Presents Given, Not Received

After recent results and often performances, before today's game I thought perhaps a different mindset was called for. The chances of materially closing the gap above us in the near term disappeared with the home draws against Cambridge and Burton. Maybe today we - the team as well as us supporters - just enjoy the game. A good, lively local derby against opponents were are happy to see back at this level, chance to say hello again to Pratley (and Pigott), maybe some goals and fluctuations to enjoy. Fat chance. We had an inadequate, tame performance in a game sadly lacking in quality. It deserved a 0-0 but we contrived to give away another collectively poor goal and lose.

Throughout the game we struggled to move above the mundane. On another day we score in the first minute and the game is very different, we might have snatched an equaliser if Blackett-Taylor’s low shot hadn’t been very well saved by their keeper, or if the pulling of Dobson’s shirt was seen as enough to give us a penalty. Against that, we were generally ponderous, unable to play out of defence to any great effect and surrendered possession with far too many aimless balls forward. Worse still, the team individually and collectively looked as though they’d had enough, dissatisfied with each other and probably with themselves.

The team showed no changes from Saturday – indeed the matchday squad was unchanged. Nobody was seeing that especially as a vote of confidence, rather not much in the way of alternatives – personally I’d prefer to see us play Campbell(C) on the right side, May in the centre, with Fraser in the hole and Watson(L) coming back in to start, allowing Kanu and still perhaps Tedic to come on to shake things up if necessary, as well as Campbell(T), who seems to be suffering a dip in confidence and lack of playing time. In the event there was a change of sorts as May took up the central striker’s role and Kanu played on the right.

With hindsight the first minute was as good as it got. The ball made it’s way through to Fraser on the edge of the area. He poked it around their guy but couldn’t quite get around him clearly enough to get in a strike, instead diverted it for May to also not quite be able to get in an effort on goal. On 18 minutes Pratley almost gave us a gift with a poor Crossfield pass which only found CBT. He bore down on goal and laid it off inside for Campbell, who perhaps tried to be too precise with his shot which lacked power and was easily saved. And shortly after Kanu did well to set up Campbell again. This time his shot had more power but came back off a defender’s head, falling to Fraser whose curled effort was turned around by their keeper. That led to Blackett-Taylor sending in a low cross which found it’s way to May. His close-range shot was blocked by a defender’s body, probably the hands too, although it was too near for the guy to react and his arms were in a normal position.

Just looking at that para again makes it sound like we were unlucky not to be ahead at the break. But it was really three or four moments. The rest of the time we were locked in a scrappy contest. Kanu struggled to get in the game, May was isolated, and the service from midfield was anything but crisp. Our better moments usually involved Blackett-Taylor, although Orient employed a clever tactic to limit his impact: Pratley got back as cover for their full back and basically positioned himself to block off the cut inside, allowing the other guy to both anticipate and show him the outside. He took that path to good effect sometimes, but not decisively. Orient had few actual chances, but their set pieces, including long throws, caused confusion (nothing new there) and once almost enabled their guy to get on the end of a ball in.

At half-time it was a familiar story. We needed to play better, to get quicker service to the front men. Instead we deteriorated and seemed to become increasingly frustrated, for which perhaps you have to give Orient some credit. For an outsider the game had 0-0 written all over it. But we know better.

We made our first change with around 15 minutes left, with Campbell(T) coming on for Campbell(C), Kanu moving to the centre and May taking up the No.10 slot. And that had actually nearly brought results as Kanu was wrestled to the ground just outside the box on the left side. Fraser played the ball short inside for May to run onto but his effort went wide.

Instead with just over 10 minutes of normal time left we conceded. A simple enough 1-2 down Orient’s left side took out our defenders. The ball into the box was sliced into the air by Hector. Maynard-Brewer came to meet it and did make contact, enough for the ball to drop for Fraser to hook away – but really not clear. Blackett-Taylor failed to hold the ball or lay it off, instead their guy poked it away from him to another on their right side. He skipped past Edun, who went to ground, to the by-line. The pull-back went past a few and reached an unmarked centre-back who to round things off scuffed the shot in a fashion which fooled everyone before finding the back of the net. Several efforts to clear our lines, none taken. It was almost 2-0 immediately after that. Their guy went past Dobson down the right only for his ball across to be cleared.

A double-changed followed with Fraser and Edun replaced by Asiimwe and Watson(L). We then had the CBT shot very well saved, and in the six minutes of time added Dobson’s shirt-pull. But it was all pretty desperate stuff. When Orient got a corner and tapped it for a bit of keep-ball we didn’t even have players over to contest it. It was clear which team wanted it the most.

Another dispiriting display and result. And another game in a few days time (when I will be flying off to Porto to see in the new year). I hope there are changes for that one, in personnel and formation. The 4-3-3 has enabled us to utilise options and, given the goal return from two of the three concerned, can’t be said to have failed. But we are struggling now to get the most out of May, teams are doing everything to close out CBT, and with Campbell(T) looking a bit out of sorts it just isn’t working well enough. I’d switch to a 4-4-2 with May and Kanu or Tedic up front, one of the two Campbells operating on the right side of midfield. Puts a lot of strain on the two central midfielders for sure, but the stage has been reached whereby something might as well change.