Braintree eased any lingering National League relegation fears by denting Gateshead’s promotion chances with a 3-1 comeback win at the International Stadium.
The visitors started in determined fashion, with Chay Cooper forcing keeper Tiernan Brooks into an early save and John Akinde heading just wide. Gateshead responded with Ben Worman going close when he flicked Regan Booty’s free-kick onto Henry Gray’s crossbar.
Dan Jones eventually opened the scoring for Gateshead, heading home another Booty delivery 10 minutes before the break. What seemed to be a decisive moment for Gateshead instead turned the tide as Kyrell Lisbie might have had Braintree level before halftime, but he steered his brother Kyreece’s cross wide.
However, 12 minutes after the restart, the Lisbie brothers combined to set up Cooper to level for Braintree, marking a shift in momentum. The visitors took the lead when Akinde scored from the penalty spot shortly afterward.
Just three minutes later, Kyreece Lisbie extended Gateshead's losing run to four games by firing home from Cooper’s cross, which left Gateshead with more worries both defensively and with promotion increasingly out of reach.
Meanwhile, Dagenham and Redbridge celebrated securing their first league win in 14 attempts as they beat Halifax, also on March 18. Josh Rees scored the winning goal after Harry Phipps headed Oscar Rutherford’s cross onto him, allowing Rees to sweep home. The Daggers held on despite a late flurry from Halifax, which included saved efforts from Louis Jones against Josh Emmanuel and others.
On the same day, Sutton produced a late comeback to defeat Fylde 2-1. Will Davies scored an 88th-minute penalty, helping Sutton avoid relegation woes.
Fylde's Ethan Mitchell opened the scoring in the 15th minute, but they failed to capitalize on a penalty opportunity early in the second half, when Gavin Massey’s shot was saved. Within five minutes remaining, Josh Coley equalized for Sutton and Davies sealed the win shortly thereafter.
Elsewhere, Tyler Frost's goal helped Aldershot secure a 1-0 victory against Maidenhead, stretching their unbeaten run to six matches. Frost netted 10 minutes into the second half, while Maidenhead faced further troubles after Tristan Abrahams received a second yellow card.
Wealdstone also kept their survival hopes alive with a narrow 1-0 win at Altrincham. Alex Reid scored just after halftime, while Wealdstone's defense held strong against a challenging Altrincham side to earn them vital points amid relegation fears.
These matches on March 18 reflected a critical juncture in the National League season, as teams scrambled for survival and the quest for promotion heated up.
