Ian Hendon’s Leyton Orient made it back to back wins to open
their League 2 campaign with a 3-1 one win at Dagenham & Redbridge.
Orient were unchanged from their win against Barnet, while
Dagenham made four changes from their defeat at Portsmouth on the opening day. Matt McClure, Matt Richards, Jodi Jones and
Matt Partridge making way for Clevid Dikamona, Ashley Chambers, Christian
Doidge and Kane Ferdinand.
The game started with a five minute spell of Orient pressure,
culminating in Bradley Pritchard, a man reborn in central midfield, getting a
shot away that was deflected and fell kindly into the grasp of Mark Cousins.
The Daggers then had a glorious chance to score themselves. As Alex Cisak
flapped at a cross the ball dropped and pinballed around in the penalty area
before it hit Kane Ferdinand and cannoned off for a goal kick. Ashley Hemmings
then saw a shot blocked by Sean Clohessy before Dean Cox nearly gave the O’s
the lead at the other end. His shot lacked placement or power, making it an
easy take for Cousins. Cox’s next contribution, however, would be much more
telling.
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| McCallum scores past Mark Cousins. |
Pritchard wound a cross into the Dagenham box, which came to
Cox, who hooked it back in to Paul McCallum, whose backward header looped over
Mark Cousins and into the back of the net. Daggers aggrieved by a possible
offside call that never came but the Orient fans in the sold out away end of
the ground were in raptures. A second goal in as many games for the ex-West Ham
striker, who has hit the ground running since the move to E10.
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| Lloyd James scoring on game 100 of his Orient career. |
Pritchard and McCallum would again go close for the O’s,
before a Dean Cox corner was handballed by Daggers debutant Clevid Dikamona.
The penalty was given despite claims of a push by O’s skipper Mat Baudry. All
that was required for the O’s was a calm headed penalty taker and in Lloyd
James they have just such a player, his spot kick sending Cousins the wrong way
for 2-0. A goal on his 100th Orient game for the Welsh/Bristolian
midfielder who missed most of last season with a broken leg.
The final 15 minutes of the first half didn't have much else
to show for either team, with Orient keeping the ball really well, until
McCallum played Jay Simpson in on goal before the latter collided with Mark
Cousins. No penalty was given and that wrapped up the first half.
Dagenham returned to the field seeming pumped up by what
manager Wayne Burnett said to them at the break, with experienced front man
Jamie Cureton getting into the box before a perfect challenge from Connor Essam
halted the 39-year-old in his tracks.
Orient’s repost was the creation of two chances within a
minute of each other. First Sean Clohessy crossed for McCallum who knocked down
for Cox to miss the goal by a whisker. Clohessy then crossed for McCallum again, but this
time the striker could only find the side netting.
Then Orient won a free kick right within Dean Cox territory, and
the diminutive Orient
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| Even Cox couldn't believe that the free-kick had gone in. |
winger/attacking midfielder put his free kick over the
wall, past Mark Cousins and in to the back of the net for 3-0. The away fans,
who had been in fine voice all afternoon had yet another thing to smile about
as Cox has tended to attract rumours about possible moves to other clubs. His
loyalty shines quite clearly on the pitch and rubs off on the fans and on his team-mates, with all 10 outfield players celebrating together. Dagenham were
critical of Cox for moving the ball before the referee had put the vanishing
spray down, but Orient fans, players and staff couldn't care less as they were winning a league game completely convincingly for the first time in over a
year.
Alex Cisak then demonstrated how good a goalkeeper he is by
denying Christian Doidge with a fantastic one-handed save. This before Orient adjusted
their approach to focus on trying to keep hold of the ball and the game, with
Ollie Palmer and Blair Turgott replacing Paul McCallum and Jay Simpson. Captain
Mat Baudry then twisted his ankle and had to be replaced with Alan Dunne.
Dagenham, however, were to grab a late consolation.
Dikamona’s ball over the top was volleyed in brilliantly by
ex-O Jamie Cureton, who showed Orient fans what he’s capable of after his entirely
unmemorable season at Brisbane Road in 2011/12. That would be all there was to
the game as Orient saw out the four added minutes to win away from home for the
first time competitively since Coventry at Easter. Dagenham fans were left
wondering what had hit them whilst Orient club president Francesco Becchetti
led the celebrations on the way out of Victoria Road.
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| A good day all round for the O's, including manager Ian Hendon. |
Man of the
Match: Hard to choose from an Orient perspective, as everyone played
well. Pritchard and Sammy Moore provided lots of energy in the midfield engine
room, Lloyd James marshalled the midfield brilliantly whilst Frazer Shaw and
Connor Essam looked like they’d been playing league football for years despite
both signing from non-league. But the best player for me was Sean Clohessy. The ex-Southend right
back was brilliant defensively and going forward, with many dangerous crosses
from the right flank. Credit also to Ian Hendon and his staff, who have
rekindled a feel good factor at the O’s.
