Leyton Orient got themselves a vital home win against Oldham on Saturday Afternoon.
Orient started with a slightly makeshift back four, with captain Nathan Clarke dropped in favour of Mat Baudry and Elliot Omozusi replaced by Andrea Dossena due to the former sustaining a hand injury in training. The O's defence formed thus from right to left: Gary Sawyer, Mat Baudry, Shane Lowry and Andrea Dossena with midfielder Romain Vincelot taking the captain’s armband.
Orient got the game going and scored with the first real chance of the match. Auxiliary right back Sawyer combined with on-loan Swansea winger Ryan Hedges before the ball was played infield to Josh Wright. Wright then found Jobi McAnuff who gave the ball back to Hedges, cutting inside from his right-wing position, who in turn spotted Dossena overlapping on the left and floated a perfect pass into his path. The Italian left back shot across the Oldham goal and into the bottom corner past on-loan Blackburn ‘keeper Jake Kean. It was the ex-Liverpool player's first goal in an O's shirt and, with its timing at just 3 minutes in, it provided an unusually positive start for Fabio Liverani's struggling O's.
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| Dossena's first goal for the O's |
Orient used this early springboard to their advantage and could’ve won a penalty as David Mooney was brought down in the Oldham penalty box. Referee Darren Sheldrake waved away the appeals from the home fans. Then, after Oldham made a substitution due to injury (George Elokobi replaced by Genseric Kusunga), it was a touch of “twinkle-toes” from much-maligned winger Jobi McAnuff that created the opening for Orient’s second on twenty five minutes. The Jamaican won a penalty after cutting in from the left flank and being fouled by Liam Kelly. Irish striker David Mooney calmly placed his spot kick past Kean and into the same corner of the goal that Dossena found earlier in the game. That goal seemed to settle the game down, although a free-kick from Oldham’s Joe Mills did give Alex Cisak something to think about in the Orient goal. That wouldn’t be the last time Cisak, a former Oldham player, would have something to do in the match. At half-time the score remained 2-0 and was probably a fair reflection the balance of play during the half. A good half for the Os.
This season Orient fans have had good reason to be a bit nervous about the start of second halves in home games. However, although Oldham had the better of the early exchanges, with Danny Philliskirk fizzing a dangerous ball across the box that Romain Vincelot cleared, enabling Orient to regroup, the Orient defence kept its shape and concentration. Jobi McAnuff then went close before being replaced by fan favourite Dean Cox. It was undoubtedly McAnuff’s best game since joining in the summer from Reading and Orient fans seemed happy that he shown commitment and made a more telling contribution to the game than he has done for most of this season. However, it would be a telling contribution of a different kind from Baudry that put Orient’s lead in jeopardy when he crudely brought down Rhys Murphy in the box, giving Oldham striker Jonathan Forte the chance to reduce the arrears. However, the Latics striker’s penalty was too close to Aussie ‘keeper Cisak who parried the penalty before Liam Kelly rattled the crossbar with the rebound. Orient were then able to clear and regroup again.
Although Orient continued to keep their shape in defence and midfield during the second half, they also showed too much of a tendency to sit back and let Oldham come forward. When Orient did go forward in the second half neither Dagnall nor Mooney offered much of a threat, and Mooney was eventually substituted for holding midfielder Marvin Bartley with 20 minutes left.
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| Captain Vincelot and Manager Liverani after the game |
The last 20 minutes were predominantly Oldham as they continued to search for a route back into the game. However, it would be a substitution from Liverani that sealed the deal for Orient, against the run of play. Ex-Arsenal striker Jay Simpson, who had replaced Hedges, received the ball from Dean Cox before slightly scuffing a left footed shot into the far corner past Kean for 3-0. A welcome return for Simpson who has just recovered from an injury that has kept him out since December. It was the icing on the cake for Orient who claimed their first home win of 2015. Overall, the 3-0 score line probably flattered Orient slightly, even though they did deserve the win. While it hasn’t affected their league position, it might go some way to help them salvage something from what has been a disappointing season so far. They now have only 15 league games left though and really do need to find some consistency.
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| Cisak saving Forte's penalty |
Man of the Match: Quite a few candidates today actually. Sawyer looked accomplished in the unfamiliar role of right-back; Dossena was an attacking threat down the Orient left; Vincelot lead the team well despite a silly booking; Josh Wright linked play well and McAnuff actually seemed interested. However on-loan Burnley ‘keeper Alex Cisak looked unbeatable in the Orient goal, saving everything that came at him, catching or punching every ball into his box and commanding a defence that has been leaky at times this season. Kudos also to manager Fabio Liverani, who got his tactics spot on considering the hand he was dealt and silenced the Brisbane Road boo-boys with his team’s fine display.
