O-Net Blog

Stand Up For The Orient

2011-02-21T13:04:00.001Z

Stand Up For The Orient

The Arsenal match has been well reported so I’ve decided to use this space for a more pressing concern, which is having a club to support at all in five, ten or twenty years’ time. As many people will know, West Ham are looking likely to move into the Olympic Stadium when the games are over, in direct contradiction to the regulations of the Premier and Football Leagues, not to mention the original “legacy” promises.

To put it simply, the rules of the two leagues forbid a big club moving into the catchment area of a smaller team, but this has been forgotten in the rush to find a use for this white elephant arena. The original bid specified that the capacity would be cut to 25,000 – West Ham are apparently to be allowed to make it 60,000 – which they will fill by flooding the market with cheap tickets, to our detriment.

There are three things you can do to help the fight against this – join the Leyton Orient Fans Trust (Google it), write to your MP (or Boris), or most simply, join our email petition with a short message of support to standupfortheorient(at)brisbaneroad.com

Thanks and up the O’s!

2010-10-25T20:57:00.003+01:00

Update - the BT site has finally gone live, under the title "Life's a Pitch".

I've fired off a slightly edited version of the last posting here, and the previous two have already appeared. You can find it at http://www.lifesapitch.bt.com/fanzones/league-one/leyton-orient

Don't send him off ref!

2010-10-25T09:34:00.002+01:00

Still no word from BT so no need to hit 200 words today! Just a few ramblings off my own bat about Saturday's game.

OK, my experience of the match was limited to Dave Victor's commentary on the website, as we drew 2-2 with a side apparently called "Tenmenswindon". Funny that Mr V's description of the home side was so limited, as he has so many names for the O's - "the East Londoners", "Russell Slade's men", etc, etc.

Having watched the video on Orient World, I can't see much wrong with the sending off. Odd that the home fans saved their chant of "you don't know what you're doing" until the ref had awarded the next free kick in their favour - a balanced sense of fair play, or are they just very slow on the uptake?

It was 0-0 when the red card was issued, and finished 2-2, so once again we failed to capitalise - though at least this time we held on for the point, unlike earlier in the season when Tenmencharlton scored twice without reply after going a man down.

Memo to next week's ref, whoever he may be - we'd very much like to play against Elevenmenrochdale.

Post for 18th October

2010-10-25T09:19:00.001+01:00

The second of the contributions for the BT site that went unseen:

O’s have the last laugh

Substitutions can transform matches and that was never more evident than at Brisbane Road on Saturday.

After a dismal, goalless first half when we might have imagined we were watching England, the Monkeyhangers dominated the first quarter hour of the second period. In fact, it was the 61^st minute before the ball found its way into (or rather over) their penalty area for the first time after the interval. By that time, an out-of-form “Lofty” Cox and a mainly-offside Alex Revell had been replaced by Paul-Jose M’Poku and Jon Tehoué, and the two Euro-forwards totally transformed the game.

While M’Poku tormented the ‘Pools defence to the extent that they eventually resorted to kicking him over the touchline, it was Tehoué who bundled in the late winner and make it a long journey home for the away fans. Ironically, the corner that led to the goal came as a result of a mis-hit free kick by M’Poku, who ended up on his backside to the amusement of the travelling supporters – well they weren’t laughing for long!

Just time to mention that the corner was taken by Charlie Daniels, easily man of the match out of those playing the full 90 minutes.

BT are late - no change there!

2010-10-25T09:15:00.003+01:00

New BT website - coming soon?

Several weeks ago I signed up as the O's contributor to the new BT football website. That was due to go live on 4th October, no sorry make that 11th October. I duly sent in my piece, and BT duly postponed for another week. Another week passed, and I sent in another piece, and... BT now say "don't send any more until we tell you". Technical difficulties apparently - no-one told them setting up a website is complicated!

So, until they get their act together, here's what you've been missing, starting with the post for 11th October:

Same old Orient?

What started as a season of promise and optimism has rapidly descended into the familiar relegation battle.

When the season kicked off, few O’s fans doubted that Russell Slade’s new signings were an improvement on the players they replaced. So why are the results not better too?

On Saturday at Hillsborough, we failed to convert possession and chances into goals, and paid the price. The home match with Charlton was a similar story - even when we beat Exeter 3-0 there should have been many more goals.

We’ve not really been outplayed by anyone this season, and got good results on the road at Southampton and Oldham. But we need to start putting chances away, and converting good performances into results, before we end up adrift at the bottom of the table. One more point would take us out of the drop zone at present, but there are already signs of a gap appearing above the bottom five or six.

After one point from two difficult away matches we have to convert home advantage into wins, starting with Saturday’s visit from the Monkeyhangers. Up the O’s!

That’s why you’re Going Down

2008-02-18T20:48:00.001Z

That’s why you’re Going Down

Luton Town (0) 0 Leyton Orient (1) 1

Nelson; Purches (Capt), Oji, Saah, Palmer; Gray, P Terry, Chambers, Demetriou; Boyd (sub Thornton 80), Ibehre.

How many times, this season and last, have we pondered the thought “I wonder what Martin Ling will be saying in the Dressing Room at half-time to lift the troops after that display? And how often have we left the ground feeling that he must have said something right to have achieved a second half result? Well, certainly not last Tuesday!! So then, the after-thought. What can he possibly say to lift the squad by Saturday? Answer? “We need a 90-minute performance.” Brilliant, yes? Or “That was easy; I could have told them that myself.” So it is with football management. Art or Science? Or just a doddle? Why is it that an apparently brilliant manager (in the view of many) cannot reproduce the same form that effectively won the game at almost unbeaten Leeds when we play at home to the hapless Crewe Alexandra, whom we have already beaten at Gresty Road? Or is it nothing to do with management skills? Is it rather that, in this much more competitive division (more competitive and even even than the other English professional leagues) there is actually very little to choose between a play-off challenging side (who managed to lead the league for a couple of months or more) and an apparently relegation-doomed outfit. Except, perhaps, for the business of Administration (though even the added ten points would do no more than give them 19^th place in lieu of the aforesaid Crewe.)

Statistics can lie, but are interesting all the same. Our heroes have won thirteen games this season, nine of them by the odd goal. The Hatters have lost fifteen times, ten of which were by the odd goal. Is there really that much between the two outfits? Indeed, is there a knack to winning by the odd goal or indeed losing by the same slim margin? The ever-perceptive visiting crowd at Kenilworth Road on Saturday saw a troupe of clowns in the homesters’ front-line. Shot after shot was ballooned high over the bar. “That”, we sang, “is why you’re going down!” Martin Ling, in praising the back four after the game, thought Stuart Nelson had had nothing really to deal with. A thousand and more FantasticOs will surely disagree from their vantage point behind Stuart’s net in the second half. There were plenty of close range efforts and more from distance, some of which, as noted, went high, wide and handsome, others of which Stuart was called upon to hold, palm out, tip over and so on. The point is this. A neutral could well have seen little difference between our failure to register against Crewe on Tuesday and the Hatters’ failure to produce a white rabbit on Saturday. The difference is that we succeed in tilting the balance our way (by the odd goal) more often than not, while Luton don’t seem to have that knack. Management skills or mere force of habit? Let us ponder the question.

Meanwhile, the Cobra’s journey to Bedfordshire was not without coincidence. The last time (recently) the wordsmith put pen to paper, the mood was sparked by a chance encounter with Kevin Scully, one of Bethnal Green’s finest. Last Thursday saw the Annual Meeting of the Trustees of the “Greencoat and Other Bethnal Green Educational Charities”, a remarkable body of some half a dozen trustees, at least one-third of whom are Orient supporters, in the shape of the Cobra and the aforementioned Rev Kev. And, alighting at Luton on Saturday from the first-class compartment of the St Pancras to Nottingham express (it has to be said in the company of a multitude of other apparently up-market traveller Orienteers), the Cobra was instantly accosted by none other than the self-same cleric, splendidly attired in Orient red stovepipe balaclava. He would prove a reliable guide to the ground and, as ever, a useful sounding-board for views on the game. But the coincidence was too much to be passed by. The coincidence was significant. Demons would be laid today. Coincidences maintained. In fourteen league games at Kenilworth Road, Orient had mustered fourteen goals, exactly one a game and one a game was maintained on Saturday. It was forty-six years, 1962, in fact, since our lads last won at Kenilworth Road in the league and that bogie was laid on Saturday. We had gone eight away games without a win, our longest such dry run of the season and that, too, is now behind us. Finally, it was 23 games since we last suffered back-to-back defeats, not a record we would want to give up lightly. Mercifully, that is now twenty-four.

The team that started was basically that which finished the game against Crewe, Tammy and Andy Barcham still injured, but Aiden Palmer replaced Charlie Daniels at left-back. Nobody told the Cobra whether Charlie was injured or whether this was merely a case of Buggins’s turn. One hopes the former, since Charlie, contrary to the view of some, offers attacking options which others don’t (remember Matt Lockwood?) and Aiden, though much improved this season, is still prone to be regarded by oppositions as a weak spot. Indeed, Luton would soon be directing most of their attacks down the right flank in an effort to expose that supposed weakness. Given the recent injuries, it was hugely heartening to see Sean Thornton and Alton Thelwell warming up with the squad beforehand even if, as transpired, the manager was not minded to bring either straight back into his line-up. Room would be made for Sean before the final whistle though, sadly, it would not prove a game in which one could disturb the defence to give Alton a run. And the football? To prove a point, the early exchanges were very definitely Luton’s, despite all protestations for an early, quick, forceful start. Clearly their motivation was greater than ours, spurred, too, by an early rendition of “Down with the Bournemouth, you’re going down with the Bournemouth.” No time to ponder that unique and stereotypical use of the definite article nor indeed, Luton’s somewhat scary use of Orff’s Carmina Burana to welcome the gladiators into the arena.

We chose to kick into the FO’s end of the ground which, while not entirely welcome, at least gave the wags a chance to remind Dean Brill of his less-than-fully confident performance at Brisbane Road a few weeks back. An early foray sees Terry find Demetriou, he on to Boyd and to Gray wide for a cross which is cleared. Calvin Andrew breaks down the left and crosses; we win a goal-kick, an early token of the Hatters’ ineffectiveness upfront. More Luton pressure before a free-kick gives us a breather. Terry takes quickly. The ball finds Boyd, to Chambers who crosses. Boyd again exchanges with Jason. Adam beats one and gives wide to Wayne Gray for a cross. Jabo in with a header which passes for a goal-kick. First real chance. To the other end where Palmer puts out for a throw from which Luton fashion a chance but the shot is high, wide and handsome. Throw Orient by the flag. Luton regain, Demetriou dispossesses. Terry to Jabo to Purches who breaks down the right and fires a low shot which whistles narrowly past the near post. Orient build again and win a corner on the left which Terry and Demetriou take short, passing back to Palmer for a rasping shot from twenty yards, but again wide. Now Orient down the right and Gray wins a throw by the flag. The ball drops nicely for Boyd who shoots. Shot blocked for a corner on the right. Jason takes. Much pushing around the edge of the box. Jabo shoots. Blocked again. Brill holds and Luton recover. They break down the right. Bell with a high cross which Nelson holds. Orient again but repelled and a free-kick conceded on the halfway line. Sol Davis takes. Demetriou clears. Luton again. Crossfield to the right flank again. Emanuel to Spring to Bell who is tackled by the ubiquitous Demetriou for a throw to Hatters some eight yards from the flag. The ball is crossed. Amazingly a free shot is allowed with only Nelson left in the breach. As amazing, the shot is ballooned high into the air for Stuart to rise and hold. Sighs of relief and first strains of “That is why you’re going down.” Nelson welts long. The ball off for a throw on the left, mid-half. Demetriou is embroiled with the diminutive Lewis Emanuel who appears to punch or butt our Jason, perhaps, it has to be said, in retaliation for something. Jason is seen to hold his face or nose. Emanuel will shortly change shirts and wear a numberless effort for the rest of the half, a move usually allowed only if there is blood on the original shirt. The decision seems clear-cut. A yellow card, perhaps for Jason. Red, for sure, for the hot-blooded Emanuel. Gasps of amazement when referee Joslin hands Jason the yellow card but restricts Emanuel’s penalty to the traditional “severe talking-to”. A clear cop-out from an official with whom we have had problems in the not-too-distant past.

Five minutes of end-to-end play with Luton attacking mainly down the right and tending to predominate. Jabo is penalised for an exceptionally high foot-up in the tackle and concedes another free-kick a few minutes later which results in a “stern talking-to”. Fifteen minutes in. The free-kick is on the right and Nelson rises well to hold. Orient resurge and Gray wins a throw a few yards from the corner flag. Purches crosses and Jabo flicks goalwards but Brill holds. Now Hatters cross from the right again. Nelson up but drops the ball under pressure, probably fouled. The ball is ballooned over the bar yet again. Stuart appears injured and requires treatment. We have the kick, be it goal- or free-. Orient win a free-kick five yards short of the centre circle for a foul on Jason D. Nelson to Gray to Terry and forward but cleared. Hatters again with a cross which Palmer clears. Luton again. Demetriou out to Boyd who is tackled somewhat fiercely by a former team-mate. Orient throw on the left, eight yards up from the flag. A patient build. Palmer, Terry, Boyd, Chambers, Palme, Terry, Palmer, Demetriou and a glorious backheel to Terry which catches the defence completely on the wrong foot. Paul’s cross is perfect and, as Davis fouls-up his clearance, Jabo Ibehre fires into the roof of the net via the underside of the crossbar. 1 – 0 Orient. Twenty-five minutes. Early by our standards. But very welcome. It will prove the match-winner and we will reflect that the scorer is very much the man in form. Indeed, perhaps the significant difference between these two apparently very disparate sides.

End-to-end play for a while with Hatters having more than their fair share of the action. Palmer gives away a tame corner which is cleared at the near post. Luton come again and switch the ball crossfield to the right flank for a high cross which Nelson holds well. Boyd to Gray on the half-hour and a fine cross which almost dips in at the far post but passes for a goal-kick. Now Boyd wins a corner on the left. Brill is up to punch clear but only to Paul Terry whose powder-puff return (a miscue surely) is cleared. Orient again but Jabo concedes a free-kick in mid-half on the right which Brill takes. Another infringement then gives Luton a dangerous free-kick on the edge of the box in the right channel. Once more, it is ballooned high over the bar and once again the massed choirs sing “That is why you’re going down.” Ten minutes left. Orient break. Boyd penalised for handball. Oji clears long and Brill comes out of his box, only just managing to win the ball. Luton attack down the right again. Nelson out to clear. Boyd is fouled but advantage is played. Chambers is floored and there is no redress. We are apoplectic. Luton return down the right yet again. A big cross. Stuart goes up, is fouled again, drops the ball but wins the free-kick and Referee Joslin now gives the stern talk to the experienced but aberrant Sam Parkin. From the kick, Purches to Gray who wins a throw just ten yards from the flag. Purches to Terry and back to Purches for the cross which Jabo nods on. The ball is cleared for a throw. Gray wins another throw just a yard from the flag. Cleared. Nelson to Chambers to Palmer to Jabo. Keith Keane in to hoof into the stand. From the throw, a Demetriou cross. Gray up but cleared. Chambers recovers and through to Gray but he is offside. Orient repel the kick. Through to Jabo who lays back for Purches to cross. It is cleared. Terry regains and on to Boyd who turns quickly and shoots, volleying on the turn, Brill just managing to hold. He gives long and Purches does well under pressure to clear to Gray. Luton come again, are repelled again. Palmer with a throw on the left. To Jabo and on to Boyd who is fouled. Free-kick on the left about three yards outside the box. Demetriou with the kick which is cleared. Adam Chambers tees up for one of his trademark shots when Paul Terry nips in and takes the ball from his toe!! Hatters clear and have time for one more huge cross, Nelson again holding safely, before half-time is called. We feel comfortable, if cold, and await the second, setting goal.

Orient kick-off, Nelson now with his back to the FantasticOs and the lively Demetriou soon wins a free-kick which he himself takes, Brill holding. Hatters clear and Palmer puts off for a throw five yards from the flag. A cross which Saah kicks high for a corner on the left which Morgan takes. Chambers with a great header to clear. The return cross passes for a goal-kick at the far post. Luton again and Nelson out to fire the ball onto the roof of the stand. Wasting time already??! Luton win a free-kick. Saah clears down the left. Jabo interchanges with Jason who fires a curling shot goalwards which Brill only just manages to hold. A brief period of Orient pressure ends with Jabo injured in the box, leaving time for the crowd to reprise “Where’s your money gone?” With a whole side of the ground devoted to “prawn sandwich” corporate entertainment boxes, it has to be said that this song seemed not a little incongruous. However, their problem remains. Luton throw in mid-half. A cross and Spring shoots high over the bar. Now a corner to Orient on the right. Demetriou takes and Jabo’s header is cleared off the line at the far post by Davis for a corner on the left. Jason again. Cleared at the far post again for a throw to the O’s. Luton now with the ball on the right. A cross which Purches clears. Morgan shoots. Again, high, wide and…. Nelson’s goal-kick is poor and Hatters return instantly with a good chance but a great tackle by Brian Saah, scurrying back, rescues the situation. Now Paul Terry’s cross sees Adam Boyd go down in the box. Joslin is unmoved and nothing is given. Kevin will assure the Cobra afterwards that it was a penalty! From the clearance, Calvin Andrew has a free shot from twenty yards which Stuart Nelson does well to hold.

Midway through the half and manager Harford begins to ring the changes introducing Paul Furlong for David Bell. Now Adam Chambers is fouled, as the tempo rises, and Sam Parkin is given the Yellow card. Luton again and a weak and woolly shot from Parkin brings a further round of “That’s why you’re going down!” Free-kick Orient just outside the box. Nelson takes. Gray up, Chambers in and concedes a free-kick. Luton shoot but it is wide, again. Twenty minutes left. Less even. Free-kick Hatters. A yellow card for Wayne Gray. Another free-kick. Sam Oji clears desperately. Hatters again. A cross and Paul Terry puts out for a throw. O’s clear and now Wayne Gray is fouled five yards outside the box, Demetriou again curling the kick which is cleared at the far post. Luton come again. A cross and a shot and Purches in with a great tackle to deprive Parkin and clear to Jabo. Hatters again and another cross which finds Paul Furlong with a diving header. Nelson bobbles the ball but holds at the second attempt. Twelve minutes left. Free-kick Orient for handball. Nelson takes. Jabo in and on to Boyd. Ball cleared. A series of throws to Orient. Sean Thornton is seen ready to come on and duly does so, replacing Adam Boyd, with Wayne Gray moving inside, Sean taking his customary but unwelcome wide-right role. A slightly strange substitution; an indication, perhaps, to Adam Boyd, that we cannot wait forever for his match-saving late goals, the more so with Jabo Ibehre in poaching form. The real motive, however, was surely to provide, without upsetting the industrious Gray, a fresh and more defensive wide midfielder for the game’s last ten minutes, a ploy which would evidently prove successful. A long throw from Palmer finds Gray whose through ball to Jabo is converted into a shot which passes only just wide.

Hatters are dominant for the next five minutes but come no closer than another high cross which goes well over the bar. More of the same! Throw Luton in mid-half. Oji clears. Luton again with a cross. Saah clears. Jason D is floored (again?) by the objectionable Emanuel who duly receives his thoroughly-deserved yellow card and another stern talking-to. Nelson with the free-kick. Wayne Gray up and on to Terry and to Jabo who is fouled. The ball is cleared. Palmer returns. Wayne Gray is downed but without redress. The ball is cleared. Jason D in with a tackle and he is floored. In seconds, a riot ensues with a huge melee of players, the young and explosive Jason clearly having been targetted for provocation throughout, ever since that first-half incident for which he was probably primarily responsible. One thing was clear. Referee Joslin lost control, the plot and seemed also to lose sight of the incident. For after a long-drawn out attempt to bring the handbags under control, yellow cards are awarded to Sam Oji and Steve Robinson who may or not have had anything to do with the fracas. A seemingly random judgment. It took more than three minutes to deal with this incident, so it was no surprise when the fourth official declared five minutes of added time, a welcome bonus for the Hatters but a mixed blessing, presumably, for the officials. As for the Orient, they didn’t look too fazed at the prospect of extra time. At the risk of offering hostages to fortune, the team seem to cope well with such situations these days. Possession football but sensibly so. Today, at least, there were none of the erstwhile antics at the corner flag which we have seen so often at Brisbane Road. Nonetheless, one little cameo from the experienced Sean Thornton is worth recounting. Collecting a Chambers clearance and heading off down the middle, Sean became aware that that passage was blocked. Turning through ninety degrees he took the ball in leisurely fashion out towards the left-hand touchline, a most bizarre turn of events in the ordinary way, but, in the circumstances a wonderful way to spend the last few minutes. Time still for one last big cross from the Hatters, which Oji clears. Then a final cross from the left and a Paul Furlong header which Nelson capably holds.

A comfortable win on balance, albeit by only one goal. A vast gulf between the two sides? Or just that one goal. Either view could be maintained. Stating the obvious, it is another example of the fact that sides with successful striking strikers tend to win. That said, we never felt we would lose, once Jabo’s effort went in. Much to play for now as some huge games loom. Vital that the crowd pulls its weight on Saturday. The home support, as so often in the past, has been a major letdown in the quest for points. And a solution to the original question? Good management or just good luck? Management indeed must be the answer. For in a division as competitive as this, a 1 – 0 win is worth its weight in gold. It is surely not luck, nor force of habit, that enables a side to churn or grind out 1–0 wins while others, towards the foot of the table, reproduce 1–0 reverses week by week. First a team has to be put together. Full marks to the manager for a brilliant Summer’s work. Then the squad needs to be bonded, a huge and important management task, requiring the skills of a trained psychiatrist. And then the maintenance of that spirit, the lifting week after week, game after game, and all without losing the support or respect of the players. And all this just to ensure an apparently tight 1–0 win and ensure those 1–0s more often than the 0–1s. No doubt in the Cobra’s mind. The management, or the management team, is all-important. And if, at times, the Cobra would have it differently, would rather, for example, see Sean or Alton returned to the side at almost any price, that is no more than a difference of opinion, a personal preference which should not be construed as a criticism.

And a postscript. A little angst, if that is right, at the fortunes of the Gas. For there, but for the Grace of God, went we. Watching that crucial goal go in over the weekend and hearing the dread sounds of “Goodnight Irene” yet again was almost enough to cause the tearing of the little remaining hair. But good luck to them, say all of us. And might they not now go one step better?

COBRA

Sing when you’re Winning

2008-01-21T20:47:00.001Z

Sing when you’re Winning

Leyton Orient (1) 2 Luton Town (0) 1

Nelson; Oji, Saah, Mkandawire (Capt), C Daniels; Thornton, Chambers, P Terry, Demetriou; Boyd, Barcham (sub Echanomi 59).

The Muse has been silent for a while now. A five-game losing run did not make for a Happy Christmas and New Year, nor did it produce anything to inspire. Selection problems there clearly were but, at that stage, the Cobra was loth to take issue with our manager for whose experience and skill he has far too much respect. However, with a five-game unbeaten home streak now in place, the Lady is stirring and two consecutive home wins, impressive in their way, yet posing many questions still, call for some attempt at analysis of what are clearly still awkward, if not unwelcome, problems in selection. The proximate spark, however, came from a chance and unexpected meeting outside the Supporters Club with an old acquaintance and one of our most notorious fans, none other than the Rector of St Matthew’s Church, Bethnal Green, one of the spiritual homes of the Cobras of yesteryear. The Rev Kev, as he is better known to the present generation of East-Enders, bemoaned the absence of the Cobra’s pennings, and made gentle efforts to revive the somnolent goddess. Another home win, in which we made very hard work of what might have been an easy task against a really quite impressive side, was thus sufficient to provoke the wordsmith into a review of the current situation.

Nothing is black and white in football. That said, experience suggests that there are a few hard and fast rules from which it is very unwise to depart, except in the most extenuating circumstances. One of those is that you should always play your strongest side. That, of course, begs the question. The point is, and even here not everyone will agree, that, in this current Orient side, Sean Thornton and Adam Chambers are head and shoulders above the pack. Previous experience alone should suggest as much, although Wayne Gray, too, of course, has played in the Premiership. Now Adam Chambers has been almost ever-present. Sean Thornton, by contrast, has missed ten out of our twenty-nine League and FA Cup games, almost one-in-three, and sat one out as a non-playing sub. Now his playing record (including games in which he came on as a sub) is little different from his non-playing record (if you will), at least in percentage terms. Played 18 Won 8 Drawn 5 Lost 5 versus Not played 11 Won 4 Drawn 5 Lost 2. Doesn’t seem to prove a lot. More victories (44% vs 36%) when Sean is playing but more defeats (28% vs 18%) as well. Interesting that our overall League and FA Cup record (and here I am supposing both Bristol Rovers Cup games to have been draws) comprises 41% wins, 31% draws and 28% defeats. So Sean’s presence makes absolutely no difference to the number of games we lose! But he does seem to make a slight difference in turning draws into victories. And this is actually the point at issue. The Northampton and Swindon draws could possibly have turned out differently had he not been suspended/injured. But he was, actually, not available! However, he sat on the bench for seventy minutes of the Yeovil 0 – 0 draw when his presence could well have made all the difference. On the bench again (and not used) at Hartlepool. And out of action for 70 minutes of the Gillingham game, too, another draw which could so easily have turned out differently. If any two of those games had been won, we should have been in second spot. For the moment, this lesson seems to have been taken and we must hope there is no further inclination to waste his talents.

But the selection problems now take a different turn. For, with Paul Terry playing at his best, Sean is left to fill a wide spot and this is causing two distinct problems. First, Sean is again wasted. He is not a wide midfielder. Second, we lose width on the park, even with the presence of a Jason Demetriou on the other flank, because Sean inevitably wanders in (as does Jason, though less so) to see more of the action. Orient played some of their best possession football for many moons on Saturday but it was largely conducted in the middle of the park and took the form of close, one-yard passes between a tight circle of players. Luton, by contrast, were perfectly capable (which we are not?) of making long, sweeping passes acrossfield direct to the feet of a wideman. Now whether or not we are capable of so doing (and Sean, for example, probably is while Adam perhaps is not) is open to debate. But without a wideman, the question, the tactic, does not arise!! So we are sacrificing a strategic asset -- width -- in order to fit Sean somewhere into our side.

But even this isn’t the real point. The real point is that, with Sean Thornton and Adam Chambers in central midfield, we have arguably the most powerful combination in the Division. A combination which could really boss the game, would keep us on the front foot, maintaining pressure which would surely lead to a goal against even the most defensive and negative of the Yeovils and Gillinghams of this world. How to resolve this issue? Not for the Cobra. The manager is paid to select. But one thing is clear. Sean must play in central midfield. We see a couple of options. Adam can certainly play at full-back. A waste, maybe, but tried and tested before and, all-in-all, making for an even stronger side. Paul Terry, too, can play at full-back, less satisfactory, it has to be admitted, given that Adam has the greater speed, but well-worth a try. So, first priority: bring Sean inside and play a wideman wide. Then? Try Paul Terry at full-back first for a couple of games, just to see the effect of playing Sean and Adam together in central midfield. If that creates more problems than it solves, then try Adam at full-back for a while. None of this is to denigrate either Sam Oji, who did commendably well on Saturday as a centre-back playing full-back, or our Captain. It is simply an attempt to live by the (almost) invariable rule that you should always play your strongest side.

Oh, and the game? A good side, Luton, who, but for their ten-point deduction, would be in mid-table challenging the Yeovils, Swindons and Brightons of this world. Adam Boyd was roundly jeered by the visiting hordes of Hatters in the East Stand and responded in the only way possible by scoring one and laying on the other. We seemed to have the better of a first twenty minutes in which few scoring chances were carved before giving up the whiphand either side of the half-hour. Historically, this was typical Orient. Dominate, don’t score, give up, concede. Not the present bunch, however. The hiatus was no more than that. A breathing space. Reculer pour mieux sauter, as they say. And mieux sauter we did, coming back into the game for the final ten minutes, with a peach of a goal. Luton break down the right. Captain-for-the-day Tammy clears to Adam Chambers who gives long. Hatters clear. Tammy puts out for a throw five yards from the flag. Chambers in with a tackle. Barcham in with a challenge, Oji with the final clearance. A fine, cross-field build-up follows. Sam to Tam to Sean and back to Brian Saah. On out to Charlie Daniels, to Jason D and overlap to receive a great through-ball. Goalkeeper Dean Brill comes out to the edge of the box to deal with the threat, fluffs the ball and leaves Charlie Daniels to give the perfect square-ball from the bye-line for Adam Boyd to tap joyously into the net. Rarely has the schadenfreude been tastier as the Hatters fans, who earlier were singing the prowess of Adam’s wrist, were now left speechless as he took the plaudits in the grand fashion for opening our account.

The second half began uncertainly. An early header from twenty yards is wide and high. Nelson finds Demetriou, via Boyd, and Barcham is put in, only to be fouled on the edge of the box. Referee Armstrong, whose performance was increasingly inconsistent, signals no infringement. Captain Chris Perry is booked for kicking away. Several minutes of Luton pressure; clearly theirs was the more rumbustious of the half-time talks. A cross from the left. Tam up, Terry out. Luton resurge. Daniels fouls Calvin Andrew and Hatters have the free-kick, five yards inside the halfway line. Tammy clears and, with great accuracy, finds Adam Boyd in the middle of the park. Top-class control, as ever, Adam slips a brilliant through-ball for Andy Barcham whose lightning speed takes him past two defenders before slipping the ball over, round and/or past the hapless Brill for Orient’s second. 2 – 0, home and dry. But nothing is ever so certain in this division and Luton began their recovery, cynically, one might think, by taking Andy Barcham out. Literally. Another cross, another clearance from the mighty Tam. Andy goes up with Chris Perry to head. They clash. Andy goes down. Now referee Armstrong either saw the incident at close quarters and adjudged Perry blameless or he missed the incident entirely. The Gallery view was the less charitable of the two. Maybe he realised that a second yellow card would have seen the dismissal of Perry who had already seen yellow. But many of the cognoscenti thought it a straight red card call in any event!! Perhaps there was merely a clash of heads; but in that case Perry was surely reckless at the very least! We should recall that Sean Thornton was dismissed the field at Elland Road for what many saw as nothing worse than this. But many saw this as a direct elbow to the face, in which case a red card was mandatory. Armstrong chose not even to talk to Perry. Yet he awarded a free-kick! Barcham is helped off, looking distinctly groggy, surely not the result of a mere clash of heads! Efe Echanomi replaces.

Now another of the Cobra’s minor moans revolves around Efe’s appearances as a substitute. Rarely do we see him for any length of time. Rarely does he get the chance to excel. Today would be different. Sean Thornton curls the free-kick just wide of the left-hand post with Brill less-than-well positioned. Hatters make a double-substitution, removing Robinson and Andrew. They break down the left and cross (always down the left!). Brian Saah completely misses the ball and Stuart Nelson is left to deal with the shot from point-blank range. Now Tammy is injured, a foul, clearly, but not given. Luton with a throw on the left. Adam Boyd is floored. Sam Oji in with a brilliant tackle. Back to Nelson under pressure and he hoofs into the East Stand in panic. From the throw, Daniels wins a goal-kick. Bell, much abused by the FantasticOs for his antics in the first-half, goes down, apparently injured, and receives much further abuse (verbal) from the fans. Boyd receives the goal-kick, wins a throw, which Daniels takes. Luton recover. Another big cross, again from the left. Nelson tips over the bar for a corner. Corner from the left. Massive melee. Nelson up but fails to punch and can only push the ball out. Keith Keane returns with a well-placed lob/volley over the pack and into the net. 2 – 1 and everything to play for!

Efe now much involved in centre-park. To Chambers. Intercepted. Luton clear. Daniels returns long and it is lost. Hatters a long crossfield ball to the left again. Oji out. Luton again. Chambers in and to Daniels and Demetriou and a perfect through-ball for Efe who is up and away. He rounds ‘keeper Brill with ease but oversteps and hits the bye-line, turning to shoot but finding the angle now too narrow. The shot is deflected for a corner. Gilt-edged chance. Blown. Daniels’ corner, clearly a practised set-piece, is angled back for Terry, outside the penalty area, who completely misses the ball (or was this a ploy??!!). It moves on to Chambers who delivers a rasping, low drive. This is blocked and deflected out. Luton clear and break down the left again. A cross which Tammy clears for a corner on the left. A repeat of the last disastrous effort but Nelson this time is able to fist the ball out successfully to Adam Boyd. Boyd to Thornton and back to Nelson to keep possession. Luton clear the kick. Daniels repels to Demetriou who is floored, Hatters still very much the more physical of the two sides. O’s free-kick ten yards beyond the halfway line. Demetriou takes quickly. Crossfield and through to Adam Boyd who controls well and has Brill alone to beat. In almost a carbon copy of Efe’s earlier mishap, Boyd beats the ‘keeper, over-runs and fails to shoot. Nowhere to go, he passes across the box but no-one is there to receive and another golden chance is blown away. The Cobra is reflective. Tranmere finished 3 – 0 and flattered us. This could have been 4 – 0, 4 – 1 and would not really have flattered us, certainly not on chances.

Half-hour gone. Luton again and Spring with a huge drive from all of forty yards. Nelson does well to get to it and palms out for a corner on the left. Déjà vu. Again. Substitute Furlong gets in a shot but Stuart holds safely. Long goal-kick finds Efe on the edge of the box. He is brought down but Armstrong turns Nelson’s eye to the incident – again! Hatters with a cross from the right. Tammy clears. Luton again from the left. Nelson holds the cross. Thornton breaks wide on the right. Oji crosses, Brill holds with Efe in close attendance. From the kick, Luton break down the middle. No offside is flagged and the defence appears AWOL. Stuart Nelson comes bravely out to dive at the feet of the opposing striker and save the day. End-to-end play for several minutes until Efe breaks out again and shoots from a narrow angle. The ball is deflected out. Thornton narrowly fails to connect and the ball is cleared.

Emanuel replaces Goodall for Hatters. Luton break with five minutes to go. Daniels plays Talbot onside. A curling shot which looks to be all the way. Nelson makes a late, flying dive and palms the ball over for a corner on the left. Spectacular. Orient clear. Luton return. A huge shot which hits Sean Thornton and deflects back to Nelson. Thornton goes down and the over-worked Lewis Manning is on the park yet again. Five minutes are added and are not without incident as Stuart Nelson is left to punch clear a last-minute free-kick from outside the box on the angle. He is felled as Luton remain “competitive” to the end. Orient have the free-kick and the game is safe!!

So, three points at home, again! A good result against an impressive, if quite physical side. But we made such hard work of it, as much through blowing two absolute sitters as through conceding a stupid goal when we were in the driving seat. It is to be hoped that Efe will be given another decent-sized substitution in order to make amends for today’s gaffe or, rather, to build on the experience thus gained. Let us hope, too, that we can continue the process of “continuous improvement”, as the Management scientists have it, and strive to find our “strongest” combination. If the squad is as well-bonded as their body-language suggests and the manager tells us, then players will understand the need for further experiment. On the other hand, perhaps we shouldn’t worry about the quality of the performance, provided we take the three points. Maybe we should just leave well alone and simply Sing when we’re Winning.

COBRA

Ray Goddard

2007-12-11T21:22:00.000Z

As yet unconfirmed, but it has been reported that former O's keeper Ray Goddard died this morning in Spain at the age of 58.

Ray was the goalkeeper in the 3rd Division championship side of 1969-70, and played in the first Orient game that I attended towards the end of that campaign. Regarded by many fans as the finest Orient keeper of recent years, he made his debut on the last day of the 1966-7 season, and became first choice for the no. 1 jersey the following season. He went on to make 311 appearances for the side before being sold to Millwall by George Petchey in 1974, having been replaced in the side by John Jackson.

Ray remained at Millwall for four years, before being transferred (again by Petchey) to Wimbledon. He later played for Wealdstone, and in recent years had been running a bar in Spain.

My condolences go to Ray's family, as I'm sure do those of all Orient fans. As a member of the team I first watched at Brisbane Road, he holds a special place in my memories.

Raymond Goddard 1949-2007. R.I.P.

2007-12-11T21:09:00.000Z

Enigma Variations

Leyton Orient (1) 2 Cheltenham Town (0) 0

Morris; Purches (Capt), Thelwell, Mkandawire, C Daniels; Gray (sub JJ Melligan 63), Chambers, P Terry, Demetriou; Boyd, Ibehre.

Sir Edward Elgar is arguably the quintessential English composer, evoking memories of the peaceful and idyllic Cotswolds, the Victorian fin de siècle and Edwardian era (the early days of our beloved football club) and even the East end of London. This year saw the 150^th anniversary of his birth (a debt is owed to our own Julian Lloyd Webber for prompting some of what follows) and the Bank of England chose this auspicious moment to remove the likeness of this great Englishman from our Twenty Pound notes and replace it with that of a Scotsman, and not just a Scotsman but an economist, to boot, and, moreover, one whose visage had already adorned some of the Scottish banknotes! This appalling gaffe was testimony not only to the modern, shrunken Bank’s questionable judgment but also to that of another Scot, the arrogant Chancellor (now First Lord of the Treasury) who sealed his reputation for cleverness by dismembering, within a few days of coming to office, a great institution which history had taken three hundred years to mould and put together. The Northern Rock fiasco, in which the new “Brown” Bank was hamstrung from acting effectively in a way in which its pre-Brown predecessor could so easily have done, is further testimony to his cleverness.

But back to the music! Elgar may well have had the Hackney Marshes in mind when composing the Cockaigne Overture but we doubt he gave us a thought when penning the Enigma Variations. An interesting word, Enigma, and Greek, of course in its derivation, we suppose it was first used by Aeschylus or Sophocles in telling the story of Oedipus and the Sphinx. But we won’t be going there! More interesting yet the Variant Enigmas before us at Brisbane Road. How can a team produce quite the worst performance of the season on Tuesday and, four days later, fashion a 2 – 0 shut-out victory, hardly elegant in its construct, yet infinitely more satisfying in its result? And how can the sometimes insouciant Adam Boyd, apparently incapable of heading a ball on Tuesday, rise above taller opposition to head home a glorious goal just four days later? And, perhaps the greatest enigma of all, why is it that some of us, nay many of us, feel an irresistible urge to take on the role of team coach every other Saturday, yelling our advice across the void that is Brisbane Road to a bunch of heroes who would hear anything rather than our choice words of wisdom?

If Tuesday’s loss to the Lions was hardly worth reporting, there is a sense in which Saturday’s performance was little better. Many of the details can therefore be spared. But, as ever, it is the psychology of the side that fascinates and some attempt at dissecting the game is therefore necessary. Our manager spoke, both in the programme and in his pre-match briefing to the Gallery faithful, of the need for patience, both on the players’ part and the crowd’s. And the theme recurred in his post-match debrief. We assumed he was telling us to wait patiently for the goal or goals that would secure the points. With hindsight, we now see it was also a reference to the style of play which was unusual, to say the least, and gave the superficial impression that nothing had been learnt from Tuesday’s defeat. An enigma, to be sure, and one that is still in the unravelling.

Robins kicked off and kicked South, a fact which encouraged the Cobra, if nobody else. The Professor observed that we had a left-handed linesman and this proved to be almost the last occasion on which we noticed the officials, a sure token that they performed well on balance. Indeed, there was a marked lack of coloured cards (one to be precise), another measure of a man in control of events. Orient’s first passing move ended with a long ball from Jabo to Chambers which resulted in a goal-kick. Frustrating in the normal run of things. Why waste possession with a hopeful long ball? The answer lay in the conditions. Sometimes very blustery, nay squally. Always wet, puddles in places and a heavy ball. In these circumstances, the long ball, not only clears decks but offers the opposition the opportunity to make an all-too-easy mistake at the back. Jason Demetriou now away on a run down the left channel. Jabo looks clear to his right and, for a brief moment, we see the daylight that indicates a successful through-ball is on. But it is in Jason’s current mind-set to plough on. No matter. So Jabo serves as a decoy and, hopefully, opens up a gap. But Jason’s run continues, as so often recently, just that nano-second too long. He shoots. The shot is blocked. The danger passed. The return shot passes for a goal-kick. Two options for Jason, then, aside from that early ball to Jabo, which, it is worth reflecting, is surely the ball that Wenger’s protégés would have given; either set yourself a target beyond the penalty spot and go, hell for leather for that target, just as Adam Chambers does so successfully at times (in short, get into the box), or take the pot a shade sooner. Town’s turn to use the long ball and a shot is deflected for a corner on the right. The wind and rain suddenly well up from nowhere, turning an unpleasant day into a positively awful afternoon. Thankfully, it will come and go. Tam heads the corner down and out. It is returned and Jason D clears off the line, giving long for a throw. The wind seems to be blowing from the South, strangely, an advantage to our lads. Purches is fouled and we have a free-kick but, from the kick, the ball is given away, the first of many frustrating errors which echo Tuesday’s debacle. Cheltenham break away but a brilliant tackle by Adam Chambers rights the ship at the cost of a throw. And so those opening exchanges continued, very much in Tuesday’s vein, but with the weather making conditions worse. Possession lost, time and again, often, but not exclusively, by the front men. Passes difficult to string together. But, on the positive front, Tam as ever solid at the back, some interesting and huge crosses from Wayne Gray in his new role, free-kicks and crosses, too, from Charlie Daniels of a similar ilk. But, above all, a hugely reliable Cat between the sticks. Reliable hands, reliable kicking - shades of yesteryear – and sensible short balls to the full-backs, Charlie especially, when they were on. The Cobra is delighted to see the Cat mature into such a fine ‘keeper, after so many false starts. Not only does the kicking seem under control but it is well directed. Instead of the very long ball which is gifted to the opposing netminder, we now find the ball landed with precision in mid-opposition territory, precisely where Adam, Wayne or Jabo would want to be competing for it, and still allowing the prospect of a nod-on without risking the possibility of the offside flag.

Twelve minutes in and a five-minute purple patch which seems to tilt the balance of fortunes in our favour. Cheltenham win a free-kick for offside (Jabo) and, from the kick, Orient are awarded a free-kick for an infringement. Daniels takes on the right, a huge left-footed inswinger to the far post where ‘keeper Higgs holds. Stall marked out! From the clearance, Purches gives away a throw from which Robins fashion a shot. Tam blocks. A second shot from distance. Adam Boyd clears. Adam Boyd? Yes. The same Adam. Ineffectual on Tuesday, work-rate doubled on Saturday. The second Enigma Variation. Now Daniels to Demetriou to Jabo down the left. To Jason again and he is upended by the corner flag. The free-kick is just a yard from the bye-line. Jason cleverly squares back to Charlie who gets in a trademark low drive. Blocked and cleared. Chambers heads back again. Tam feeds Charlie for another shot which wins a corner. Jason takes on the right. The corner is cleared at the far post. Getting closer! Robins give long. Alton Thelwell and Paul Terry combine to clear. Adam Boyd (yes, he again) sets up Stephen Purches for a cross. A melee in the box. Jabo, facing the South Stand, attempts an overhead scissors kick and is penalised for dangerous play. Higgs takes the kick from around the penalty spot. End-to-end-to-end play ensues. Thelwell clears. To Terry, Daniels and Demetriou. On to Boyd who gives a brilliant ball out to Wayne Gray but his cross-cum-shot is blocked. End-to-end again. Robins on the break. Thelwell tackles and finds Demetriou. To Jabo and Boyd who sets Jason free down the left. He shoots. It is blocked. Daniels retrieves for Demetriou to cross. Adam Boyd up with a header which Higgs rises to save, a very near miss. On Tuesday night, Adam had lost practically every aerial ball for which he challenged whereas Wayne Gray, by contrast, won a good percentage of his contested headers. Indeed, so marked was the failure that the fair Vicki remarked on his first success, well on into the second half, one of only two recorded. Today, however, the Boyd is on song. Enigma indeed! Twenty minutes gone.

Now Terry, Demetriou and Daniels with a cross to the far post which Higgs holds. O’s come again and another Wayne Gray cross is cleared. Cheltenham on a roll. Paul Connor and Gillespie look dangerous down the right. Thelwell and Daniels clear. Demetriou gives long and Higgs returns. Gillespie shoots from outside the box and the Cat goes down to save the slippery ball with confidence. Orient clear, are dispossessed and Terry gives away a corner. The ball finds Gillespie, just a few yards out. Amazingly, Charlie Daniels, is the wrong side of Gillespie who gets a free shot which Glen Morris holds, almost at point-blank range. Robins continue to rock. We give away a throw by the flag. The cross is headed out and Daniels concedes a corner which Purches heads out. Orient clear but Demetriou is tackled and dispossessed. Terry clears, Town again down the right. Wayne Gray clears for a throw and the immediate pressure subsides. Cheltenham have perhaps shot their bolt.

Orient resurge. Demetriou to Daniels and a brilliant cross to the far post but no-one there to take advantage and Higgs fields. Now Jabo lays back for Purches to cross and Adam Boyd shoots over the crossbar. Orient again with a throw on the right from which Purches wins a corner. Daniels takes. A raft of players – both sides - go up for it and all miss the ball which runs out to Jason Demetriou, wide left, for another cross but no-one gets up for it and the ball is cleared. Paul Terry intercepts and returns the ball to Boyd who sets Jason off on a run again down the left. Jason shoots, just wide of the right-hand post (as we look). Higgs’s kick is long and Orient win a couple of throws, some fifteen yards up from the corner flag. Cheltenham regroup. Gray up to clear. Robins again. Tammy out with the clearance. Robins again down the middle and the Cat comes out brilliantly to nip the danger in the bud. Five minutes left and Morris finds the on-form Boyd who feeds Gray wide right. This time the perfect cross. Adam Boyd is up for it, brilliantly outjumping his opponent to head the ball firmly and high into the net. One-nil Orient and near-perfect timing. We try to play out the rest of the half but Robins have one more card to play. Wayne Gray, fed by Boydy again, crosses low from the right. The ball is easily cleared and Robins break down their right. A dangerous cross but there is the Cat, out and brilliantly down to smother the ensuing shot. One minute is added but we are already seeking the warmth of the bar.

The second half, as often, was somewhat better and not merely because we were kicking South. Yet the visitors had the early half-chances, Gillespie shooting from outside the box in the opening minutes and watching as the ball passed safely wide of Morris’s left-hand post (as we look). Now Boyd sets Jabo off on a run and Higgs comes out to smother Chambers’ shot. Robins again. Daniels up to the cross and Gillespie again with a shot which runs for a goal-kick. Town now with a free-kick midway into our half. Alan Wright, sometime of England fame, takes the kick and Robins look dangerous in the box but order is restored as the Cat grabs at the ball on the line with the opposing striker just a yard off. Next, Boyd gets up to Purches’ cross but Higgs rises to hold. Orient again with a series of crosses, the last of which, from Purches, is near-perfect. The ball is cleared to Adam Chambers who steadies and shoots. The shot is blocked and rebounds to Adam Boyd who has an almost open goal. He shoots high over the crossbar. Ten minutes in.

Cheltenham again. Wright to Spencer for the cross. Thelwell out. Now Terry with a great cross which Higgs holds. Robins again. David Bird shoots. We look for a goal-kick but a corner is awarded. The Cat holds well on the goal-line. Demetriou to Terry who is dispossessed and Robins come again. Gillespie and Gill exchange passes. To Wright for the cross which Chambers clears. Jabo chases but the ball is passed back to Higgs who puts off for a throw five yards from the flag. Jabo runs with the ball but loses it. Wayne Gray regains possession and, in the box, slams the ball hard across the area. Rather too much so, as he concedes a throw on the far side. Orient break again and Purches feeds Jabo whose shoot is incredibly weak, a goal-kick ensuing. From the kick, Alton Thelwell clears under pressure. Robins return and win a free-kick some twelve yards from the flag. Morris holds the kick well on his goal-line. Robins again. Gillespie shoots. The Cat stops but offside has been blown.Town again, Gillespie again and Tam deflects for a corner. But Wayne Gray is sporting an injury and JJ Melligan comes on to face his old club, with almost half an hour left on the clock. Cheltenham, too, suffer an injury and a minute or two is lost for treatment. Robins continue to impress with Wright and Duff prominent but the next chance is ours as Daniels clears for Demetriou to go on a trademark run. He is tripped by Bird on the edge of the box but the cross is cleared at the far post for a throw. Twenty minutes in and manager Keith Downing brings on Ashley Vincent for Andy Lindegaard.

Two minutes on and another injury requires attention as Cheltenham’s Bird goes down, Chambers conceding the free-kick on the halfway line. It comes to nothing as Orient win their own free-kick for a foul. The game then turned on five minutes crucial action around the half-hour. Paul Connor suddenly finds himself free and on the break. The Orient defence appeal for offside but to no avail and are caught on the wrong foot. Connor steams on, Cat only to beat. Then from nowhere comes the enigmatic Adam Boyd, back to the rescue with a brilliantly timed tackle from behind. Robins still manage a shot which Morris saves superbly and another great tackle ensures the clearance. Downing takes Bird off and brings on Guy Madjo. Town return to the Orient penalty area but a fantastic tackle from Alton Thelwell dispossesses them and the ball is cleared. Paul Terry gives long but the ball is returned. Tam retrieves and finds Charlie Daniels, on to Adam Boyd and neatly back to Daniels. A big cross, which is slightly deflected en route and falls nicely for JJ Melligan whose glancing header is unerringly accurate and finds the net. 2 – 0 Orient and game sewn up. Yet, as so often, Robins redouble their efforts for one last fling. They win a corner on the left. Tammy clears but gives another corner, the decision hotly disputed by himself in particular. Thelwell clears this one but Sinclair robs Jabo and gets in a cross which Stephen Purches clears. Demetriou on the ball is floored and Gavin Caines earns the only yellow card of the game, a sure sign of opposition frustration. The Cat takes the free-kick.

Five minutes of two-way play with the visitors still straining to register. Tam puts out for a throw some fifteen yards from our corner flag on their left. Alan Wright with the throw. Adam Chambers intercepts and runs with the ball before putting Jabo through in the penalty area. He rounds ‘keeper Higgs close to the bye-line but the angle is too sharp and he crosses the ball only to find no-one there to receive and welcome the empty net. The ball is cleared and returned. Boyd gets into the box but is tackled. Another neat Orient build, as confidence grows, and JJ Melligan shoots from around thirty yards out, the ball deflected up for Higgs to rise and hold. Then, with less than five minutes remaining, Jabo finds Purches who wins a corner. The cross falls kindly for Adam Boyd who, evidently trying to ape either Jabo’s first-half spectacular, or Adebayor’s trademark aerial volley, lifts a leg high but fails to connect. Another header was clearly on but we guess Adam was exhausted by his Herculean efforts. We understand and sympathise. Robins respond but their response is increasingly hopeful. A shot from twenty-five yards passes wide of Morris’s post. Spencer is removed and Michael d’Agostino brought on. Another hopeful shot from thirty-five yards out sails harmlessly over the crossbar. Four substitutions and a goal and two or three significant injuries requiring treatment on the pitch, we figure five or six minutes time to be added. The fourth Official signals a mere two, the officials evidently having decided that Robins could stay there all day and not score. And so our promotion push gets back on track. But the doubts remain. And we ponder the enigma that is Adam Boyd, today’s match-winner beyond doubt. Enigma also the team itself, Jekyll yesterday and Hyde today. Oh yes, and the ersatz team coach in the Gallery. A well-meaning individual, beyond question, but clearly an ongoing irritant to Martin Ling. It wouldn’t be football and, in particular, it wouldn’t be Orient, if we didn’t have our opinions and didn’t want to broadcast them. Just look at this lengthy screed!! But why do some of us feel the urge to take over the manager’s role in mid-game? And so publicly. It will remain an enigma.

COBRA

2007-11-12T21:11:00.000Z

Hype and Counter-hype

Leyton Orient (1) 1 Bristol Rovers (0) 1

Nelson; Purches (Capt), Thelwell, Mkandawire, C Daniels; JJ Melligan (sub Thornton 64), Chambers, P Terry (sub Echanomi 81), Demetriou (sub Corden 64); Boyd, Gray.

Anyone who reads the Matchday Programme (pardon me, Magazine), will quickly have absorbed the central message set before the fans this week. For Chairman, Manager and Captain were all extolling the virtues of a competition which has lost a lot of its historic attractiveness, at least to the fans and media. We were reminded time and again, as if we needed reminding, of the great days of 2006, just last year in fact albeit two seasons ago, when we trooped in vast numbers to both Craven Cottage and the Valley for what, to us, were titanic struggles with Premier outfits Fulham and Charlton. Whether those opponents felt the same way was and is an interesting question. Those top-flight clubs clearly retain an interest in our oldest competition (and the world’s) though one wonders sometimes whether this interest merely seems so by comparison with their clear lack of enthusiasm for the Carling Cup. And that is surely to damn with faint praise! No wonder M.Platini seeks to award an automatic Champions League place to the FA Cup winners. A crock of gold which would surely prove too big a carrot for the biggest to resist, it would certainly restore much of the lost glitter to this ancient tourney, rightly or wrongly so.

Indeed, our manager embellished the spin, in his pre-match talk to the Gallery faithful, by supposing that a good Cup run would increase the size of the resources available to him in the January window. This within a short while of the Chairman’s having announced that the need for provision of those resources was debatable. And Martin went on to speculate which positions he would want to be strengthening, a titillating tidbit to set before us as we wound ourselves up for arguably the least interesting draw of the entire round. So, the message was clear. Win this one and the next in style and a January meeting with a “bigger” outfit would guarantee a spending spree in those January sales.

So salivating at the prospect, we went out to watch what proved to be one of the more lifeless displays of this season. Indeed, it seemed that, so keen were the management to persuade the fans, that no-one had bothered to tell the players. Now the Cobra has been researching these early rounds of the Cup for the last two or three seasons and believes there is a theory in the making. So stratified has English professional football become that it is much easier now to predict the results of these cup games than it was, say, just five years ago. Indeed, as a general rule, teams from League One enjoy a very high success rate when playing a non-league side, and almost as high a success rate against League Two teams. Of twenty-four starters, only two (League One outfits) failed to make the draw for the Second Round and that dubious distinction fell to out-of-form Yeovil at Conference high-flyers Torquay and the team with the most abysmal away record of all, a record which would not even run to a win at Barnet! Step forward our erstwhile conquerors, Gillingham. Yet, of the remaining twenty-two, as many as twelve were held to a draw and, if one abstracts the six who, like ourselves, faced League One opposition, the identity of the remaining six is of interest. For Leeds, Notts Forest, Carlisle and in-form Luton were amongst those who failed to beat lowlier opposition and to those one could add Doncaster and……….Leyton Orient.

It would seem, then, that the players at these promotion-contending clubs are not singing from the same sheet as their Chairmen and managers; that, as for the Arsenals and Chelseas of this world, the League competition, with its financial rewards, both bonuses and the higher pay scales which promotion would inevitably entail, is all-consuming. The Cup may be seen as a distraction, and maybe an unwelcome distraction, to a team in form. Nobody wants to get injured or sent off. Indeed, thoughts are very much on that next League game and, in our case, the Sky TV cameras that will accompany it. Nonetheless, the paymasters desperately want that Third Round plum and, such is the evidence building behind the Theory of Stratification that the Cobra decided to put his money where his mouth was. A brief summary of the results awaits those with the energy to reach the end of this week’s epic.

Meanwhile, we had wondered how and when Sean Thornton would be injected back into the side. The sort of team selection problem which Martin Ling likes to say he relishes. Too many good players for only eleven places. After four weeks and four games out, Sean must have felt badly in need of match practice. The Cobra would have granted him that on the grounds that you always pick your most powerful eleven, though who might have stood aside for him is not for discussion here. Martin preferred to reward those who had played so well at Swindon and start with Sean on the bench, so denying the match practice and delaying the difficult question. An unchanged Orient, therefore, lost the toss and kicked off in a southerly direction. The ball is passed from Boyd to Chambers to Demetriou, Daniels and again Demetriou and Orient win a throw. Jason to Wayne Gray who loses the ball. Tam is up for the clearance. To Daniels, Thelwell, Purches and a long ball. Gray, Boyd, Chambers, Purches and a through-ball which is cleared. Thelwell clears the clearance long. To Chambers, Terry and Boyd who gives the ball away. Rovers on the attack. Thelwell with the tackle. Rovers return. The ball runs back to Stuart Nelson. Pirates again from the kick. Cleared to Wayne Gray. To Chambers for a through-ball to Wayne Gray, a half-chance which is cleared. Rovers break quickly, a shot from inside the box which Nelson holds easily and kicks long for Wayne Gray. To Purches and Melligan who gives inside but the ball is cleared and Purches gives up a throw ten yards from the corner flag. Gas a big cross which Nelson holds at the far post. Gas again from the kick and Tam clears and Steve Phillips comes out of his penalty area to kick long. Daniels intercepts and Tam sweeps acrossfield to Melligan. On to Wayne Gray who lays off for Melligan who bursts through to shoot ten yards over the crossbar. Five minutes.

We win a corner on the right. Daniels cross is cleared. Demetriou returns with a cross which is cleared. Purches and Daniels intervene and pass back to Nelson. Rovers again. Terry up and out. Gas again with a big long ball-cum-cross which Nelson retrieves at the edge of the box and to one side. Short to Melligan, on to Purches and back to Chambers, he back again to Thelwell and on to Tam. Long for Jason who glances the ball on but loses it and the ball is passed back to Phillips whose unusual and bright attire brings some in the Gallery to question his sexual orientation. Terry intervenes and finds Purches but his ball is long and lost. Chambers gets up for the clearance and picks out Melligan but again the ball is lost. Boyd recovers and to Purches, on to Chambers, back to Terry and on to Melligan whose cross is headed back to Phillips. Ten minutes.

Daniels picks up the ‘keeper’s kick and gives long to Gray, he back to Boyd who gives on to Melligan but a poor cross is easily cleared. Rovers break down the middle and Tam is beaten for the ball, a rare occurrence indeed but typical of the lack of focus which is characterising much of the Orient’s passing today. Rigg shoots from thirty yards and the ball passes only a yard outside the right-hand post. Nelson to Terry and back to Tammy, Thelwell, Melligan, Chambers. To Daniels and back to Chambo. To Terry, Daniels and back to Terry. On to Boyd who gives a through-ball for Gray which is intercepted. Terry regains, finds Melligan. To Purches and back to JJ but he is tackled and the ball cleared. Thelwell out of defence but Rovers come again. Orient win a free-kick for a foul against Jason Demetriou who, thinking to see advantage, takes the kick quickly. Too quick even for his team-mates. Rovers intercept and counter-attack and Nelson goes up to hold the shot. Short to Melligan, on to Terry and through for Gray who goes down in the box, looking as likely a dive as a foul, and referee Trevor Kettle wisely decides to ignore the entire incident. Phillips gathers. Gas on the break and Rigg again is through, now with only Nelson to beat, when Tam gets in a superb tackle from behind to rescue the situation. Another through-ball for Wayne Gray again finds its way back to Phillips who kicks long. Paul Terry gets up to head clear and Danny Coles clears decks for the Gas, this time onto the roof of the East Stand where the descending sphere lodges in the gutter, a rare event, and to the delight of the Orient fans. Fifteen minutes gone.

Rovers win a throw. Demetriou retrieves, to Chambers and Terry and intercepted. Rovers sweep crossfield. Carruthers, Jacobson, Campbell, Elliott and Lines who gives wide right. A big cross but over the crossbar. Nelson finds Boyd, he to Melligan and back to Boyd where the ball is intercepted. Adam seems foremost amongst those with no serious appetite for the game today. Pirates win a free-kick for a foul by Adam Chambers. Elliott takes, finds Lambert who nods down for Carruthers who makes ground down the line, nutmegs JJ Melligan and crosses for Tammy to clear. On to Wayne Gray and out to Jason Demetriou who beats one defender and puts in the perfect cross. Both Boyd and Gray are up for it and Boyd sensibly seems to leave it for his compatriot who powers a strong header into the top right-hand corner of Phillips’ net. 1 – 0 Orient and, for the second successive home game we have a first-half strike. Wonder of wonders! Rovers kick-off and give to the right where Demetriou intervenes and promptly gives the ball away again. Rovers a through-ball which Nelson fields. He kicks long, JJ runs through in attack and forces a corner on the right. Daniels with a left-footed inswinger. It is low, too low, and cleared at the near post for a throw to Orient. Purches to Boyd who wins another throw just two yards from the flag. Twenty minutes in.

Purches to Chambers to Demetriou who does well to make ground before the ball is cleared in the tackle. Purches again to Chambers, Thelwell and Tammy, good possession stuff this, and on to Boyd who flicks inside to Paul Terry. Back on to Boydy who shoots from twenty-five yards out and sees the ball sail a good ten feet over the bar. The goal-kick is long and Nelson comes out to field, finding Boyd who gives up a throw in mid-territory. Tam intercepts and passes back to Nelson but his clearance is poor and allows Rovers in with a shot which Paul Terry clears at the last ditch, Nelson suffering injury in the ensuing mêlée. The game re-starts and Orient win a free-kick, probably for handball since offside was out of the question. It is long and finds Wayne Gray who appears to be fouled but gets nothing for his pains. Chambers intercepts the clearance and finds Purches who makes ground and wins a throw a couple of yards from the corner-flag. Purches to Boyd to Purches and Chambers and lost. Pirates sweep crossfield to their right. Daniels in but unsuccessful and Campbell finds Carruthers and Jacobson. Melligan intervenes, is fouled and we have a free-kick. Gray is up for it but is dispossessed and Rovers win a throw on the halfway line. Tam battles with Rigg for the ball and comes out on top, finding JJ who gives away a throw in mid-half. Melligan recovers the ball and runs but Rovers win the goal-kick. It is long and cleared, Daniels getting it away. Gas attack again. Lines to Green. Chambo tackles and Orient win a free-kick for a foul on Tammy. Nelson to Melligan (this short ball the Cobra finds infinitely preferable to the long and usually futile hoof), he back to Thelwell and he back to Nelson again. Cautious stuff. Rovers retrieve the kick and break down the left. Melligan intervenes and wins a goal-kick. It is long. Phillips fields and kicks long. Thelwell clears for a throw ten yards from our corner flag. Cleared up to Wayne Gray, he inside to Boyd, back to Gray and crossfield to Daniels and Demetriou. To Terry and Chambers. A long ball to Purches. On to Melligan and in to Gray who gives a superb wide ball back to JJ. His cross is cleared to Purches who crosses again. Cleared again, now long to Rigg who suffers another brilliant tackle from Tammy in the box. Corner Gas. This is short and a dangerous cross is punched away by the rising Nelson. Free-kick Orient for the foul. Half an hour gone.

Nelson, Demetriou, Boyd and lost. Chambers recovers and Demetriou wins a throw midway into their territory. Rovers clear. Tam with the tackle, giving a throw. Tam again, now to Gray who is tackled and the ball cleared. Alton Thelwell intervenes, is fouled and we have a free-kick halfway into our half. Pirates clear decks and break away. Thelwell clears the cross. Another cross which Tammy heads clear. Purches does well to work the ball up the line. Back to Boyd and Chambers and Demetriou on the left who wins a throw five yards from the flag. Daniels and Demetriou work another throw, close to the flag and Daniels and Boyd win a third which, to the surprise of many, Boyd shapes to take. It is long and makes it into the box before Rovers clear. So, Cup games make for experiments. Short goal-kicks and now, a long throw expert to replace Jason Miller. Purches recovers the clearance, on to Melligan, back to his captain for a through-ball which is cleared long. Nelson comes off his line to field and kicks long. Gas clear. Tam gives away a throw. Rovers in the mix. Thelwell to the rescue. Rovers return but Rigg concedes a goal-kick. Boyd up to win a throw. To Terry but cleared. Terry again to Boyd but lost. Rovers break with a through-ball which Tam heads out. Daniels to Demetriou who gives long and the ball is passed back to Phillips. The pace quickens amid a flurry of free-kicks. Thelwell is penalised for a foul and Rovers have a free-kick five yards inside the halfway line. Campbell with the kick which is headed across the penalty area. Looks dangerous but Nelson is fouled and we have the kick. Now Purches is fouled and we have another free-kick just ten yards outside the box. Daniels takes, short to Demetriou and back to Daniels whose shot is now blocked and Orient have the throw. Demetriou back to Purches and he back to Nelson. Cautious stuff again. Nelson’s long kick is returned by Phillips. Tammy is penalised for “leaning” and Rovers have a free-kick ten yards outside the penalty area on the right. Campbell with the kick and Elliott with a glancing header which passes safely, if narrowly, for a goal-kick. A minute is added, time still for Lines to head a Campbell corner over the bar, but the Cobra is long since retired to the Gallery bar to check on the Theory of Stratification. Disturbing news from Notts Co, Stockport, Barrow, Carlisle, Altrincham, Lincoln and elsewhere suggest that the theory may not be worth the paper it is written on but, in reality, it only goes to show what we all already know: that every game is a game of two halves. The one redeeming feature, aside from the first-half strike, is the fine performance of Paul Terry, playing, not for the first time, in front of watching brother John and conscious, no doubt, that, if Sean Thornton is to return, he, Terry, will be amongst the principal contenders for the early bath. Indeed, as the Fantasticos re-assemble, the Resident Referee and the Law Librarian are in deep debate, not so much on the need for substitutions, which seems universally agreed, but rather as to who will come on and how Martin Ling will effect the changes.

Indeed, as the football quickly deteriorated still further, this debate was almost all that held the interest through the early second half, though not before an early flurry. Orient threatened first with Demetriou feeding Gray for a cross which was cleared. Just as soon, however, we are conceding a free-kick to the visitors just five yards outside the penalty area. Elliott and Coles shape to take, the former stepping aside for the latter to take the kick which hits the top of the crossbar, albeit Stuart Nelson seemed to have things well under control. Rovers return and Tam intercepts, setting Wayne Gray off down the left. He crosses for Boydy who gets up for it but is beaten. The ball reaches the far post and JJ Melligan gets in a shot from about five yards out which Phillips parries for a corner on the right. Daniels takes, left-footed and inswinging, as usual. Chambers gets up and gives a great ball on to Paul Terry but this is intercepted. Rovers break down the left, Chambers tackles, Terry clears, Rovers return. Igoe on to Green, wide right, and he to Lambert but Terry intercepts. Up to Boyd who loses the ball. Chambers recovers and gives the ball away again to the huge frustration of the crowd. Orient under pressure now. A cross which is cleared. Rovers switch wide right to Green. Daniels tackles for a throw by the flag. And another. Terry up and out. Demetriou gives away a throw in mid-half and Green breaks down the right. Jason concedes another throw by the flag. The ball is crossed, Tam clearing decks. Igoe returns a shot from outside the box and his low drive passes wide of the left-hand goalpost (as we look from the west). From the kick, Gas attack again, now down the left. A great cross which Stuart Nelson has to fist away at the near post. We have the throw and build a useful move but Chambers’ final through-ball finds no-one to receive. Now Gray is caught offside. Tam and Purches clear the kick but Rovers return and Lines’s through-ball finds Lambert free to shoot but the shot is awkward and passes wide of the right-hand post. Ten minutes in.

From the kick we win a free-kick in the centre-circle. Ball given away. Nelson’s next kick finds Demetriou who raises the excitement level by beating Phillips on the edge of the box only to be penalised for an infringement. Now Rovers down the right. JJ intervenes and the ball is hoofed into the East Stand for a throw. Rovers down the right again and Tammy now hoofs into the West Stand. Rovers throw. Goal-kick Orient. Rovers return again but Orient win a free-kick for offside. Fifteen minutes gone. Another several minutes of back and forth but fruitless play and Martin Ling, evidently aware of the crowd’s restlessness for change, pre-empts his favoured sixty-fifth minute by at least sixty seconds, introducing Wayne Corden for Jason Demetriou and Sean Thornton for JJ Melligan, an elegant and readily-explicable brace of substitutions. No let-up on the pressure, though, as, a minute later, Rovers shoot from outside the box. Terry blocks the shot. Rovers shoot again. Chambers blocks the shot. Orient clear. Gray through to Boyd on the break. Goal-kick Bristol! Ling’s substitutions have evidently thrown Paul Trollope who takes a full three minutes and more to re-act before eventually unveiling his own double-substitution. Richard Walker, he of the two penalty kicks at the Memorial Ground, comes on for Jacobson and Andy Williams replaces the luckless Sean Rigg. More two-way trade ensues. Thornton soon in the mix with a great ball through to Wayne Gray who runs into the box and shoots, only to see his shot blocked. Thornton returns to Boyd but the ball is lost. Terry recovers. To Thornton and back and crossfield for Daniels. To Corden and returned but intercepted and cleared. Now Gray is penalised, Rovers have the kick and we are under pressure again. Chambers clears, Rovers return. Nelson fields. Twenty minutes left.

Orient now on the attack and Wayne Gray with a huge cross which hits the top of the crossbar, Phillips apparently covering the kick. Now Rovers with a long cross. Green looks offside but nothing is given and Purches concedes a corner. Campbell’s inswinger is headed over the bar by Tammy for another corner. Daniels clears. Rovers again with another cross which Nelson comes out to field. To Terry and on to Corden and Gray who centres. Boyd gets up and nods across the face of the goal to the near post where Thornton is steaming in to connect but narrowly fails to do so. Goal-kick! The kick is long and Chambers and Thornton clear. To Corden and Gray who lays back for Boyd to shoot from thirty yards out. Phillips goes down to save. Now Gas on the break and Walker shoots over the crossbar from around the penalty spot. Now things start to fall apart. Corden clears the next attack. A loud shout for handball against Rovers is not given. The ball is crossed from the left and appears to go for a goal-kick. A corner is signalled, Daniels perhaps getting the final touch. Elliott goes up with Tammy who wins the duel but concedes another corner. Campbell takes on the right. The defence freezes and Rickie Lambert is given space for a diving header to level the scores. 1 – 1. Less than ten minutes remaining. Martin Ling brings Efe Echanomi on for Paul Terry. Clearly a replay is almost as unwelcome as defeat itself and a three-striker ploy is evidently a gamble. Paul is obviously hugely miffed at missing the last nine minutes following such a sterling display. We are left to reflect on whether team cohesion might better have been preserved had Wayne Gray or Adam Boyd made way for Efe.

From the re-start, Corden’s cross is cleared and Thornton returns for Purches to shoot over the bar. Rovers break fast from the kick but Purches is back to win a goal-kick. Now Gray concedes a free-kick five yards into our half. Tam clears the cross for a throw three yards from the flag. A big shot is blocked by Sean Thornton and cleared but only to Campbell on the right. Daniels heads out the cross. A ball crossfield for Thornton is intercepted and Tam runs into trouble trying to clear and seeks the safety of the East Stand with a big boot. Orient recover and work the ball up for a throw just ten yards from the flag. Chambers puts Gray through and he crosses from the bye-line but Phillips holds. Orient try again and we are treated to the rare sight of Efe Echanomi roasting his opponent for sheer speed and crossing the ball from the right only for Phillips again to hold safely. Two minutes left and Orient win a throw for a foul on Daniels. Nelson advances to the halfway line (or five yards shy) to take the kick. It is long and wasted, running for a goal-kick. Three minutes are added. O’s continue to strive and Thornton’s free-kick is saved by Phillips. Trollope runs down the clock by bringing on Craig Hinton for Chris Lines in what proves to be almost the final throw of the dice. The Cobra is already persuaded that we have another trip to the Memorial Ground to look forward to (if that is the right sentiment) and again makes an early break for the bar. Not one to remember. Bring on the Seagulls.

Oh yes. The Theory of Stratification. Here are the Stats. Assume the punter buys the Mini-performance spread of each senior team (this spread rewards goals scored as well as the result) in a modest £2 stake. If all 24 games had resulted in losses for those senior sides backed with no goals scored in each case, then the punter loses £1,688!! But recent history suggests that the senior sides tend to do rather well. Let us see.

League One vs Non-League (Away) P 5 W 3 D 1 L 1 Punter wins £36

League One vs League Two (Home) P 5 W 3 D 2 L 0 Punter loses £4

League One vs League Two (Away) P 8 W 4 D 3 L 1 Punter wins £42

League Two vs Non-League (Home) P 4 W 3 D 1 L 0 Punter wins £72

League Two vs Non-League (Away) P 2 W 1 D 0 L 1 Punter wins £10

Total winnings £156!!!!!

The Cobra was not that bold and selected his choices, wisely avoiding Yeovil at Torquay and Macclesfield at Rushden and Gillingham at Barnet but also foregoing Dagenham’s success and Millwall’s, Swindon’s and Tranmere’s. As of Saturday evening the Cobra was down £14. But then came Hartlepool………..

Up the O’s.

COBRA

2007-11-06T13:27:00.000Z

‘Old ‘em Tight

Leyton Orient (1) 1 Oldham Athletic (0) 0

Nelson; Purches (Capt), Thelwell, Mkandawire, C Daniels; JJ Melligan (sub Corden 83), Chambers, P Terry, Demetriou (sub Saah 88); Boyd, Ibehre (sub Gray 62).

And tight it was -- the game, that is -- and tight it remains, with seven points now spanning the top ten and just four points separating first and seventh. The Cobra was not at Doncaster, so ending a run of nine consecutive matches, home and away, something of a Personal Best. But he was as disappointed with the result, and especially the manner of so quickly blowing a hard-won lead, as was our illustrious manager. The Cobra had noted, a week previously, that we were following a run of half a dozen difficult duels (which culminated at Elland Road) with eight games which were, for the most part and at least in theory, eminently winnable and that we desperately needed a decent haul from those games, not least because all our challengers – Leeds apart – each had a number of difficult games against other contenders in this period. On paper, at least, our two most difficult challenges were at Doncaster and Swindon (on Tuesday upcoming), so the loss of three points last week, though regrettable in the circumstances, may not be such a disaster – provided always that we win most of those next six!

Such was the backdrop to the visit of the lowly Oldham – lowly in station, maybe, but not, our Manager reminded the Gallery, in repute, their early, poor form perhaps a classic case of post-play-off paralysis. They had underlined their potential with a 0 – 0 draw at Notts Forest in midweek and were not to be underestimated, for all their under-achievement. With Sean Thornton still sitting out the game in the Gallery, there was only one change to the starting line-up, with Brian Saah stepping aside for Alton Thelwell. This was an interesting selection. For Brian had filled in splendidly for the injured Alton against Port Vale and had kept the position, even though Alton was fit again and on the bench, at Doncaster. Was this simply a case of giving the Club Captain an extra week to recover or was it a tacit admission of a rare mistake in not giving Alton the start at Donny?

Orient lose the toss, kick off and kick South. The ball is passed back to Charlie Daniels who gives long and Latics deposit the ball into the East Stand to avoid risk. Orient’s throw is cleared. Tam gets up and heads clear. Oldham return the ball and Alton Thelwell now clears to Boyd, he on to Jabo Ibehre who wins a throw. The throw to Adam Chambers, he on to Jabo who takes the ball forward but is tackled on the bye-line. Ball cleared. Throw O’s. Stephen Purches takes. Back to Thelwell who sweeps acrossfield towards Jason Demetriou but Latics intercept and pass back to netminder Marlon Beresford. His kick is cleared and Purches moves on to Boyd who is caught offside. Free-kick Athletic. Beresford takes in mid-half. Thelwell up and out. To Jabo who gives down the line but the ball is cleared. Purches up with his head, Melligan up with a header, Terry up to head and is fouled. No response from referee Andy Woolmer. Now there’s a name which resonates. May 6th 2006. He it was who blew up so authoritatively for Craig Easton’s goal which barely crossed the line in ‘keeper Turley’s hands at the Kassam Stadium. Nor was that the first time that he had overseen the Orient’s efforts, and satisfactorily, if not even with distinction. Today, however, there will be doubt in many an Orient shirt as the benefit of the doubt is given to some fairly aggressive, competitive players -- and not all of us like aggressive; to some fairly taller-than-average players -- and we don’t like tall; to some speedier-than-most opponents; and – remember Hartlepool, Gillingham and Swansea – we certainly don’t like speedy! For the moment, though, we scratch our heads and are reminded that our resident referee doesn’t like “short-houses”.

Tam intervenes to give a throw in mid-half. It is long and Tam heads out. Adam Chambers finds Jabo, apparently in our half, and he is flagged for offside!! From the kick, another free-kick, now conceded by Adam Chambers, two yards inside the halfway line. Tammy to Chambers with the clearance and a throw to Athletic midway into our half. Tammy and Chambo again combine to clear. To Charlie Daniels, Tam and crossfield to JJ Melligan, he back to Purches. Long for Jabo who is offside. Thelwell and Purches together clear the kick. Latics return with a cross from the left. Tam stretches to clear. Latics again. Daniels up and out and Demetriou wins a throw in mid-territory. Under the cosh for a while there! This is supposed to be easy! Daniels with the throw to Jabo and another throw for the Orient, a yard over the halfway line. It is long, too long and runs back to ‘keeper Beresford. Throw Athletic, fifteen yards up from their corner flag. Paul Terry intervenes, finds Melligan and Jabo. On towards Terry but intercepted. Foul and free-kick Oldham five yards short of the halfway line. Thelwell clears for a throw five yards from the flag. The ball is swept crossfield and then crossed from the right. Gary McDonald is in at the near post, unmarked, and shoots high over the bar, to our great relief! Now Jabo to JJ but lost. Daniels recovers, finds Demetriou, he on to Jabo for a delightful angled header back to Daniels, by now on the overlap, and Charlie meets the perfect pass with a rasping, low drive, straight into the far right-hand corner of Beresford’s net. 1 – 0 Orient and clearly a lead well-worth having.

Oldham press again from the re-start. A cross from the left, everyone misses the ball and Stuart Nelson holds. Latics come again. Tam clears and Chambers is penalised for a foul. Free-kick fifteen yards into our half. Demetriou back to clear, to Chambers, to Daniels, to Demetriou, away down the left flank and a low cross for Jabo which is cleared. Daniels again. Latics clear again, long. Tammy up and out. Ten minutes past. Oldham again. Demetriou and Daniels clear. Ball returned. Purches intercepts. Orient throw, ten yards short of the halfway line. Purches takes. Kicked out for another Orient throw fifteen yards into their territory. Purches to Jabo and Oldham have the throw. It is long. Daniels intercepts. To Terry, back to Charlie and back again. On to Jason, back to Charlie and returned to Jason who loses the ball in the tackle. Latics give long. Tam is up for it. The ball is returned through the middle but Stuart Nelson holds safely. To Boyd who finds JJ, back to Purches for a through ball but we are offside. Beresford takes the kick fifteen yards in from the bye-line. Tam is up for the kick but is beaten in the air. We don’t like tall!! Alton Thelwell up next and finds Paul Terry who clears. Oldham again. Crossfield ball for skipper Neal Eardley. Chambers is up to intercept and finds Boydy who is fouled. Orient free-kick at the back end of the centre-circle. The kick is long for Jason Demetriou who fails to control and the ball is off for a throw to the visitors a couple of yards from their corner flag on their right. They clear, Thelwell returns, Latics resurge, Chambers with the clearance. Through ball for Jabo who is into the box, neck and neck with Stefan Stam. Pressured all the way and while still on the run, Jabo gets in a strong volley which whistles narrowly over the crossbar. Fifteen minutes in.

Free-kick Orient, middle of our half, Nelson to take. We win a throw halfway into Athletic territory on the right. Purches to Jabo who, flushed by recent near-success, puts in a high cross-cum-shot which passes for a goal-kick. Orient intercept. Jason, Jabo, Boydy, JJ, Purches. To Terry and Jabo, back to Stephen P for a cross which is met by a glancing header from Jabo. Oldham clear decks. Paul Terry returns and Daniels flicks on brilliantly. Cleared again. Latics down the line and a cross which is cleared for a throw to Orient on the halfway line, Purches to take. To Jabo and Terry and through to Boyd who is caught offside. Thelwell clears the free-kick, to Jabo, Demetriou, Chambers and on to Jabo but lost. Oldham break and Liddell lets fly from twenty-five yards, the ball going wide of the left-hand goalpost (as we look form the West). Now Latics have a corner on the left. Thelwell is up for it and clears but the speedy Chris Taylor gathers on the left, in to Neil Kilkenny, on to Trotman and skipper Eardley who gives down the left flank but the ball runs for a goal-kick. Latics recharge. Tam gets up. Oldham again, Terry up and in the breach. Now Chambers is penalised for a foul and the free-kick is some twenty yards from the bye-line on the right. Daniels clears but Athletic come again. A cross from the left which Thelwell clears. Purches to Jabo and returned, long for Boyd who wins a throw-in ten yards from the corner-flag. Terry to Boyd and another throw, same spot. Purches takes, to JJ and in to Boyd who delivers a brilliant cross to the far post. No-one connects and Latics have the goal-kick. Orient press again and a superb through-ball from Adam Chambers finds Jason Demetriou who works his way into the box and shoots for goal even as he is brought down. No-one seriously expects a penalty call and a corner is given. Daniels to take. Much jostling in the penalty area as the physical visiting defence try to muscle Orient’s big men out of the way. Referee Woolmer speaks sternly to Adam Chambers and Craig Davies whereafter the jostling continues and, as the corner comes across, Oldham are awarded a free-kick. Tam gets up for the kick and is fouled. The kick is five yards shy of the halfway line. Orient push and Jabo is fouled outside the box, suffering injury which requires attention for a minute and more. Stefan Stam is reprimanded by Woolmer for his misdemeanour. Twenty-five minutes gone.

Oldham continue in physical mode. Jason Demetriou with the free-kick, deflected to JJ Melligan who is fouled. The free-kick is five yards from the flag on the right. Charlie Daniels with a dangerous, curling kick which is headed for a corner. Demetriou with the corner which is headed out. Chambers in to return to Melligan who is tackled and Latics break out. Craig Davies down the middle with a shot from outside the box. It is deflected way over the bar for a corner. This is taken short and crossed for Dean Smalley whose diving header at the near post is cleared. Oldham come again. Davies to Kilkenny wide right where Demetriou gives away a throw. Back to Kilkenny but Paul Terry intervenes and clears for a throw to the O’s ten yards from the halfway line. Daniels takes and the ball is swung crossfield to JJ Melligan who gets into the penalty area where he is unloaded. Latics are awarded a free-kick, to the chagrin of the Fantasticos who see Woolmer as having again got it wrong. Terry clears the kick, to Boyd, Chambers and on towards Jabo but Beresford fields and rolls short to Ryan Bertrand. He gives long to Smalley. A through ball finds Chris Taylor whose shot-cum-cross is cleared off the line by a Charlie Daniels header. Fifteen minutes left.

Oldham again. Davies, Bertrand, Kilkenny, Davies again and on to the troublesome Taylor who crosses for Jabo to clear long for a throw to the visitors midway into their half. The ball is shunted acrossfield to Eardley who gives large and long. Tam heads clear. Daniels to Chambers. Intercepted. Daniels again and Chambers in the tackle. Free-kick Athletic for a foul. The kick is long and Nelson fields. Oldham again and now Thelwell clears long for Jabo who wins a throw twelve yards from the corner flag on the right. To Melligan who is floored. Free-kick Orient. Woolmer speaks sternly to Taylor. We are told that Woolmer’s red card rate has dropped noticeably this season over last and that fact is entirely consistent with his reluctance to show a yellow card in the first half. Taylor, however, attracts the ire of the Gallery fans, the more so for his auburn hair. The Law Librarian, constructing his own defence, explains that this is “Gingerism” (with two hard “Gs”) the hardness of the “Gs” to avoid any accusations of Incitement to Hatred on grounds of Creed, colour (of hair) et al. That settled, Daniels takes the free-kick. It is long and passes for a goal-kick!! Demetriou intercepts the kick but gives away a throw on the halfway line. Thelwell clears. Latics again. Boyd in with a tackle. A crossfield ball which is lost. Oldham into the box but a goal-kick is conceded. Ten minutes left.

The kick to Daniels who puts Jabo through but offside is blown. Free-kick, edge of the box. Latics down the line on the right. A cross which Tam clears. Eardley returns long to Kilkenny and Daniels concedes a corner. Terry heads the kick out. Oldham again. Tam is fouled. Free-kick Orient, ten yards from the flag, from which we win a throw around the halfway line. Daniels takes, finds Jabo. Oldham intercept and clear and Purches passes back to Nelson. To Melligan, Purches, Boyd and Terrry. On to Chambers. To Purches and Melligan and laid back to Chambers who crosses for Boyd. He is floored by Stam, the latter’s fifth such foul of the match, we are told by the Law Librarian, evidently using the bean counter to his right, and Woolmer breaks the rule of a lifetime – or, at least, of this season -- by administering a first-half yellow card to the errant Dutchman. Two of the visitors are then reprimanded for not backing off the required ten yards. Daniels with the free-kick which he curls narrowly over the bar. Now Jabo is fouled in the centre circle. Terry with the kick, through to Demetriou who is offside. Oldham attack again. Chambers in. Taylor down the left flank and crosses. Terry heads away. Now Adam Boyd with a long through ball to JJ Melligan. He crosses to the far post where Jabo doesn’t quite reach the ball and a goal-kick ensues. Oldham attack again and Thelwell does well to repel. Latics again and Kilkenny shoots over the bar from the edge of the box with Orient looking half-asleep. Three minutes are added, just about right, given Jabo’s injury. Purches clears and Daniels gives long. Athletic return and Tam clears. Taylor, Davies, Taylor, Kilkenny. Demetriou with the tackle and on to Jabo but intercepted. A big ball for Davies and a huge cross to the far post which Nelson manages to hold. Oldham return with a shot which is cleared to Boyd who holds and passes back to Nelson. Oldham again with Davies to Kilkenny to Taylor who cuts in from the left and sweeps the ball across to Eardley on the right. He crosses. Tam clears, Now Kilkenny with a shot which is hugely miscued and Purches clears. Bertrand crosses now and Demetriou kicks clear. Half-time is blown and we are well-pleased to be a goal ahead. Oldham have had a large slice of the game and are unlucky to be a goal down. That said, they are far the more physical of the two sides and, for all their half-dozen attempts, Nelson has had much less than usual to do to keep himself warm.

Early half-time chat focuses on referee Woolmer and our resident referee agrees that, for all his reluctance to caution and his several errors, he is really quite competent an official and we should not get too exercised. Orient are first to attack from the kick-off but Boyd concedes a goal-kick. Latics now into our box but we clear decks and Boyd feeds JJ who is dispossessed. Now the effulgent Taylor with a cross from the left which Thelwell clears. End-to-end stuff these early exchanges. Latics again. Daniels clears, Demetriou unseated, a long ball is nodded on but Nelson holds safely. Oldham again and a long ball puts Smalley through but Nelson fields first again. Nelson long, Oldham long. Daniels long. Oldham long again. Now Alton Thelwell heads clear to Jabo. To Jason, Boydy and Daniels. Jason now back to Paul Terry. On to Boyd and Jabo and JJ whose gigantic and vastly long cross goes out for a goal-kick, a really thoughtless and wasteful ploy on our wideman’s part. Daniels retrieves the kick and Orient build up a meticulous movement, Boyd, Terry, JJ, Daniels, Demetriou. JJ gives long for the overlapping Purches and a huge cross is hoofed panically into the North stand by Trotman. Demetriou on the left with the corner. Short to Boyd who makes for the bye-line and crosses dangerously. Alton Thelwell’s shot is cleared from off the goal-line for a corner to Orient on the right which Daniels takes. Tam is up for it but the ball is cleared long and Stuart Nelson holds. Short to Purches who gives long to JJ. We win a throw, twelve yards from the flag. To JJ who goes down in the box and wins a corner on the right. Daniels takes, Thelwell goes for it but Beresford holds. From the kick, Daniels is beaten, Taylor and McDonald on the break. Thelwell tackles Smalley and concedes a throw to Oldham five yards from the corner flag. Back to Kilkenny, on to McDonald and Taylor. Back to Stam and back further to Trotman, crossfield to Eardley who punts long. Goal-kick Orient. Oldham throw. Davies beats Tam. A high cross from the edge of the box which Alton Thelwell clears. Oldham again and a shot from Bertrand on the left is deflected high over the crossbar for a corner on the left which Taylor takes. Tam, up to head out, is floored and appears badly hurt, or at the very least, badly shaken. He recovers and the ball is cleared. Demetriou picks up the clearance, his cross is blocked and we have a corner on the left which Jason takes himself. The ball skids across the goal-line, three Orient players missing completely en route, and is cleared for a throw to the O’s, some fifteen yards from the flag. Now Chambers in with a brilliant run to the bye-line but his final ball finds no-one to receive. Oldham come away and Paul Terry takes out his man in desperation, earning a yellow card from Woolmer for his pains. From the free-kick, Latics cross to the far post where Smalley heads over the bar, another chance gone begging. Goal-kick O’s. Fifteen minutes gone.

Oldham again with another cross from the left which Nelson holds at the far post. Now Orient win a throw five yards from the flag. Jabo Ibehre’s injury has continued to trouble and Martin Ling now takes him off, bringing Wayne Gray on as substitute. The throw is for Boyd but is quickly intercepted. Daniels clears but Eardley returns with a cross which we clear for a throw. Another cross which Purches clears and we have the throw a couple of yards into their half. Daniels to Chambers and back to Tammy who gives long. Trotman clears long. Tam clears again for a throw. Chambers heads out to Melligan and another carefully-crafted move is built.. To Purches, Boyd, Chambers, Terry, Demetriou and Gray. On to Boydy who shoots from the edge of the box, just a yard over the crossbar! Now Oldham on the break from the kick and a big cross from the left which Paul Terry gets up to clear. Demetriou concedes a throw which is passed back to Kilkenny, back further to Stam, on to Davies and back to Kilkenny. A cross which Nelson rises to hold. Short to Daniels and on to Demetriou but Oldham clear. Daniels penalised for a foul. Oldham kick long. Crossfield for Eardley and to Taylor but the ball is out for a goal-kick. Chambers is up for the kick and finds Gray with a through-ball but he is penalised for a foul and Beresford takes the kick from the edge of the box. Sheridan removes Liddell and brings on Lee Hughes. Sixty-seven minutes, as we have come to expect. Hughes immediately gets the bird from the Orient crowd, mindful of his recent spell of “bird”. The Cobra finds it difficult to understand society’s long-standing inability to forgive ex-prisoners. Time done, clean slate. As with any misdemeanour. A red card, for example. Poor Sean Thornton seems to carry a “reputation” which only seems to make him more liable to future penalty. Do we approve? Certainly not! Demetriou makes the first clearance. Terry up for the second. Hughes into the box where he trips with an apparently open goal ahead, to the double delight of the home crowd. Nelson exchanges kicks with Beresford. Tam up and out. Melligan gives long. Gray up for the ball but beaten. Melligan gives a throw to the visitors. Hughes returns the favour a couple of yards over the halfway line. Purches to Gray and another throw. Purches again. Chambers up and appears to be fouled in the penalty area. A goal-kick is awarded!! Thelwell up for the goal-kick but Latics come again. Tam to Daniels who gives long for Boyd. To Demetriou and intercepted. Daniels up for the through-ball and we win a throw, which Charlie takes. Twenty minutes left. Hangin’ in there. Possession now the name of the game.

Melligan long but cleared. Terry in the breach to Chambers and back to Tammy. Up to Gray, back to Chambers and on to Melligan but cleared. Terry gives away a throw. Demetriou intercepts and gives back to Tam. A long ball which Beresford fields. Thelwell up for the kick and feeds Demetriou on the break. Tackled for a throw five yards over the halfway line. Daniels to Demetriou and back. On to Chambers who crosses for Gray. He holds, turns but is tackled. Oldham break. A cross which Tammy clears for a throw. Eardley and Demetriou involved in the tackle. We win the throw five yards short of the halfway line. Up to Wayne Gray but cleared. Thelwell with a long clearance. Demetriou, Melligan, Boyd and worked up to Gray again. He passes inside and finds -- an Oldham defender!!! Now the rubescent Taylor again on a run. He cuts in and is hit hard by Adam Chambers. Oldham throw in mid-territory. Boyd is shown the yellow card, apparently for swearing or somesuch. Fifteen minutes to go. Still in the lead.

Chambers gives another throw and Gray concedes a free-kick a few yards the wrong side of the halfway line. Tam gets up, Paul Terry gets out and Boydy gets in a header to Demetriou who passes in to Terry who fails to control and the ball runs on to Beresford who gives long. Chambers is fouled by Hughes but the ball is cleared. Latics return. Daniels clears. Latics again kick out and are awarded a throw!! Daniels retrieves, to Terry, Demetriou and Gray who is tackled for a throw to Orient which Charlie takes. Now Thelwell is adjudged to have fouled Hughes and the free-kick is five yards or more beyond the centre circle. Taylor down the left and crosses. Just over the bar at the far post. Nelson’s kick wins a throw a little beyond the halfway line. Sheridan takes off McDonald and introduces Mark Allott. Ten minutes left.

Daniels with the throw. Gray up for it but cleared. Orient throw, ten yards inside the halfway line. A big clearance which Thelwell deals with, to Purches and he long for Melligan. Free-kick Oldham. Melligan is reprimanded but not, apparently, cautioned. Demetriou clears the kick but Latics come again. Terry clears. Eardley again, to Bertrand and Taylor and in to Kilkenny. Thelwell interrupts and clears. Oldham return and Nelson holds and kicks long. Oldham clear. Orient throw. Sheridan takes off Smalley and brings on Wolfenden for a final throw of the dice. A brief hiatus, valuable seconds on the clock, and Martin Ling brings Corden on for Melligan. Fresh legs. Daniels with the throw five yards shy of the halfway line. It is long for Boyd but cleared. Nelson comes out of his box to clear but Gray is caught offside. Terry up for the free-kick and Daniels clears decks. Boyd picks up and slips the ball out to Wayne Corden on the left. He cuts in and fires a right-footed shot which is blocked. Five minutes left.

Thelwell with the clearance out to Demetriou who promptly passes the ball to Oldham’s Taylor. Youth? Inexperience? Or just nerves? Taylor makes ground and fires in a drive which Nelson dives to palm out and Chambers puts off for what appears to be a corner but, in the event, turns out to be a throw-in by the corner flag. Daniels heads the throw for a corner! Corner across, Stam up to shoot, Nelson holds. To Paul Terry, Corden and Purches. Latics again and a great turn and clearance by Daniels, finding Boyd. He through to Gray who gives a throw in mid-park. Back to Beresford whose kick sets Hughes away, Tam clearing for a corner. O’s really under the cosh in these closing minutes as Latics go for broke. The corner is headed for another on the right. Wayne Gray sends this for another corner with a diving header and, from this, Jason Demetriou clears Trotman’s header off the line. Martin Ling takes the steam out of the action by taking time out to introduce Brian Saah for Jason Demetriou, thus winding down the clock and adding a little extra defensive bite to the team. Terry up for the corner. Nelson holds. Oldham break again. Terry clears for a throw. Five minutes extra are added. Still in full flight, Latics with a high cross which Nelson has to fist clear. Purches gives long and Oldham return with the indefatigable Taylor down the left. A big cross. Davies versus Daniels. Davies wins but a goal-kick ensues. Oldham again but Hughes is now offside and we have a free-kick in the midst of our territory. Chambers in and out to Wayne Gray who is fouled. We have a free-kick five yards short of the corner flag and Ryan Bertrand is awarded a yellow card for the foul. Saah with the free-kick to Wayne Gray who delivers a low header. Athletic clear for a throw to Orient a couple of yards from the halfway line. Daniels to Chambers, Boyd, Corden, Terry and off for a throw. Possession now. A series of throws. Latics case now hopeless. The final whistle. 1 – 0!!

Lucky? Under the cosh we were at times. And Oldham had more than their fair share of the play and the ball. But you make your own luck, so we must have done something right. So where were the positives? Centre-backs again immense. And in the face of some of the most difficult opponents yet. Tall and physical. Tam was bested on a number of occasions, a very rare occurrence. And knocked about, too. But they remained solid. So much so that Stuart Nelson was rarely called upon to “save the day”. Elsewhere? In midfield, of course, where Adam Chambers, too, played a gargantuan role in maintaining what superiority that early goal gained for us.

So let us be thankful for the shut-out and the apparent return to the unattractive grinding out of three points which characterised the early games of the season. And let us, in fine, also recall those upcoming fixtures. Carlisle vs Leeds, Notts Forest vs Tranmere and Southend vs Carlisle are already behind us in those days since Elland Road. Then….

Notts Forest vs Southend (tomorrow)
Doncaster vs Tranmere (17th)
Carlisle vs Notts Forest (18th)
Tranmere vs Swansea (24th)
Hartlepool vs Tranmere (4/12)
Swansea vs Southend (15/12)

Eighteen to twenty-four points will be dropped in those six fixtures by our closest rivals. If we can but win (or not lose) four of our next five, we could have a comfortable cushion over those rivals by the time we visit Carlisle in mid-December and then, in short order, go on to face Hartlepool, Tranmere and Notts Forest. To do otherwise will surely consign us to the back of the pack. We live on in hope!

Up the O’s.

COBRA

2007-10-25T19:57:00.000+01:00

Vale in Tears

Leyton Orient (0) 3 Port Vale (1) 1

Nelson; Purches (Capt), Saah, Mkandawire, C Daniels; JJ Melligan, Chambers, P Terry, Demetriou (sub Corden 86); Boyd, Ibehre (sub Gray 82).

With a succession of first visits this year having ended disastrously – most notably Paul’s first away game at Priestfield and Spike’s first crossing of the Scottish border to watch Swansea’s Welsh wizards lay waste our winning ways, the FO’s waited with bated breath for the arrival of Bryan Daniels, in from Teutonia, to see his namesake, now established in the Orient’s starting line-up, as the Valiants came to town. No long memory needed to recall that first-ever game in this higher sphere, following an eternity in that pony division. How high the expectations we took then to Vale Park, just over a year ago now, and how deflated we returned after that early dose of reality administered by fairly modest opposition who would aspire to no more than mid-table mediocrity. Today, however, the boot is on the other foot as our table-topping talents look down on a Vale whose modest ambitions have instead consigned them to the relegation dogfight. And if the home squad differed almost to a man (Wayne Corden started and Jabo was on the bench) from the eleven which took the field at Vale Park, then Vale, too, boasted new blood in the guise of our very own Justin Miller, five years a much-loved O, and Shane Tudor who promised so much in two years on the flanks at Brisbane Road. Luke Rodgers, too, is a recent addition and a player whom we, too, would have been pleased to sign.

Fearful also of Bryan’s baleful influence and ever one to fight ill-omen with some token for the better, the Cobra welcomed his former mentor to the Gallery for his first visit since the Wet Sham friendly. This one-time exponent of the game at its best, he of Pegasus and England (amateur) fame in far-off days, is a man with a keen eye for footballing talent. Apprised in advance of the identity of the ex-O’s, he would soon declare that we were mistaken to unload the dazzling Shane who could yet cause us to regret our decision to part company. Martin Ling spoke of the highs and lows of recent weeks with the Swansea mauling, if not quite deserving of a five-goal losing margin, yet still a most disappointing performance, while the outstanding performance at Elland Road typified the players’ character and determination. The missing ingredient, he said, was consistency; no sooner had the media reported the latest crisis than we were back at the top of the league again. The Cobra remarked that that consistency needed to be found instantly, with half a dozen or more manageable games upcoming in the wake of the six difficult encounters which had preceded them. As good a time as any, if any, to be missing Sean Thornton for four games.

Warm and generous applause greets the return of Shane and Justin, each of whom would variously make their mark in this first session. Brian Saah returns to replace the injured Thelwell, Melligan regains his starting place in the absence of Thornton and, for the first time this season, the ebullient Ibehre is preferred to Wayne Gray as a starter. The visitors kick off and kick South, winning a throw in mid-park which Justin Miller takes. A cross from the left is cleared by Tam and Jabo gathers, holds and loses. Nothing unusual so far then! Now Adam Boyd wins the ball and finds Jabo. A shot, palmed out by ‘keeper Joe Anyon for a second shot from Adam Chambers which is deflected for a goal-kick. Good start! Tammy clears the kick, to Jason Demetriou, Boyd, Melligan and through to Jabo who is tackled for a corner on the right. Charlie Daniels takes, the ball cleared at the near post. Adam Chambers in with a shot but Anyon holds and Vale come away, winning a free-kick on the halfway line. The ubiquitous Chambers in with the tackle and Orient have the throw. To Jabo and Boyd and JJ who makes ground down the right and lays off back to Stephen Purches. A big cross which Anyon rises to hold under pressure from Ibehre. Brian Saah clears the kick, to Daniels, up to Boyd, on to Jabo and Jason, back to Boyd and out wide to JJ who miskicks badly, leaving Anyon to field with ease. Five minutes. Lively start. We appear to be in control.

Anyon’s kick finds his men offside. Nelson takes the free-kick midway into our half. Vale clear down the left. A big crossfield ball finds Justin Miller. Tammy clears the pass. Jason Demetriou contests with Shane Tudor who goes down, apparently injured, to derisive howls from the Gallery, Law Librarian to the fore, and “Tart” seemingly the buzzword, redolent more, supposes the Cobra, of the streetwalker than of Lewis Carroll’s Queen. Vale’s through-ball finds Luke Rodgers who fires narrowly over the crossbar from the edge of the box, so reminding us all of the skills for which we were once keen to bid. Vale come again and Tam gives up a throw by the corner flag. Justin Miller takes and reminds us of the talent foregone in his long throw. Into the box, a mêlée of players and Tam clears. Orient win a throw in mid-half. Daniels takes. Vale retrieve. Miller crosses. Tam clears, setting JJ off down the right. Orient have the throw, five yards over the halfway line. Purches to Jabo and Vale have the throw, fifteen yards up from the flag. The ball is passed back to Anyon. Brian Saah retrieves the kick and wins a throw just over the halfway line. Terry gives away. Boydy regains and gives to Jabo and Terry. A through-ball to Jabo who is dispossessed. Long clearance. Offside. The free-kick is ten yards shy of the halfway line. Nelson takes. Jabo nods on. Anyon collects. His long ball is collected by Charlie Daniels who, mindful of the upcoming final in Paris, kicks expertly into touch down by the far corner flag. Tricky throw for Vale. A foul against Shane Tudor brings more ribaldry from the Gallery as he goes down again. Ten minutes gone. Rather more even now.

Tudor with the free-kick – to Miller, who advances and shoots. Blocked for a throw which Miller himself takes. He finds Rodgers who shoots and Nelson goes down to smother the bobbling ball. Stuart clears. Jason Demetriou is fouled. Daniels feigns to take the kick and leaves for Demetriou. Tam is up with a header. Boydy with a header which hits the top of the crossbar!! So close! Vale clear. Offside. Nelson with the free-kick. Long. Anyon holds and kicks long. Tam is penalised and Vale have a free-kick wide left which Shane Tudor crosses the park to take. Daniels clears. A shot is blocked. Purches clears. Vale again and Paul Terry heads back to Nelson. Valiants again and Tudor on a run down the right. Daniels concedes a throw. Miller takes. Daniels clears. Vale again. Offside. Nelson with the free-kick. Demetriou to Jabo, out to Purches wide right who wins a corner on the right. Charlie Daniels takes and hits low and the ball is headed off. Fifteen minutes in. Stalemate.

JJ now with a throw on the left, five yards from the flag. Jabo on a run. Tackled. Penalised. Free-kick Valiants a few yards inside the bye-line. We clear the kick, Jabo to JJ. Orient throw. To Jabo and crossfield to Jason Demetriou. He shoots. Wide. Brian Saah clears the goal-kick. To Terry, Jabo, JJ who crosses. Boyd is up for it. Ball cleared. Chambo returns to Boyd and JJ who wins a corner. Justin Miller clears the corner and sets Shane Tudor away. Daniels tackles and concedes a throw. Tam clears. Valiants come again. Purches tackles. Vale win a throw on the left. To Miller on the right. He back to McGregor and he to Shane Tudor who crosses for the far post where Nelson holds and finds JJ. To Purches who beats one and gives long for Boyd. Throw Orient. Melligan, Jabo, JJ again. Vale clear. Chambers recovers. To Melligan, Jabo and O’s have a throw ten yards from the flag. Purches takes. To Jabo and Boydy. Lost and cleared. Saah recovers and finds Purches. Throw O’s. Offside. Anyon takes the free-kick. Daniels intervenes, to Jason Demetriou who clears to Jabo and JJ who cuts in and shoots. The shot is weak and Anson goes down to save. He kicks long. Purches clears to Jabo. He is tackled – fouled, even – but without recompense. A huge crossfield ball for Tudor and Orient have a throw midway into our territory. Daniels to Terry and lost. Daniels tackles Tudor on the right and concedes a free-kick. A crossfield ball for Rodgers. Cleared. Returned. Cleared now by Stephen Purches. To Boyd who holds and finds Demetriou with a through-ball. On to Jabo but Captain Pilkington is first into the breach. Twenty minutes out. Still pretty even but we seem to be on top of things.

Orient throw on the halfway line. Daniels to Jabo and JJ, who crosses too soon and the ball is cleared. Vale on the break and a cross-cum-shot looks dangerous. Stuart Nelson waits on his line, a rare moment of indecision, and watches gratefully as the ball passes over the bar. To JJ and Jabo but cleared. Now Paul Terry to Purches. Into the box and a shot from Jabo which rebounds off Stephen. JJ in to win a corner which Charlie Daniels takes. Anyon up and holds. Orient again from the kick and Boyd wins a free-kick around the centre circle, five yards inside the halfway line. Daniels takes. Headed out. Chambers returns. Out again. Chambers back again and through to Boydy who gets in a shot but scuffs the ball badly and Anyon takes the goalkick. Good chance wasted. Now Orient win a free-kick for a foul on Brian Saah. Purches to JJ and returned but Stephen is tackled. Tam heads clear the forward ball. Now Chambers in the tackle. Terry to Demetriou who makes ground and lets fly from thirty yards. Wide of the right-hand post (as we look) for a goal-kick. Fifteen minutes left and still haven’t made our mark.

From the goal-kick, Tammy passes back to Stuart Nelson. To Daniels who is fouled and we have a free-kick which Charlie leaves for Stuart. Up to Jabo and out to JJ for the cross. Boydy gathers, turns, shoots, but over the bar. From the goal-kick, Brian Saah is penalised for a foul and Vale have the kick five yards into our territory. Tam up and away for a throw to the Valiants. Miller takes. Purches clears to Boyd and Jabo and Daniels who gives long. Ball cleared, Jabo intervenes and gives away a throw to Vale which Miller takes a couple of yards shy of the halfway line. Tam up again and Vale now have the throw ten yards from the flag. A shot is blocked. Another shot blocked. Goal-kick? No. Corner awarded on the right. Tudor takes. To the far side where a shot from outside the box, at a fine angle, passes just wide of Nelson’s right-hand post (as we look). Ten minutes left. Vale resurgent. Miller clears the goal-kick. Throw Orient. Vale clear. Throw Port Vale. Miller again. Numerous abortive attempts to clear before Saah succeeds and is fouled for a free-kick on the edge of the box which Nelson takes. Short to Saah who gives long and Anyon fields. Saah again from the kick and we win a throw on the left ten yards from the flag. Purches takes. Vale clear and Justin Miller comes away. He makes ground and puts in a great shot from all of forty yards which passes narrowly over the crossbar. Nelson to Jabo to Demetriou and Daniels who gives a high ball. Jabo goes for it and is floored. The ball is moved back to Anyon who gives long. Tam up and out. Miller back to McGregor. Long. Tam again clears to Boyd, Jabo and Demetriou who makes ground and lobs tamely at Anyon. The kick is long again. Richards flicks on a through-ball and the hungry Rodgers evades any lingering opposition and tucks the ball into the far left-hand corner of the net. 1–0 Vale! Barely five minutes remaining. Who would have believed it? Same old Orient…..

From the re-start, Terry to Tam to Purches and a throw to the visitors on the halfway line. Chambers intercepts. To Terry, to Saah and back to Nelson who kicks high into the air. Demetriou gathers and passes back to Nelson again. Jabo, up for the kick, is fouled and we have a free-kick, ten yards outside the box. Daniels and Demetriou. Daniels takes and fires ten yards over the bar!! Time still for Shane Tudor to dazzle with another run down the flank. A minute’s extra time added. And we retreat to the warmth of the Gallery with very mixed feelings. How on earth can we be one behind to this lot? Yet we are. Surely an occasion ripe for a typical half-time pep-talk from Martin Ling. How many times already this season has he turned things round? Yet why should we raise our hopes when the last three home games have seen a lifeless 0 – 1 reverse at Dagenham’s hands, the 0 – 5 thrashing by Swansea and an almost-as-embarrassing 2- 4 reverse to the monkey-men? The mind wanders. What of their dressing-room? Dean Glover, caretaker manager, with not yet four weeks experience behind him. How will his team-talk go? Drafted, perhaps, as a spirit-raiser, in the expectation of being over-run by the title-contenders, he finds himself a goal to the good, and not entirely undeserved. “Ok, lads, you’re doing great. Just hang in there!” D’ah! “Look lads, you’re lucky to be alive. They’ll really come at you now. Let’s just hold on for the draw.” D’ah, again! Of all the encyclopaedia of information we have to hand these days, the content of those two team talks remains unavailable to us and we would learn so much from a transcript. We return to the fray. Our mentor regrets the sale of Shane Tudor. We tell him it was a right decision, as also for Justin Miller. The Cobra notes, positively, that Stephen Purches has enjoyed quite his best game of the season so far and is beginning to stand out, an example to all as captain. We wonder why and the Professor, ever ready with a sensible answer, suggests that he is, at last, match-fit again and we are therefore watching the real Stephen Purches. Makes sense!

Orient kick-off and kick South. Hooray! At last. Back to the Mackie days. Ball back to Daniels who gives long. Jabo gives away a goal-kick. Chambers up for this, Terry up for a second attempt. Free-kick against Demetriou on the halfway line. McGregor takes. Tam out. Jason clears to Daniels and back again. Long for Boyd who goes up and in but the ball is cleared for a throw to the O’s ten yards short of the halfway line. Daniels to Jabo and Jason and back to Charlie again. Crossfield to JJ but cleared. Purches now returns. To JJ and back to Stephen and on to Chambo. Purches beats his man. Down the line with JJ. We win a corner on the right. Daniels takes. To the far post where Tam’s headed attempt is saved on the goal-line. Tempo raised. We seem to mean business. Anyon’s kick is nodded back by Chambers to Nelson. To Jabo, Demetriou, Chambers, Daniels, Demetriou and Boyd who is brought down in the box. We all howl for a penalty but referee Thorpe ignores the pleas leaving more than a suspicion that it was Boydy who clipped Edwards and not vice-versa. The ball is cleared for a throw to Orient. Vale regain and attack again but are caught offside. Nelson takes the free-kick. Another smooth build-up out of defence leaves Terry to find JJ who is floored by Robin Hulbert. Yellow card from referee Thorpe. Daniels with the free-kick into the box. A mêlée or indeed melange of players and Pilkington is injured. The ball is cleared for a throw to Orient ten yards from the corner flag. Purches to Boyd and back. To Chambers and Daniels and Jabo but cleared out of harm’s way. Now Orient come away again and win a corner. The ball is cleared for Jason Demetriou to return to Brian Saah, still on the flank. He makes ground and crosses and there is Tammy, up for it, to head neatly inside the near post. 1 – 1 and suddenly we are back with a vengeance.

Now Purches with the ball. He carries into the box but is robbed. Orient again to Boyd who finds Chambers. Out to Melligan on the right. Another cross, not our strongest suit, and there is Jabo Ibehre with a low, stooping header past Anyon to give us the lead. 2 – 1! Complete turnaround. Jabo’s selection justified in spades. Vale, naturally, respond in force. Tudor with a cross from the right. Daniels misses but Chambers clears. Boyd is dispossessed. Tudor off on a run. Sliding tackle from Saah and we have a goal-kick. Nelson to JJ and Boyd who loses the ball and Rodgers is off on a run down the left. To Tudor and Hulbert and Miller. Terry tackles and Demetriou passes on to Boyd who is dispossessed again. Daniels clears, Demetriou gives long to Boyd. Back to Jason and on to Jabo. Out to Terry and Demetriou and back to Daniels who passes forward to Adam Chambers. He sets off on one of his trademark runs into the box which ends, as so often, with a last-ditch tackle, this time by none other than ‘keeper Anyon, bringing Adam down and leaving referee Thorpe to do no more than point to the spot. No room for doubt this time! Ever confident, Adam Boyd steps up to take and blasts the ball straight through Anyon, certainly not what the Cobra would have done, but enough, in any event, to stretch the lead to 3 – 1. Total, total turnaround in well under ten minutes. How ‘bout that for a half-time chat!

From the re-start, Purches clears long for a throw to Vale in the midst of their half. Edwards throws back into defence and the ball is returned long. Saah puts out for a throw ten yards our side of the halfway line. Back to Edwards and in to Rocastle who gives long. Saah hoofs into the West Stand. The throw is five yards from the flag. Fifteen minutes and more gone and Dean Glover unveils Plan B. Whitaker off, Jason Talbot on as substitute. Nelson with the free-kick. Shane Tudor returns long. Tam clears to Jabo who runs into the penalty area before giving up the ball. Orient again with Saah’s long ball to Jabo moved on to Jason D and his cross-cum-shot is held by Anyon. Five minutes of even, end-to-end play but with Orient now on top of their game. Daniels wins a throw five yards from the corner flag. Jabo nods on the throw and Paul Terry comes storming in, though with a weak shot which Anyon holds easily. Anti-climax. Twenty minutes gone.

Throw Port Vale midway into our half. It is long and Paul Terry gets up for it. To Purches who gives long. Jabo is in but the ball is cleared. Purches again with a cross which is cleared for a throw, a yard from the flag. Adam Chambers is fouled and we have a free-kick. Daniels and Demetriou exchange passes, looking for a way through. To Jabo who passes back to Chambo. To Jason for a cross. Boydy up for it but cleared down the left. Hulbert, Talbot, to Rodgers and Rocastle. Jabo intervenes. To Terry, Demetriou, Daniels and Chambers who is fouled. Free-kick Orient, three yards short of the halfway line. Daniels takes. To the by-line, where JJ prevents the ball from running for a goal-kick and wins a throw a yard from the flag. Vale clear but Saah tackles and returns, putting Paul Terry free inside the box for a shot. They say history never repeats itself. But, in a remarkable re-run of the headline incident from the game at Elland Road last week, Anyon allows the ball to go through his legs but, and sadly for us, it is scrambled back into the land of the living at the last moment. No goal. Play on! Vale clear long. Tam up and away. Melligan, Daniels, Demetriou, Daniels and a long, speculative shot from thirty-five yards goes just over the crossbar. Twenty minutes left.

The two sides exchange throw-ins. Dean Glover plays another ace. Ashley Westwood on, Justin Miller off, to warm applause again. Vale have a free-kick which Anyon takes. Saah out to Jabo who is tackled and Terry gives away a throw, ten yards from the flag. Terry clears. Vale come again. Melligan concedes a throw. Vale again and Terry is penalised for a foul. Free-kick Port Vale five yards outside the penalty area but Luke Rodgers blasts way over the crossbar. Nelson takes the kick. Fifteen minutes left. Demetriou to Tam and back. Vale recover. Edwards free down the left. To Jason Talbot who crosses. Nelson up and out. Boyd controls, feeds Chambers. To Terry, back to Tam and back to Nelson again. Boydy gets up to head out to JJ. Lost. Recovered by Brian Saah. Long to Jabo and on to Terry and back to Saah who crosses to the far post where Boyd just fails to reach and Vale have the goal-kick. Now Adam Chambers runs with the ball down the left, breaks into the box and, with only Anyon to beat, shoots five yards wide of the far post. Now Boyd from the throw with a through-ball for Jabo who wins a throw by the corner-flag. Purches to Melligan to Jabo who is caught offside. Free-kick Valiants. Chambers heads out. Anyon fields. To Jason Talbot who crosses high into the air. Stuart Nelson goes up to hold. Jabo heads the kick on, Vale return, Tam clears to Daniels. To Boyd who holds and puts a through-ball for Jabo who wins a throw-in, just five yards from the flag. Martin Ling brings Wayne Gray on in place of Jabo Ibehre and Dean Glover takes more time out to defuse a dangerous situation by bringing Willock on for Shane Tudor. Daniels with the throw on the left to Boyd. The cross for Gray who almost scores with his first kick. Corner. Now Demetriou crosses and Gray again up but Anyon down to save. Chambers to Demetriou now on the right. McGregor in to tackle. A fist, or similar, flies and fisticuffs begin. From the far side it seems that Jason has retaliated to a foul. We fear a red card. After the obligatory stern words, two yellow cards are produced, McGregor and Demetriou, and Vale have the free-kick, suggesting that Jason’s was the original misdemeanour. The kick is five yards inside the halfway line. Tam clears to Boyd and Terry. Wide to JJ who makes ground and is fouled. We have a free-kick by the flag. With less than five minutes left, Martin Ling replaces Jason Demetriou, presumably for his own good, with Wayne Corden. Daniels with the kick. Anyon saves. Then drops. On or slightly over the line. Leeds re-lived again! Vale win a free-kick for a foul which Anyon takes. Chambers gives a throw five yards our side of the halfway line. Vale break and, as ball and players cross the bye-line, Rodgers brings Tammy down on the cinder-track. Three minutes are added. Nelson with the kick. Gray up and to Boyd who wins a throw ten yards from the flag. Daniels to Corden and we have a corner. Corden and Daniels play around the corner flag to run down the clock. Terry passes back to Chambers who runs with the ball and is dispossessed. The ball is cleared and Brian Saah brings Calum Willock down, earning himself a yellow card with seconds left to play! More tomfoolery by the corner flag and just time for one more foul and free-kick for the visitors. We greet the final whistle warmly.

3 – 1. A good win. An excellent second half. Another telling performance from Jabo and a first five-star outing for Stephen Purches. The visitor relents. Tudor was anonymous in the second half. Perhaps you were right to sell him. Three goals? Only once before this season, at Bristol Rovers. Progress. But consistency must remain the byword. This form has to be retained through several run-of-the-mill games now, perhaps the most difficult of which will be the next at Doncaster. Just over a year ago, we found the Potteries a Vale of Tears. Now it is Vale in Tears as they return north, pointless and still mired around the foot of the table.

COBRA

2007-10-20T23:36:00.000+01:00

Leyton Orient 3 PortVale 1

The 5-0 defeat to Swansea seems to have spurred the team to their best form of the season. Following last week’s 2-1 draw at Leeds (sic), we followed up with a performance that was probably the best we’ve seen at Brisbane Road this season.

The first half was a little disappointing – the O’s were well on top, but only Boyd came close to scoring with a header that bounced off the top of the bar. And of course, we were punished for the lack of finishing when the visitors took the lead, Richards setting up Luke Rodgers to slot the ball past Nelson.

Second half, different story. We were level early when Brian Saah put over a fine cross to his fellow centre-back Mkandawire, who headed across the goal to beat Vale keeper Anyon. Two minutes later we had the lead – Melligan burst down the right as he’d done all game, drove in a low cross and Ibehre scored with a diving header.

By the quarter hour in the half the lead was two. Chambers went on a run into the box from the left, and cut across the keeper who brought him down, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot. Technically, with Chambers through on goal, the ref could have sent Anyon off, but the offence was clumsy rather than deliberate, and common sense prevailed – no card. Boyd doesn’t engender the same confidence that Lockwood did from the spot (he’s already missed one this season, Locky’s tally of failure for about five years) but he put this one away and the three points began to look secure.

All that was now needed was to do nothing silly. Demetriou almost spoiled a good performance by doing just that; getting involved in some afters with McGregor during which he “raised a hand” and was lucky to escape with a yellow card, along with the Vale defender. Again, good refereeing by Mr Thorpe (refreshing after last week), who calmed young Jason down and handled the situation well.

Chambers came closest to adding to the scoreline in the remaining minutes, beating Anyon but shooting across goal and wide of the post. Other than that, the O’s comfortably controlled the game and were rarely troubled by the visitors, with Mkandawire outstanding in a solid defence.

Finally a mention for the two ex-O’s in the visiting team. Justin Miller and Shane Tudor formed the right-side partnership but neither lasted the 90 minutes, Miller probably having the better match of the two. He also got the better reception from the O’s fans, and was warmly applauded off when substituted. Tudor attacted a few boos while on the pitch, but also got a good send-off from those who remembered his contribution to the promotion season. Nice to see them both still plying their trade in the League, though Vale’s position suggests that Martin Ling made the right decision in releasing the pair.

So here we are, back at the top of the League, though in sad circumstances, given the reason for Swansea’s match being postponed. However, there is some justice there after last week’s officiating debacle. And of course we go next to Doncaster, scene of last season’s worst defeat. Things can only get better – can’t they?

Wise after the Event

2007-10-15T22:17:00.000+01:00

Wise after the Event

Leeds United (0) 1 Leyton Orient (1) 1

Nelson; Purches (Capt), Thelwell, Mkandawire, C Daniels; P Terry, Chambers, Thornton, Demetriou; Boyd, Gray (sub Ibehre 66).

Aside from the usual fitness tests, which Alton Thelwell and Wayne Corden apparently passed but Glen Morris did not, there was little to get excited about in the run-up to this Battle of the Titans. Until Dennis Wise spoke up late in the week, that is. Dennis had a problem with referee Nigel Miller. Or rather, with those who had appointed Miller to this gigantic fixture. Dennis, he was at pains to explain, had issues with Miller who had played “Hanging Judge Jeffries” to his team last season at Southend following which Dennis himself had been reprimanded for his outspoken comments. Dennis assumed, or at least implied in his public announcement, that referee Miller would carry an inherent bias against his boys in consequence. It is little short of incredible that Dennis will not be censured for these further remarks. Those who understand these things hold that Dennis’s comments were taken straight from the textbook of that Master Alex Ferguson. That they were designed to unsettle the officials, the Orient or both. There can be only three possible outcomes from the official(s) to such an outburst. It will either intensify the distaste for Leeds United and work to their disadvantage, or, as Dennis clearly calculated, it would produce some bias in Leeds’ favour, however unintentional or subliminal, should the officials seek to avoid a second round of opprobrium from the acerbic Wise and his acolytes. Or finally, if least likely, it will affect the officials’ performance not one whit.

Let us be clear from the outset. To this ignorant and untutored spectator, Miller’s performance today was as close to that neutral, third outcome as it could possibly appear. Except, of course, for three, maybe four, major decisions on which the game turned, or could have turned. Otherwise, in the Cobra’s honest opinion, he was generally better than a number of those we have had to endure recently. Yet it remains the case that he sent off Sean Thornton, awarded a penalty for a foul on the very edge of the box and wide and failed to award a goal to the visitors when, as even the home fans admitted, the ball was clearly over the goal-line. We shall examine each, in turn, on its own merits.

An intriguing and laudable team selection made for a slightly more defensive line-up, yet with greater flexibility in attacking options, as Charlie Daniels replaced Aiden Palmer, neither JJ Melligan nor Wayne Corden made the starting line-up, and Paul Terry and Jason Demetriou were preferred. Terry, of course, not only provided the extra bite in defence but also the invaluable asset of experience over youth in this big (in so many ways) cauldron where there would be no place to hide. Playing Daniels at full-back (rather than wide midfield), where he has yet to establish himself, was a risk but it paid huge dividends. For not only was his defensive performance as tight as most and more, but he added that valuable attacking option where, and sometimes when, the opposition least expected. Demetriou, of course, is arguably the fittest and most versatile of all the players in the squad, a player who brings options of all kinds to the table and at either end, as he would soon show.

The thousand-plus F.O’s were in good voice ahead of the game with Mo the O, South Stand’s longest-serving inmate, to lead them. “You all support M.U” and “You’re not famous any more” the best of those to accompany the usual, aweful “East, East, East London.” Leeds kicked off with Stuart Nelson defending the goal immediately in front of us; or rather, somewhat to our left, since, as at St James’s Park Newcastle, the visiting fans are seated at a 45° angle to the pitch, behind and above the corner flag. Straight down the middle where Alton Thelwell tackles Jermaine “Main Man” Beckford in the box and feeds Jason Demetriou down the left flank. He is unceremoniously floored and we have an early free-kick, wide left but not too far from the edge of the box. The Elland Road official website, ever attentive to the conductor’s baton, invites the reader to infer an early clutch of biased judgments from referee Miller. Let us be clear. Jason was dumped. And “unceremoniously” was the word. Thornton and Daniels shape to take, the latter feigning a kick and leaving for Sean who curls into the far post where ‘keeper Ankergren holds.

Orient intercept the clearance but put out for a Leeds throw on the halfway line. Thornton up, Terry up for it. Leeds into the box where Terry tackles. To Thornton and Chambers but Leeds intervene and come again. Now Tam tackles. Orient sweep the ball crossfield. A red shirt is downed, advantage is played. The ball is lost and referee Miller sensibly rewinds play to the Orient free-kick which Jason Demetriou takes. It is cleared, though only to Charlie Daniels who crosses towards the far post and we watch in amazement as the ball runs along the bye-line and out for a throw to Leeds by the opposite corner-flag. United clear long but Thelwell is back to mop up. Chambers is up for the clearance and Demetriou gets in a shot from twenty yards which passes narrowly over the crossbar. Now Chambo again in the tackle but a free-kick is awarded close to the halfway line which ‘keeper Ankergren advances to take. Thornton heads clear, Wayne Gray gets up to hold, finds Paul Terry, he to Purches who gives a long ball which is cleared for an Orient throw five yards shy of the halfway line. Gray gets up for it -- already looking a lot more industrious today than usual – and we win another throw, now ten yards from the corner-flag. Purches to Boyd who easily “magics” a corner on the right. Daniels short to Thornton and back to Charlie. In to Purches. Tackled and lost.

Orient again but now Ankergren’s ball. He kicks long and Paul Terry funnels back to fend off the opposition and win a goal-kick. Nelson takes. The ball is cleared back down the middle. Stuart Nelson and Tammy almost collide but the goalkeeper clears and Orient are awarded a free-kick to the right of the centre-circle following two successive fouls. Sean Thornton is seen down on the deck. Terry takes, finds Boyd and Demetriou wins a throw. Daniels with the throw, to Gray and Demetriou. A big cross which Ankergren holds at the far post. But Miller has played advantage again and now blows for a free-kick to Orient, again wide left and not far outside the penalty area. This time there is no pretence. Sean Thornton will take. Minutes earlier, in one of those strangely prescient utterances, the Cobra had remarked to a knowledgeable neighbour that Sean had not scored since his memorable debut at Roots Hall. In a trice, or so it seemed, that lapse was put right as the ball is ruffling the top corner of the net, a last-second change of direction at the far post. 1 – 0 Orient! And beyond our wildest dreams! 25,000 home fans silenced at seeing the first goal conceded at Elland Road in five games. Indeed, since the self-same Shrimpers scored a consolation goal in a 4 – 1 mauling in United’s first home game of the season. This Leeds side have beaten Southend, Tranmere, Notts Forest, Hartlepool, Swansea and Yeovil. And now they are behind -- for the very first and only time in the League since that early goal at Prenton Park on the season’s opening day. No wonder the massed ranks are silenced. The FantasticO’s celebrate the goal noisily. But, in our heart of hearts, there is much more to celebrate. Because we now know, instinctively, that our form has returned; that the past two weeks or so have been something of an aberration; that this side is indeed again top of the league, and deservedly so; that we shall continue to compete to the last breath for the rest of this season; and that it will be worth following this side to the end of the earth for the rest of this season and, perhaps, beyond.

But there are eighty minutes and more to come. We win a free-kick on the halfway line. It is long. Goalkeepers exchange passes. Leeds turn up the heat. Kandol to the tricky Carole to Hughes. Cross to the far post where Tammy heads away and Jason Demetriou puts out for a throw. Leeds again. An expansive and accurate crossfield ball, which will prove a hallmark of their elegant style, Jamie Clapham passes back under pressure to captain Thompson and he to Ankergren. Long ball, Leeds again. Alton Thelwell and Charlie Daniels clear, albeit under some pressure. Now goalkeeper Ankergren to full-back Richardson, he to Carole and on to Jermaine Beckford. Chambers in the breach, to Purches and Terry. Tackled and lost. Chambo regains and Purches heads away for a throw to Leeds a couple of yards from the corner flag on the left. The ball is switched and Beckford breaks down the right, passes Demetriou and sends a searing, low drive across goal which passes wide of the far post. Nelson takes the goal-kick and Leeds come again. Beckford – or was it Kandol – beats Thelwell but boots the ball wastefully over the bar, the first of several such occasions which will bring us to reflect later on United’s amazing profligacy. Wayne Gray nods on Nelson’s kick to Chambers but a free-kick is blown, to Adam’s visible annoyance. Leeds sweep the ball crossfield again. Jason and Charlie combine to intercept and move on to Sean Thornton. To Daniels, Terry, Chambers and back to Charlie and Jason who wins a throw in mid-O’s territory. To Adam Boyd who holds, controls and finds Chambo, he on to Sean Thornton whose shot from twenty yards is saved by Ankergren. Leeds again and Adam Chambers, in mid-park, intercepts their ball twice in rapid succession, such is the ground our talisman is covering in the cause. To Stephen Purches who gives long and United head clear for a throw to Orient five yards the right side of the halfway line. Demetriou, Daniels, Thornton and Leeds clear for another break. Beckford now with the ball. Tammy is downed in our box, Beckford goes past him, rounds Stuart Nelson and, with the goal at his mercy, fires wide of the net! Did someone say profligate? Referee Miller blows for an Orient free-kick, recognising that Tammy was fouled in the initial clash. Wayne Gray up for the kick and Orient get in a shot which passes for a goal-kick. Fifteen minutes in. Action packed. Game of the season.

Thornton intercepts and finds Terry, crossfield to Daniels. Leeds intercept. A big cross, another feature of their style. Thelwell clears. Leeds again. Daniels and Tam clear. Thornton is flattened and the Leeds fans jeer derisively. That goal really hurt!! Ball passed back to Ankergren who kicks long. Purches and Thornton clear to Terry who gives long. Leeds throw, midway into their half. Jamie Clapham with the throw. Adam Boyd covers ground to hassle, now working his socks off in the cause, like so many others. Adam Chambers dispossesses but the ball runs through to ‘keeper Ankergren. He kicks, we have a throw, some fifteen yards from the flag in our half on the right. Purches with the throw. Leeds recover. Thornton up for the ball. Leeds have another throw, midway into their territory. Crossfield again. Tam in, and on to Charlie and Chambo. To Tam again who is tackled in the box. Throw to Leeds some fifteen yards from the corner-flag. Tam recovers, to Paul Terry and Demetriou who gives the ball away. Leeds again but they concede a goal-kick. United again from the kick, Tam recovers, is fouled and O’s have a free-kick ten yards adrift of the halfway line, Nelson to take. He kicks for touch, mindful of Paris, and Leeds have a throw a couple of yards from the corner-flag. A big crossfield ball and clearance down the right. Demetriou tackles. Leeds throw in mid-half. Crossfield again and inside. Chambers fouls. Free-kick United on the edge of the box, out on the left. To the far post where Tammy heads clear for a throw to Leeds ten yards from the corner-flag on the right. Another big cross and Nelson comes out to go down and hold. End to end. Now a throw to Leeds on the corner-flag. Orient again and Wayne Gray is up for it. Demetriou is tackled. They cut in and shoot but the ball goes wide of the far post. Goal-kick and Chambers is up but is tackled. Leeds try to break down the left but are forced to pass back to Ankergren as Sean Thornton hassles them. Purches intercepts the kick, Thornton gives the ball away and Tammy cuts out the attack for a throw to Leeds just three yards from the flag. Seb Carole crosses and Nelson fists clear for a throw to Leeds on the right, some five yards from the flag. Richardson with a big cross which is miscued. Clapham sweeps generously acrossfield again and Richardson once more with the cross to the far post where Tam is outjumped, the ball is headed down but Nelson fields. He clears and we have a throw on the halfway line which Daniels takes. Twenty minutes to go.

To Wayne Gray who holds and dribbles, winning a throw three yards from the flag. Daniels again with the throw but now Demetriou is penalised for handball. Ankergren takes the free-kick wide on the right. Tam with the tackle. Leeds come again down the left. Purches in the breach to clear. Thompson guilty of handball. No response from Miller. He shoots from thirty-five yards. Just over the bar. From the goal-kick, the ball is played back to Ankergren who gives long and Orient have a goal-kick. Nelson’s kick is cleared. Tam returns to Demetriou and Daniels. To Boydy and Chambo who is dispossessed. Leeds break down the middle. Tammy and Daniels combine to clear. United come again and Adam Chambers repels. Thornton to Purches. Sean again to Chambers, Purches, Chambers again and Paul Terry. Crossfield to Charlie Daniels who gives long, Sean Thornton in pursuit. The ball is cleared and Sean retreats rapidly, passing Seb Carole en route. He seems to make contact, though only marginally. Carole goes down, as if poleaxed. Referee Miller acts swiftly. Sean is summoned. A red card is flourished and our hero departs. Hearts sink. A rapid analysis is necessary. From where we sit, we have no idea if Sean has delivered a crunching elbow, a flying fist or merely a friendly brush on the cheek. We assume the worst. Miller is very much on the spot. He must have seen something diabolical. His reaction was almost instant. Sean left the field with little demur other than a brief display of disbelief. Nor will the TV replay shed any further light. Yet we will later reflect on Seb Carole, quite the trickiest and most dangerous card in the Leeds pack. He will again be involved in at least one more critical incident and, meantime, too, he will demonstrate an uncanny penchant for hitting the ground in a hurry. Was Miller conned? We may never know. But there is circumstantial evidence in plenty.

Meanwhile my knowledgeable neighbour sets the objective. Just under fifteen minutes till the interval and we must survive until then. Orient regroup in an attempt to withstand an anticipated onslaught. It is a tribute to the wisdom of the original selection that no instant substitution was thought necessary to cope with the situation. Sufficient flexibility already within the starting eleven – or ten! Demetriou retrieves the free-kick. To Chambers and Purches who gives long, Ankergren fielding. Leeds down the right flank. Looks dangerous but Daniels, intelligently, wins a goal-kick. Wayne Gray is up for it and passes back to his goalkeeper again almost scoring in the process. Terry is up for the kick but Leeds recover and break down the left. Tam gets up for the cross. Carole recovers and is roundly booed by the Fantasticos. He crosses to the far post. Goal kick! United again. The ball is crossed from right to left. Carole to Hughes who is brought down by Terry. Orient are awarded a throw-in!! Ten minutes to go.

Leeds regain. Boydy intercepts, loses. Leeds attack down the middle. We spot a handball and shout for it. Nothing is given. Orient clear for a throw in mid-half. Daniels with the throw. Gray is up for it. We win a free-kick on the halfway line. Daniels takes, Wayne Gray nods on but Ankergren holds. Thelwell is up for the kick but the ball is lost to Kandol. Terry clears the danger and Gray passes back to Nelson who puts out for a throw to Leeds in mid-territory. A long cross results which Thelwell clears. Hughes goes down in the penalty area but he is alone, no-one within spitting distance. Leeds regain. Daniels intercepts and finds Gray. He to Boyd who sets Demetriou free down the right flank. We roar with excited expectation only to see a very late flag raised for offside, a product of the current trend in attempting to keep the game moving! Thelwell clears the kick to Gray and on to Chambers. Leeds win a throw. The ball is crossed and cleared by Tammy. Adam Chambers is violently floored by Dave Prutton who is addressed by referee Miller but without seeing yellow!! Leeds again and a great tackle by Gray. Leeds again down the left. A cross from the left. Headed out. A cross from the right. Cleared. Leeds again. Purches with the tackle to Terry. Prutton regains and gives wide right. Another cross which Daniels deflects. A shot from twenty-five yards which goes high over the bar. Nelson kicks long and Leeds come again. Thelwell in the hole. Leeds give long. Thelwell again clears. United down the left. A big cross which Alton and Tammy respectively get up to clear. Leeds again with Thompson switching to the left for Clapham. Adam Chambers with the tackle. Boydy is back, is tackled. Terry regains, gives long and Ankergren fields. Now Richardson with a big cross. Nelson advances to fist away, Hughes gets in a header and Tammy is there to head off the line. Leeds recharge but Purches staves them off and wins a goal-kick. Nelson kicks long. Demetriou in the tackle but penalised. Leeds free-kick five yards shy of the centre circle. It is played short and out to the right where another big cross is put in. Purches clears, Carole reclaims but is tackled by Adam Boyd to ironic cheers from the Fantasticos. Home throw. Carole to Thompson, Heath, Clapham and Prutton who shoots. The shot is deflected for a corner on the right. Daniels clears for another corner on the right. Relentless Leeds pressure. A miskick. Cleared. A fierce shot from thirty yards or more. Cleared again. Half-time is blown. Relief. First objective achieved.

Half-time a blur. Little new by way of ideas. Could we possibly hold out for another 45 minutes? Orient kick-off and pass back to Charlie Daniels. A long ball to Gray who gets up and gives towards Boyd but the ball runs for a goal-kick. Ankergren kicks long. Tam cuts out and passes back to Nelson. Leeds again with a big cross from the left. Tam heads clear. Another huge cross from the right now and Nelson is up to hold. Orient break down the left. Wayne Gray holds the ball up, lays back to Charlie Daniels and he back to Jason Demetriou who returns to Daniels. He beats the opposing full-back and crosses. Adam Boyd stretches but doesn’t quite meet the cross and Leeds are away again. Down the middle, a switch to the right, where Richardson crosses. Orient clear and the ball strikes referee Miller, deflecting to Purches, a rare and clear case of the official benefiting the visiting cause. Stephen clears long and Hughes passes back to Ankergren. To Thompson who gives wide right to Richardson. Another trademark cross. Kandol plays into Clapham and a thunderous shot is palmed out brilliantly by Stuart Nelson. Daniels clears up to Gray. To Terry and Chambers and back to Gray who gives a huge and long, crossfield ball towards Purches who stretches every sinew but doesn’t quite meet it and Leeds clear decks for a throw to Orient in mid-territory on the right. Purches takes. Wayne Gray breaks away but Leeds tackle and Richardson is put clear down the right. A cross which Thelwell heads clear to Wayne Gray who passes back to Purches. He kicks long and Leeds have a throw in mid-half. The throw to Richardson on the right. Another huge cross which is high and wide of the far post. Goal-kick Orient. To Chambers and Demetriou, returned in the air to Chambo. Adam up but beaten and Leeds come again down the left. Prutton cuts in and switches to the right to Richardson who passes back to Hughes. Terry intervenes, clears, gives the ball away. A poor shot from United and we have a goal-kick. Gray and Boyd both up for it but Leeds clear. Thompson sets Hughes free down the left. To Carole. Dispossessed by Demetriou who runs with the ball and gives it away. Richardson again to Carole and back to Richardson. A cross from the right. Nelson holds and runs a few seconds down on the clock. Gray up for the kick but Leeds clear. Orient repel, giving a throw midway into our half. The ball is crossed. Tam clears. Leeds return. Another sweeping crossfield ball. Richardson to Carole to Prutton. Thompson with the cross to the far post where a low header is saved well by Stuart Nelson. He kicks long. Ankergren holds. The attendance is announced as 29,177, bringing a cheer from the home fans who believe it to be their biggest of the season, though their programme will show that Swansea topped that figure by 290. Ironic, East End humour from the Fantasticos who chant “Here for the Orient, they’re all here for the Orient.” Ankergren’s kick brings another dangerous Leeds sally. A corner is awarded and Thelwell’s overt disgust is our only evidence that the decision is probably wrong. Corner from the left. A shot is repulsed. Thompson to Seb Carole, United’s talisman, who runs across the box unchallenged and unleashes a fantastic strike, high into the top right-hand (as we look) corner of Nelson’s net. One apiece and a mountain to climb. That Carole went unchallenged was perhaps Orient’s one major defensive aberration of the day. Nelson seemed not to move and the Cobra suspected then, and TV replays support the view, that he was totally unsighted by two or more defenders crowding the goal area in front of him. And the corner? A referee’s error. But malicious? Surely not. Just one of those slings and arrows…

Thirty-five minutes to survive. Orient kick-off and Leeds have a goal-kick. Carole again down the right. Goal-kick Orient. Nelson to Wayne Gray who wins a throw midway into their half. Daniels to Boyd and back to Charlie. On to Jason who is tackled. Throw Orient. Captain Alan Thompson is carrying an injury and Wise removes him from the field of battle, bringing on Ian Westlake. The throw is five yards beyond the halfway line. Paul Terry passes back and Leeds concede another throw halfway into our territory. Purches gives long. Leeds clear. Crossfield ball to the left and another huge cross. A shot from twenty yards goes well wide, another example of the homesters’ wastefulness. As Nelson sets up the kick, so a commotion from behind and three Orient fans are forcibly ejected from the upper tier by the local constabulary. The Cobra gives thanks that he is seated with the hoi polloi in the cheap seats!! Leeds return the kick. Demetriou clears. Gray gets up but loses the ball and Leeds break again down the left. Another long crossfield ball but it passes safely for a goal-kick. Nelson’s long kick is headed clear to Clapham. Boyd intervenes but concedes a throw. Leeds down the left and a big cross from Clapham finds Kandol who heads over the bar. Leeds again, relentless, and now Carole with a distant shot on target from thirty yards or so which Nelson holds well. His long kick is cleared by Ankergren to Richardson on the right and he sets Carole off yet again. A cross from Hughes sees Prutton in but Orient win a goal-kick. Carole again now with a shot from twenty-five yards out which brings Nelson down to hold. Ankergren again fields the long kick and gives to the left. Heath to Westlake to Hughes and out to Richardson on the right. Purches and Daniels clear long and United resurge. Marques to Heath down the left. Hughes crossfield to Richardson. Back to Marques and on to Carole. Through to Richardson for the cross and everyone misses, attack and defence alike. Purches clears decks and Leeds return. Carole again. Thelwell heads out. Leeds again. Cleared to Wayne Gray who passes back to Daniels and Terry. Wayne Gray is intercepted and the ball crossed to the far post where United narrowly fail to connect. Chambers clears but the ball is lost again.

Twenty minutes gone. An eternity. Ankergren to Richardson on the right. On to Carole and back to Richardson. Another big cross and a headed attempt which Nelson holds easily. He finds Adam Boyd, he to Daniels and back to Boydy. To Demetriou, back to Daniels and returned to Jason who gives the ball away. Leeds break down the right and a huge shot-cum-cross from Beckford curls wide of the far post for a goal-kick. The traditional sixty-fifth minute past, Martin Ling brings on Jabo Ibehre for Wayne Gray who will mark this as one of his better performances. Jabo is immediately up for Nelson’s kick but the ball runs on to Ankergren who finds Heath on the left. Leeds break and Nelson dives to the near post to save the incoming shot. Jabo up again for the big kick but again heads on to Ankergren. To Richardson and Hughes. Paul Terry intervenes and finds Adam Boyd. To Chambo and Daniels wide. He gives long for Jabo who outstrips the defence but is pipped to the ball by Ankergren on the very edge of the box. Leeds down the flank and another huge cross which Alton Thelwell heads away. To Boyd down the right. Jabo, Boyd, a cross from the right. Daniels in. A header from Thelwell! A shot from Jason Demetriou which is blocked. Boyd wins back in midfield, passes back to Demetriou, he back to Chambers and he back to Nelson. Twenty minutes left. We are still alive and kicking.

Jabo collects the goal-kick. To Terry and Daniels and back to Jabo who is floored. Free-kick Leeds!! We have seen this before from Jabo. Miller has words with both Jabo and Marques. Orient recover the ball. A cross. Chambers in for it but Ankergren just gets there first with a wild kick, setting United off again down the flank. A huge cross which Daniels clears. Leeds return down the right. Another big cross. Tammy clears but Boydy gives away. Leeds again. Marques to Richardson to Prutton down the right. In to Hughes and Carole down the left. A cross which Thelwell clears. Leeds again with a shot which is blocked. Jabo is up for the clearance and we win a throw ten yards short of the halfway line. Terry to Boyd and Leeds have a throw on the halfway line. Daniels in the tackle. He holds, runs, gives to Boyd who is flagged offside, barely a yard into the opposition half when the ball is kicked!! Free-kick short. Jabo into the tackle. He breaks clear and feeds Demetriou who makes it to the box. Ankergren comes well out to clear but his kick rebounds bizarrely off Jason and back towards the gaping net. United clear and break quickly and Nelson goes down to hold another on-target shot. Fifteen minutes left. Hanging in there.

Stephen Purches now winning a throw in mid-territory. Wise, perhaps showing first signs of worry, takes Clapham off and brings on Mark de Vries to provide fresh scoring options. Prutton also is taken off, Felipe da Costa replacing. Purches with the throw to Terry. Back to Purches and back to Terry. On to Boyd who puts in a long cross which is safely passed back to Ankergren. Short to Hughes, wide right to Richardson and back to Hughes. Crossfield to Marques and on to Westlake down the left. Alton Thelwell in with a sliding tackle. Nelson now finds Jabo who gets up for the ball but is tackled. Leeds break down the right and Hughes with a big cross which passes for a goal-kick at the far post. From the kick, Jabo to Boyd and on to Chambers who makes a characteristic run into the box before coming to grief. Demetriou recovers and finds Boyd who shoots over the bar and just a little wide. Leeds break down the wing again. Paul Terry out to tackle, wide on the edge of the box. He comes in from behind. A player goes down. Miller awards a penalty. Technically correct but harsh. Indeed, the tackle looked pretty innocuous. In the aftermath, we will recall that it was Seb Carole who has hit the deck. Has Miller been suckered again by the little man? We may never know. Nelson awaits the kick from Kandol. Strangely, he does little to disturb his opponent. No textbook prancing and waving. Simply standing there with his arms raised. He need not have worried. Kandol’s kick passes very high over the crossbar and, at last, we feel that Lady Luck has shone our way, however briefly. Perhaps a token. Ten minutes to survive.

Nelson kicks long. Jabo is up but Leeds recover. Down the wing again and a cross which Tam clears with a diving header. Leeds again and Purches clears for a throw a couple of yards from the flag from which they win a corner on the left. Boyd back to clear from the corner. A cross from the right is headed clear. Leeds come again down the left. Another big cross and a header at the far post just two yards out passes wide of the post. Profligate in spades! Boyd from the clearance but the ball is lost and Carole breaks again down the right. He crosses and Nelson makes a diving save, rising to give long to Jabo. Five minutes to go.

Orient now more in the game. Boyd is fed down the middle. He holds, jinks, makes to take on the defence and shoots low and hard from outside the box. Ankergren appears to hold comfortably but then lets the forceful shot slip through his hands. From our vantage point behind the flag, we are well-placed to see, as the cameras later confirm, that the ball has indeed crossed the line. The Cobra thought inches, rather than feet, was the measure but crossed the line it did, all the same. Now referee Miller was already retreating, presumably on the assumption that the goalkeeper had the ball safely and would soon be welting upfield. The linesman, not yet on the turn, was still some twenty yards adrift of the byeline. Neither could reasonably see the ball accurately and neither could reasonably be blamed for their inability to do so. Once again, the fickle finger of fortune had struck. No goal was awarded despite loud protests from Jabo who was very much on the spot. Yet, if there ever was a case for bringing technology to play, this incident was screaming for it. OK, it would require a time out and, OK, this would interrupt the flow of the game. So, restrict the use of the technology to those very few and critical incidents which the officials cannot reasonably adjudge themselves.

Orient now fired up. Demetriou recovers the kick and finds Jabo. A ball across the box to Boyd whose shot is blocked on the goal-line. Leeds break down the right and Daniels breaks up the attack. Leeds again and Purches now clears to Jason Demetriou who makes ground and is brought down, unceremoniously again, on the very edge of the box. Miller produces the yellow card for Matt Heath, amazingly only the second name in his book all game. Jason remains down but not out. Two minutes left and no doubt who is on top. The Fantasticos chant “2 – 1 to the Orient” and there is no riposte from the massed and silent ranks alongside us. Daniels and Terry shape to take the free-kick. Daniels with the shot which is deflected and punched acrobatically over the bar by Ankergren for a corner on the left which is cleared. Orient return with Adam Chambers feeding Jason Demetriou down the left. Jason goes past three defenders and shoots but Ankergren holds. Leeds break down the left. A crossfield ball. Carole with the final cross which Terry clears. United return with a shot which is high and wide. Leeds again from the kick down the left. A long throw but an infringement gives us a free-kick in our penalty area. Three minutes added time are proclaimed. Jabo is up for the kick but Leeds clear. A crossfield ball and a break down the right and another huge cross passes for a goal-kick at the far post. Ibehre again from the goal-kick. He holds, runs, beats his man, shoots and watches as his shot is deflected over the goalkeeper and cleared at the last ditch. Now Jason Demetriou with a shot, Jabo in support. Leeds clear. Jabo again to Terry and Boyd who loses the ball. Free-kick Leeds. Chambers heads clear. Leeds again down the right. A long ball. Goal kick. And Miller blows the whistle on this fascinating and momentous struggle.

So where do we go from here? Another brilliant performance which marks our return to form. Could it be that the uncertainties of the last five games were simply a function of the long build-up to this big one? That the players have been focussing inevitably on the approach of this massive encounter and have, at least psychologically, been saving themselves for what they knew would require effort of Herculean proportion. It’s certainly a possibility. But, whether or not, we can now look forward to a run of games, perhaps eight in all, in which mid-table Donny and Swindon, both away, and our old friends Brighton at home, look the most difficult. We’ve played four of the other eight in the top nine -- and Leeds. And we are still a respectable third (fourth, really) after a dreadful run with one win in five games. So we now have a good opportunity to consolidate our position amongst the front-runners. The next few weeks will tell us even more. And so we left this massive stadium, this massive club, this massive crowd (all came for the Orient!), these massive teams. Massive everything really. Except little Dennis. But Dennis had the last word. Or rather Dennis had the first word. And that first word may have given Dennis the last laugh. Wise after the event? He may be. But Dennis knows and will not forget that Orient won this game 2 – 1 and played with ten men for an hour or more. It will bring spice to the return encounter in April.

COBRA

2007-10-13T17:34:00.000+01:00

Leeds 1 Orient 1
That's a good result, especially as we played for about an hour with ten men. Sean Thornton was hero and villain, with both the goal and the (straight) red card. Leeds missed a pen in the last ten minutes, and with the decisions going their way you have to wonder how much effect Wise's pre-match whinging about the choice of referee had? Look forward to giving the little twerp the abuse he deserves when they come to Brisbane Road - not that he isn't used to it!

Meanwhile, good performance from England this afternoon, shame about the injury to Cashley Cole. Note to McLaren - there's an ex-O's player who can step in (please, anyone but Phil Neville!!).

And though it's not really my game, good luck to the egg-chasers later.

A Sober Re-appraisal

2007-10-10T21:53:00.000+01:00

A Sober Re-appraisal

Leyton Orient (0) 0 Swansea City (1) 5

Nelson; Purches (Capt), Thelwell, Mkandawire, Palmer (sub Corden 63); JJ Melligan (sub Demetriou 58), Chambers, Thornton, C Daniels; Gray (sub Ibehre 58), Boyd.

Leyton Orient (0) 0 Dagenham & Redbridge (0) 1

Morris; Chambers (Capt)(Purches (Capt) HT), Oji, Saah, Palmer; JJ Melligan (sub C Daniels HT), Terry, Demetriou, Corden; Gray (sub Echanomi 71), Ibehre.

Hardly the headline to capture ninety minutes spent in the company of Spike Lang (SpikeinRaith) watching what was arguably Orient’s strongest team fielded this season get beaten comprehensively, and by the biggest margin for many years, by quite the best team we have seen this season so far. The details of both games are well documented elsewhere. What is clearly more important is some dispassionate analysis of where we are and why and where we might now go.

Luck, as we have often observed, is usually made from within ourselves. Confidence, skill, self-belief, fitness, teamwork, all go towards creating that wraith-like creature to which we are so ready to ascribe our changing fortunes. Yet it would appear that we have been genuinely lucky in two respects this season. First off, our fixtures for the first eight weeks of the season were hardly over-demanding. Only Southend and Hartlepool are now top eight sides and we always do well at Southend anyway. One of life’s immutable laws. Second, we have profited from two different, but related, psychological footballing phenomena. First, the Wigan syndrome. Whenever a side appears in a different division for the first time in a while, there will always be a novelty effect. Superior opposition -- and, ceteris paribus, one has to assume that most opposition will usually be superior to a promoted outfit, -- will be totally unaware of what to expect. The teams will variously never have met before and the surprise element, combined usually with an aggressive and positive attitude, will frequently down many a Goliath. The stadium and pitch, too, can add to this factor where visiting players are unfamiliar, not only with opposing players, but with the entire surroundings. Wigan and Reading are the classic examples of this phenomenon in recent years, Southend perhaps, too, though only once. However, as both Wigan and Reading are about to demonstrate, reality eventually catches up with you in these circumstances. Now, we cannot argue that most of our opponents are unfamiliar with Brisbane Road. But, to stretch a point, the fourth stand is a novelty and many of them will have been to Brissy no more than once in recent years. But it is the players who are the real novelty since only Chambers, Corden and Thelwell remain from last year’s starting eleven and this is effectively a completely new Orient side. We might as well be newly-promoted. The effect is the same on those early opponents.

And the second, and related factor is the crap-team effect. So poor were we last season that everyone, from the bookies down to the media had totally written us off. Likewise, the opposition. No need even to have them watched. Points for the taking. The psychological advantage of the crap-team syndrome is immeasurable. For most of those opening fixtures, it allowed us to dictate the pace, the tempo, the game itself. Ironically, or perhaps logically, it was only when the bookies and others reluctantly started to take us seriously and we started to be quoted as play-off candidates, that we began to crack up. I’ll wager Swansea had us watched. Hartlepool, too, maybe. Leeds, for sure. From hereinon, we simply need to accept, players and fans, that we will no longer be taken for granted but indeed, quite the reverse, opponents will be making an extra effort to outdo us. Unless of course we revert to “crap team”.

On the other hand, it could be said that those early, easier fixtures, combined with the surprise Wigan and crap-team syndromes, went some way towards masking the underlying problems with the side. Fact. Wayne Corden has yet to score. Fact. Striker Wayne Gray has two goals from thirteen outings. Why Tammy has as many from centre-back. Fact. Top-scorer Adam Boyd hasn’t scored for four games. Fact also. Take the three or four key players out of the side -- and last night this included Sean Thornton, Stuart Nelson, Tammy and (to some degree) Adam Boyd, not to mention Adam Chambers for half the game, -- and we are left with a motley, disorganised bunch with little heart for competing and not much of a game-plan, less still any cohesion. That more or less explains, but not excuses the Daggers result (for the Cobra, at least). We made great pretence of taking the JPT seriously, with dreams of Leeds at Wembley to whet the appetite but, when the chips were down, it was more important (and very rightly so), to rest the key players for Saturday’s game. Fact. We didn’t really take it any more seriously than any other League One team.

Now highlighting those key players gets us back to where we are and how we got to where we are. Nobody should underestimate the immensity of the task which faced Martin Ling in the summer when six key players walked out without accepting generous new contracts. Added to the number who had been carefully (and correctly) pruned, that meant, as we know, the establishment of a completely new squad in just a few weeks. And, as he has told us, and as we all know, we were left a couple short of the ideal target. That fact has been masked by the excellent injury record, always a feature of a successful, confident side. (If the poor run continues, expect more injuries). That Martin has not added to the squad since (Sam Oji apart) is simply a case of a lack of adequate supply. Any incoming striker would have to be notably better than our existing four to warrant spending a fee. They don’t grow on trees. Full-backs? He thought Charlie Daniels was the cover required. Charlie has proved an excellent wide midfield player but has yet to establish a reputation as a full-back. For the next couple of months, we must hope that injuries do not mount and wait patiently for the window to open, hoping also that Martin has already targeted the players he will bid for.

A brief assessment of individual form. Glyn Garner was by no means infallible. He simply knew how to save penalties! But he rarely came off his line. Far too cautious. Stuart Nelson is, for all his shortcomings, quite the best goalkeeper we have seen in recent years. Difficult to understand why two goals (at least) have been allowed to pass beneath his diving body. Poor judgment or co-ordination? But no-one is perfect. Paul Robinson will be starting for England this weekend. Enough said. Incidentally, Glenn Morris’s goalkeeping was, by and large, excellent last night. Hard to say whether he might have stopped the one and only goal though he was off his line when the shot was taken and has been surprised in the past in this way. The goal was similar to several we have conceded recently (notably against Swansea), a shot from distance which rocketed into the top corner of the net. However, his place-kicking was barely improved from the woeful level of a few years back and this can be a major negative when the team is already struggling. But some great and courageous saves nonetheless which, to be sure, kept the scoreline down. All the same, Stuart must start at Leeds and we must get behind him.

Aiden Palmer is the surprise package of the season, progressing from raw schoolboy to mature full-back in a matter of weeks. Yet, when faced with a really outstanding side in Swansea, it was at full-back that we were most exposed defensively, with two or more goals coming directly from the roasting that the Swans’ wide men were regularly imposing on our backs. The manager made an odd remark to the Gallery before that game. Seeming or seeking to justify Stephen Purches’ inclusion in the starting line-up, he said “He must have something to offer or I wouldn’t have made him captain, would I?” For the rest of us, the jury was still out. We still haven’t seen enough of Stephen this season to be able to judge. But the Cobra detected the first signs of doubt in the manager’s mind that here might be a weakness. Perhaps we should bid for Matt Lockwood in the window. He can’t be happy at Forest!

Sam Oji proved last night that centre-back is the one spot where we can cope with illness or injury. Good to see Brian Saah, too, on the park again. Having already reviewed the strike-force, we are left with the wide-midfield. The Cobra has been a great fan of all our recent wide midfielders but none of them, it has to be said, come remotely near performing as did the Swansea speedsters. There is hope that Charlie Daniels, with his keen eye for goal, will achieve the same ends by different means. JJ Melligan’s missed open goal last night, following a perfect cross from the left by Jason Demetriou across the face of the goal, came hot on the heels of his spurned opportunity to equalise on Saturday. It leaves us wondering whether he does indeed have an eye for goal or is merely trusting to the rub of the green. Some competition, preferably of the direct variety, in this department could be another priority come the window. Meanwhile, a number of players have something to prove.

And us? Martin Ling has been fairly consistent in setting our targets, expectations and ambitions. Middle-eight. No reason not to want to do better than that, though. To hope for a play-off spot, or thereabouts. The one advantage, paradoxically, that we have this Saturday is that no-one any more expects us to get a result. Let us hope the players take advantage of that. We always knew that we had a tough six games coming up from Yeovil to Leeds and, if we are now disappointed that the return has not been as much as our inflated expectations suggested, then we should look ahead to the next half-dozen (eight in fact) which are, at least in theory, slightly less daunting. It will be important to have some confidence and self-belief restored before then and our own part, both travelling FO’s and, perhaps more important the following week at home will be crucial to that end.

COBRA

2007-10-10T09:26:00.000+01:00

Well I didn't go last night, pretty disappointing result though. Listened on BBC London, it sounded as though Jabo had a decent game but not many others (though the Daggers fan in my office was impressed by Jason Demetriou). No trip to Wembley this season then, unless it's in the play-offs, but the worrying thing is that we go to Leeds on the back of a run of 4 defeats in 5 games. However, our away form is still better than at home so, who knows?

2007-10-06T18:06:00.000+01:00

Leyton Orient 0 Swansea City 5

Yes five. The worst defeat I've personally seen in 37 years supporting the O's, and not a result you could even say was harsh on us. The first goal, after three minutes, was one of those unstoppable shots that come once in a season, Butler hitting a strike from wide left that flew into the opposite top corner. We played a lot of what remained of the 45 minutes in Swansea's half, but for all that only JJ Melligan's shot across an unguarded goal ever really threatened the visitors, while Nelson pulled off three good saves to keep us in it.

However, the keeper was at fault for (to be generous) the next two goals, the first coming after 20 seconds of the second half. Swansea had attacked from the whistle at the beginning of the game, so our defence had no excuse for being caught cold and allowing Pratley a lob that went in off the bar directly above Nelson's head. The next two saw our full backs exposed for pace - first Purches as Butler scored his second with a run down the left and a shot that went under Nelson's body, then Palmer left for dead by Anderson on the other wing - again Nelson might have done better with the shot. By the time Feeney completed the scoring in stoppage time with a shot that Nelson turned onto the post but couldn't keep out, a large proportion of the 5586 crowd - ironically our largest of the season - had melted away.

Only two consolations to be drawn - we won't have to listen to oh-so-original chants of "Top of the League - you're having a laugh" any more; and thanks to Tranmere's win at Roots Hole it's them, and not Sahfend who take over the lead.

Without wanting to put a curse on next week's game at Elland Road, a win for Leeds will leave them only three points behind us already, and Forest's game in hand, if they played and won it now, would put them above us in second. I think normal service has been resumed.

2007-10-05T21:02:00.000+01:00

Paul’s Penance

Gillingham (1) 3 Leyton Orient (0) 1

Nelson; Chambers (sub Demetriou 65), Thelwell (Capt), Mkandawire, Palmer; JJ Melligan (sub Daniels 60), Demetriou, Thornton (sub Terry 69), Corden; Boyd, Gray (sub Ibehre 60).

In the time available, some reflections only on Tuesday night. Almost everything was wrong from start to finish. No excuses, you understand. Never any excuses for being soundly beaten. But some observations on the psychology of the game, as well the physical circumstances, which might explain a lot. To deal with Paul first. Anyone who waits until his side is hitting 4-for-4 away from home before attending an away game, deserves to watch the first away defeat of the season. Just a pity that the rest of us had to pay the price of Paul’s penance too. So no question of a curse. Expect to see you at Leeds, Paul.

Next a word for the greedy. Perhaps the first time this season that we have indulged in the dreaded hubris. The Cobra observed before the visit to the Memorial Ground that four points from those next two would be a good return. Of course, he, like everyone else, foresaw three from Priestfield, while a draw at Bristol would be a good result. Saturday past, it was all too easy to dream of six. And, worse, adjust those expectations. No. If 85 points wins promotion, as it did last season, then nineteen from nine is fine. That’s 95 for the season with a game in hand! So no need to be greedy. Four points from those two games would have been quite enough. Inflated expectations are the last thing we need.

Then what about Gillingham? They were, after all, the first to take anything at all from Leeds this season. So, why did we write them off? Because they were 21^st, relegation candidates and had amassed only seven points from eight games. But what do we know about Gillingham? 2- 1 winners at Priestfield last season and a draw (that remarkable 3 – 3 affair) at Brissy. Not bad for a crap team. And what about other opponents? Well, 14 – 2 – 7 – 29 – 24 was the Gill’s home record last season. Bettered only by the two straight promotion teams. Of course, they had the worst away record in the Division! And this season? Nought-for-4 away from home, once again the worst in the division. But, Leeds apart, once more the best home record of all. We, players and fans, should have treated this game as seriously as we will no doubt treat the next two. But we didn’t. Why, even Paul turned up! And if the fans are showing just a little hubris, it will eventually rub off on the players.

The drive home after was a nightmare, with the A2 closed. But for those who drove TO the game, the A2 was also a trial and reports that 30 m.p.h proved a maximum speed showed just how trying the journey must have been. The Club coach suffered similarly and the players and management were half an hour behind their scheduled timing. Now anyone who has played the beautiful game at all seriously (at whatever level) will know the importance to be placed on physical and mental preparation. The Cobra, in his heyday, spent three hours every Friday night cleaning the boots, applying the Dubbin (remember Dubbin?), folding and packing the kit and so on. And then, for home games at least, arriving well over an hour before kick-off, to prepare mentally, allow time for a team chat, and then prepare physically with a warm-up and a run-round and an application of Radian B. For our lads, that routine was savagely disrupted on Tuesday due to the state of Ken Livingstone’s London roads (Election? What election?). So, if the psychology was wrong to begin with and, in their heart of hearts they fancied an easy run, their late arrival would have been the final nail in the coffin.

The Cobra thought we were beaten by a somewhat better side, though the feeling was never quite the same as against Hartlepool. Incidentally, students of the game’s psychology will have noted how Hartlepool reacted to their massive win at Brisbane Road. Yet others thought this not so. That Gills simply got it right on the night. No question that Graham’s first goal was stunning in many senses of the word. A brilliant, slick build-up, swift and knife-through-butter again, and an amazing strike from distance which left Stuart Nelson no chance. Stuart, BTW, stood little chance either with the other two which were rather the result of dreadful defending (as a team). Nor was our performance that dreadful, at times. The one criticism, or negative comparison with our opponents, was the laboured nature of the build-up. Perhaps down to the fact that we have two wide men who are inclined to hold and tease, rather than break quickly down the line. Whatever the case, the Gills’ defence was often well-organised, long before we got around to reaching box or byeline. Perhaps we should be seeking to release Wayne Gray (or Jabo) rather sooner on occasions with the through-ball. They do, after all, have the speed. Yet, for all that, we had our moments and, on another day, might have re-run the Bristol performance. The other observation, and observation it is, not criticism, is that our text-book style, slow start, warming up and getting more aggressive as the game progresses, can be countered effectively by any outfit who, like the Gills, goes hammer and tongs at us from the outset. To be sure, we responded with like-for-like once the realisation that we had been psyched set in, but it was all too late by then. Solution? Take a risk and start with a tempo a little more upbeat than that to which we are accustomed.

Martin Ling’s removal of Sean Thornton, with twenty minutes left, was significant. The Cobra was not aware of a knock, though there could have been such, as Sean was, as ever, in the thick of things from start to finish. More likely, he had an eye to the upcoming games and the fact that we again have two games in seven days next week (albeit some will sit out the visit of the Daggers). And no doubt Martin is already approaching those next games with the professionalism that has taken us so unexpectedly far this season already. But us? How should we be approaching them? What are our expectations now? It might be no bad thing to prepare for two more defeats. But that would be un-necessarily pessimistic. The Gillingham attitude in reverse. We know we should be in for two really great games. We know also that our lads are capable of almost anything. Swansea’s away form is average for a top six side. 50/50. And our recent history against them is not too depressing. Perhaps we should leave it there and simply ensure, both tomorrow and a week ahead, that they get all the support they deserve.

Up the O’s.

COBRA

2007-10-02T08:35:00.000+01:00

Steppin` on the Gas

Bristol 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), Gray

Questons, 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

2007-09-30T21:29:00.000+01:00

If last weekend's match brought us down to earth a bit, yesterday's result shows that the O's are still genuine contenders for a top six finish.

If that sounds a bit pessimistic, given that we're four points clear at the top of the table, I'm not the only one not getting carried away - just try asking Martin Ling about automatic promotion and see what answer you get. All the same, coming back from two down, for the second time this season, and on this occasion not just equalising but going on to win the match, shows the sort of character that is essential for a title/promotion/play-off challenge.

Even the match against Hartlepool last weekend had a bit of that about it. Many teams, having pulled back one out of a two-goal deficit, would have folded when their opponents restored the margin; our lads, to their credit, didn't give up, got back into it again, and with a little luck might have salvaged an unlikely (and in all truth undeserved) point.

Next stop on out travels (this Tuesday) is Gillingham, where Leeds' 100% start came to an end on Saturday - but only due to a stoppage-time equaliser, after two red cards meant that the visitors defended their one-goal lead for 35 minutes with nine men. The accounts of the match on the two clubs' official websites make contrasting reading; the Gills version being somewhat more balanced, while Leeds' reporter lays the blame for his side's shortcomings very much at the referee's door! Hopefully Orient will show more discipline at Priestfield, though we can at least be sure that our own manager won't follow the example of Dennis Wise in being banished from the arena along with his two errant players. Not the Martin Ling style at all - though Deano can get bit animated at times!

A Dose of Reality

2007-09-25T20:59:00.000+01:00

A Dose of Reality

Leyton Orient (0) 2 Hartlepool United (1) 4

Nelson; Terry (sub Demetriou 62), Thelwell(capt), Mkandawire, Palmer; JJ Melligan, Chambers, Thornton, Corden (sub Daniels 67); Gray (sub Echanomi 73), Boyd.

A weekend spent drowning the sorrows makes for an even later report than usual without necessarily offering more time for sober reflection. One thing is certain. That a dose of reality, if reality can be defined, less still captured, is surely to be welcomed. So many of us had that “whatever else may be the case, we really don’t want to lose” feeling. Yet, in reality, Football League teams, since Preston North End in 1888, have by and large not survived a season without suffering the odd defeat. Put another way, English Football may be far more stratified than it was twenty years ago, with talk of a top four or a big four and such nonsense as “Wet Sham belong in the Premiershi-“, yet it is still possible for lesser teams to beat greater and the wonderful unpredictably of the beautiful game still continues to enthral us. So let us celebrate, if nothing else, the fact that our feet are back on the ground, that the magic has gone out of the tale (if magic it ever was) and we still have four of those six more difficult games to come in the immediate future; contests for which our feet will need to be very firmly on the ground. Indeed, our team, our squad, will need to prove its invincibility all over again and that, perhaps, is no bad thing either. The reality of the hackneyed mantra “One game at a time” is all too necessary at this juncture.

We should be clear, too, that, if Yeovil were, by a slim margin, the best side we had encountered this season, then Hartlepool were, by a street, quite the best team we have played this term and, we could be forgiven for hoping, perhaps the very best of the entire pack. Slick in their possession and attacking football, the fact that our much-vaunted central defence and goalkeeper were, maybe for the first time, looking stretched, uneasy, spoke volumes for the quality of this opposition. That said, our own performance was not always that bad, and the side’s mental qualities, to borrow from M. Wenger, were evident in their ability to come back twice from two-goal deficits when all else seemed lost. So there need be no excuses for the result. Well-beaten by a much better side. And there should be no excuses for the performance, insofaras it did not match up to previously-engendered high expectations. But there was one exogenous factor which did, in the Cobra’s humble view, have a significant effect on the manner of the game and, without wishing to making it an excuse for anything, yet it is worth debating, if only because its significance may have been quite disproportionate.

Referees do not, as a general rule, issue yellow cards in the first ten to fifteen minutes of a game. Red ones occasionally, remember Millwall, but not yellow. This fan had often wondered why and others can regularly be heard baying for the production of a card in those opening minutes following a foul of any seriousness. After all, if a foul is worthy of an official caution, what is the difference between the first fifteen minutes and the rest of the game? We learnt the answer to that on Saturday at 3.01 when Sean Thornton was cautioned for a foul in the tackle. Foul it was. With what intent, other than that of regaining the ball, it was difficult to discern. Malicious it was not. As these eyes saw it, Sean caught his opponent at the margin. McCunnie fell, and quite rightly so, because he was genuinely hurt. But the caution, nonetheless, seemed excessive and inconsistent with the usual behaviour and attitude of most referees. The result? Sean played with uncharacteristic reserve for the remaining eighty-nine minutes lest a second caution should dictate an early bath. In effect, the most influential player on the home side, was effectively playing with one-hand tied behind his back. He could not and did not go into full-blooded tackles for fear of a repetition. And the malaise seemed to spread to others, naturally, as Adam Chambers, in particular, seemed unwilling to risk a caution. Ironically, had we approached this game with the same cautious, probing build-up that had characterised our previous outings, instead of rightly trying to stamp our authority on the match from the outset, the incident may never have occurred. But that’s life. And that’s football.

Martin Ling’s pre-match chat to the Gallery didn’t tell us much that wasn’t already in the programme but an emphasis on the recovering wounded, surely good news, is worth noting. Such were the positives in the rest of the squad that he could afford to give Jabo and Purches another week to ensure a full recovery. An extra Reserve team game had been arranged for Tuesday against Brentford for their benefit. He was also very clear about the day’s opposition. Respect for Danny Wilson whose side would play good football with a certain tempo and purpose and a passing game to be admired. Given which, it is tempting to suppose that the usual scientific game plan was indeed changed so that our boys went for supremacy from the outset.

Hartelpool began with a huddle, leaving us to wonder what on earth there was to impart which had not already been imparted in the dressing-room. We kicked off and headed South, nothing unusual these days. Back to Thornton and Thelwell. Long to Gray and cleared. Chambers to Terry and long for Boyd and cleared. Tam clears long. United again, Thornton to the tackle and referee Haywood with his yellow card to set his mark on the game. Decisively. Thornton back to clear the free-kick. Melligan free down the right. Crosses and wins a corner. Short between Melligan and Thornton. JJ robbed and cleared. Thelwell up for it but penalised. Free-kick Hartlepool. Palmer clears. Thornton is fouled and receives no recompense. Terry to Gray who is fouled and gets nothing for his pains either. Corden to Boyd who executes the Cristiano Ronaldo legover and gets in a deadly cross from the left. Corden takes the corner, on the left. It is headed clear, Chambers misses the ball and Palmer is left to pass back to Nelson. Orient win a free-kick on the halfway for an incident in which Adam Chambers looked to have been more sinning than sinned against. Palmer to Gray who is beaten in the air and the visitors come away down the right, Tam putting into touch for a throw. Now Aiden Palmer is rounded and the ball is crossed. A weak shot from around the spot which Stuart Nelson holds comfortably. Orient again. Cleared. United down the right again and win another corner. Tam and JJ clear the danger. O’s go long and the ball is nodded back to ‘keeper Budtz in the visitors’ goal. Hartlepool now with a fabulous through-ball which is flicked on, Boyd style, but superb anticipation from Paul Terry who clears decks. Hartlepool again, now down the left. Liddle shoots, Tam blocks, Melligan clears to Thornton who is floored. Nothing from referee Haywood and once more we think we see a referee who makes commendable use of the advantage rule without actually signalling the fact. So neither we nor the players ever know whether he has seen an infringement or not. Now Palmer on to Boyd who is fouled and earns a free-kick which comes to nought. Cleared and a fine through-ball for Ian Moore who beats Tam and advances on Nelson. Stuart, in his usual style, anticipates brilliantly and advances to the edge of the box, blocking the shot, though less than convincingly, and allowing Moore to open the scoring with a second bite of the cherry. 0 – 1.

More dangerous breaks down the right for Hartlepool and down the right again. Thornton is floored and this time Orient have the free-kick. To the far post where both Tam and Chambers both fail narrowly to connect with diving headers. Ball cleared for Corden to intercept. Hartlepool again. Humphreys crosses from the left and Moore is on the spot again with a gifted shot which goes just a yard or two wide of the post. Let-off! United again and Nelson now in a tangle with an opponent for the ball. We clear. They return down the left. A cross which Tam heads clear for a throw. A series of throws. Hartlepool again down the left and a cross to the far post which Nelson intercepts. Orient now with the throw which is headed into the box but cleared and United come again on the break, with a shot from twenty-five yards which passes wide. Nelson clears long. Boyd is fouled. We get nothing. United come away and find Moore whom Terry fouls. He is awarded a yellow card. Now Humphreys is penalised for a foul on JJ. Thornton takes the free-kick five yards outside the angle of the box. It is low and headed for a corner which Thornton takes. Tam is up for it but his header goes over the bar. Hartlepool again down the right. Chambers and Corden with the tackles. Terry wins a throw for O’s five yards inside the halfway line. Into the box for Thornton who is tripped but receives nothing. The theory is propounded that referee Haywood may be handling Sean on past reputation. JJ is brought down and we win a free-kick on the halfway-line. It is cleared. More pressure from the visitors. Thelwell is floored and Monkhouse is shown the yellow card to a round of ribald and ironic applause. Half an hour in and Deano is seen to be arguing with Danny Wilson. Insults are exchanged and they stand face-to-face, the fourth official desperately trying to prevent the situation escalating. Sadly, the conversation was not recorded and all that abides in the memory is the instant support from the crowd’s chants of “Deano, Deano”.

Some good two-way play follows. Free-kick Orient for offside. A cross from Corden cleared. Hartlepool cross from the right and Nelson holds low. More two-way traffic. United on the break are stopped by Tam, getting back in time with a strong tackle. Hartlepool now with a very fine move. Humphreys to Boland to James Brown, carpet-ball stuff, and executed swiftly and smoothly. Brown into the box with a gilt-edged opportunity which he wastes by firing well-wide. Let-off again! Hartlepool again down the right and Tam hoofs into the East Stand. A cross which Nelson holds. His kick is passed back to Budtz and Tam intercepts the ‘keeper’s kick, running with the ball and winning a free-kick. Palmer with the kick. Cleared. Melligan returns. Cleared. Throw to us. Throw to them. James Brown breaks down the left and crosses long. Corden and Thornton clear. To Boyd who is tackled and Godwin Antwi is off on a run. Dispossessed and up to Terry, Melligan and Corden who is fouled. Free-kick Orient which must be re-taken since the ball was not stationary. Jeers from those ignorant or careless of the rules. It comes to nothing and now Nelson is feeding Terry. To Thornton, Thelwell and Boyd who controls, beats his man, runs on and crosses wickedly to the far post where Wayne Gray gets up for the header and has only to nod into the gaping net. Amazingly, he appears to head wide, though we learn from the ensuing corner that Budtz must have got a finger to the cross. Perhaps our best chance of the half. Deserved or not, we could have gone in level. Now we remain behind and feelings at the interval are ambivalent. The heart says we are second best and will not recover. The head says we have done it before and we will do it again.

And, if we had hoped that our lads would step up a gear in the second period, then we soon discovered that the same reticence in the tackle was still to the fore and that the visitors were well up to any change of tempo that we tried to impose. Chambers and Terry clear from the kick-off but United return and win a corner on the left where we all saw a goal-kick. A shot rebounds, into the box and out. A cross and a free-kick. ‘Pool come again and Nelson miskicks giving a throw to the visitors in the midst of our territory. Now Paul Terry is bested down the left but the opponent is tackled and the ball cleared. United again and Palmer now is beaten. A cross and Paul Terry is clearing off the goal-line. Thornton, Palmer, Thornton and back to Nelson who gives long. Palmer gives up a throw ten yards beyond the halfway line. From that, another throw ten yards inside the halfway line. Thornton recovers and finds Chambers who is tackled by James Brown. An instant shot from distance. Stuart Nelson goes down and appears to have the shot covered but it seems to bobble and in a moment once thought for ever to belong to Paul Robinson, Stuart loses sight and control of the ball which bounces over him and into the net for a second. Bad luck? Poor judgment? We may never know. But 0 – 2 behind and we begin to feel that this is already a lost cause.

Hartlepool continue to press down the left. James Brown beats Paul Terry and crosses low but there is no-one to receive and Nelson holds. We win two free-kicks in succession. Tam takes the second. Boydy is up for it but fails to connect. Ten minutes in and we string together a really decent move. Tam wins a tackle and finds Adam Chambers. To Palmer, Corden and back to Palmer. On to Boyd, Chambers again, Terry, Chambo again and Melligan who exchanges passes with Corden. JJ goes on a run, cuts in, down the centre and, to the surprise of many, lets fly from a distance. The ball hits the crossbar, rebounds down to the ground and into the net. Shades of Gresty Road! Crowd delirious. 1 - 2. Something to shout about at last. We had supposed we were down and out but were now back in the game. Briefly, memories of the Cobblers debacle filter back into the consciousness. The Cobra had suggested, and was not alone in this, that substitutions were perhaps in order as early as half-time. Martin Ling, too, was clearly of the mind that something extra or unusual was required to better such tough opponents, since he was already warming up a couple of would-be extras. Ironically, for the second game in succession, the Orient scored just as these substitutes were about to be introduced. They were, of course, put on ice, no doubt, in part, because the now-feted JJ would have been one of those to leave the arena.

From the kick-off, Palmer concedes a throw five yards from the flag. McCunnie crosses hard. Thelwell clears long and JJ chases, team and crowd now fired-up. But not for long. Back to Budtz who kicks long. Thelwell with the tackle but a free-kick is awarded three yards outside the box. To the far post where Terry heads clear. United again. Terry again. Two-way traffic and another fine Orient passing movement which ends with Aiden Palmer crossing long and over the bar! Martin Ling calls time-out to bring Paul Terry off and introduce Jason Demetriou into the midfield, presumably to spice things up a bit, Adam Chambers moving to right-back. Another good move between Tam, Boyd, Thornton and Corden, a through-ball which is lost and referee Haywood returns play to the centre circle for a free-kick to the O’s, presumably signalling a much-delayed infringement. Thornton to the far post. Budtz is up, falls, gathers and clears. To the other end, where a weak shot is surprisingly tipped round the post by Nelson for a corner on the left. Stuart fists clear and JJ breaks free down the line. Hartlepool throw. Tam clears to Demetriou who is dispossessed by James Brown. Tam tackles again. Brown goes down and the visitors have a free-kick twenty yards out. The shot is cleared, a second shot blocked. Thelwell clears. They return. Offside. Free-kick Orient. Twenty minutes gone and more. Martin Ling brings Charlie Daniels on for a rare appearance, removing Wayne Corden.

Orient on the attack and a great cross from Boyd which both Gray and Daniels oh so nearly connect with. Two-way play. Thornton is floored. Advantage rule is signalled. We’d rather have the free-kick. Palmer is fouled. Nothing is given. A couple of minutes on and Tam is brought down, the referee showing the yellow card to Andy Monkhouse. Just under twenty minutes left. No progress. The manager brings on Efe Echanomi early, removing Wayne Gray. Danny Wilson brings Joel Porter on for James Brown. Two-way play again, cat and mouse. A chance shot by JJ from thirty yards which Budtz holds easily. Tam clears well from the kick. A series of indeterminate throw-ins. JJ on the break again. He is fouled and we have a free-kick, five yards outside the angle of the box. Sean with the kick and Budtz rises to hold but only just! He clears for a throw to Orient which is passed back to Nelson. Boyd is up for the kick and finds JJ who gets in a cross. Budtz palms the ball out but into the path of the oncoming Daniels who lets go a rasping drive which Budtz miraculously scrambles away. From the clearance, Palmer returns to Thornton and Daniels, now with a cross which Budtz holds safely. Ten minutes left. Boland off, Ben Clarke on. We remark that Clarke’s shirt lacks the final “E”, suggesting an error in the programme.

Daniels clears long for Efe who himself punts long. Hartlepool return. Monkhouse breaks away, finds the novice Porter, takes the return, cuts in and shoots from twenty yards, a goal we’d have died for. Brilliant. 3 – 1. Down and out again. But not, in fact. For, less than five minutes on, Boydy feeds Demetriou. He to JJ whose cross rebounds out and back to Melligan. Another cross meets Daniels, off the far post, and his rising drive from ten yards or more, finds the roof of the net and reduces the deficit again. 2 – 3. Three minutes left and we really believed we might yet snatch a draw, however undeserved that might have been. Four minutes time added. Another substitution from Wilson brings Barker off and Mackay on to run the clock down. Nelson takes the free-kick for offside. Long and lost and cleared. Thelwell with the tackle to regain. Daniels and Chambers interchange twice. Daniels’ cross is cleared. Chambers in the breach again. He is fouled, wins nothing for his pains. Hartlepool return with another stunning, slick three-man passing movement, lightning speed, knife through butter, and Moore slots his second and puts the match where it belongs and beyond any doubt. Nor was that the end of things. Orient counter-attack and a series of crosses, all repelled, finish with a Boyd header narrowly over the bar. United recharge and another superb cross sees Stuart Nelson palming a shot off the line.

5-2? Would not have been unfair. 4- 4? Could have been. But would have been a gross misrepresentation. Indeed, hard to find superlatives adequate to match this opposition. Beaten at Leeds, they also lost at Luton on the season’s opener, presumably while they were still finding their feet. Clearly saved their best for us, which we should take as a compliment. But what might have been but for that first-minute yellow card? Pure conjecture! So, where do we go from here? We’ve been known to sneak freak results at Bristol Rovers before but it is perhaps the attitude more than the result which matters. A strange thing to say. Little doubt that Martin Ling will fire the lads up for this next one. Changes? We need to address our strike-force and its strike rate. Hard to argue with Boyd’s five from nine but Wayne Gray’s singleton is looking lonely. Strangely, Efe has not contributed as much in his cameo substitute appearances as one might expect. We all suppose he could not cope with ninety minutes. Perhaps that theory should be tested. Alternatively, or perhaps additionally, if Jabo is to return as sharp as he was recently reported to have been, he could be worth a run. Indeed, Bristol was a happy hunting-ground for him not that long ago. Elsewhere, Corden has had an excellent season but without finding the net, while Melligan produces the goods occasionally just when you least expect. The Cobra would favour a trial for Charlie Daniels, despite the mixed reviews his performance received. He does at least know the way to the net and may add that extra spark which we so clearly need if we are ever to dominate a game. For now, though, let us focus on restoring the status quo and watch with interest from afar as Hartlepool take on Carlisle and Forest in upcoming games.

COBRA

First defeat - still top though!

2007-09-22T19:48:00.000+01:00

Leyton Orient 2 Hartlepool United 4

We 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!

Same ol’ Same ol’ where the Cider Apples Grow

2007-09-19T20:17:00.000+01:00

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

Art, Science and Chemistry

2007-09-10T08:20:00.001+01:00

Art, Science and Chemistry

Leyton Orient (0) 1 AFC Bournemouth (0) 0

Nelson; Terry, Thelwell(capt), Mkandawire, Palmer; JJ Melligan (sub Demetriou 74), Chambers, Thornton, Corden (sub Oji 88); Gray, Boyd.

We talked at Crewe of the science of football, the need, in this day and age to abandon the art and instead dissect a game with a certain clinical accuracy. And one could describe our lads` approach to the none-too-vaunted Cherries as just such a careful and clinical operation, a safety play to ensure success or, at the very least, to insure against failure. And, if such it was, some will be disappointed at a perceived unwillingness to take too many risks, to indulge in the art of football, while others will rejoice, with the perceptive Ian Ochiltree, that, at last, we have a team, indeed a squad, on which we can rely; a squad which is capable of a great deal; a squad which is constructed, as all should be, on the foundations of a very solid defence, set for its third shut-out in five games. The Cobra sits at neither extreme but rests content that the squad is still in its infancy; content, perhaps, that risks should not be taken for the moment; but ever hopeful that, as timepasses and the chemistry asserts itself amongst Martin Ling`s disparate collection of wannabees, then the science will become second nature and we shall once again see the art of the beautiful game flow more readily from these our would-be heroes.

Speaking to the Gallery faithful before the match, Martin did his best to deflate any overblown expectations we might have had. OK, the Cherries finished hardly any better than ourselves last season and the bookies had marked them down for certain relegation this term but they came to us with an unbeaten away record and, as Martin reminded us, any team with Darren Anderton in its midfield would be looking to play football and must be respected for that. Few of us needed reminding how often the said Darren Anderton had tormented previous Orient teams. And herein, perhaps, lay the first piece of the scientific equation. For Adam Chambers, as it seemed to us in the Gallery, had been deputed to keep Anderton quiet, and, if he was largely successful in so doing, then the price paid was a less-than-usual free-ranging role for this most influential of midfield playmakers. Happily, Sean Thornton was returned from his enforced rest and, when it really mattered, here was another influe ntial character who could raise his game in a trice and seek to take control.

We have known for some time now that the game`s first fifteen minutes are, in our textbook, exploratory. A period in which we probe the opposition, learning, if we can, what they are all about, how they set out their stall, which particular tactic or tactics they will deploy, and all this without exerting ourselves overmuch but rather conserving the energy for what will surely be the more demanding episodes of the game. A week ago, this proved our undoing, as two goals were shipped in short order. Not so today, though as Orient kicked off, heading South yet again, the early exchanges were anything but comfortable. Successive throws, orchestrated by Anderton, bring a corner, a deflection off Corden. Terry heads out. Cherries are indeed playing some good football, as our manager predicted. Joe Kuffour is in for the return but Stuart Nelson holds and gives long. Bournemouth return and Corden intercepts for Palmer to clear. Soak up the early pressure. Going to textbook. Five minutes in and Orient`s riposte. Boyd nods on a throw to Thornton, Palmer and Corden who holds, runs with the ball and delivers a near-perfect through-ball to Chambers, sadly just too late, for he is tackled. Now Corden to Thornton who sweeps crossfield to Melligan but his shot-cum-cross, neither fish nor foul, is easily cleared. Bournemouth break speedily and a deflection off Paul Terry wins a corner. It is high and Stuart Nelson rises to hold, setting Melligan free with a quick throw. This time, his cross across the box is better. Boyd is up for it and we win a corner. Thornton takes, with his customary accuracy. Tam goes up for it strongly and his header passes barely a yard wide of the left-hand post. Bournemouth come away and a good deal of excited shouting can be heard from both Manager and Assistant manager, apparently directed at Sean Thornton, who probably doesn`t hear.

Cherries again. Thornton, as often, intercepts. Boyd tussles with Gowling who passes back to `keeper Begovic. Thornton again, intercepting the kick and giving long for Gray. Bournemouth win a throw close to the flag. The ball is swept acrossfield but no-one is there to receive. Cherries come again down the right and Aiden Palmer settles for a corner. It is long, yet lacking in power and dribbles pathetically across the line for an Orient goal-kick. We put together a good move, Chambers, Palmer, Corden and Chambers with a through-ball to Boyd but he is offside. Fifteen minutes. Plenty soaked up. Cherries have the best of it. Textbook still. Boyd to Terry whose cross finds Gray but he scuffs the ball and misses the chance. Bournemouth clear. Palmer intercepts. O`s come again. Thornton through to Boyd who is brought down. Referee Paul Melin ignores the incident and gives the first indication that he may not be seeing as much as he might. Typically, the Cherries break away and a shot goes happily over the crossbar. Twenty minutes in and, as Adam Boyd goes up successfully for a Nelson goal-kick, giving Bournemouth a throw by the corner-flag, one reflects that his heading is improving, albeit it will not last the ninety minutes.

From the throw, Anderton gives a fine ball, long down the left flank. The ball is crossed and Tam heads away for a corner on the right (East Side). Russell Perrett goes up for the ball, connects and falls to the ground, Manager Kevin Bond engaging in histrionic claims for a penalty which referee Melin again diplomatically ignores. Cherries clear the goal-kick, Thelwell intercepts the return and sets Gray free. He beats his full-back, wide right and puts in a huge cross. Boydy goes up with Begovic, but the `keeper holds. Now the visitors have a free-kick in the centre-circle for an infringement. The kick is taken with a moving ball but Melin ignores this and the resulting shot is deflected for a corner on the right, the second time that the visitors have gained significant advantage from the referee`s refusal to uphold the laws of the game. Orient clear. Melligan is floored. Nothing is given. Thornton clears. Boyd is fouled. Nothing is given. The Law Librarian is now apoplectic, blue in the face, though whether entirely at Melin`s antics, or rather at our resident referee`s insistence on defending the man-in-the-middle, it is hard to detect. Unfair advantage the Cherries again. A throw five yards inside the halfway line. They sweep forward and Kuffour sets Anderton free with only Nelson to beat. With incredible anticipation, Stuart is off his line and out to narrow the angle and block the shot. Palmer clears to Corden who finds Thornton. He makes ground and cuts inside to let a forty-yard effort whistle over the bar for a goal-kick. Chambers intercepts. Terry passes back to Nelson and a long ball for Boyd goes harmlessly away for a goal-kick. Now Cherries with a cross which Tam heads out. Cherries again down the right, a cross and Chambers concedes a corner. The Cobra notes that, unusually, we really seem to be under the cosh. The cross is big but Stuart Nelson holds and sets Chambers free down the right. On to Melligan. Goal-kick. Chambers intervenes. To Thornton, Boyd, Palmer and he back to Nelson who gives long only to find Boyd flagged offside. Orient fans irate at what they judge to be another wrong decision. Bournemouth again. Tam is up for the ball and is fouled. Nothing given!! A throw by the flag, a cross and a shot. Unfair advantage again. It is wide. We have a goal-kick. Half an hour in and we have had slightly more of the second quarter though the visitors are very much still in the game if not actually on top.

Cherries again, now down the left. A cross which Stuart Nelson has to fist away under huge pressure. Another throw by the flag. Orient clear to Corden who is tackled from behind (probably fairly), Cherries again but we win a free-kick for a foul on Palmer five yards from the flag. Now Chambers to Melligan but his cross is poor and Begovic fields at the near post. Melligan has looked slightly out of sorts today and some say he was signalling a sore throat at an early stage. We win a throw in mid-Cherry territory on the left. Gray, Thornton, Melligan, a cross to the far post, Palmer heads back in, the ball is cleared. Orient attack again but concede a free-kick for a foul. Now Thelwell is fouled on the edge of our box and we are awarded a free-kick at last to howls of sarcastic applause. Nelson takes halfway into our half. It is cleared. Thornton retrieves. To Melligan, back to Thornton and on to Gray who crosses. Corden at the far post appears to have an open goal and somehow contrives to miss with an on-target shot but the eagle-eyed professor reports that it was, in fact, a brilliant save by `keeper Begovic who turns around the post for a corner. With the benefit of hindsight, Wayne might have done better to welt the ball rather than place it. Thornton with the corner. Chambers heads on. Another header is cleared wide and Terry is fouled horrendously by Kuffour. The free-kick is awarded but no yellow card is deemed fit for display. Thornton with the kick to Corden who tried a shot from great distance. It is blocked and Kuffour clears. The last five minutes, strangely, see the tempo raised by the Orient with some tigerish tackles in mid-park by Thornton and Tammy Mak, in particular, an attempt, perhaps, to re-assert ourselves. A minute extra is added as Tam is left to clear twice from a free-kick for offside against Melligan.

All the talk at half-time is of the referee though some will have wondered what is passing a few floors below in the bowels of the West Stand. Indeed, as the second half begins, there are those who already have Demetriou pencilled in to replace Melligan. The early second-half exchanges seem to replicate the closing first-half moments, with two-way traffic and scares at either end but Orient are definitely moving into a higher gear. Bournemouth soon earn a free-kick in mid-half. Neil Young gives short to Anderton who crosses for Tam to clear. Cherries again. Tam again. Chambers fouled. Free-kick Orient. Chambers to Melligan and a high cross which Begovic holds. Now Melligan wins a throw ten yards from the flag. Terry to Boyd who holds, runs and loses the ball. He recovers and finds Thornton who runs into the box and shoots. Barely a yard over the bar! Cherries again and a cross which Paul Terry clears. Adam Boyd wins a corner on the right which Sean Thornton takes. To Chambers and Melligan and partially cleared. Corden`s shot is blocked. Throw Orient four yards from the corner-flag. Corden to Thornton to Chambers to Melligan and eventually to Gray who runs on and shoots but the shot is saved. Palmer from the kick to Corden and Thornton who runs on and feeds Gray but the pass is intercepted. Thelwell breaks up the counter-attack and gives to Melligan and on to Boyd who is fouled. Free-kick O`s in mid-Cherry territory. Thornton takes and aims an arching kick for Tam. Goal-kick. Long. Nelson fields. Orient win a throw ten yards into enemy territory. Gray with the cross and Corden hits the post. Excitement now cranked up and roars of support come from the South Stand, the North and the West (and probably the East, too) all independent of each other. Bournemouth again with a cross which Nelson goes down to hold at the post. Gray and Thornton win the midfield challenge and a through-ball is put out nervously by Begovic for a throw. This to Thornton who is fouled. We wait a minute while Gray replaces his boot. The kick is cleared. Orient retreat and Nelson fields. Boyd is fouled and we have a free-kick. Boyd fouled again. Another free-kick. Thornton with the kick outside the angle of the penalty area. Headed out at the far post. Palmer back to Melligan, a cross which is deflected and cleared. Anderton breaks away and gets in a long cross which Nelson holds. To Corden, Thornton, Melligan, Boyd, Terry, Thornton and Boyd again and Chambers who is dispossessed. Nelson fields again and gives long. Ten minutes in and a much better effort by our lads.

Now Melligan`s cross is blocked for a throw to the Orient ten yards from the flag. Terry to Melligan. A cross is deflected, another is cleared. Bournemouth come away and Aiden Palmer gets in a great tackle, going on a wonderfully confident run and covering thirty yards before, in some embarrassment, he runs into trouble and gives away the ball. The price of inexperience! Paul Terry restores order by giving away a free-kick, the benefit of experience! Anderton takes, midway into our half on the left. Chambers clears. Brett Pitman is brought on to replace Joe Kuffour. Gray concedes a free-kick. Orient clear to Gray who is deemed offside with a very late flag. Cherries break down the left and Nelson goes down at the near post to hold a very dangerous-looking cross. Chambers to Palmer who is dispossessed. Chambers regains and shoots from thirty yards with Melligan wide open on his right! Orient again and a Melligan shot-cum-cross is deflected for a corner on the right which Thornton comes to take. The cross is poor, too deep, and easily cleared. Palmer recovers, Boyd is fouled and another Orient free-kick repelled. Thelwell hoofs the clearance into the east Stand. Throw Bournemouth eight yards inside the halfway line. A dangerous cross which Thelwell clears. Cherries again with a cross from the left. Nelson is up for it and clears. Bournemouth again. Boyd is fouled without recompense. Cherries are caught offside. Now Melligan is floored and we have the free-kick. Ryan Garry is booked. Twenty minutes in. Much more Orient possession and dominance but no goal. The wiseacres have Demetriou already on for Melligan and Efe Echanomi to replace a striker, probably Boyd who is clearly tiring somewhat as his ability to get up for the headers is waning. Martin Ling is evidently among the wiseacres as the aforesaid pair can now be seen to be warming up.

Cherries bring on Jean-Francois Christophe for Warren Cummings. Boyd is penalised by the corner flag. Bournemouth free-kick and Boyd is spoken to by Referee Melin. Terry intercepts the kick and passes back to Nelson who kicks long. Boyd, Gray, Corden, Thornton and back to Palmer who makes ground and centres for Boyd. Back to the goal and closely marked, Adam controls, turns his man in a trice and calmly slots into the left-hand corner of the net for the game`s opening strike. 1 - 0 Orient and definitely now on top. The would-be substitutes are instructed to sit down again. Change of plan. Thornton to Melligan to Corden now breaking down the right. Thornton`s high cross, Tam is up for it but Begovic goes down to save. Now Thornton concedes a throw on the right. Anderton breaks down the right and from the cross a header goes narrowly over the bar. Goal-kick. Close call. Bring on the substitute after all. Demetriou replaces Melligan who is clearly unhappy at leaving the arena. Martin Ling is careful to have more than the usual few calming words with him. Cherries again down the left now. Anderton again with the cross which Nelson fists away and Demetriou clears. Fifteen minutes to go.

Palmer gives away a throw under pressure from Anderton. Pitman takes a dive and Terry is shown the yellow card. Free-kick on the edge of the "D". Anderton to take. Arguably the moment of greatest danger so far. Nelson leaves a huge gap to his left (right as we look at the South Stand). Anderton blazes way over the crossbar. Melin has a word with Terry. Cherries in the ascendant. Throw on the left, fifteen yards inside the halfway line. It finds Anderton. Another throw. A cross from the left. All go up for it. It is deflected for a corner on the right which Anderton takes. Tam is up and gives a corner on the left. Anderton again. A good cross but Gradel is penalised and Orient have a free-kick. Ten minutes to go. Nelson with the kick in the penalty area. Gray is fouled but without comment from Melin. Orient looking better now. Self-belief among the crowd, at least, with chants of "We are top of the League" reflecting the feeling that we will certainly hold out. Five minutes left and Oji makes a debut appearance in the league, replacing Corden, a safety play by the manager, running the clock down as well. Chambers to Demetriou to Boyd who shoots from just five yards out and fires wide! Three minutes are added. But we have done enough and another win, the fourth in five is ground out to the mixed relief, surprise and joy of the home crowd.

Plenty of positives to take from the game. The shut-out for one. Boyd`s ability to carve something out of nothing moments before many would have had him substituted. Thornton`s return and his ability to change up a gear for the asking. The solidity of the defence with the goalkeeper seemingly able to repel boarders single-handedly when all else has failed. The apparent success of the game plan, the scientific approach to winning. But more yet, the Chemistry of this side. Let one example suffice. A poor referee by recent standards and those of this division and many a niggle from an opposition bent on unsettling us. Previous Orient sides would have resorted to retaliation, back-chatting the referee. Would have lost their cool. Red cards even. Not this lot. They got on with the game and plugged relentlessly away until the tide turned. One returns to Martin Ling`s big picture. It is a long season. Four of our next six games are against top (or winning, in the case of Leeds) sides. This careful, scientific way is no bad way to start. Soon enough, we shall look for a greater self-belief, a realisation that this side could do great things. And with that, perhaps, will come a day when we take the game to the opposition from the outset and once more demonstrate the art of the beautiful game. For the moment, though, P5 W4 D1 L0 F8 A3 Pts 13. Not bad. Let`s hope for a big turn-out in Somerset.

COBRA

Still top...

2007-09-08T20:45:00.000+01:00

Thought our bubble was about to burst this afternoon, after a first half where we were a little lucky to go in level. Bournemouth must have forced about ten corners to our two, though to be fair to the defence there was really only one decent chance at either end, and both keepers brought off good saves to keep the scores blank.

Different story second half, the O's came out with a lot more purpose and took the game to the Cherries. Even so, it took 25 minutes before Adam Boyd, who had played the first 45 minutes as though his boots were tied together, took a half-chance and turned it into a goal. After that it was a case of keeping it tight at the back, but the substitution of Demetriou for Melligan almost messed it up. Young Jason may be a great prospect but by the time he'd got up to speed in the game, he'd given the ball away two or three times and allowed the visitors to come at us repeatedly. Melligan had been working well down the right with Paul Terry, and we missed his strength and running when he'd gone off. Still, no harm was eventually done and we hung on fairly comfortably, notwithstanding the inevitable last-second scare.

On a personal note, it was nice to bump into an old workmate, who I'd not seen for close to 15 years, having a pre-match pint outside the Lion & Key. Like most supporters of "little" teams, Dave was known for the side he followed, to the extent that he was nicknamed "Cherry" in the office. Good to see you again, Dave!

The silly kick-off time meant I only saw half the England game, but it looked a reasonable performance for once, albeit against poor opposition. John Terry had a reasonable game, but for my money his brother Paul, at right back for the O's, had more to be pleased with in his performance today!

Saturday pre-match...

2007-09-08T11:24:00.000+01:00

Interesting draw for the JP Trophy - at home to Dagenham and Redbridge. I might even go to that one, especially as there's a Daggers fan in my office who'll probably be there.

Meanwhile today we're at home again to Bournemouth - must check my tickets, I think I'm evicted to the West Stand for this one. Missed last week's match as my lad was karting, so this is only my second game of the season. The ridiculous 5pm kick-off for the England game means I'll have to listen to the first half of that on the radio while driving home, but it's definitely club before country as far as I'm concerned. I expect Barry Hearn is rubbing his hands anyway, post-match bar takings will be up!

2007-09-03T13:09:00.000+01:00

On and up the Learning Curve

Leyton Orient (0) 2 Northampton Town (2) 2

Nelson; Purches (capt) (sub Demetriou 12), Thelwell, Mkandawire, Palmer; JJ Melligan, Chambers, Terry, Corden (sub Echanomi 82); Gray, Boyd.

A new term is upon us and, for those with schools to consider, from whatever perspective, it will be a simple matter to see this group of young men as a new class, fresh in its composition, with the tutor having selected his charges well. Three or four key pupils are left behind from the previous year’s disappointing class and three or four of the brightest youngsters have been taken in from the juniors. The class has blended well, the class has bonded well and showed great enthusiasm from the outset. Gone are the apologetics of yesteryear. Room now only for challenges and these to be surmounted, each as they come, as lessons are learnt and experience gained, both corporate and individually.

The Master spoke of the bigger picture -- look beyond today’s encounter and ask where shall we be at the end of the academic year -- and, while lauding the performance in Wales on Tuesday, that of netminder Stuart Nelson, in particular, he cautioned that, if he were finicky, then he would concede that the opposition Bluebirds were able to get to see Stuart rather too easily. As for new blood, he admitted that the quality player much sought did not turn up before the end of August and, in addition to recent acquisition Sam Oji (on loan), one or two other loanees might help to strengthen the squad until December. Thereafter, a left-back and a striker will be pursued. And that without denigrating the performance of Aiden Palmer or Efe Echanomi. They are simply the positions where we are most needing cover.

The Professor had fled the shores of Brighton, where the World Moustache and Beard Championships were taking place (why do all weird occurrences occur in Brighton?), to bring his own unique brand of Sino-itic facial hair to bear on the Gallery instead. Also in attendance was Sean Thornton learning, for the first time, that the real penalty that comes from a red card, is the pain of having to small talk (?smooth talk) the inquisitive Gallery faithful. Strangely, no-one asked the obvious question. Could the Class survive while its principle playmaker sat the game out in the Stand? Perhaps fear of the obvious answer provoked that reticence. In the event, Paul Terry would prove, as we already suspected, that, while he is a perfectly adequate member of the side, he cannot fully compensate for the absence of Sean Thornton.

Orient kicked off and kicked South, again!! It is worth a mention at this juncture that the Curse of the South End, if such it ever was, has effectively been laid by the opening of the North Stand, our lads now able to play “into” their own fans in either half. Incidentally, the denizens of that new North End are beginning to fashion an identity of their own, with chants emanating afresh from its depths as once only the South Stand could boast. A lethargic start by our lads, though Boyd is soon nodding on a long Nelson goal-kick, albeit with no-one to receive in the channel. Yet seconds later a similar Mark Bunn confection creates a chance on the edge of the box but this is blazed over the bar to our early relief. Poul Hubertz, 6ft 5in., quickly proves a difficult streak of Danish bacon to handle and wins a throw on the right (East side). The ball is crossed, Alton Thelwell heads clear. Cobblers return down the left. Andy Holt crosses. Thelwell again clears. Town return. Offside. Free-kick Orient which Nelson takes. Rolled to Terry who is fouled and O’s have a free-kick on the edge of the centre-circle. Bradley Johnson is spoken to by Referee Andre Marriner, lending credence to the views that Town may prove to be somewhat more niggling than usual, also that our resident referee’s pre-match recollection that we have previously had a tough time at Marriner’s hands, may yet prove wide of the mark.

Five minutes gone and a promising Orient move peters out in a goal-kick. Northampton down the left. Purches concedes a throw ten yards in from the flag. It is long. Corden, the industrious Corden, heads clear. Cobblers again down the right. Jason Crowe crosses. Tam heads clear. Visitors again down the right and Aiden Palmer gives away a corner under pressure. It is low and Aiden clears only to see a strong drive returned from the edge of the box which whistles three yards wide of Nelson’s left-hand post (as we look). From the kick, Gray nods on to Boyd who gets in a cross from down the right channel. It is deflected and ‘keeper Bunn spills but the ball is cleared for a throw to the Orient on the left. Palmer infield to Terry who holds and is fouled. One of his stronger cards this, the ability to win free-kicks. The free-kick is five yards outside the penalty area. Corden into the box, an ambitious overhead kick from Boyd and it is cleared. Northampton break down the left and cross. Tam clears well and Town win a free-kick. Terry heads clear. They return. JJ Melligan hoofs clear. Cobblers again. Palmer is beaten. Ian Henderson shoots but over the bar. Now JJ down the left flank. He is brought down on the edge of the box but Referee Marriner sees no evil. Cobblers down their right. Chambers dispossesses and breaks forward but holds too long and his fine through ball finds Boyd offside. To the surprise of many, Captain Purches is taken off with an injury and Jason Demetriou replaces him, with the armband passing to the capable Alton Thelwell. The kick is long and Chambers and Terry clear for a throw to Town on the left some ten yards or more from the flag. Holt crosses and the ball is deflected off Terry for a corner. The corner is whipped in and the tall Poul Hubertz stoops to nod in from a melee at the near post. Achilles Heel! The near post. Captain gone. One behind. And chasing the game in more ways than one. For Northampton have been all but all over us in those first fifteen minutes. This we saw at Crewe but there with a discernible purpose. We soaked it up to recoil (on a hot day) and overcome. But this seems different. We are no longer bossing the midfield. Claret wields the conductor’s baton.

Demetriou’s arrival heralds a slight shift of personnel as he replaces Terry in midfield while the latter, predictably, takes up Purches’ role at right-back. It is hard to say when the tide turned in this game but, in retrospect, the seeds of a revival may well have been sown in this enforced and ostensibly unwelcome move shaped from the depths, almost, of despair. For while Paul Terry is no better a full-back than Stephen Purches, nor Jason a better all-round midfielder than Paul, yet Paul’s move back gave us, perhaps, a full-back who was prepared to take risks in the interests of constructing something positive, while Jason’s greater industry in mid-park (for Paul is still short of match-fitness) gave us the ability to compete better and also, crucially, released Adam Chambers for the role in which he excels. But as with life, so with financial markets and football, it is only when you think that things have turned for the better that fate delivers the real kick-to-the-crutch. The dreaded Dead Cat Bounce. Demetriou to Tam to JJ and a through-ball finds Gray who tries to ape Boyd’s earlier overhead effort. It is weak and brings a goal-kick. Now Corden puts Gray through. He holds, runs, beats two, crosses but Boydy fails to connect. O’s win a throw on the halfway line which Terry takes. JJ is fouled and we have a free-kick on the right, five yards outside the angle of the box and wide. It comes to naught and the ball is cleared and eventually crossed. Corden is back to head clear. Demetriou to Corden. A cross. A header but Bunn fields. Northampton down the right again. Palmer has the ball, gives it away, is roasted by his opponent and concedes a corner on the right which is taken by Daniel Jones. The ball is crossed, another melee in the box. Two miscues. A header is missed. Captain Chris Doig is at the far post to fire home low from the edge of a group of opposing players. And just as we were beginning to win some possession, just as we are beginning to get back in the game, so we are two behind and a mountain to climb. Not yet 20 minutes in.

With the benefit of hindsight, it speaks volumes for this class that it did not collapse. That it hung in there. That it came back to make any inroads at all. The next ten minute spell sees largely Orient possession, largely Orient pressure, with most of the decisions going Orient’s way. Though it hardly seemed that way at the time, the pendulum was gently swinging in our direction, the dead cat perhaps bouncing after all. Gray collects a long Nelson kick, he is brought down but wins nothing for his pains. Demetriou shoots from twenty-five yards and Bunn spills the catch before making safe. Holt now crossing again from the left and Nelson going down well to field low at the near post. Some very good football now from the home side as Boyd comes close twice in short order, the second time crossing for Chambers to oh-so-nearly connect. Cobblers resurge. Offside. Nelson’s kick finds Gray who wins a corner. Corden takes. Cleared. Palmer intercepts. Throw Northampton. Crossfield. Throw Orient on the halfway line. Demetriou feeds JJ Melligan, who gives Boyd a through ball. He is onside but incredibly, with Bunn alone to beat, he shoots at his legs and the ball rebounds out. A second chance falls to our man from close range and this, too, is saved. A brief purple patch for the visitors in which Nelson saves high and well from a Thelwell clearance. Orient clear but Hubertz is in again, roasting his man and crossing from the right, forcing Alton Thelwell to concede a corner from which Hubertz himself seems to be given a free header. Ball cleared, a shot from great distance which Nelson holds. Ten minutes left.

More of the same. A through-ball to Gray rebuffed. Chambers, Melligan, Terry. Intercepted and cleared. Tammy Mak returns to Corden. A cross to the far post. Gray crosses back across the goal. Cleared again. Corden, Thelwell and a Boyd shot from twenty-five yards sails over the bar. Terry again for Orient. Boyd is brought down, wins nothing. A succession of goal-kicks at either end. Terry again to Boyd who appears to win a corner. A goal-kick is awarded. From the kick Terry is fouled but Cobblers win the free-kick. But look. Demetriou recovers the ball and puts Gray through with only Bunn to beat. He shoots at Bunn, as Boyd had done before, and gains a corner. So a second gilt-edged chance goes begging. JJ back to Tam whose shot is blocked and we win a throw by the corner flag. Corden to Tam who shoots again. Blocked again and Bunn clears long. Andy Kirk fires a shot from thirty yards which passes just a few yards wide of the right-hand post. Minute to go and Orient attack again. Terry to Boyd who executes one of his delightful backheels to Terry. A cross, but a poor cross, low and to the near post where Bunn holds easily. Two minutes added. Palmer clears. A throw to the O’s. Demetriou, Melligan, Terry and Melligan is tackled, recovers and finds Jason who is fouled by the corner flag. Daniel Jones sees the yellow card for the misdemeanour. The free-kick finds Corden who pulls back to Melligan, his shot deflected for a corner on the left. Jason to Corden whose shot is blocked. Melligan crosses and the half ends with a rasping shot from Adam Chambers, full thirty yards out, which zips a yard wide of the left-hand post.

Half-time talk is all of the missed opportunities. Any one of three gifts would have had us back in the game. As it was, we appeared to be getting back in control but, without a strike, still had an impossible task. We were aware that the lads had tried to move up a gear. Aware, too, that Martin Ling would have some choice words with which to re-invigorate the second-half performance. But totally unprepared for the onslaught that followed. A much used, abused and misused word, but “awesome” is quite the best epithet to encapsulate that second-half performance. It took five minutes to crank up. Early exchanges were even-handed with appeals for penalties denied at either end and some sensible and firm decisions required from the referee. Demetriou intercepts a headed clearance and Gray is floored. Jason Crowe is shown the yellow card for kicking the ball away, an early sign that Cobblers were prepared to try anything to protect their lead. The free-kick is midway into their territory, wide left. Corden crosses and Bunn fists away at the far post. Now Terry’s long ball is headed back to Bunn who exchanges passes with Crowe and, under pressure, miscues his final clearance. Still Town regain the ball and mount an attack. An appeal for a penalty is denied and a goal-kick awarded. Gray moves on to Wayne Corden who beats one opponent and crosses, the ball deflected for a corner on the left. The crowd, led again from the North Stand, respond to the upbeat mood. The corner is headed clear. Terry wins the tackle and feeds Corden. He is fouled by Hubertz who is booked for the offence. Corden takes the free-kick, wide left, midway into the Cobblers’ half. We see a handball in the box (no doubt about it) and cry out for a penalty but Marriner wisely judges that ball struck hand and not otherhow. Orient come again and Gray’s volley passes narrowly over the crossbar. Northampton attack and get in a shot. Goal kick. Adam Chambers nods the kick on to Boyd who gives wide to Wayne Corden. Inside to Jason Demetriou who makes ground and shoots from fifteen yards. The shot is parried out and Adam Chambers returns with a crisp mid-air volley to reduce arrears. 1- 2. Adrenalin really pumping. Just seven minutes in.

We return to the charge straightway. Gray down the right. Chambers back to Terry. On to Gray whose shot is tipped over the bar for a corner on the left which Corden takes, short to Boyd and back to Corden whose cross is cleared for an Orient throw ten yards inside their half. Terry, Melligan, Terry. Melligan on a run, he crosses and Boyd attempts another overhead kick, definitely the flavour of the day, but again without success. The shot is parried and Terry has an open goal from ten yards out. His shot is five yards wide of the post!! End-to-end play and now Kirk is through and looks offside but it is not given. He shoots but Nelson has come out well to narrow the angle and the shot is well wide. Corden from the goal-kick back to Palmer and he on to Boyd. The cross is cleared but to Corden wide. His cross is cleared to Tammy Mak who is throwing his not inconsiderable talent into this fierce onslaught. One reflects. Last five minutes, all or nothing, certainly. First ten minutes? This boy is very confident of his ability, though anything but arrogant with it. He will be in the opposing penalty area one moment, in our box the next! So Tam to Corden and back to Tam who crosses and wins a corner. Wayne Corden finds the near post. It is headed for another corner, still Corden on the left. Now the ball is fisted out by Bunn. Returned. Another cross from Corden. Fisted away again. Now crossed in to Tam, in the box and ten yards out. With commendable cool, Tam sidefoots the ball to the left side of ‘keeper Bunn and into the net for the golden equaliser. 2 – 2. Widespread rejoicing. Two goals in five minutes. Just twelve minutes gone and level already. Henderson is replaced by Larkin for the Cobblers. Buono takes the opportunity to tell us that Hubertz (who has previously been off the pitch for attention to a bloodied nose) is now wearing the number 50 shirt.

In the calm of retrospect, it is little short of incredible that there the score remained. Fair score it may have seemed, to many. But, with two strikes in short order, and a further avalanche to follow, it is amazing that Orient failed to add to their tally. Two-way traffic for the next ten minutes, though with Orient still in the ascendant. A Boyd header is cleared off the line. Cobblers attack and are offside. Boyd and Gray again for Orient and a Melligan shot which brings only a goal-kick. Boyd sets Jason Demetriou free down the left but, incredibly, he chooses to shoot from a very fine angle when the pull-back is the obvious ball. Cobblers break down the left and get in a shot, the flag staying down for what looks to be an offside call. Corden is injured and receives treatment, Orient winning a free-kick which Jason takes. The ball is cleared. O’s return. Jason gets in a cross-cum-shot from twenty-five yards. Bunn goes down to hold. Now Bradley Johnson shoots from thirty yards out and is five yards wide of target. In the hiatus for the goal-kick, Andy Holt is replaced by Liam Dolman. Now Cobblers attack and are repulsed, once and again, Tam twice heading clear. Palmer, Demetriou, Boyd and Palmer crosses from the edge of the box but the ball is cleared, Town breaking forward. Stuart Nelson once more shows fine anticipation in coming out to the edge of the penalty area to clear. Cobblers again. Thelwell clears by the corner flag. A corner is won. Tam heads clear. To Corden, Boyd, Melligan and through to Boyd whose effort is saved by Bunn.

Twelve minutes to go and Ryan Gilligan replaces Joe Burnell as Stuart Gray continues to ring the changes in an attempt to hang on to the game. No movement from the Orient bench. The one enforced substitution aside, O’s have yet again stuck with their starting line-up, so far. More frenetic activity at either end. Eight minutes remaining and Martin Ling brings Efe Echanomi on for Wayne Corden, perhaps to snatch a winner, perhaps merely to cause the distraction which his pace will inevitably cause. Corden, much maligned in some quarters of the West Stand, no doubt elsewhere, too, in recent games, receives a standing ovation for his whole-hearted involvement and contribution to the cause. Efe is soon in competition with Gilligan, who is clearly carrying a somewhat excess load, but Bunn wins the race to the ball. More two-way play. Efe again on a run, squares to Demetriou who shoots from twenty yards, just inches over the bar. Cobblers attack. Tam in the breach. Cobblers again. Gray, now playing more defensively for the arrival of Efe, sweeps up this one. To Efe, who takes on Gilligan successfully and exchanges passes with Demetriou. His shot is blocked. Boyd fails with the rebound and Town come away again. A cross is fielded by Nelson. Efe is dispossessed, Thelwell clears. Chambers concedes a free-kick ten yards outside the box. The kick is to the far post where Nelson goes down to hold. Chambers feeds Palmer whose shot is just inches wide of the left-hand post, winning a corner. Demetriou to Boyd whose cross is cleared. Four minutes added. The Law Librarian injects a note of humour by observing that Gilligan suggests an extra who has wandered in from a John Smiths advert. Town throw in midhalf. Melligan repulses, Chambers clears. Cobblers again, Chambers again. A shot from a chain distant. Nelson holds and kicks long. Jason Demetriou is penalised for a foul and earns a yellow card. Free-kick at the limit of the centre circle. Northampton win a throw by the corner flag. Chambers clears. Orient break. Palmer crosses and the ball is cleared. The long ball brings Nelson way out of the penalty area to clear and, in a fit of zeal, he dribbles to the halfway line before releasing and scurrying back to mind the house. Town get in an obligatory long shot from twenty-five yards but Stuart is back to recover and the game ends all-square.

Well-worth the point? Certainly. But no-one too upset about losing the 100% record or dropping the other two points. A little way further up the learning curve? Certainly for us supporters who are learning fast about this new class. But also, we imagine, for the scholars themselves, who must still have much to learn, about us, about themselves, about opponents. And it is with this expectation -- that we may well have yet to see the best from this new Orient – that we depart cheerfully. Bring on the Cherries.

COBRA

2007-08-29T11:28:00.000+01:00

So we finally lost a game - but were only beaten by a team from a higher division, on their own ground, with a last-minute goal having gone down to ten men. Doesn't sound so bad like that!

Stuart Nelson, by all accounts, played a blinder and made a string of super saves. Let's hope he can reproduce that form week in, week out. While I had no real problem with Glyn Garner, he seldom seemed to really excel, though that Cup tie at Fulham will endear him to O's fans for a long time to come.

Back to the bread 'n' butter stuff at the weekend, Northampton at home and it's to be hoped that the team can raise themselves again when the opposition is (with no disrespect) more mundane. So far we haven't really looked as good at home as we have away, that needs to be addressed if we are to stay in contention with the leaders.

2007-08-27T11:21:00.000+01:00

Phoenix from the Ashes

Crewe Alexandra (0) 0 Leyton Orient (1) 2

Nelson; Terry, Thelwell (Capt), Mkandawire, Palmer; JJ Melligan, Chambers, Thornton, Corden; Gray, Boyd.

If last week’s home encounter with the Saddlers, while extending our excellent opening run, yet proved that we are but mortal and will surely meet others of equal or superior capability, then this week’s visit to hitherto unbeaten Crewe, in extending that run yet further, offered solid evidence that there is certainly something exciting in the making here. For, after an extraordinary summer in which, part by design, part by happenstance, we were bereft of an entire squad as a dozen or more players moved on elsewhere, it would seem that a Phoenix has indeed risen from the ashes of the Matchroom Stadium. And where Martin Ling once treated us, in his early days at the helm, to the art of football -- albeit an art which dazzled without always producing results -- we are now seeing the science of football unfolded at first hand, with performance -- nay victory -- crafted on the drawing-board and moulded on the training ground while slick football, when the interests of the master-plan so dictate, is jettisoned for the greater good.

Rarely is a day so perfect. A sea-change in the weather produced a lovely Summer’s day, warm but without the humidity that beset the capital in our absence. Comfortable trains (Virgin) that ran on time; a friendly (for the most part) crowd; interesting and knowledgeable neighbours -- Frederick, I swear you sat behind the Cobra at the valley in 06 -- a perfect playing surface, like a giant snooker table, and made to look even larger by the vast stand which loomed over it on the opposite side of the ground. Another shut-out, and richly deserved by the lynch-pins of our defence. The price of the train fare made good by backing Lincoln to beat Accrington and, to cap it all, the Sham fail to win at home yet again!

That outsize pitch gave the first clue that we had done our homework and were playing to a set of instructions that did not brook of disobedience or flexibility. A glance at the websites or even the programme suggested that Alexandra’s recent losses were a good deal more damaging than our own. Our starting line-up was practically full-strength, captain Purches and Brian Saah the only recent injuries and, with Paul Terry deputising at right full-back, who would notice the difference? By contrast, Crewe were in the throes of losing star Welsh international David Vaughan for a fat sum to Real Sociedad, courtesy Chris Coleman. Chris McCready was out for a month and Nicky Maynard, who broke a fibula against Brighton, for a possible three months. Michael O’Connor failed a fitness test and Lowe and Abby were returning from injury to the bench. On the positive side, it was debut day for Chris Dickson, on loan for a month from the Addicks. He would add skill, and the ability to hold, to their admittedly weak attacking force before being substituted in mid second-half.

All that said, the Railwaymen clearly thought they were worth their four points and third place (on alphabetical order) and started brightly and confidently. Orient kicked off and passed the ball back to Alton Thelwell who gave long and the ball was lost. As against Walsall, the long and hopeless ball would feature large in this game for quite some time, though now perhaps with some discernible, if debatable, purpose. For on a hot day and a large pitch, the conservation of energy was of paramount importance. Endless midfield tussles were clearly not the order of the day, at least not until much later. Crewe return the ball and O’s concede a free-kick in the middle of our half. The ball is chipped into the box, Crewe appear to win the ensuing heading duel but a corner is given on the right which Billy Jones -- our very own Billy Jones – takes left-footed and inswinging. Up go the heads and, in a flash, the ball is in the back of the net. Instant deflation. The moment we had been fearing since that first-half strike at Roots Hall. The goal that would put us behind and chasing the game. But no! Referee Drysdale is pointing vaguely towards the penalty spot. A foul or infringement of some sort. Free-kick Orient. Instant relief. So, as we had thought and hoped, indeed believed, our boys are not so easily beaten at the back. Nelson takes the kick. To Terry who gives a through-ball for Gray to chase but ‘keeper Williams fields easily. Tam Makka is up to head clear the ‘keeper’s kick, finds Corden who welts long and ‘keeper Williams gathers again and kicks long. Aiden Palmer collects and boots long. Lost! Crewe return long and are caught offside, the first of a myriad of such decisions which suggest that their strike-force is as much naïve as under-strength.

Nelson takes the kick in mid-half. It is long and Crewe return long, Nelson leaving the penalty area to deal with the impending threat and hoofing the ball over the FantasticOs stand, reinforcing, in the process, the view that survival and the conservation of energy are indeed the objectives in this early stage. Billy Jones takes the throw for Crewe on the left. Corden intercepts and feeds JJ Melligan, who gives Gray a long ball to chase. Hopeless. Crewe again. Intercepted and passed back to Paul Terry whose long through-ball is taken by Williams. Palmer clears from the goal-kick and Crewe come again, working the ball into the box before Sean Thornton intercepts and clears. Alex again and now Corden clears decks. Throw Crewe which Palmer clears. To Gray and Boyd and Thornton. Back to Corden who gives long for Gray. He holds and returns to Wayne Corden, in to Chambers and back to Corden who gets a cross in. It is headed clear. Sean Thornton collects and tries to make space for a shot but is intercepted. were in the throes of losing star Welsh international David Vaughan for a fat sum to Real Sociedad, courtesy Chris Coleman. Chris McCready was out for a month and Nicky Maynard, who broke a fibula against Five minutes in and pretty nearly all Crewe.

A long clearance which Tam heads clear. Crewe revert. Tam again. To Terry and Thornton and back to Tam who boots long. It is cleared and Crewe are on the break. Paul Terry concedes a throw a yard from the corner flag which Billy Jones takes (the throw, that is). A dangerous cross to the far post which Stuart Nelson manages to hold, just! He kicks long and it is lost. Crewe again. Corden intercepts, finds Gray and on to Boyd who wins a throw. Corden, Chambers, Palmer who gives away a throw. It is long and Crewe are offside again. Nelson takes the free-kick, ten yards shy of the halfway-line. It is long. Boyd fails to hold and Alex have a throw, five yards up from their corner flag. They make ground and Tam concedes another throw in mid-half. Crewe break out and Tam gives away another throw ten yards from the flag. The ball is crossed but, bizarrely, sails out of the ground and Orient have a goal-kick. Hiatus. Ten minutes in. The Cobra reflects that Crewe are easily the better side so far, have played the better football, have had much more of the game. Expectations reduced. We would do well to take a point from this.

From the kick, Terry wins a throw a couple of yards beyond the halfway line. Gray is up for it and nods on to Boyd who weaves his way to the bye-line and puts in a short and deadly cross. There is no-one on the receiving end and the ball is hustled, panic-fashion, off for a corner. Melligan takes and it is high. Orient keep up the pressure but a free-kick is awarded for an infringement, presumably offside, since the linesman’s flag is raised. Alton Thelwell goes up for the kick and Chambers concedes a throw. Billy Jones takes. Chambers intercepts and Terry plays the safe ball back to Nelson. He kicks long, it is cleared but O’s have a free-kick for a foul on JJ Melligan. JJ runs with the ball, exchanges passes with Palmer and with Corden before finding Chambers who is dispossessed. Crewe on the break again. A cross but the flag is up for offside, yet again. Nelson takes the kick, short to Terry who gives long and it is cleared. Chris Dickson breaks down the middle and dribbles with the ball. Thelwell intercepts but concedes a corner on the right which Billy Jones takes, inswinging, again. Stuart Nelson holds at the second attempt, kicks long and the ball is nodded back to ‘keeper Williams. Aiden Palmer intercepts the goal-kick, finds Corden and he Gray who loses the ball. Another long kick is lobbed into the penalty area but Nelson holds. To Terry, on to Boyd and back to Terry who gets the ball into the box. Orient are searching for a scoring chance but, in the process, shunning a number of possible half-chances. Orient again but Williams clears and Crewe work the ball well into the opposing box. Full-back Woodards with a low drive from the edge of the box which whistles a couple of yards wide of Nelson’s left-hand post (as we look). Fifteen minutes in and a little more of the game for Orient.

Terry to Thornton who gives wide but the ball is lost for a throw. A through-ball is given but the Railwaymen are offside again. Nelson takes the free-kick in mid-half. Boyd is up with his head but concedes a goal-kick. In the lull, we note that Nelson is shouting encouragement to the rest of the side, all very positive and reminiscent of Glyn Garner. The long goal-kick finds Tam under pressure but he heads back successfully to Nelson. Long ball. Gray up, Boyd up but cleared. Crewe away. A cross. Tam up for it, Thelwell up for it. Nelson intervenes. Adam Chambers picks up the loose ball and goes on a run, beating three men and making the box before seeing his shot deflected for a corner on the right which Thornton takes. Orient are up in force but Williams holds and a big clearance sets Crewe away again, only for the offside flag to arrest progress once again. Williams holds the long free-kick and returns the ball. Thelwell and Thornton intercept and pass back to Nelson. Thelwell to Boyd and back again. A through-ball which is intercepted, though only at the last-ditch. Crewe attack again but Thelwell intervenes again and passes back to Nelson who kicks long. It is headed clear but only to Paul Terry who picks out Adam Boyd. Back to Terry, to Thornton and Boyd again who loses the ball to the voiced annoyance of the FantasticOs. Crewe come away and Thelwell concedes a free-kick on the halfway line. Palmer clears the kick, finds Gray who goes on a run but is dispossessed and the ball is passed back to Williams. Twenty minutes gone and pretty even now.

Tam heads the long kick wide. Corden on to Gray and a cross which Chambers almost meets but is penalised for handball. Crewe break away from the free-kick but Adam Chambers is back to dispossess and give to Melligan, Terry, Thornton. Chambers, Terry, Boyd. Lost again. Terry, Thornton, Chambers who goes on a run but is tackled. Thornton recovers. Boyd, Thornton and through to Gray and Melligan who crosses but the ball is cleared. Terry recovers, to Chambers and Melligan who makes a run and is floored on the edge of the box. Nothing is given and the ball is cleared. Throw to Orient midway into our half. To Gray and Boyd who gives it away. Tam intervenes to recover and finds JJ who breaks and crosses to the far post where Williams holds. If only he had pulled the cross back a few yards! Corden intercepts the clearance and feeds Thornton, to Terry and Melligan who crosses again to the far post where Williams fields easily again. When will he learn? Throw to Crewe on the halfway line. A through-ball. Offside -- again!! Nelson takes the kick in mid-territory. Gray gathers and runs with the ball, feeding Melligan who passes inside to Thornton. He chips into the box but Williams holds comfortably. Tam and Alton Thelwell each head clear the long kick but Crewe come again, only to be deemed offside yet again in the penalty area. Tam goes down in the tackle and appears to have twisted his ankle. A couple of minutes’ delay while physio Lewis Manning applies the cold sponge and Tam is helped off for the statutory minute or maybe more. Thornton, Chambers, Terry. Thornton, Chambers, Melligan; Chambers and Thornton swap passes -- Orient are playing real football again! -- on to Boyd and out to Melligan and Chambers who wins a corner. Excellent. Much better. Looking more confident. Tam returns. Sighs of relief. Thornton and Thelwell are up for the corner but the latter’s header passes three yards wide of the left-hand post (as we look, again). Now Corden from the goal-kick finds Thornton. To Gray and Boyd who holds the ball up before returning to Gray. It is lost but Corden recovers and crosses. Boyd is up for the cross but Williams holds. Half an hour gone.

Crewe attack again and look offside but nothing is given. However, Nelson fields comfortably. Terry wins a throw a couple of yards shy of the halfway line. Melligan sets Boyd free. To Chambers, Melligan, Thornton and back to Chambers who lays off to Palmer and Corden. The cross is headed clear and Orient attack again, Chambers feeding Melligan wide. JJ makes ground and crosses again to the far post. We hold up our hands in horror. Williams’ ball again! But no! The ball is swerving in late towards the near post. It’s under the bar and, all too late, Williams makes a desperate attempt to tip it over, only to help it under the bar and into the net. 1 – 0 and from the most unexpected of sources! Joy from the Fantasticos and Melligan returns, milking the crowd’s applause on the way for his account-opening strike. As the players re-assemble, words are exchanged between a grinning Thornton and a happy Melligan. Could it be? That the boys have been practising this ploy? That the Master Thornton has been teaching the “young” JJ the art of the swerve? That those wasted far post crosses were merely sighters or even decoys for the real thing. We doubt it. But then… so much of this wonderful win was crafted on the training–ground. Who knows?

Thirty-three minutes. Perfect timing. Orient win a free-kick on the halfway line. Tam to Boydy to Aiden who gives it away. It is returned long and Tam clears to Sean Thornton who is floored. Free-kick Orient five yards adrift of the halfway line. Long and into the box. Gray is penalised and Crewe have the free-kick which Williams takes. Tam heads back to Nelson who rolls to Paul Terry. Is this the next sign of the game plan. One up and possession becomes the bye-word. Make them chase it and open them up. Terry to Melligan, back to Terry, on to Thornton, back to Terry and given away. Crewe break into the box but Stuart Nelson fields comfortably. Boyd nods his kick onto Gray inside the box. He gives wide to Boyd who crosses but the cross is cleared. Schumacher fouls Adam Chambers but goes unremarked. Moments later the game is halted as Schumacher is injured and requires treatment. On resumption, Gray kicks from the halfway line back to Williams who kicks long. Palmer wins a goal-kick for the O’s. It is long and cleared. O’s have a throw twelve yards adrift of the halfway line. Palmer gives to Gray. The ball is cleared. Throw O’s again. Now ten yards shy. Gray is up for it but it is cleared and Tam clears the clearance. Crewe come again but Tam dispossesses and finds Corden who beats two and passes to Adam Chambers, he to Terry who gives long but Adam Boyd is offside and the kick is passed back to Williams. Five minutes left.

From the clearance, Alton Thelwell misses with his head and makes amends with a foul, giving Crewe a free-kick some ten yards outside the penalty area. Billy Jones delivers a low drive which Nelson goes down to hold well. A long clearance offers Alex a throw midway into their half. Thelwell intercepts as Crewe attack and finds Chambers, he to Gray who is dispossessed. Tam gets in the tackle but Crewe advance again and Aiden Palmer concedes a corner. Alton Thelwell heads clear to Sean Thornton, on to Gray wide left and back to Thornton. Crewe clear but Paul Terry intercepts and shoots from thirty-five yards. Williams fumbles but holds at the second attempt. Crewe break away and Aiden Palmer interrupts their progress. To Terry and Thornton, Boyd, Terry, Chambers, Palmer, Chambers, Thornton, possession stuff this, running down the clock. Thornton to Terry who gives long and the ball is passed back to Williams, hassled by Adam Boyd in the process. Orient again. Thornton to Terry to Boydy in the box and another fine possession move which ends with a cross from Chambers which Corden narrowly fails to connect with. Half-time is blown and the Cobra never noticed the fourth official’s board, though knowledgeable neighbours assure that a minute or two were added.

Crewe kick-off the second half and the long ball persists, Nelson fielding and returning a long ball. It is cleared. Paul Terry returns long. Billy Jones gives back long. Adam Chambers gives away a throw three yards shy of the halfway line. Terry clears. Boyd to Gray. Thornton, Gray and Thornton concedes a throw in mid-half which Crewe hustle back to Williams with Chambers in pursuit. Another fine move from the Orient. Crewe clear. Thelwell to Terry to Melligan who runs with it and wins a throw a yard from the corner flag. Terry to Boyd whose cross is cleared. Thornton returns and Gray goes up but Williams holds. Now Terry gives a throw five yards shy of the halfway line on the right. A crossfield ball which Palmer clears to Corden and Gray, Chambers and Thornton who gives long and the ball is passed back to Williams. Thelwell is up for the clearance and finds Chambers. To Gray and Thornton and lost. The Railwaymen break out with a long ball but offside is called yet again and Nelson fields the loose ball. Corden, Thornton, Melligan who gives it away. Chambers recovers. Throw to Crewe two yards inside the halfway line. The ball is crossed and Nelson holds. Crewe return. Melligan intercepts. Terry gives long. Gray is up and finds Boyd who returns the ball to Gray. His cross is cleared. Palmer concedes a throw in mid-territory. Corden clears. Crewe come again. Chambers clears. Crewe again. Nelson clears long. O’s win a corner which Sean Thornton takes on the right. He finds the penalty spot. Alton Thelwell is there and gets up to head just two yards wide of the left-hand post. From the goal-kick, Palmer does well to clear under pressure. Crewe come again down the left. Tam clears. Thelwell clears. Corden clears. Orient on the attack. Chambers bustles through. Corden’s shot from twenty-five yards is tipped over the bar by Williams. Ten minutes in.

Ene-to-end play for a while. Crewe make a double substitution in an attempt to shake things up. Shaun Miller replaces Dickson, perhaps tiring, and Ryan Lowe replaces Eugen Bopp. Palmer wins a throw, ten yards on from the flag. Crewe resurge. A thru-ball but offside is flagged yet again. Nelson takes the kick. Melligan gives away and Crewe return. Thelwell heads clear. Corden, Chambers, lost. A superb through-ball from the Alex midfield but Stuart Nelson anticipates superbly and wins the race. Sean Thornton concedes a free-kick and Crewe come again, Orient under pressure. Melligan back to tackle and clear to to Gray, wide right. Crewe clear. Terry heads back to Melligan and Orient play around again. Boyd continues to look somewhat lazy and makes little effort to challenge for a 50/50 ball. The homesters are penalised for handball and Orient have a free-kick in the centre circle. Thelwell is up for the kick but Williams fields and gives long, Tam clearing. Crewe again. A big cross which Nelson goes down well to hold, showing good anticipation again. Crewe again and now Aiden Palmer tackles. Crewe return long but, once again, offside is signalled and Orient have a free-kick which Nelson welts long, conceding the throw a yard from the corner flag. This prompts the thought, not for the first time in the game, that the pre-planning, like a game of chess or Rugby, can sometimes take the form of gaining territory. The line-out by another name. And that is exactly what Nelson achieved with his long and accurate kick. Crewe clear the threat and Tom Pope is through, Nelson advancing to smother the attack. Tam clears, Corden works on but Boyd inexplicably gives the ball away. Thelwell, again in the breach, concedes a corner. Terry heads clear, Crewe come again. Chambers heads out. A long cross which Palmer clears. Crewe again. Chambers clears again. A cross but the attack peters out with a goal-kick to Orient. The moment has passed. Gray nods on the goal-kick but only for a goal-kick at the other end. Tam heads away but Crewe come again and the ball rebounds off Palmer for a corner on the right. Billy Jones again. The ball is headed goalwards but Stuart Nelson holds brilliantly at the far post. A long kick which Gray nods on but no-one is around to receive. Crewe again and Paul Terry now passes back to Nelson.

Twenty-five minutes in and Boyd now produces a moment of brilliance to find Wayne Gray who wins a corner on the right. Thornton takes. Thelwell is up for it, Tam goes up for it, Thelwell again and a free-kick is given at the edge of the box. Thornton takes, finds Gray, back to Thornton whose shot is blocked. News travels fast! Alexandra clear and break out with a through-ball. Offside, yet again!! Free-kick Orient, mid-half. Nelson long. Boyd up. To Chambers. Thornton, Terry, Melligan, Boyd and a throw to Crewe fifteen yards up from their corner flag. The ball is cleared but Crewe are penalised for a foul and O’s have a free-kick, ten yards the other side of the halfway line. Target line-out again. Brilliant. Throw Crewe, seven yards up from the flag. Terry heads back. Another throw to Crewe now in mid-half. The homesters clear decks but are caught offside again!! Orient free-kick, middle of our territory. Nelson kicks for touch again and Crewe have a throw in mid-half on the right. The ball is passed back, across the box, out wide left and given long. Crewe win another throw on the halfway line. Fifteen minutes left. Still feeling good, if not totally re-assured.

A long throw and a good build-up by the Railwaymen who work the ball into the box but Thelwell is fouled in the tackle and Orient have a free-kick on the edge of the box which Nelson gives long. It is headed back for an Orient throw five yards short of the halfway line in visiting territory. Crewe intercept. Palmer clears to Corden, to Palmer and back to Corden who gives down the left line to the holding Boyd. In to Thornton, Palmer, Thornton, Palmer, Boyd who is dispossessed. Crewe clear and break away. A cross from the right. Tam clears. Crewe again. A huge cross from the right. Another from the left. Thelwell clears, Thornton clears. Crewe again. Long, but too long and Orient have a goal-kick. Alex attack again down the right. A good move down the middle which Nelson again anticipates brilliantly and comes out to smother. He kicks long. It is lost and Crewe come again. Chambers intercepts and runs with the ball. Boyd crosses and Melligan’s shot hits the goal’s rooftop netting, causing consternation among the elderly. Ten minutes left.

A goal-kick which Tam heads back. It is cleared. Terry heads away. Crewe break suddenly. Now they are not offside! The defence is beaten for speed. Nelson advances to narrow the angle but one knows instinctively that he can be chipped by anyone worth their salt. And, almost out of nowhere, or so it seems, comes JJ Melligan, at great speed to save the day with a superb tackle, perfectly fair, from behind to concede a corner. A wonderful piece of teamsmanship which speaks volumes for the emotional cohesion of this side. Mettle re-inforced, Nelson is up in fine style for the corner, finding Boyd with the kick. He beats one opponent and slips inside to Thornton who crosses back to Chambers. In a remarkable carbon copy of last week’s incident against Walsall, Adam beats one man and gets into the box for a shot on goal, only to be brought down by Gary Roberts. Boydy immediately seizes the ball while Adam receives attention. We learn later that this, too, is part of the grand plan and not merely a piece of strong-headedness by our fallen penalty-king. Adam hits the ball hard, to the left of Williams as we look (i.e to Williams’ right) and at about head height. The ball is nestling in the back of the net before you can draw breath. The Fantasticos are ecstatic. How many occasions can we all remember in the past where dreaded hubris has reared her ugly head, we have chanted our superiority, only to be brought to heel by the god Nemesis in awful fashion before the game is out. Not this time. We knew they would not pull back two goals in eight minutes, less still three. This side of ours was too good for that. We knew, too, that Huddersfield would not be winning by three or more. And so, spontaneously, and with every justification, the chant rang out “We are top of the League, say, we are top of the League!” The players responded magnificently. Five minutes of pure possession football to secure the points.

Terry to Melligan. Cleared long and offside, of course! Free-kick Orient. To Gray, Boyd, Melligan, Thornton, Gray, Thornton again, Chambers and Corden wide. Chambers, Corden, Chambers, Palmer and Thornton who holds the ball up. Crewe clear into the box where it is gobbled up by the O’s defence. Four minutes are added, fairly, it must be said, by another very good referee. Orient break. Thornton holds, runs, shoots. His shot is tipped over for a corner on the right which Thornton takes, giving an opportunity for another demonstration of keep-ball with Wayne Gray. But when Crewe clear, it is well within this new Orient’s capability to hold out and the whistle comes in due time to deliver a fourth successive win and a very happy return journey.

Strangely the players wander around the pitch for a while in a daze. Dean Smith tries to organise a warm-down but without success and, eventually, someone points out that there are a few hundred other heroes to whom their attention must turn for a while. To their credit, several minutes are spent applauding the crowd and receiving due plaudits for a wonderful, if carefully crafted victory. Churlish to look for a m-o-m after such a great team effort. Nelson perhaps for the shut-out. Chambers for his everlasting effort and runs into the box. Melligan for the goal. But, if you really want an award, then give it jointly to Tam Makka and Alton Thelwell for an immense contribution at the heart of the defence in which they put no more than one foot wrong the entire game. The possibilities for this combination were evident in the pre-season games. Those possibilities are now full-fledged fact for all to behold. Together with Stuart Nelson, it will surely give us a very firm foundation for the future.

And what of the future? Those expectations? Well, actually, the expectations are now raised. We will actually go into games now looking for a win. And that is no bad thing, raising, as it will our self-belief, players and support alike. Sure, we will come a cropper at some stage and, as we all know, the higher we climb, the harder we fall. But the difference now is that that fall, when it occurs, no longer matters. The Cobra is convinced, on recent and growing evidence, that this side will brush aside adversity when it comes (absit, that is, a crop of injuries) and simply move on to the next game, learning, hopefully, from any mistakes made on the way. There could be a wonderful future in store. Certainly, it was a superb afternoon out and one can conclude, without fear of contradiction, that a Phoenix has truly risen from the ashes!!

COBRA

2007-08-26T15:33:00.000+01:00

Still the perfect start to the season, 4 wins despite three of the matches being away from home. We'll do well to make it five when we go to Cardiff on Tuesday but that's another matter.

For me, a frustrating day of trying to find out how we were doing, while out with the family. Once again it was my son's budding motorsport career that took precedence, this time a "Junior Rally Experience" at Silverstone. Too far for Radio London, so it was 5-Live in the car when I could get a moment. Needless to say they don't mention Orient too often, and just as the half-times were coming up, Dave was on the track (setting the fastest time of the day). Full time saw us watching some racing on the main track, and by the time we got back in the car, the second commentary match was under way. No "latecomers results" these days!

In fact, my first inkling of how well the lads had done was tuning in later to 6-0-6 and hearing a Leeds fan say that we were among their main rivals. So I knew we were still up there!

There's a long way to go of course, but it's a great start. I've still only seen the team once this season, and next Saturday Dave's got an endurance race, so that's out too - not that I mind of course. But I'll have to get someone to text me the scores!

2007-08-22T16:08:00.000+01:00

Happy birthday...
to Orient director Steve "Interesting" Davis - 50 today!!

2007-08-22T12:56:00.000+01:00

All quiet at the moment, once again an England squad is announced with no Orient players in it (I did notice someone called "Terry" was in the team but it turns out it's Paul's brother. Apparently he plays for England regularly; I don't take much notice of these things). However, I reckon we have one player who could give Malcolm McLaren (or whatever his name is) some options, so the Adam Chambers for England campaign starts here!

I had a look at the videos of Saturday's match, and have to say that we can't be too disappointed at not putting away the penalty. Having viewed it in slow motion, I'm pretty sure that the foul occurred outside the box anyway. In fact, there didn't look to be much contact, but the defender was clearly arguing about the postion of the foul rather than the fact of it. Stuart Nelson deservedly got into the team of the week for our division, but he had some sterling work by the two central defenders, Thelwell and Mkandawire, to thank for helping him to a clean sheet. With Brian Saah also available on the bench, we seem to have that part of the field sorted at the very least.

Saturday sees us away to Crewe, defending our unexpected position as League leaders. This will be a big test of our early season form, notwithstanding our fine 4-0 win there last term. A point this time would be a very acceptable return, anything better a bonus. The nice thing is that whatever the result, we'll be above Southend in the table at a quarter to five.

2007-08-18T20:26:00.000+01:00

Nice to be back at Brisbane Road, I hadn't realised how much I'd missed it over the course of what's passed for a summer so far. Also nice to be back in the East Stand, I'm now in the lower tier (the old enclosure) at the North End, which seems somewhat underpopulated. Certainly it was a lot easier to get a cup of tea, or standing room in the Gents, than in the West where I was last season. Only downside, apart from viewing from the level of the dugouts, was the crap PA system - at the end of half time I realised that I was hearing the Clash, the rest of the music passed me by, as did the team announcements.

The new programme also has its faults - some of the headlines are in a font that looks as though the print has run, and are almost unreadable. The content remains high quality though, even if Alan Comfort's page seems to have been dropped - or maybe the Rev is just too busy saving souls.

And so to the team - also new for 2007-08! My first view of the newcomers gave a lot of hope for the season, though the first-half performance was somewhat disjointed. We're already missing Matt Lockwood, though not at left-back, where Aiden Palmer did a sterling job marking Paul Hall, who was roasting full-backs when our Aiden was still in the infants. But Locky would probably have put away the first-half penalty which represented our only real threat on the Walsall goal in the first 45 minutes. Credit to Clayton Ince though for an excellent save, as well as stopping Wayne Corden's follow-up.

It was Corden though who created the winner just after the break, a precise cross that left Wayne Gray with a simple far-post header. After that it was nervous stuff, as the balance of play swung one way then the other, and both teams had good chances to add to the score. But one-nil it finished, and we are now proudly top of League One, albeit only due to Leeds' 15-point penalty. I may be wrong, but I think it's our highest League position since relegation from the old 2nd Division back in 1982. Which would mean that last time we were in this position, we finished there! Early days yet though, but let's enjoy it while it lasts!

2007-08-16T22:29:00.000+01:00

OK it's all my fault. Cardiff away. If I'd kept my digital mouth shut we'd probably be looking forward to a trip to Green Street instead, but I had to go and mention...

2007-08-16T20:50:00.000+01:00

Well, without retracting my previous comments, Tuesday's win at QPR was another super result. And once again we have an opposing manager who can't handle being beaten by the O's. Of course, John Gregory didn't want to make excuses, but he did have several first-teamers unavailable due to minor knocks... sorry, but that sounds exactly like an excuse to me, and in fact it was Martin Ling who was forced into more changes than his opposite number.

So we await the draw for the second round, where we face Premier League (non-European qualifying) or Championship opposition. So it could be West Ham or Fulham - or, just as likely, Cardiff or Sheffield United. We'll find out in an hour or so after tonight's match.

2007-08-14T10:15:00.000+01:00

Another away game tonight - QPR in the League Cup. Is it just me, or is this competition becoming increasingly irrelevant? Firstly, the "big" clubs don't take it seriously, and the top teams don't even come in until the 3rd round. Then there's the "seeding" - we are an unseeded team, so we are against a team expected to beat us. And if we do get through, we're unseeded again, this time probably against a premier league team like Reading or Birmingham who aren't in Europe. In the unlikely event that we progress further, we might get one of the top seven and get thrashed by Chelsea reserves or ManUre under-15's. The only time anyone puts out a full first team is in the final, or if one of the premier league strugglers gets a whiff of a European place up for grabs.

Anyway, I won't be going to Loftus Road as my lad is karting at Buckmore Park today and that takes precedence (he's got more chance of winning too!). Hopefully I'll get a report from one of my guys, then on Saturday I finally get to see the lads in action against Walsall. Hope my new seat has a good view, I think it may be somewhere slightly lower than the dugouts, but at least it's back in the East Stand and not on the windswept cliff-face that is the West, where I was last season. Maybe I should buy a flat and watch from the balcony!

2007-08-13T20:45:00.000+01:00

Well, first up it's a big thankyou and welcome back to my two reporters, RowZ and Cobra, who have both contributed match reports from Southend. I'm looking forward to reading their accounts over the season as we push for promotion... or whatever the next nine months may bring.

Winning at Southend has to be the perfect way to start the season, and the Evening Echo (the Shrimpers' local paper) was kind enough to send us one surplus copy in the bundle for my son's delivery round, so I got to read their somewhat biased reports. Thornton came in for some stick for his "antics" (translation: falling over when he got kicked) and Tilson accused him of diving for the full 90 minutes. Managed to stay on his feet for our equaliser though, Steve! To be fair to the Echo they did give Thornton a rating of 8/10 (equal top rating with Jamal Campbell-Ryce) so he must have impressed their reporter a bit.

As for the red card, I've watched the video several times, and can't see anything wrong with the decision. OK, Thornton didn't exactly try too hard to stay on his feet, but the challenge was rash and unnecessary, and shows that McCormack has learned nothing since we had him on loan. I wonder what Tilson will be saying to him in private, when he doesn't have to put a positive slant on the incident for his own fans?

2007-08-13T20:43:00.000+01:00

Another Fine Day out at the Seaside

Southend United (1) 1 Leyton Orient (1) 2

Nelson; Purches (Capt), Mkandawire, Saah, Palmer; JJ Melligan (sub Demetriou 75), Chambers, Thornton, Corden (sub Daniels 66); Gray (sub Echanomi 83), Boyd.

Cliches abound. Feet on the Ground. Early season form doesn’t count for much (Remember the three straight wins and top of the table by end-August?). Always do well at Rots Hall (so…..?). Always tougher on a relegated side. Shrimpers played 40 minutes with only ten men. The Cobra’s guarded pre-season optimism had been laced with a large slug of hope, that most over-looked of all the three great virtues, but ninety minutes of the real thing suggests that it may have been rather more firmly founded as all and more of those early impressions were confirmed: a top-class replacement for Garner in goal --- two or three moments of defensive uncertainty aside; a major acquisition in Mkandawire, quietly competent and quietly confident and rarely, if ever, outwitted. Mellligan’s best performance by far to date; a moment of brilliance from Adam Boyd to seal the win. But over and above all these good things towered Sean Thornton. An immense presence, he seemed to be always and everywhere. Strong, and with great anticipation, he scored the goal that turned the game and left an indelible mark on the day’s proceedings and, let us hope, the rest of the season. It speaks volumes for his performance that he made the effervescent Chambers seem almost anonymous!

The bare facts are few and simple. After an even first quarter, Shrimpers took the lead mid-first-half following a rare lapse of concentration in the visitors’ defence. United then looked to be getting the upper hand but Thornton equalised with a stunning (and curling) free-kick from distance which found the top right-hand corner and ricocheted in off the inside of the post. Already a marked man, in every sense of the word, Sean was floored a minute later by one of the Shrimpers’ three ex-O’s, Alan McCormack, who earned a yellow card for his pains. The interval score (1-1) was a fair reflection. Ten minutes into the second half, Sean Thornton was yet again poleaxed by McCormack who was promptly awarded a second yellow card and dismissed the park. Unusually, Orient made good use of the extra man and slowly gained the upper hand, though never quite fully so. It was hugely to Thornton’s credit that he never rose to the bait and, while giving as good as he got, did not come remotely near winning a caution at any stage. Martin Ling made a number of well-judged and timely substitutions, one of which, Efe Echanomi, eventually provided the telling cross which Adam Boyd appeared from nowhere to convert. Five minutes left (plus five minutes added time!). Perfect timing. Perfect start to the season!

And the detail? Team not quite as expected. Thelwell’s injury gave Saah and Tam Makka the start at centre-back. Aidan Palmer got the nod over new -- and largely untested -- Charlie Daniels and played the game of his life to validate his selection. Slightly surprised to see two wide men starting away from home, to the exclusion of Paul Terry who remained on the bench throughout.

Shrimpers kicked off, Stuart Nelson defending the goal in front of the massed ranks of ever-canting Fantasticos. Early nervousness sees Tam Makka slip up and captain Purches concedes a corner from which Orient take a goal-kick. To the other end, a big cross and Boyd is up for it but the ball is cleared and United come again. Offside is flagged and Nelson takes the free-kick. Boyd and Thornton go up together. Tam is fouled and Wayne Corden makes to take the free-kick on the left, only to leave for Sean Thornton who aims, with some accuracy, for the far post where JJ Melligan gets in a low drive which is deflected for a corner. Thornton takes. Flavahan rises to hold and clear. Hooper, the self-same nippy Hooper, breaks free. Thornton tackles and Purches clears for a throw to Orient on the right. Purches takes. Wins another throw, now on the halfway line. O’s progress and a third throw-in, now just four yards adrift of the corner flag. Purches to Thornton and JJ but Shrimpers clear for another throw. United break and Tam boots the ball out of the ground. Purches wins the ball from the throw, on to Melligan and back to Nelson who clears. Southend re-charge. Purches and Thornton clear. Shrimpers again. Peter Clarke, tall and aggressive, clips Sean Thornton on the way through, the first of many attempts to unsettle this clearly reputational player. Five minutes in.

Throw to O’s on the halfway line. To Thornton and on to Gray but cleared. Purches plays back to Nelson who hoofs clear. Thornton gathers and finds Tam; back to Sean and out to Purches who gives long. Melligan is floored and the ball cleared. Purches gives long again. Now Boyd is brought down and O’s win a throw four yards from the corner-flag. Purches throws long, bringing Justin Miller to mind. Gilbert breaks and feeds Jamal Campbell-Ryce whose dangerous cross is headed clear. An infringement wins Orient a free-kick. Boyd short to Thornton, to Saah, to Thornton again and Chambers who gives the ball away. Corden and Thornton intervene and Southend win a throw. Now a corner on the left but Nelson holds the cross well. He finds Boyd in the clear who feeds Thornton and he wide to Melligan. A cross to the far post but Flavahan holds. United on the break. Melligan intercepts. Ten minutes gone.

Southend again. Tam is up and away with the ball. Thornton to Chambers who is upended. Matt Harrold is shown a yellow card. Purches’ free-kick to the far post is headed clear and O’s win a throw. Purches to Corden to Melligan and Purches again. To Tam but lost and Southend break fast, winning a corner on the right, the first of several from Maher which would attract verbal abuse from the massed ranks of Fantasticos. Goal-kick Orient. Southend return and Tam clears to Purches who gives long. Thornton tries to find Chambers but Southend intercept and attack again with a dangerous shot from the edge of the box which is deflected for a corner, again taken by Maher on the right. Tam gets up with his head and Thornton clears to Melligan who punts long. Southend return long and Saah heads off for a throw which Tam clears for another throw. A shot which Saah clears only for Southend to come again on the right. The ball is delivered crossfield and another shot from the left forces Nelson to palm round the post for a corner on the right. Maher again. Tam up again. Corner, now on the left. Again the ubiquitous Maher. The corner is re-taken (ball not in the “D”) and a weak shot is fashioned from close range which passes for a goal-kick. Gray gathers and finds Thornton who is fouled. Free-kick O’s which Thornton takes and finds Corden. Gray goes up for his cross and Melligan gets in a shot which is cleared, Shrimpers breaking speedily down the right. Gower and Campbell-Ryce are alternating on the wings, sometimes both together and, from the Cobra’s lair, it is not always easy to discern which of the two is on the ball. The cross, from McCormack, as it transpires, is met by Gower low down at the far post and, while Nelson gets a hand to the angled shot, he seems only to help the ball into the net. 0 – 1. Worst fears. Mountain to climb. 24 minutes gone.

From the re-start, Thornton is floored again. Free-kick Orient in mid-half. Thornton takes and aims for the far post. Half-cleared. Cries for handball ring round the ground. Referee Knight, once of the Premier League until injury laid him low, ignores the pleas. With over an hour left, he won’t be giving any penalties, especially against the home side, just yet. Southend come away and, yet again, that crossfield ball, real class when given accurately (as we saw from Tottenham just ten days hence). Purches saves the day and concedes a corner which Maher again takes. The tall Barrett outjumps Tam Makk but the ball goes off for a goal-kick. Another infringement, yet another free-kick to the O’s which Sean Thornton takes on the left. It is cleared and Purches lobs back but Flavahan holds. Now with Melligan on the right. A cross-cum-shot is put out for a corner which JJ takes with Thornton in attendance. The ball is laid off to Purches whose looping cross is headed off the line and cleared! Melligan again, but now on the left. To Thornton and O’s win a free-kick for yet another foul, now on Saah. The kick is cleared and Shrimpers break clear. A long cross from the right passes harmlessly for a goal-kick. Half an hour gone.

Another free-kick for Orient, now in the centre-circle. Purches takes. Gray goes up, Melligan crosses. Goal-kick Southend. Shrimpers attack. Palmer clears well and Gray goes down, apparently floored. Free-kick Southend!! Chagrin! Consternation! The kick is passed back to Flavahan who gives long and Purches returns long. Chambers is brought down and Orient regain advantage. Melligan crosses and Gray’s header is saved on the line. Now Shrimpers break fast but a goal-kick soon ensues. Shrimpers regain and Saah is penalised. A dangerous free-kick passes wide of the left-hand

post (to Nelson’s right).The home side are really in the ascendant now. They recover the goal-kick and mount another attack, a threatening cross from the right being negated only by the raising of an offside flag. The free-kick finds Thornton on the edge of the box. He is brought down and O’s have a free-kick, central and twenty to twenty-five yards out. Thornton takes, without much fuss, and, perfectly sited behind Nelson’s goal, we see the aerodynamics for ourselves as the curling ball finds the top right-hand corner of the goal, ricocheting back into the roof of the net from off the inside of the right-hand goalpost. One-all and half-time tea will be taken with all to play for. But there is drama yet.

Seven minutes left and Thornton is brought down yet again, this time by McCormack who is shown the yellow card. Shrimpers attack again. Thornton gives away a throw-in. Palmer clears. Shrimps again. Palmer again, now off for a throw, five yards from our corner-flag. A cross, which Saah manages to clear, though only just. Chambers, Melligan, Boyd, Purches, a Chambers cross and a Boyd header. Goal-kick Southend. Thornton now penalised and United have a free-kick on the halfway line. A cross ensues which Thornton clears. They come again but Chambers contrives a goal-kick. Shrimpers again. Palmer clears to Boyd but Southend recover and pass back to Flavahan who kicks long. Orient are caught out. Hooper breaks fast down the middle. Nelson comes out to the edge of the box, perfect in both timing and judgement, buying just enough time for Tam to recover and assist with a magnificent interception and clearance as the danger is snuffed out. But the Shrimpers return, now down the left and a cross to the far post is held by Nelson. Two minutes “injury” time are added and the half ends with another shot from the home side sailing way over the bar.

Orient kick-off the second half and both ‘keepers are soon in action. Melligan wins a throw down the right. Purches takes. Throw Southend. Saah clears. Mounting pressure from Orient. Shrimpers clear, cross to the far post and win a corner which is partially cleared. A shot is returned and Nelson goes down to save, giving long. JJ gathers and puts in a low drive which Flavahan saves. Orient again. Corden to Gray. A cross and Flavahan saves again. From the clearance Tam is penalised and Southend have a free-kick. It is wasted and O’s have a throw. Purches takes and the clearance finds Boyd who is offside. Free-kick United. Tam and Thornton clear long. Boyd does well to hold but is dispossessed and the ball passes back to Flavahan who gives long. Free-kick Orient for handball which Purches takes long. Flavahan rises to fist the ball away and Chambers’ return ball is blocked. Five minutes in.

Now Gray nods on to Boyd, to Melligan and Thornton who is dispossessed. A long ball is returned long by Nelson. He finds Gray who moves on to Boyd and again to Thornton. A rasping shot from thirty yards flies narrowly over the crossbar. Another free-kick for an elbow on Thornton and O’s break down the right. Melligan, Gray, Thornton who is again floored by…. wait…. yes, McCormack. Referee Barry Knight takes a while, perhaps to assess the situation and re-inforce his own confidence, but a yellow card is shown, swiftly followed by the inevitable red. Ever more predictable, football’s magic is frequently preserved by the unpredictable and nowhere more so than with the Orient. How many times have seemingly endless goal droughts been suddenly brought to an end by Matt Lockwood’s left foot. Or a seemingly hopeless lost cause rescued by a totally unexpected penalty award. And so at Roots Hall where an apparently mammoth task to defend a draw against relegated “giants” is suddenly transformed by the totally unexpected “gift” of an “extra” man. Very few Orient teams have ever known how to handle this situation and, if today they played a good deal more intelligently than hitherto, then perhaps some of that was due to Southend’s own loss of self-belief. For, to be sure, they were pitting every sinew to try to stay on top of this game which they had been expected to win easily and, in a trice, a key player was taken from them. Not that they gave up. Far from it. But it was as if the Cincinatti Kid had called for a new deck. The rules had changed. The fickle finger of fate had perceptibly tilted the balance.

Thornton takes the free-kick, twenty-five yards out and central. It curls and hits the left-hand stanchion just in front of the gasping F.O’s. From the goal-kick, Orient return via Palmer and Boyd, Saah and Tam and Chambers who gives long. Throw-in Southend, ten yards from the corner-flag. In a strategic re-shuffle, Hooper is taken off and Nicky Bailey brought on. End-to-end play ensues, long clearances prevailing. Wayne Corden is penalised for an “innocent” foul and receives a yellow card, a ploy perhaps to redress the balance in the eyes of the homesters, though you’d have to lay good money on Wayne, of all people, not getting to five cards this year. Fifteen minutes gone.

More long end-to-end stuff and a Southend shot from the edge of the box which Nelson goes down to save. He gives long to Wayne Gray on the left. Into the middle and onto Adam Boyd, central, who produces an exquisite flick, straight, almost, from the book of King Kenny, to put Gray through. If Boyd had done nothing else that day, it would have been worth the entrance fee, simply to have seen that flick. Gray is dispossessed and a corner gained. The cross finds Gray but his weak shot is harmless. Southend clear and Tam passes back to Nelson. Saah to Palmer. Melligan, Purches, Boyd, Melligan -- flowing, possession football, just what is needed, and O’s have a throw, ten yards from the corner-flag. Twenty minutes gone and Daniels replaces Corden. Purches throws to Thornton who returns. Purches crosses and the homesters clear for a corner by Thornton which is partially cleared only for Chambers to return an on-target shot which is sadly deflected by Boyd for a goal-kick. Orient come again and Chambers feeds Gray who finds Boyd, his shot now blocked by Flavahan. Now Gray to Boyd to Daniels to Thornton but cleared and Southend counter-attack. A cross from the dangerous right again but Nelson holds. Now Melligan to Boyd, Thornton, Palmer, Thornton again and on to Melligan who lets go a thunderous shot from all of twenty-five yards which is deflected for a corner. A serious injury ensues (?Maher) and the game is held up for a couple of minutes. Thornton eventually takes the corner but Southend win a goal-kick. Daniels recovers, to Palmer and Thornton, back to Purches, Melligan, Thornton, Chambers, Gray and back to Chambers. A cross which Flavahan clears. Another cross from Purches which Gray heads on. Boyd is offside and Shrimpers have a free-kick. It is long and Nelson clears long. Boyd is up for it and finds Melligan. Back to Saah on to Palmer and long towards Thornton. The defence hoof the ball onto the roof of the stand and O’s have a throw, fifteen yards in from the flag. Palmer and Daniels get in a muddle and a goal-kick ensues, whereupon Martin Ling brings Jason Demetriou on for Melligan who leaves to rapturous applause. Demetriou will play his usual accomplished and mature game but one which is now becoming tinged with a little carelessness, especially in distribution. But it will not cost us today. Half an hour gone and Flavahan with the goal-kick.

Now Boyd is fouled and Saah has the free-kick on the halfway line. A cross which Flavahan clears. Thornton and Nelson get in a muddle and a chance shot wins a corner. Nelson fists clear and Southend have a throw which is intercepted. Ball back to Nelson who gives long. It is returned and now Palmer clears long. Flavahan, under pressure, welts the ball into the stand. Purches throws to Saah. Return ball and on to Chambers and Boyd who is fouled but without recompense and the ball is cleared. Thornton concedes a free-kick on the halfway line. Palmer intercepts and finds Daniels but Shrimpers come again. Orient clear and set up another fine move. Purches to Tam to Saah to Palmer. On to Chambers and he to Gray. Back to Purches and out to Demetriou who crosses for Flavahan to hold. Southend attack down the right and Palmer clears well under pressure finding Daniels who moves on to Boyd, to Chambers and Purches. They inter-pass again and give wide to Demetriou. He finds Thornton who loses the ball. Ten minutes left and a draw looking ever-more likely. Shrimpers again and a shot which Demetriou saves with a last-ditch clearance. Daniels crosses and Boyd is taken down in the box but without response from referee Knight. Now Gray attacks down the right and crosses. The ball is cleared, returned and Thornton wins a corner which he himself takes. Shrimpers clear and Saah is penalised. Martin Ling brings Efe Echanomi on for Wayne Gray. Tilson takes Gower off and replaces him with Tommy Black. Five minutes left and Saah recovers the ball, finds Demetriou who feeds Efe down the right flank. He holds, takes on his man and crosses. Shrimpers seem to have the ball covered at the far post but, in a trice, Adam Boyd appears, as from nowhere, to slot the ball home for a rapturous winner. The coiled spring, awaiting his moment for 85 minutes, Boyd brought back memories of Super Carl with this opportunistic effort. 2 – 1 and feeling justly rewarded!!

The game resumes. Nelson clears long and Southend clear for a throw in mid-half which Palmer takes and gives to Boyd who gives the ball away. Southend long and Nelson clears. United again. A cross which Palmer heads clear. Matt Harrold is taken off and replaced by Charlie MacDonald. Southend win a free-kick, twenty yards out and in line with Nelson’s left-hand post. Tam heads clear. Shrimpers return. Tam heads away again for a throw which Palmer clears for Efe who breaks away and crosses but only for a goal-kick. 90 minutes. Five more are added, probably rightly so.

Thornton to Demetriou who gives long to Boyd. Southend clear and break down the right. Looks offside. No flag raised. Ball crossed. Nelson holds and kicks long, Barrett heading off for an Orient throw. Purches to Boyd and another throw. We win a corner but a goal-kick is awarded! Thornton gathers and passes back to Nelson who kicks long for Efe. Daniels, Chambers, Efe again. Blocked. Thornton recovers. To Purches and Demetriou who is hacked down. Free-kick Orient. Nothing comes of it and those last two minutes seem an eternity. But the whistle goes. Joy unconfined and Thornton is hailed by the exuberant fans, milking the applause to the ire of Shrimper players and fans alike.

So, a great and unexpected triumph. Feet on the ground to be sure. But the players are talking keenly of the next 45 games and we can but hope that they will remain up for it. Certainly the buzz seemed to be there, that indefinable spirit which we last saw in May of 2006. An amusing distraction at Super Hoops follows and then we must see if the formula can be repeated in front of the home crowd. A good note on which to finish. The away support was simply amazing and players have already commented on this. It is vital that it is repeated at Brisbane Road.

COBRA

2007-08-12T15:17:00.000+01:00

We got the new season off to a flyer win a 2-1 Essex derby win at ten-man Southend United. Sean Thornton and Adam Boyd were on target for the east Londoners after Mark Gower had put the Shrimpers ahead, but the game turned on Alan McCormack’s second-half sending-off. Orient, however, should have taken a third-minute lead, but Daryl Flahavan pulled off an unbelievable point blank save to deny John Melligan after the Shrimpers had failed to clear Thornton’s free-kick.

Southend then took charge and former Orient man Jamal Campbell-Ryce fed McCormack, who then crossed for Gower to hit a smart finish past Stuart Nelson. Campbell-Ryce was unlucky not increase United’s lead, only for Nelson to palm away a long-range curling effort, but Orient soon levelled when Flahavan could only help Thornton’s powerful inswinging free-kick home via the woodwork.

The second-half was a scrappy affair, but the game turned on 65 minutes when McCormack saw red after a poor challenge on the influential Thornton. The O’s – with only one defeat in their previous nine visits to Roots Hall – went ahead when substitute Efe Echanomi’s mishit shot fell kindly for the prolific Boyd to ram home with four minutes left. Southend rarely threatened, but Campbell-Ryce should have done better with a late close-range effort.

2007-08-11T17:10:00.000+01:00

So, a win at Sahfend on the first day of the season, two of the new boys scoring, couldn't ask for much more. Credit to the lads for coming back from a goal down, but the real turning point was surely the red card for Alan McCormack. O's fans may remember McCormack from his loan period with us, when he was sent off twice before being sent back to Preston with his tail between his legs. I don't know whether his disciplinary record was what led to Preston dispensing with his services, but clearly not much has changed and we can be thankful that it was the Shrimpers, and not us, who decided to take him on. That said, he's clearly a talented player, but you can't afford to go down to ten men on a regular basis...

For the record:
Southend United 1 Leyton Orient 2
(Gower 24) (Thornton 38, Boyd 86)

2007-08-11T12:18:00.000+01:00

Here we go then, less than 3 hours to the start of the new season. How will the O's fare? Who knows, we have what amounts to a complete new team and it's down to how Martin Ling manages to get them to gel together. Personally, I have complete faith in the "gaffer" but the bookies seem to disagree - we are apparently favourites for relegation and I was able to get 66-1 for my annual e/w bet on Orient to win their division. That's obviously based on last season's performance, and doesn't take into account the influx of new blood. But it really just shows how little the bookies know about lower-league football, and it's always worth using any knowledge you have to spot a bet that's available with generous odds.

So it's off to sunny Sarfend this afternoon - well actually not for me as I didn't get a ticket, so I'll be listening on the laptop while enjoying a cold beer in the garden, thanks to the wonders of wireless technology. I probably would have gone if it was pay-at-the-turnstile but Southend's away end apparently isn't big enough for that. Ironic that when they visit Brisbane Road I will be turfed out of my season-ticket seat to make way for more of their fans!

2007-08-11T11:24:00.000+01:00

O-Net is back! I have switched the www.Brisbaneroad.com domain to access this blog site and will be sharing a few of my views, and maybe some brief match reports, in the coming season.