Steppin` on the GasBristol Rovers (1) 2 Leyton Orient (0) 3 Nelson; Terry (sub Demetriou 65), Thelwell (Capt), Mkandawire, Palmer; JJ Melligan, Chambers, Thornton, Corden (sub Daniels 75); Boyd (sub Ibehre 65), GrayQuestons, questions, questions! Questions that would be answered today, Martin Ling had told us, without ever really unpacking for us the precise nature of those questions themselves. And questions, too, of a more mundane nature for the Cobra, who has an innate distaste for big-city grounds with their distant railway stations -- or distant stadia, according to your perspective. “It`ll cost you a fortune, there`s a lot of traffic about”, said the taxi driver, either declining the fare or attempting to hook a fat fish. “OK, I`ll walk”, said the Cobra. “I have a map and 45 minutes to spare.” “It`s a long way”, he added. “Or maybe catch a bus”, the Cobra finished, already on the move. “Over there and under the bridge”, a helpful, parting shot. Did he deliberately misdirect, or simply fail to mention that the second bridge was far more significant than the first? Twenty minutes and one more huge wrong turn later and more questions. Can we still find a cab? Shall we wait for a bus? Could we still walk and make it in time? A twenty-minute wait for a Memorial Ground-bound bus on a matchday afternoon suggested that this was no Big City. Eat your heart out, Mayor Ken. 3.05p.m. More questions! Is this the South Stand? Of course it is. The sign says so. And the turnstile keeper, too. Ha! Fooled you. No, it`s not. It`s the West and “Sorry, sir, you can`t stand there. These animals are dangerous. Let me lead you back out and around the back of the stand….”And so the Cobra`s commentary begins in the twelfth minute and, even then, ensconced in the comfort of the Rovers` family end of the South Stand. We quickly size up what we see. Even-handed end-to-end stuff. Indeed, the away-game text-book open. Soak it up, give it long, hope for the break, central or wide. And, with an eye to recent unhappy experiences, a referee who gives decisions decisively, fairly and promptly and appears to be getting them right. No-one mentioned that Stuart Nelson had already been cautioned for dissent, an indicator of what was to come and the first of a raft of largely un-necessary demonstrations of discipline from the man-in-the-middle.JJ Melligan intercepts and sweeps imperiously through the middle, eventually passing to Boyd who holds, dummies his opponent and puts through to JJ, who is flagged offside. Gas clear. Tam with the tackle. He is fouled. Free-kick Orient in the north-west sector of the ground. Nelson takes. Gray receives, finds Corden, back to Tam and on to Corden again. A cross is blocked. Corden again. Another cross is blocked. Gas break quickly down the left flank. Terry is beaten for speed. Lewis Haldane cuts inside. Nelson advances, once again displaying brilliant anticipation. The shot is blocked and cleared! Well, that`s one player who seems back in form after the horror-show of the previous week. Question answered. Melligan is back to clear and we have a throw a yard from the flag. The referee speaks to Sean Thornton. Must have been lip. Paul Terry clears to Alton Thelwell. A long-distance cross to the far post which `keeper Phillips holds. Gas break down the right wing. A long cross which Nelson leaves, uncertain, and Thelwell is left to head away. Thornton to Melligan to Boyd who gives long for Gray who doesn`t quite connect and Phillips goes out towards the corner flag to gather. Gas down the right. Palmer clears. To Thornton and on to Corden who is robbed, but illegally so and we have a free-kick. Through-ball to Gray who is offside and Gas have the free-kick. Down the left, Terry is beaten, the ball crossed, Thelwell clears. Gas again, heat turned up. Chambo clears. An infringement in the centre-circle and we have a free-kick there. Tam with the kick which is repelled. Terry up for it but adjudged to have fouled. Lewis Haldane purports to have damaged his back and dramatically expresses his agony. This is ignored by the referee and opposition who speed away on the attack. Goalkeeper to goalkeeper. Ping-pong. Eventually Terry recovers the ball and finds Corden who unleashes a superb cross to the far post, where it is headed, in some confusion, for a corner on the right. Thornton takes short to Boydy who returns to Sean for the cross. Alton Thelwell gets up for it but is adjudged to have fouled. Free-kick Gas. It is long. Heads go up and O`s win a throw in mid-enemy territory. Terry to Gray who heads on to Melligan who heads on to Boyd. Out to Palmer and Corden and back to Boyd again. Crossfield for Terry who doesn`t quite make it and Phillips collects, again towards the corner-flag. Twenty minutes gone. Well in the game.Terry to Chambers to Melligan but intercepted and Gas attack again down the right. A huge cross but the ball passes safely for a goal-kick. Thelwell recovers in midfield, to Thornton, Terry and Chambers who miskicks and concedes a throw to Gas who now attack quickly down the left. Another huge cross which Stuart Nelson rises to hold. To Melligan and Thornton, out to Palmer and on to Boyd who tries to find Gray with one of his very finely-angled glances. To no avail! Gas on the move. Thornton interrupts and finds Boyd whose attempt to find Gray is again thwarted. Gas attack swiftly down the right flank and Aiden Palmer plays safe by conceding a corner. It is short, the ball is crossed, Alton Thelwell is up for it. The massed Gas ranks roar for a penalty from behind the goal. Referee Bratt blows his whistle and points towards the spot. Hearts sink at the South end. What a blow! Free-kick Orient. Huge relief for us and torrents of abuse from the North end. All the usual ditties, the least impolite of which suggesting that the man in black is ignorant of his business. North End Gas never were respecters of persons or Bratts! Nelson takes the free-kick from the penalty spot. His kick is cleared long and Tam hoofs into the East Stand for a throw around the halfway line. Thelwell up. Foul apparently. Free-kick Rovers, central and perhaps five yards up from the centre circle into our territory. Heads go up. Bratt awards a goal-kick. More ribald jeering. Evidently a corner for some. Nelson with the kick. Gray is up and is penalised. Free-kick Gas. Phillips takes in mid-half. Gas look dangerous on the edge of the box but Sean Thornton intercepts and clears. Gas again and a big cross which Nelson goes down to hold. He kicks long. Rovers return. Terry retrieves. Thelwell to Terry who clears long. Phillips gathers safely and prompts another dangerous attack down the left where Tam breaks things up and Terry clears. Rovers come again with a long ball down the right which peters out in a goal-kick. Nelson takes long. Corden is penalised and Gas have a free-kick which Melligan clears to Boyd who loses for a throw to Rovers two yards inside the halfway-line. It is long and Nelson comes out to grasp safely. To Gray and on to Boyd and JJ who wins a throw ten yards shy of the corner flag. Terry to Boyd to Terry who crosses for Phillips to hold. Sean Thornton intercepts the kick and finds Boyd. Back to Sean. Crossfield to Terry. Boyd again, Terry, Chambo and Boydy again. Adam runs and shoots from 25 yards, wide of the post. Half an hour gone. Honours still about even.Gas mount another dangerous attack. Nelson is out to gather. To Terry and Thornton who holds before finding Palmer who gives long. Gas put out for an Orient throw mid-half. Palmer, Thornton, Tam, Corden, Chambers, Gray who sweeps crossfield. But the cross is cut out and Gas break forward dangerously again. A cross from the left which Tam heads out. Gas cross again, a big cross from the right which sails way over the crossbar for a goal-kick. To Melligan and on to Chambers. Into the box. He goes down. Up again. To Sean Thornton. Throw Orient a couple of yards from the corner flag. We trade throws with the opposition. Gas throw. Terry heads clear. To JJ who crosses. Rebounds and rebuffed. Sean Thornton re-gathers and fires a low drive from twenty-five yards, just wide of the post. If only…. Gas turn the heat up again and Aiden Palmer passes back to Stuart Nelson under pressure. End-to-end. Chambers wins Phillips` kick. To Melligan, Terry, Thornton and Boyd who very casually gives the ball away, trying to be far too clever with it. Gas throw. They move forward. A cross from the left. Palmer out to Boyd who is floored. Gas down the right. A cross which Terry heads out under pressure. Thornton gives long to Wayne Gray and Gas put out in a panic for a throw to Orient just a yard from the flag. Five minutes left.Terry with the throw. To Thelwell and Gray, Tam, Thelwell and a cross which is cleared. O`s again. Boyd to Chambers who controls a difficult ball brilliantly on his chest, only to give it away as it drops to the ground. Gas pump long into the box. Nelson comes out, dribbles the ball and kicks clear. Boyd goes up, but unsuccessfully. The ball is cleared down the left. A great cross to the far post. Tam is up to head clear. Gas come again down the right. A fierce shot into the box from Haldane strikes Thornton passively on the hand. The Linesman flags. Referee Bratt goes to consult and awards a penalty! We are distraught. North End are ecstatic and, for the first time, it occurs to the naïve Cobra that their insults may indeed have borne fruit. They may be getting the benefit of the doubt. The penalty is well-taken by Walker, the ball placed well to the left of Stuart as we look. Three minutes left. Time for a scare at either end. From the kick-off, a long ball down the right for Sean Thornton who concedes a throw just a couple of yards from the flag. Now Gas break down the right again but are penalised for a foul and Orient have a free-kick. The ball is passed to Terry, to Thornton, Melligan, Terry, Thornton, Thelwell, Tam, Thornton, Terry, Gray, Chambers and Melligan. JJ fires a low drive from thirty yards which whistles just wide of the goalpost. Orient again on the move. Chambers into the box but robbed at the last and Gas break unhindered. Paul Terry hastens back to cover, brings Haldane down and concedes a free-kick on the edge of the box, winning a yellow card in the process. A minute`s added time is added. Campbell with the kick which is goalbound but Stuart Nelson, diving late, palms the ball round the post at the eleventh hour. Amazingly, it goes for a throw-in by the corner flag. Terry clears. Boyd, Gray, Thornton, Boyd and back to Palmer. On to Corden who crosses from the left to the far post where Wayne Gray is up with his head for the best chance of the game so far. Incredibly, Phillips holds the point-blank header and half-time is whistled. Gas fans mop their brows. The Cobra lets out a cry of disappointment, realising, only too late, that his cover is blown. Gassers look up and around. A Trojan Horse. A spy in the camp. The Cobra beats a hasty retreat to the West end of the stand.Wizzo and the Professor are there to greet him. The Professor, as often, reminds the scribe that “pillock” has two “l`s”. Wizzo is incandescent at the antics of referee Bratt. Perplexed at this apparent contradiction of his own initial assessment of the man`s performance, the Cobra appeals to the Resident referee, well-known for his unbiased views in this regard. But even he is quick to condemn. The man is a shorthouse (condemnation in itself, apparently) and clearly playing to the gallery. Fifth columnists return from a scouting expedition to a land beyond the tea caravan to report that Martin Ling has spent the interval in the Officials` Dressing Room, lodging his own complaints. Well, that could have one of two outcomes!! Meanwhile, the wiseacres are already pencilling Jason Demetriou in for an early substitution.Gas kick-off, Nelson now defending our South end. We remark immediately that Chambers and Terry have swapped roles, the latter having had a tough time at the feet of Haldane. Complaints from the crowd that we shall suffer for the loss of Chambo`s presence in midfield but, in the event, these underestimate the ability of our hero to influence the midfield, even from right-back. Offside is blown and we have a free-kick five yards outside the angle of the box, Nelson taking. We win a throw, ten yards beyond the halfway line, Chambers to Gray to Melligan but lost for another throw five yards shy of the corner-flag. To Thornton, who crosses to the far post where Phillips goes up to hold. He kicks long and Tam puts off for a throw in mid-half. Thornton wins and finds JJ who is dispossessed. Gas attack down the left wing. Crossfield sweep. Tam concedes a throw. Another cross to the far side. Haldane goes down with Chambers. Orient awarded a free-kick. The belief hardens that Mr Bratt is trying to even things up. Nelson with the kick. Melligan on a run. Tackled. Thornton regains. To Gray and lost. Thornton tackles again. Foul. Free-kick Gas. Chambers clears. Gray is pulled down. Free-kick Rovers!! Tilting of the scales again? Thelwell clears. Gas intercept. Tam tackles. Foul. Free-kick Gas on the right., twenty yards out, by the angle of the box. Boyd, Chambers and Terry clear. Gas return. Thornton up and heading clear. Gas break again down the left. Haldane into the box, shadowed closely by Adam Chambers. Legs inter-twine by the byeline, edge of the box. Haldane goes down. Bratt blows for another penalty! Again! And, yes, technically a penalty. Adam may be said to have brought him down. But, if Adam had gone down first, perhaps a free-kick to the Orient? All is conjecture. This time, Walker slams the ball straight through Stuart Nelson, who has already moved to his right in anticipation of a repeat performance. 0 – 2 and struggling now against all the odds.The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune! How often in life is the rich man, the Dives, put down, while Lazarus receives comfort? How often does success turn to misfortune just when we are riding high? And just as often we can be struck when we are down, or just merely falling. One could be forgiven for supposing that, just as our lads were striving to recover from the season`s first serious reverse, so the fickle finger of fortune struck, with a little human help, to ensure that we were well and truly shafted. But Shakespeare offers us the option: “nobler to suffer the slings etc., or to take arms against…troubles and by opposing end them?” Nor should we forget his opening shot. “To be or not to be?” This is not just a question of fighting or accepting defeat. It is a question of character. Are we or aren`t we? In the minutes that followed, the Cobra fleetingly recalled that this Orient side were capable still of winning this match. But no-one dared even mention the possibility. We were resigned to outrageous fortune. Shortly, we would see, and not for the first time, just what this Orient side could do. A display of character worthy of Shakespeare`s finest.Thornton, Corden, Sean again, JJ, Aiden and Chambo. Lost and cleared. We win a free-kick by the corner-flag, unaccountably, and Nelson takes. Adam Chambers gets involved with Haldane and the referee talks sternly to him. Thornton with the free-kick. Palmer, Tam, Corden and a long ball. Boyd up and floored. Free-kick Orient, central, and just outside the penalty area, tailor-made for Sean Thornton. Forgetting Roots Hall, he hits a low drive which rebounds off the defensive wall. Now Adam Chambers is booked for mixing it with Chris Carruthers who, as the Professor tartly remarked, had been at it all game. Tam up to clear the kick to Thornton. On to Terry and Adam Boyd, back to Terry whose through-ball finds Wayne Gray. A shot at goal, Phillips is wrong-footed and the ball is in the bottom corner of the net. 1 – 2. Half an hour left. Plenty of time, the Cobra observed audibly, though, even then, no-one hoped for more than a draw. And, yet again, a couple of warmed-up substitutes are shown back to the bench by Martin Ling who seems to have the knack of inducing a goal merely by warming up the replacements.Gas kick-off. Haldane goes down again. Chambers is penalised for a foul. The kick is long and Gas have another free-kick on the right. Ball to the far post. Stuart Nelson doesn`t come for it and it is headed away for a corner on the right. O`s clear and win a free-kick for no observable reason. Palmer takes on the halfway line. To Melligan who runs and wins a throw, Mr Bratt disregarding the yet-again-falling Haldane. Ten yards from the flag. Chambers to Boyd. Thornton crosses. Cleared. Thornton recovers. To Melligan, Sean again, Paul Terry, JJ, Sean and a cross cleared again. Thornton recovers again but is penalised and shown the yellow card. Meanwhile, Alton Thelwell is continuing his own personal struggle with penalty-king Walker. Walker goes down in the penalty area. Orient are awarded a free-kick!! Gas outraged. Nelson takes long. Goal-kick. Chambo recovers in midfield. To Terry and through for Gray but Phillips takes. Thelwell and Walker again. Thelwell wins the contest. To Boyd, Corden and Melligan, who crosses to the far post but too far and the ball is cleared. Aiden Palmer concedes a throw on the halfway line. Now Orient have the throw. Palmer takes. Exchanges passes with Tam and he with Corden. JJ, Corden, Thornton, Gray, Melligan who shoots and sees the effort cleared at the last ditch. 66 minutes and the traditional time for the substitutes. Demetriou replaces Terry, predictably. Boyd is rested, Ling following one of the unwritten rules of the dressing room (you don`t substitute someone who has just scored), and Jabo Ibehre makes a welcome return to one of his favourite grounds.We should not forget the game plan. Even before Wayne Gray`s strike, Orient had upped the tempo and were still stepping on the gas, so to speak, in the knowledge that fresh legs were about to be injected. Gas attack down the right. A cross which Nelson holds. To Melligan and Thornton and a through-ball which is cleared. Thelwell intercepts and finds Chambers. To Corden and Jabo but cleared again. O`s have a throw on the halfway line on the left flank. A long cross is cleared and we have another throw, now on the right, again on the halfway line. To Chambers who is dispossessed and Gas have the throw. Same place. Melligan clears to Jabo who loses the ball. Gas move swiftly upfield with a through-ball and Aiden Palmer passes back to Stuart Nelson to play safe. Gas again and Tammy now passing back to Nelson who kicks long, Melligan winning a throw. Paul Trollope calls time out to introduce Andy Williams for Ricky Nelson (bringing tears to the eyes of the Cobra`s 60`s generation) and Joe Jackson for Lewis Haldane, bold moves indeed! Chambo with the throw. JJ, Chambers, Thornton, JJ and Gray with a big cross which is cleared at the far post, Gas winning a throw on the halfway line. Twenty minutes left.Jason D recovers, back to Alton Thelwell and Adam Chambers. Long for Jabo who is beaten and the ball is cleared. Gas look dangerous and Palmer concedes a throw under some pressure. To the far post where Thelwell clears to Thornton, Corden and Chambers. He crossfield to Palmer and on to Corden. Tam, Thornton, Melligan, Corden, Ibehre and a cross which Wayne Gray heads wide at full stretch. Gas again. Thelwell is penalised for a tackle which looks perfectly fair and the Professor remarks that Bratt has turned the game into a non-contact sport! From the kick, Gas are flagged for offside and Nelson`s free-kick wins a throw in mid-half. Now Gray goes down but wins nothing but Walker fouls Chambers and we have a free-kick which is cleared for a throw on the halfway line, at which juncture Martin Ling brings on Charlie Daniels for Wayne Corden. Views on Daniels remain mixed but, whatever else, he brings verve and enthusiasm to the attack and a different perspective to either Corden or Melligan, with a greater inclination to go for goal. Either way, the move is designed to keep the Gas on the back foot and press hard for another goal.All credit to the Manager. Within a trice, Orient are on the attack, Sean Thornton, as often, in the thick. To Chambers and back to Sean who finds Tammy Mak on the edge of the box. He turns and rifles an angled shot which rebounds off the post into the far corner of the net. 2 – 2. But no! That wretched linesman`s flag is raised again. Referee Bratt goes over to consult and, an eternity later, points to the centre spot. 2 – 2 indeed and we are level against all expectations! Unspoken, but very much in the consciousness, we all now know that the impossible is a possibility. The massed ranks of Gas are silenced. Awesome, to the Cobra at least, in their singing of that delightful and ancient ditty “Goodnight, Irene”, it will not be heard again at the Memorial Ground this afternoon. Wonderful. Instead, we hear the all-too-familiar strains of “We are top of the League.” And how proud to be so. And deservedly so. But there are still some fifteen minutes to play. Tension and tempo mount. Tam clears the kick-off for a succession of throws. Palmer, Thornton, Jabo who is penalised. Free-kick Gas. Now Craig Disley hauls Sean Thornton down and receives Bratt`s yellow card for his pains. Tam with the free-kick. Chambers up. Phillips up and holding. Gas attack strongly and Thelwell clears under pressure. Now Jabo Ibehre intercepts a pass from Carruthers and puts Wayne Gray through. Lost, recovered and back to Jabo who finds Jason Demetriou, the latter finishing coolly with the setting goal. 3 – 2 and the drama is surely over.Gas attack straightway. Offside! Tam with the kick. To Jabo. Thornton downed in the box. Free-kick Orient outside the box. Thornton with the kick. Jabo up to head wide. Five minutes to go and hearts in mouths as Referee Bratt gets in the way of an unsighted defence and a blasted drive goes just wide of Nelson`s post. Demetriou shoots wide of Phillips. Jabo`s shot is held by Phillips. Free-kick to the Gas which Thornton clears to Daniels. Gas again with a cross which Nelson goes down to hold and only just. A Melligan cross lands on the roof of the net bringing a cheer from the short-sighted. Thornton now in his element with possession football of the simplest and most effective kind. Free-kick follows frustrated free-kick as the clock is run down. Four minutes extra time are added, a reasonable shout, given the goals and the substitutions. Gas with one last attack down the right and a cross which passes harmlessly for a goal-kick, just about summarising their afternoon. And so we celebrate yet again on foreign soil. And what a display of character. To be, or not to be. That is the question. Question answered. In spades!! But one final question crosses the Cobra`s mind as the strains of the league-topping chant echo and fade. You are the topical Lewis Hamilton or, to use a Pauline analogy, Seb Coe of old. You open up a modest gap on your chasing opponents and maintain it for a while. You stumble and they begin to close. Life never stands still. You have two options. Slip further back as your heart beats faster. Or? Step on the gas and try to open a bigger lead. Step on the Gas? Well, we certainly did that, in more ways than one. And a pleasure it was to behold.COBRA posted by Cobra 8:35 am . . .
