The second half was completely different. We had better xG, more shots on target and perhaps could have been the ones taking the points home. It didn’t transpire that way, but credit where it is due, our application and desire could never be questioned. I never like to see desire questioned anyway, but we were intense, pressing high, fighting for everything and looking likely to score.
Sadly, Zach Jeacock had a few shaky moments, and I think we’ll see George Wickens back on Tuesday night. Jeacock looked reticent to come off his line, and the Orient comms apparently felt they’d win the match because of his uncertainty. In the end, there wasn’t a lot he could do about the winner, but his lack of composure at key moments will likely see him back on the bench.
Elsewhere across the field, we didn’t seem to lack much in the second period. Orient struggled to create anything, and we fought and scrapped for every loose ball. We got crosses into the box, and once again, I felt Sean Roughan had a strong game. I don’t get how others don’t see that lad’s talent – he’s such a good player, versatile and an attacking threat as well as a defensive stalwart. He might be out of contract in the summer but I’m absolutely certain clubs in the Championship will be looking. Sometimes, you only realise what you’ve got when it is gone.
One thing we appreciate now we have it is a proper goalscorer, and anyone underestimating the magnitude of James Collins’ capture needs to look hard at themselves. Freddie Draper put in a good shift, but as soon as Collins came on, I felt we’d go on and win the game. I understand limiting some of his game time, but he’s just such a presence up top, and he proved it once again.
We might not have scored until 75 minutes, but we had chances. Hackett drew a good save from Keeley with a smart drive, while Jovon nodded down but into Keeley’s hands. On 75 minutes, a Tom Bayliss delivery saw Paudie draw a save from Keeley, and there was Collins, right place, right time, to smash the ball into the back of the net. City had turned a two-goal deficit into level pegging, and genuinely, I felt that was that – we’d get all three points.
Then, deep into stoppage time, disaster. Orient turned the style back on, and Charlie Kelman was given far too much time in the box to take a cross down and finish. For me, there’s a question mark over Jeffries’ positioning – he’s behind Kelman when the ball comes in. I’m convinced James Collins felt the same, because as Orient celebrate a fortunate winner, he’s apoplectic with rage, and it’s all directed at Jeffries. In fairness to Kelman, it’s a great touch and a really smart finish, but it wasn’t entirely what the game deserved.
The result only really confirmed what I’ve been saying for a few weeks privately, and that is we’re not a top six team. I know it and deep down, the club do as well. Remember, we’re 19th in the budget table, and the accepted industry standard for success is ‘plus five’ so in reality, within the industry, if we finished 14th we’d be achieving. I know fans don’t like that, I don’t really like that, because I think we’re better than 14th, but that is testament to the work being put in by the players, rather than the money we’ve spent.
I’m informed that we’ve been above our budget-table placement five times in the last six seasons, the only club in the EFL to achieve that level of consistency. I don’t have the tables in front of me to prove that, and it’s not really relevant to yesterday’s game, but the fact is Ethan Galbraith wouldn’t have come cheap from Manchester United, and you can see why – he ran the show when he got on the ball, and even after a quiet second half, he still turned provider in the final minutes.
It’s not an excuse, there were errors yesterday that shouldn’t have been made. The worst, for me, is Jeacock’s early error, and if that doesn’t happen, perhaps the game goes differently. That’s not laying the blame for defeat at his feet – there’s McGrandles losing the ball for the second, there’s Jeffries marking for the third, but in truth, looking at them from an Orient perspective, they’re all good goals.
Best of luck to Orient this season. I’m not sure any Orient fans will have got to this point, but of all the clubs we play, they’re the ones I’d like to see go up. They’ve suffered such tragedy in recent seasons, not least losing Derek Reynolds during this fixture last season, and they’re a club I feel still connect with their roots, in their traditional ground with an authenticity you don’t get with some of the moneybags teams. Maybe i’m being too magnanimous, but I respect clubs that feel like they’re keeping it real. Also, he might be abrasive, but Ritchie Wellens always seems genuine and gives an honest assessment of a game and I respect that. Also, he was a monster for me on the old Football Manager game…..
As for us, as Mark Hone said at the end of the game, if we play like that every week we’ll finish top half. We made errors, but we showed a real spirit and application that fans surely appreciated. When you look at the facts, we’re in a good position, only one or two of our players could leave for nothing in the summer, and we’ve got some still to hit boiling point. It might be challenging at times right now, but I still feel we’re on the right track, and that’s my opinion, not an agenda.
Up the Imps
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