring football journalist who joined The Real EFL in the summer of 2023. He specialises in prediction content and the National League.
