Leyton Orient 2 Hartlepool United 4We had to lose a League match eventually, but this was a poor performance and we were lucky to even make a fight of it at the death. Pool led for 80 of the 90 minutes, and would have been disappointed if we'd grabbed a point - which could have happened.The visitors took the lead on 10 minutes, when Moore got behind the O's defence and knocked the ball past Nelson after the keeper had parried his first attempt. Orient created hardly anything in chasing an equaliser against a well-organised Hartlepool team, who were quick to close down our forwards, and hard to dispossess once they had the ball. But we should have levelled the scores just before half-time, when Gray somehow managed to head wide from in front of an open goal after Boyd had put in a good cross - probably his only positive contribution of the half.The visitors doubled their lead six minutes after the break, a long and not particularly well hit shot from Brown, which Nelson should really have dealt with. Pool's keeper Budtz will probably also be unhappy with the next goal, which allowed Orient back into the game. Melligan was really going down a blind alley with a crossfield run, and his shot from distance was a case of having no other options, but it went in from the underside of the crossbar above the keeper's head.Orient came more into the game as they pushed for an equaliser, and Budtz redeemed himself with a couple of good saves. But it looked all over after 84 minutes when Monkhouse scored Pool's third on the break. The O's didn't give up though, and with three minutes left Charlie Daniels, on a sub for Corden, fired in the first goal of his League career.That was the cue for a frenetic last few minutes, but well into stoppage time Chambers was dispossessed while trying to make room for a cross - unfairly in the eyes of most O's fans, though not the referee's - and the visitors broke forward to set up Moore for his second goal to put the result beyond doubt.Tranmere's draw with Cheltenham means we stay top of the table - but are we "having a laugh" as the away fans suggested? Should we be looking only for Martin Ling's "middle eight" position and forget promotion? Two upcoming away fixtures may help to sort those questions out, although it seems that it's at home that we struggle. The two teams we've beaten at home are now in the relegation positions (and neither victory was particularly convincing), while two of our away wins have been against sides now in play-off places. A far cry from the days of "fortress Brisbane Road" and whole seasons without an away win! posted by MSW 7:48 pm . . .
