Same ol’ Same ol’ where the Cider Apples Grow

Yeovil Town (0) 0 Leyton Orient (0) 1

Nelson; Terry, Thelwell (Capt), Mkandawire, Palmer; JJ Melligan (sub Oji 90), Chambers, Thornton, Corden; Gray (sub Echanomi 89), Boyd.

Same ol’ indeed! Fourth shut-out in six in the league this season. Over four hours since the last goal conceded. Adam Boyd’s fourth league goal of the season (how many of us noticed that morning that the once-magisterial Times had omitted him completely from the list of the league’s leading scorers) and his second successive singleton match-winner. And, but for Stephen Purches’ twelve minute cameo against Northampton, an unchanged starting line-up for four games now. One could be forgiven for a feeling of déjà vu, if not boredom, though, in fact, those present will admit to butterflies in the stomach, or well-chewed nails, for the duration of this encounter against arguably the best opposition we have so far faced this season.

Some interesting and telling results the night before gave us food for thought on the journey south-west. Leeds’ three-goal winning margin at Bristol put both their current form and Rovers’ challenge into perspective. Late goals at Swansea did for challengers Carlisle, to the Orient’s benefit, but Tranny’s two late goals against the fading Hatters propelled them to the top of the league (by one more goal scored), the first time in, yes, FOUR weeks that we have been toppled. Hatters, Cobblers, Saddlers, perhaps a little more refinement might be expected of the Glovers. It was not to be. Fine football, yes, but with a niggling attitude to accompany it. Four yellow cards came their way, to add to the two they picked up at Swindon the previous week. It could well have been more and will surely prove their undoing again before the season is out. This was the Cobra’s first visit to a game in Cider-land and, if this was not the famous slope where the legendary Alec Stock once cut his teeth in those early post-war years, yet one expected some mention of this greatest-of-all links between the two clubs. This man rejected a job with the Gunners! Preferring the O’s!! Now there’s character for you! Sadly, no mention was forthcoming, leaving us to wonder whether history and the past has any place in this twenty-first century we are creating.

Our unchanged side lined up in bright sunshine with a fair-sized travelling crowd lounging behind the goal. Laurie, Wizzo and the Professor were all in early evidence, Osborne father and son, too, and the brothers Lloyd Webber were, we later discovered, in the Directors’ box as well. Soon enough, too, his unique brand of humour would betray the presence of the Editor of the Fanzine. A minute’s “applause” was held for Paul Smith, a sometime Glover who had recently died an early death from cancer, and Norman Deeley’s name was coupled to the remembrance also. No mention, though, of Malcolm Musgrove’s demise, the news of which had presumably not yet filtered through.

Yeovil kick-off with Orient defending the FantasticOs end. The ball is given long and wide left, Owusu the target, but a foul is blown, a sign of things to come. Nelson takes the free-kick and Orient win a throw in the middle of their territory. The ball is cleared by Town, Sean Thornton intercepts and gives long for Wayne Gray but ‘keeper Mildenhall fields. His kick is long and Owusu is up for it. Tammy and Aiden manage to clear. Wayne Gray gives the ball away and a long clearance looks for Owusu again. Thelwell clears, Yeovil return and Terry passes back to Nelson. His kick is long and Yeovil come again. Terry intercepts and finds Chambers, to Gray and Melligan who crosses and wins a corner via a deflection. Thornton takes the corner on the right. Gray is up for it but gives away a goal-kick. Yeovil set up a dangerous move. Thornton gets in a telling tackle, finding Gray. On to Boyd and Terry and Thornton and Boyd again, who passes back to Palmer. He plays forward to Corden who is heavily marked. A daft pass, from which Yeovil win a throw. Palmer intervenes again and gives away a throw five yards from the corner-flag on the right. The ball is crossed and Tammy clears. Glovers come again, now down the left. The ball is laid back for a shot from twenty-five yards but it is safely wide, with Nelson amply covering.

Glovers return the kick, long for Owusu. Nelson comes out to anticipate and feeds Thelwell and Terry who gives long. To Gray and Boyd who tries a long shot from thirty-five yards which sails just over the bar. Thelwell and Palmer clear the goal-kick, the latter down the line to Corden who passes back to Palmer, he long for Gray who is dispossessed. Town kick long and Nelson comes out to play safe and gather. Yeovil return. A cross to the far post. Nelson is up for it but Owusu is in with an old-fashioned barge. Stuart clears, Glovers return, Nelson holds and gives long. Town come again. Palmer clears wide and Thelwell is penalised, five yards shy of the corner flag. Free-kick Yeovil but Paul Terry is up to head out. Town again and Melligan tackles. Yeovil again. Tam clears. Glovers again with a cross which Nelson holds and gives long but Boyd and Thornton contrive to give the ball away. Thelwell and Terry clear. Yeovil return and Thornton heads clear. A long cross which goes off for a goal-kick to the Orient. Now Gray is penalised for a push. Yeovil’s free-kick is swept crossfield, a favourite ploy of theirs, from left to right. Target Owusu. Thelwell tackles and wins a throw, a yard up from the corner flag. Tammy clears to Melligan and on to Terry, wide. His long kick is cleared for a throw to Orient five yards the right side of the halfway line. Terry to Thornton who crosses. Gray goes down. Mildenhall holds and gives long. Tammy clears and we win a free-kick five yards their side of the halfway line. Thornton to Terry and back to Thornton who gives long and loses the ball. Now Terry is penalised in a bizarre incident in which the referee responds not to the action itself but to calls from the main stand for a free-kick. Melligan recovers and finds Boyd who passes back to Terry who gives long. Chambers recovers the lost ball, to Tam, Melligan and crossfield to Corden who runs and holds and gives to Terry, he on to JJ who crosses but Mildenhall holds. Fifteen minutes in. Even Stevens, just about. But a tough nut to crack, this one.

The kick is very long. Tam is up for it and gives away a throw some fifteen yards from the corner flag. Yeovil threaten but Corden gets in an excellent tackle in the penalty area, a perfect example of the additional work, compared with last season, that is, that our wide midfielders are contributing to the cause. Glovers again but Nelson holds and gives long to Wayne Gray. The ball is passed back to Mildenhall who kicks long. Chambers is up for it. Glovers return. Thornton intervenes and finds Corden. On to Boyd who gives a through ball but finds no-one on the receiving end. Yeovil come away and sweep the ball crossfield again from left to right. A cross to the far post where Owusu gets in a header but Nelson holds safely. He feeds Terry who gives an appalling pass down the right which is hopelessly lost and Glovers come again. Thelwell tackles. Thornton gives it away but Chambers tackles back and finds Corden. He, a raking crossfield ball to Melligan, Glovers-style. JJ loses the ball to Nathan Jones, wide outside the box, and takes him out in the ensuing tackle, a foul beyond doubt, but no more than that. The free-kick is awarded. Jones, no doubt an irascible Welshman (Cobra displaying long-ingrained racist tendencies) goes berserk and berates poor referee Whitestone for not issuing a red card. Whitestone, who had very properly given the free-kick, no more, no less, sadly allows himself to be dragged in to Jones’s rant. Jones is awarded a yellow card for Neanderthal stupidity (or so it seemed) but poor Melligan, an innocent guilty party if ever there was one, was also shown the dreaded yellow. Town sweep downfield and win a corner from which a foul is called and Orient have a free-kick around the penalty spot. Twenty minutes and we are still in there. An engaging game which is moving swiftly. Barely time to notice that the textbook is open and the science is again being played out, minute by minute.

Now Melligan tackles and gets in a cross but no-one to receive. Throw to the O’s in mid-territory on the right. Terry takes. It is cleared. Terry with the tackle. Corden to Palmer. Long for Gray and a goal-kick. The kick is long and Owusu is up for it but Palmer clears. Terry gives long, the ball is cleared and we have a throw midway into our territory. Terry to Thornton to Terry who is hauled down. We have a free-kick. To Gray who finds Boyd who wins a corner on the right. Barry is up for it, Thornton returns with a header which goes close but is cleared, Palmer passing back to Nelson who gives long. The ball is nodded back to Mildenhall. Terry intercepts his kick, to Thornton and Palmer who goes on a trademark run. To Sean, Tam, Adam Chambers and Corden and to Palmer for another run from which Glovers win a throw a couple of yards from the flag. Palmer regains. To Boyd and Melligan who is tackled. Yeovil sweep crossfield to the left. Chambers intervenes and finds Thornton. Corden to Palmer to Corden to Thornton, Chambers, Thornton, Terry, Melligan, Chambers and Tammy who gives long for Boyd who is dispossessed. Town now with some slick passing which wins a throw midway into our territory, given by Tam. Thelwell recovers, to Palmer and Chambers and away. JJ gives long for Boydy and Glovers win a throw halfway into their half. Chambers is penalised and the free-kick is swept acrossfield. Tam is in for it and finds Thornton. On to Boyd who gives long for Melligan. Goal-kick Yeovil. Tam is up for it. Glovers return and a brilliant, long cross from the left spells danger. Aiden Palmer controls superbly with his chest and blazes to safety in the stand. Yeovil throw, a cross, Owusu gets in a header. Goal-kick Orient. Lloyd Owusu is injured and is taken off for the statutory minute. Nelson takes the kick and Orient win a free-kick five yards over the halfway line. Thornton to Chambers and back to Tam. Thornton to Terry and back to Thornton. He crosses and a shot from Tam goes just wide of the left-hand post. Half an hour gone and still very much all-square. Still settle for a draw.

From the kick, Owusu fouls Chambers, an old score? Thornton takes the free-kick. To Chambers, Thornton, Terry and Chambers who is dispossessed. Yeovil attack. Palmer and Tammy repel boarders. Thornton, Gray and Thornton again and a throw to the Glovers on the halfway line. Tammy intercepts and finds Melligan, to Terry, Thornton, Chambers and Corden. His cross to the far post and Boydy is up for it, connecting but only sufficient to concede a goal-kick. Close shave! Now Adam Chambers is fouled and Thornton takes the free-kick. Melligan, Chambers, Melligan and a through ball for Wayne Gray but he is penalised for a foul and Yeovil have a free-kick in the penalty area. Thornton clears to Gray, to Corden who gives long for Boyd and it is lost. Corden intercepts, crosses and Thornton heads forward. The ball is cleared for a throw to the Orient. A second throw which is intercepted and Glovers break away. Aiden Palmer and Tammy now in the breach to clear up to Boyd and Corden who gives it away and Yeovil come again. Another beautifully slick move and a cross which Tammy clears up to Boyd who is fouled and we have a free-kick in mid-enemy territory. Palmer to Corden, he crossfield to Thornton. Melligan, Thornton, Chambers and Boyd whose shot is blocked and cleared. Sean Thornton is penalised and Town have the kick. They drive down the left and Nelson anticipates well, coming out for the long ball. To Adam Chambers who puts Wayne Gray through with just Mildenhall to beat. A crescendo of anticipation rises from the somewhat subdued visiting crowd but Gray is offside and Mildenhall kicks long. Tam is up to clear. Town come again and get in a great cross from the right which Nelson rises superbly to hold. He sets Wayne Gray free again and a hard, low drive from thirty-odd yards tests the home ‘keeper. The goalkeepers exchange several long kicks, Thelwell eventually heading clear. Yeovil attack again but are offside. Free-kick on the edge of the box. Yeovil again. Melligan lays off for Nelson who finds Palmer and he gives long to Gray and Thornton who is tripped. Free-kick in mid-half and the second of the homester’s yellow cards is awarded to Paul Warne.

Five minutes left. Sean with the free-kick. Owusu back to clear. Sean and Tammy exchange passes and find Wayne Corden who is fouled. Free-kick fifteen yards shy of the corner flag. Thornton takes. Mildenhall rises to hold at the far post. A long kick which Thelwell heads clear. Orient string together a dozen possession passes before the ball is lost and Yeovil break again down the right. Terry clears to Thornton, to Terry, to Melligan and back to Terry for a long ball. Throw Yeovil five yards inside our half. Corden intercepts and finds Boyd. Wide towards Chambers but lost. A long clearance which Nelson fields. One minute is added. Orient finish the session on the offensive.

An interval without emotion. Some are heard to wish on Jason Demetriou, presumably to stir things up. The Cobra remains content with the draw. We are well worth it and it will not be a bad result. Orient kick-off, now into the supporting FO’s. Thornton wins a throw, finds Tam, he to Aiden Palmer who gives long. It is cleared. Orient come again. Gray gets in a shot but it is scuffed or fluffed (whatever) and Mildenhall easily fields. Yeovil attack and Thelwell is penalised. Free-kick five yards outside the angle of the box. To the far post where Owusu gets to head the ball downwards but Nelson holds. Corden long. Boyd gives away. Yeovil come away. Alton Thelwell and Lloyd Owusu. Thelwell trips, Owusu has beaten him. The crowd roar, expectations raised again. He shoots. Way, way over the bar. Nelson with the goal-kick and Gray wins a throw on the halfway line on the left. Now a free-kick to Orient in mid-half. Melligan with the cross. Goal-kick. Throw to Yeovil on the left around the halfway line. Terry up with Thornton. To Boyd. Another throw to Yeovil on the left in mid-half. A crossfield ball but no-one to receive and we have the throw some fifteen yards up from the flag. Chambers to Terry and back to Nelson for a long kick. Wayne Gray holds and sets Chambers on a run but he is tackled. Glovers break down the right and cross. Melligan clears long but Wayne Gray is dispossessed. Town again down the right and Owusu with a shot which Nelson saves. Boydy is up for the kick but loses the ball. Glovers give long and Nelson fields again. Orient throw. Melligan, Thornton, Terry with a cross which Mildenhall holds. Thelwell retrieves the kick and gives to Melligan who crosses for Wayne Gray but the ball is intercepted. Yeovil come away and once again display attractive approach work, a neat and skilful footballing side. Thornton breaks up the move with a telling tackle and finds Gray who holds before passing to Boyd who neatly fashions a return through ball to Gray but nothing comes of it. Tam intercepts the clearance and Terry goes on a run. He is tackled and Yeovil break dangerously, Alton Thelwell eventually standing in the breach to repel them. Orient build. Terry, Melligan, Thornton, Melligan, Gray. Now Palmer, Corden and through to Boyd who gives it away. Chambers concedes a free-kick , centrally in mid-Glover territory and Mildenhall takes. Ten minutes in. Both sides have raised the tempo a little, surprising, perhaps, on this warm Summer’s day. Still very even.

Terry clears the kick to Melligan, to Chambers and a long ball to Gray. Town win a throw, ten yards up from the flag. Corden recovers, passes back to Thelwell and he back to Nelson who kicks long for Boyd. It is cleared. Palmer retrieves, finds Thornton and he to Melligan in the left channel. JJ sets Boydy free down the left. He cuts in, beats one, takes aim and shoots for the near post. Amazingly, the reliable Mildenhall goes down but can only get a hand to it as it flies into the near corner of the net. 1 – 0 Orient and, once again, when least expected, Adam Boyd has pulled a veritable white rabbit out of the top hat. The crowd are ecstatic and, before long, some foolhardy souls, Tranmere in their sights, begin the familiar chant “We are top of the League”. Mercifully, the vision of the goddess Nemesis is fleetingly recalled and the singing sensibly stops, half an hour and more of action still to play out. Yeovil re-start and win a throw, fifteen yards from the flag. Palmer heads clear. Boyd, Thornton and Palmer long for Gray and Boyd who is dispossessed. Yeovil throw a couple of yards shy of the halfway line. The homesters maintain good possession. A shot from thirty yards passes safely several feet over the bar. Nelson’s kick is long and reaches Mildenhall who makes to return but kicks awkwardly. The ball cleared, he goes down, apparently badly injured. Too badly to writhe, he is nonetheless to be seen thumping the ground in pain. It seems to take an age before treatment is at hand. At one stage, the physio seems to be trying to replace a dislocated hip. Later we will read of muscle spasms. In all the incident takes up six minutes, Cobra time, and Mildenhall is generously applauded as the stretcher-bearers carry him off. To our amazement, there is no replacement goalkeeper on the bench and the fabled Terry Skiverton, fresh back from injury, takes over the netminding role. Increasingly now it will be a mix of safety-play and possession, itself a form of insurance. O’s with a free-kick and a break down the left. Glovers clear and Palmer hoofs safely into the stand. Thelwell clears to Wayne Gray who beats one, maybe two and passes crossfield to Terry. Melligan, Terry, Boyd, Melligan who reaches the byeline and crosses. Sean and Tam are up for the cross but it is cleared at the post and Glovers break away crossfield to the left where Thelwell intervenes.

Now Gray on the break. Boyd is fouled and we have the kick around the halfway line. Thornton takes, Boyd goes up but it is headed clear. Town break down the left. A cross to the far post. Thelwell and Owusu up together. Yeovil throw, just a yard from the flag. It is long, a header for goal but Nelson holds. Orient attack and Gray has the defence under pressure. The ball is passed nervously back to Skiverton who kicks short with Boydy almost intercepting. Slade rings the changes. Domoraud replaces Ritchie Jones. JJ puts Boyd through but he is offside. Yeovil now twice down the left. Thelwell clears the cross. Half an hour gone and Marcus Stewart wins a yellow card for a foul on Chambers.Yeovil continue to press. Tam intercepts. Gray is dispossessed. Orient again. Throw-in a yard from the flag. Boyd lays off neatly to Thornton who shoots from twenty-five yards, high, high over the bar into the sunning FO’s. Yeovil attack again. Aiden Palmer clears, high into the air. Green shirts rise to the occasion but a foul is spotted and we have the free-kick. Heart back in place. Glovers again. Tam up for it this time. Another foul. Do we detect a hint of desperation in Slade’s boys? The kick is central and halfway into our half. Nelson takes. To Chambers, Boyd, Gray who runs with it and releases to Corden. Back to Palmer and on to Boyd again. To Melligan, Thornton, Corden and Thornton again who holds the ball. To Chambers and a throw is conceded to Yeovil. Good possession football this and a sign of a team that knows its stuff and is confident in itself. Tam intercepts the throw and passes back to Nelson. Gray is up for the kick, finds Boyd, who interchanges with Corden before giving the ball away. Glovers sweep the ball crossfield. Terry clears. They return. Terry again. Thornton, Chambers, Boyd and through to Gray who crosses for the defence to head clear. Terry, Chambers, Melligan, Gray. Another cross headed clear again. Ten minutes left. Feel reasonably confident now.

Orient continue to try possession. Melligan attempts a weak and woolly shot from thirty yards which does nothing to test Skiverton. Tam clears the goal-kick for a throw around the halfway line. Slade brings on Jeral Hughes for Matty Rose. Glovers attack down the left and cross. Alton Thelwell is up for it. Another hard, low cross from the right which Nelson does well to hold. The ball is worked up to Boyd who gives it away yet again. Town break down the right again and win a throw a couple of yards from the flag. Dangerous. The ball is cleared but Tammy goes down in the box and play is halted, the ball by the touchline, close to the flag, while he receives attention. Five minutes left. Bizarrely, referee Whitestone gives a contested dropped ball, just yards from our penalty area. More bizarre yet, Yeovil contest this strongly and instead of putting out for a goal-kick or throw, as one might have expected, they sweep the ball away, to hoots of derision and cries of “Cheat” from the FO’s behind the goal. Orient under pressure. A cross is headed clear. Returned for Tam to clear, with Owusu in there. Nelson gives long to Melligan who is free. He runs on and shoots but to no avail and the ball is easily cleared. Glovers again. A cross from the right. Owusu up and connecting. The ball rebounds, a shade fortunately perhaps, off Paul Terry. Yeovil come again wide right and Palmer gives up a throw, a yard from the flag. It is, naturally, quickly taken. Palmer clears. Martin Ling runs down the clock, bringing on Efe Echanomi for Gray. Yeovil’s throw is cleared up to Efe who is fouled. Free-kick Orient around the halfway line. To Efe who makes it to the bye-line and wins a corner. Thornton takes, Corden shoots. Six minutes are added. Protests from some FO’s with short memories. The fact is, it took all of six minutes to treat and remove Mildenhall and the referee has done us a big favour by restricting the added time to those six minutes, given also the number of substitutions, the goal and the treatment for Tam.

Yeovil down the left and Orient have a throw five yards up from the flag. Tam clears decks. Aiden Palmer goes up to clear and a huge clearance makes Skiverton at the other end. Yeovil again, Thelwell up. Melligan breaks and crosses. Yeovil again. Palmer heads clear. Yeovil up and a shot is blocked. Another free shot just four yards out. Hearts really in mouth now. One of those moments when only Stuart Nelson stands between success and failure. But no. Somehow, Tammy gets a leg in the way and this shot, too, is brilliantly blocked for a corner on the right. Palmer clears at the near post for Efe and we breathe a sigh of relief. Thornton gives long. Glovers back to Skiverton and they break again down the right. Melligan clears to Efe, he back to JJ who, instead of keeping possession as the moment clearly dictates, goes long and gives away the ball. Martin Ling shrewdly calms the tempo by introducing Oji for Melligan and Orient win a free-kick which Nelson takes. Boyd and Thornton work the possession game again. Yeovil win a throw and give long but Owusu is penalised for a foul which just about sums up the Glovers’ day. Too many niggles, too many fouls, too many yellow cards. There is still time for Adam Boyd to break forward, cut in from the right and shoot, hitting a post and bringing a roar from the crowd, so marking Orient’s marginal superiority in that department. The whistle is blown and we celebrate our players yet again. Certainly a good win against classy opposition. Three points clear at the top again. Man of the match? Once again, the Cobra refuses to be drawn. You could nominate the central defensive duo as a pair. Palmer, for another excellent and rapidly maturing performance. Boyd for another amazing strike. Either wide midfielder for extra effort. The central midfielders for their immense contribution to this, as every game. The ubiquitous Terry on his old stomping ground. But it was really a great team effort once more. So no individual prizes. And where does this team go from here? Well, beyond question the next few games are seen to be a lot more difficult. This sextet, beginning today, ends with the Leeds encounter in Yorkshire. That will surely be an occasion. Meanwhile Hartlepool will need respect, but their away form isn’t that special, losing at Luton and Leeds while winning at Vale. The most recent draw with Swindon perhaps tells a lot, owing much to their goalkeeper. Rovers away, too, will be difficult, though they are amazingly still without a home win and losing soundly to Leeds may just have punctured the balloon. Gillingham on a Tuesday will be much more difficult than one might suppose. A club traditionally hard to beat on their own ground. They have lost to Tranmere and beaten both Walsall and Brighton. Finally Swansea, never easy opponents for us. They have lost at Oldham, won at Walsall and will be on something of a high after putting Carlisle down. All in all, games which we must, and no doubt will, treat each as it comes, each with due respect, but in the knowledge that you don’t go three points clear after six without having something special there to shout about!! Up the O’s!!

COBRA