Usually, I break the game down to a first page on the first half and then this page for the second. So little happened that I’m going for a single page on the actual events.
That’s not to say it was a poor showing from us, but we certainly didn’t deserve to win the game on the balance of play. I don’t think the best team lost, but I do think a draw would be the fairest outcome. The first half was fairly one-sided, in truth. Orient played a 4-3-1-2, something they trialled for 24 minutes against Cheltenham back in December but have not used before or since. That meant we weren’t set up to combat them, and Michael Skubala admitted it threw us. That’s Wellens spotting our weakness on the day and adjusting accordingly – good coaches do that. It meant we were overrun in midfield, the one thing we didn’t want with no Ethan Erhahon in the side.
There were half chances for both teams – Darren Pratley forced a good save from Jensen after six minutes, and Jordan Brown fired wide just past the half-hour mark. Orient were zipping the ball about nicely, and whilst we weren’t poor, we couldn’t get our game going. The past two home fixtures have rained goals, but it was very obvious early doors this was not going to be the same. I never thought it would be – the word pre-match I kept hearing was ‘tight’, and so it came to pass.
The half chance for us came from Joe Taylor, and he’ll be kicking himself as I think it was a better chance than that of Leyton Orient. A smart free-kick down the side released the Luton man, and he sliced horribly into the away end. Given his recent form, a shot on target looked a certainty, and on second viewing, a square ball leaves Reeco with a tap in. Still, no criticism here; Taylor has been excellent since arriving on loan, and one missed chance doesn’t change that.
I spent more of my time looking at results elsewhere, and a Derby goal lifted my spirits. Blackpool are the one side people see as a real threat to our top six spot, given that we don’t play them, so getting a point or two up on them felt big. Oxford and Stevenage both sat at stalemate so our result felt decent.
Oddly, that placated me watching a really challenging encounter. We’ve got to that stage of the season where it’s results, not performances, that matter. I guess that’s always the case, but if you’re grinding out draws in August, it points to a long season, with 40-odd games to go, so much can happen. With six games to go, you know what’s needed, and that acts as a comforter. So what if we weren’t at the races? It was a point, nobody else was gaining on us and it’s 90 minutes fewer for the chasing pack to get at us.
One or two players had a tough afternoon at times. Roughan was excellent defensively, but a couple of balls drifted off-target from his foot. I felt for him at one free kick – just as he struck the ball, the deceptive wind blew it marginally away, and his pass was poor. That got a round of sighs from people near me, but it was just bad luck. Reeco and Lasse both struggled to get into the game, but again, it was not really their fault. It was Orient’s set up which made it so.
There were a few battles I paid interest to, not least Omar Beckles and Ben House. I got the sense that House was trying to get the big centre back to bite, and Beckles was doing his best to gain unfair advantage whenever he could, just as you’d expect. It was fascinating, and I thought despite having a good game, House didn’t quite get one over the former Crewe man. However, the referee, Carl Brook, had a solid game, and let the two duel but dealt with it on the one occasion it looked like it might boil over. I’ve seen some criticism of the ref, not least for allowing some slowing down of play and adding a single minute of first-half injury time on, but honestly, if that’s the biggest gripe we have with the official, he’s had a good game.
Into the second period, it was perhaps a little easier to watch, but it was still without any real excitement. Meanwhile, over in Shropshire, Oxford took the lead against Shrewsbury. Temporarily, that put them on 66 points, clear of us on 62. That took the play-off challenge out of our hands – even if we could beat them at the Kassam they’d still be ahead of us. Suddenly, I felt nerves. It was as if the chance of the top six was slipping away, and despite nothing happening at our game, I felt a loss of our position.
If it feels like I’m not writing much about the game, it’s because there’s not much to write. Between 60 and 75 minutes there were no shots on target, Orient couldn’t break us down, but we couldn’t get out. It felt like a lucky bounce or mistake would be the only thing to win it. Orient made a handful of changes, and we did the same, bringing on Freddie Draper, which swung things a little more in our favour. Fred had a shot on target, our first of the game, and his physical approach certainly gave the Orient defence a little more to think about. At the other end, Orient should have scored; a great chance from a header flashed over the bar. Jensen pulled off a good save after seeing the ball late from another shot, as the visitors looked more likely to win it.
Then, a goal in Shropshire, Oxford pegged back. That meant it was as you were, with all five teams chasing that final spot picking up a single point. I felt safe and comfortable; one might even say happy. The minutes began to wind down, and we made further changes, bringing on Dylan Duffy and, finally, Jovon Makama, who it seemed had been stripped and ready to come on for fifteen minutes. TJ even came on to play holding midfield, preferred over loanee Jack Burroughs.
It was interesting watching Joe Taylor come off – he looked furious. Not with Skubala, but just generally, and I really felt for him. It wasn’t a game for running in behind, and whilst he covered a lot of ground, he didn’t get a sniff in the second half. He clapped the crowd a little, but he seemed gutted. He slowly made his way around the pitch, but something extraordinary happened before he could get to the dugout.
I’ve been kinda critical of Jovon, not his application, but just that he isn’t a League One striker yet. He can’t be expected to challenge experienced pros for a spot in the team; he’s had no significant loan spell and been forced into a major role this season, perhaps before he is ready. However, his attributes are clear for all to see; he’s a big lad, quick, and there’s certainly a general consensus there’s a player in there. He’s been kept at the club, rather than loaned out, because he offers a threat few can quantify. He’s a bit like a young Ollie Palmer, only (and this is only an opinion) not as much of a dick. Still, when he comes on, I expect a nuisance.
Not a match-winner.
The goal looks scrappy in a way, but it’s also really good. There’s a ball down the channel for Jovon to chase, and he’s perhaps fouled, pushed off the ball by Beckles. It runs harmlessly to Brown, but he dallies and Skubala’s pressing team won’t allow that. Makama, fresh-legged and eager, chases the ball down, Ben House style, and wins possession by the byline. Beckles chases back, but Makama sows neat footwork, then fires through the defender’s legs and beyond the despairing dive of Brynn. Cue delirium, and cue Joe Taylor, not even back at the dugout, coming on the pitch to celebrate the goal. I was very surprised he didn’t get booked, but as he was still in his kit, I’m not sure the referee even noticed.
In the excitement, the board went up, showing four minutes (we played eight), but nobody knew, so we entered a weird space where common sense disappeared. We knew there would be a few minutes, but not how long. Brynn went up top for the visitors as they sought to salvage their season, and our boys had to dig deep. Finally, the whistle went, and I was taken back to Good Friday, 2017. Refuse to lose? This is finding a way to win, pure and simple. In a game where we were second best to a smart and organised unit, we picked up three points, and everyone else in the play-off hunt (including the teams in fifth, fourth, and third) dropped points. Good Friday? It was a bloody great one.
I’ve found it hard to keep my feet on the ground today. I’ve always felt perhaps we could make it, but I’m not sure I felt, in my heart of hearts, we’d actually do it. Stevenage had a much better chance but have seemingly blown it. Oxford are still a big threat, and Blackpool should pick up points, but the last spot in the top six is now ours to lose. Imagine that – we’ve achieved what I wrote was probably only possible once in a blue moon, and we’ve done it with six games to spare. We now have something to lose, and now I’m nervous.
Should I be? I don’t know. This month has been special, really special, but since New Year’s Day, the Skubala Effect has been evident, more so each week. Players have belief, and it’s not just one or two. Danny Mandroiu was excellent again, in a deeper role I wouldn’t have trusted him with under MK but he’s excelled. Paudie was a warrior, a player many were saying shouldn’t come back into the side after his brace of red cards. Does Jovon Makama of six months ago take that chance on, and score? I’m not sure. Each of the players feels like they’ve been given an injection of confidence and belief, and that has to come from the training staff.
I’m going to leave this mammoth write-up here, perhaps for fear of going too deep into a Skubala appreciation wormhole, or making outlandish statements that will come back to haunt me (like ‘fifth isn’t out of the question’ walking back to the car). However, as I opened with a prime example of me being wrong, I’d like to outline an example of me being right.
After the Exeter City draw in October, I wrote the following (echoing what I’d said for a month or so on the podcast). “I think you have to take into consideration the injuries – when they kicked in, I said if we clung onto the coattails of tenth and continued to do so until the players were fit, we’d be in a good position to kick on in the new year.”
I think we’ve well and truly kicked on.
Up the Imps.
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