Tag: Leyton Orient

It’s the first home game of the season. And as the vagaries of the fixture computer come to the fore again, as we are playing Leyton Orient, the team we played in our last home game of last season. You know the game, where the linesman hadn’t been to Specsavers and didn’t ward the goal when it was a yard over the line, and then the other one let a ten yard offside happen and so what should have been 1-1 ended up being a 2-0 defeat. We also played them in the Papa John’s Trophy at home last season, which was a 4-0 defeat.

But these are unusual home defeats, we usually have a good record against them. So much so, the Leyton Orient fan in When Saturday Comes had their surprise of last season as beating us away.

Last season Leyton Orient finished one place behind us. They started this season with a win and are fourth. We didn’t and are nineteenth.

So, speaking of the first game, it didn’t go well. From before the game started to be honest.

Our new American owners still haven’t quite got the hang of how English Football works. They had put up a YouTube video as a pregame thing. One that was full of trash talking rubbish. To be fair, our own fans were quick to complain, and after an apology tweet wasn’t enough, they took the video down. Not quickly enough to have a response video posted by Carlisle United fans. We are already getting flak as being “the internet team” without our owners compounding it.

The match stats didn’t make enjoyable reading. Crawley dominated possession. Yet with their two of their three top scorers from last season, plus new signing Dom Telford, the league’s top scorer from last season starting, and our top scorer being added to them at half time, we only had six shots all game, and none of them were on target. Perhaps it is only a coincidence that our new manager has come from the Arsenal coaching system. (BTW, Carlisle had twenty-three shots, with nine on target.)

It wasn’t great news that they’d sent Glenn Morris on loan the day before the season started. The new on loan keeper started the game but was subbed at half time. None of this bodes well.

Anyway, back to today’s game. There were doubts about me being well enough to make it, but almost thirty-six hours in bed has seen me able to make it. It is hot out there, and a slow wander to the ground follows. There are lots of people in and around the ground enjoying the sunshine. We set off early and so there was plenty of time to get there, and for me to get a programme.

Which is smaller in dimensions than the one last season, down to an A5 size. I can imagine the size of the print might be an issue for some as it is quite small on most pages. With the exception of the page with the league table on, where perhaps they were still printing to the size of last year’s programme as the table only had the top twenty clubs in the league, the bottom four missed off completely. Do they bother with proof reading this? Or are they being deliberately disrespectful to the bottom four?

There is no pre-game music, they are playing clips of old games on the big screen (which we can see a part of) and commentary through the sound system. Which makes it seem like an even better atmosphere than the good one there is in the ground anyway. There are no big canvases covering any of the East Stand or away standing this year, and there aren’t many spare seats around us when the game kicks off.

Leyton Orient are playing in a kit that I thought was a light gold and black, but after a few minutes it looks more like it is beige and black. Perhaps it is a deliberate ploy to try and lull opponents to sleep.

It may be the weather, but the game starts slowly, with some players wanting it to be over just after the quarter of an hour mark. I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to Leyton Orient’s Theo Archibald, as to that was why he was trying to swap shirts with Tobi Omole.

A few minutes later Crawley have a breakaway and Teddy Jenks is through on goal but decides to cross instead of having a shot, it goes through to Tom Nicholls who misses the target. And that is it really in terms of notable incidents in the first half. Not even the resident drummer could be bothered to strike up.

Some things don’t change, the half time play list is the same as it ever was. Seriously, just buy some new tunes already. And following on from last year, the Crawley players come out from their half time break two minutes after the away team. It’s not big and it’s not clever, all you are doing is pissing the away team off.

There was a bright start from Crawley, a decent attack down the left wing and an early corner. Which came to nothing. And within five minutes Leyton Orient have a corner of their own after a clearance from a dubious free kick given to them. There is an initial clearance, but Tom James takes a shot when it falls to him outside the area and a big deflection wrong foots our keeper Corey Addai, and Leyton Orient lead 1-0.

The next forty-five minutes are frustrating as hell. Pass it forward five yards, pass it sideways, pass it backwards, stand with it at your feet for twenty seconds as if you’ve never seen a football before. Repeat. Occasionally run forward with it for a few yards, then pull up quickly as you’ve reached the halfway line and have suddenly developed a nosebleed. Stop. Pass it sideways or backwards. Eventually spot the good run of the striker and play the through ball. Ten seconds late and so they are offside again. FFS, speed the hell up, play the ball earlier, take a risk. Do something apart from being stood there like a lemon with a thumb up your arse.

Even the drummer can’t get into feeling it. One brief attempt after sixty minutes is all we get. There are a lot of moans and groans from the home support.

Six minutes of injury time weren’t ever going to be enough to get and equaliser. It takes until the ninety-third minute for there to be a fast-paced attack with a shot on target. Out first shot on target of the whole season so far.

The same minute also saw the Murray Goldberg in front of us shuffle off. I wonder if he will ever get to see a whole match without rushing off to avoid the rush getting out of the car park.

The crowd is announced as being 3,851, with there being 818 away fans. Over three thousand home fans is a significant improvement on our average last season, lets hope we can keep that up, and that the team improves for them.

It did seem as if the announcer had rocks in his mouth, as I have no idea who the match sponsor was, but according to his announcement, the man of the match was Tem Balokesi. Which I think, from inspection of the players listed on the programme, he meant James Balagizi.

The match stats weren’t pretty either. We matched the possession from the first game 65%, but only had three shots, but at least one on target. Tippy tappy rubbish. I’d suggest stop having the crab sandwiches as part of the pre match meal.

It was fun and games leaving the stadium as well, we got to the underpass and there was a police line separating fans from getting at each other. According to one of the fans on the forum it was because the Leyton Orient fans were mocking the Crawley fans at how bad Crawley were. I’m not sure why that should be a need to fight, it was just a true statement, that deserved ‘yeah, we know’ as a response.

For some reason the East stand had no stewards at all for the first half, I’ll assume they think we are harmless there. They managed one for the second half, but there was no sign of Al, who was missing, even though Brighton weren’t at home. Just a lookalike in the orange hi-vis and faded grey cap.

Anyway, no time to worry about the outcome of this game, we have the Carabao Cup game midweek against Bristol Rovers who got promoted last season and won 4-0 away from home today. I’m just worried that the league table in the next programme won’t include us, as we are rock bottom of it.

It’s the final home game of the season for Crawley, against a Leyton Orient side who are the only team who can prevent us finishing the season in the position we currently occupy – 12^th. We are six points behind 11^th plus a whole shed load of goal difference, but only five points ahead of today’s opponents who are in 13^th.

We have already played Leyton Orient at home this season in the Papa John’s Trophy back in the dim distant past of the Autumn. We put out a much-changed side and got a 4-0 whupping. However, in the reverse league fixture in Northeast London we managed another away win, one which sent Leyton Orient into a bit of a tailspin which leaves them behind us now. If they beat us and win their last game, and we fail to beat already relegated Oldham Athletic in our last game of the season then they can overtake us and put us in the bottom half of the table.

Since out last home game on Easter Monday, we have had two away games, one against Mansfield Town last Saturday and a midweek catch up game against Sutton United, both of whom are challenging for playoff places (and in Mansfield’s case for an automatic place). We lost both games and in doing so failed to secure the top half finish and throw more spanners in the works of promotion playing teams as we had done recently (Swindon Town and Newport County spring to mind).

We have Tom and Terri in tow with us for the second time this season with the second batch of free tickets from our season tickets (nothing like leaving using them until the last possible moment). I meet them and Helen at the ground after writing group, but not checking my phone before arriving meant, not only did I get a programme, but Helen got one as well, so two programmes to make up for the couple missed during the season (Sutton and Swindon if anyone has spares, they’d like to let me have).

It’s a bright sunny day and as we are at the ground early, we have a drink in Redz Bar. There is someone outside playing music on a keyboard and singing – well attempting to. They could have run a competition to see who could guess what he was supposed to be playing. The longer he sings, the more serious the danger of rain arriving. But as it stands there are only the sprinklers spraying water everywhere.

Leyton Orient have brough a large vocal crowd with them, but still part of the away end had the canvassed off area, which splits the away support in two. The canvas covering of a block of seats in our stand has been removed for this game.

It is a very grey away kit for Leyton Orient. Hopefully, they’ll be as bad as Manchester United were in their infamous grey kit against Southampton all those years ago.

The opposition make the brighter start, and on seven minutes, before the other three have managed to get to their seats, there is a soft, soft goal, a gentle lob over Glenn Morris from the edge of the penalty area that falls into the back of the net as if in slow motion, and a 1-0 lead for Leyton Orient.

Just after the goal I finally spotted Al. he was patrolling the away end this week. He seems to have put himself in charge of the section covered by the canvas between the two sets of away fans, but without any actual fans to look after. A nice cushy number if you can get it, I suppose.

On seventeen minutes there is a penalty awarded to Leyton Orient. Up to this point the game is following the pattern of the Papa John’s Trophy game. The Crawley players are arguing about it, but it was blatant. However, it was a poor penalty, saved by Morris with his feet and the header from the rebound was weak and dropped into Morris’s arms.

There are some quickfire chances for Crawley straight after the saved penalty, but it was more like pinball wizard as it wouldn’t go in.

A lot of small white feathers are floating around in the air. I’m not sure who blew up half a dozen chickens before the match, but I wish they hadn’t have bothered.

A few minutes before half time ball one disappears over the People’s Pension Stand. It probably went straight over the A23 and into the school beyond as not even the netting behind the stand was going to be stopping that one.

We’ve only just subbed Joel Lynch when Jordan Tunnicliffe goes down, as does one of the Leyton Orient players, and another one of ours is limping. There are more crocks out there than the London to Brighton old car rally.

We are behind 1-0 at half time. There is a reason I shouldn’t be allowed out in polite company. My head is a total sewer. The charity collectors this week were sat behind us. They are collecting for Parkinson’s research. They are finding it surprisingly easy to shake their buckets.

There is some impressive drumming early in the second half, only for me to see the drummer making his way back to his seat from the bar, which meant someone else was using his kit in his absence.

There is a lot of early Crawley pressure in the second half, and we have a penalty shout waved away (it looked remarkably similar to the one given to Leyton Orient in the first half). It would help if the referee was even looking in the right direction as he had – inexplicably – his back to the play.

Ball two flies out over the Ryan Cantor Club Stand, one of those ambulances out there is going to have a big dent in it. The resulting corner for Crawley is wasted. Yet again. Not long later ball three disappears. This one doesn’t go over one of the stands, it goes into the KRL Logistics Stand and the away fans refuse to give it back.

Leyton Orient have some good chances, one of which is blocked by Will Ferry in a great goal line clearance. This brings about a change from the usual “Morris in our goal” chant with a quick burst of “We’ve got Ferry in our goal.” Ferry then has a mini meltdown at the lineman on Leyton Orient’s next attack as their striker obviously bats the ball past him with his hand and gets a shot away and neither the linesman nor ref notice it.

Four minutes of injury time are shown, which is a joke as the Leyton Orient players have been down injured, or just generally having a kip for at least ten minutes during the half. Cue Murray and Murray in front of us leaving. You would have thought they would have treated themselves and stayed until the final whistle at least once this season.

But Crawley have a breakaway and Tilley fires in a shot off the bar and we are all up off our feet cheering the equaliser, but wait, the linesman has waved it away saying the ball hasn’t crossed the line and it is ruled out. Our stand in manager gets booked, as does at least one player for arguing with the officials. Replays on the big screen (after the game as they aren’t allowed for ‘contentious’ issues during the game) show the ball was at least two feet over the line.

The crowd is announced as 3,373 with 688 away fans, giving a total of 2,685 home fans for the game, our highest of the season. And Glenn Morris is announced as the sponsor’s man of the match.

In the sixth minute of injury time (yes, of those four measly minutes announced) there is a Leyton Orient breakaway and a blatant offside is ignored, their striker runs on and curls it over Morris into the corner of the net to make it 2-0 to Leyton Orient. It brings out chants of 2-0 to the referee, and a fire drill exit of Crawley fans.

An orange flare is thrown onto the pitch from the home terrace which holds play up some more and the final whistle goes after over nine minutes of injury time. Post-match one fan makes it on to the pitch and runs around the pitch and players before heading back towards the KRL Logistics Stand, only to slip and fall just before the goal line. But he got up, evaded the somewhat slow stewards who weren’t in a massive rush to get hold of him. So much so that as he ran for the exit on the far side of the pitch, the head steward for that section jumped over the fence and on to the pitch to get out of the way instead of blocking him.

We stayed behind to applaud the players for the final time at home this season. Quite a large crowd remained behind to do so.

And so, there is just the one away game left this season. Although it still hasn’t been decided whether the game will be behind closed doors yet after Oldham fans invading the pitch on their relegation.