Stockport County 1 Leyton Orient 4 ( Football League 1 ) Saturday 21 September 2024

 

 

 

 

In the words of the song “ Momma told me there`d be times like these” and  County found out just how difficult times could be in League 1  this season ,as they slumped to a morale sapping defeat today at the hands of Leyton Orient at Edgeley Park.

The stadium was a picture -bathed in early autumnal sunshine ,but County`s display was anything but sunny as Richie Wellens Orient side handed the blues a lesson in soccer basics in securing their second win of the season .

The visitors winning margin …. 4-1 did not flatter them at all, as they looked likely to score every time that they skipped clear in the second half particularly.

By contrast, County`s issues were many- the defence addicted to short passing across the back and `just one more` time after time was our undoing. It could be argued that there was `no one to pass to` and I would not entirely dismiss that out of hand  - there did seem to be little or no linkage twixt back-line and midfield , and the whole team seemed to have the greatest difficulty in retaining possession, frequently conceding free kicks that did us no favours at all.

The game cried out for Bate`s input and DC made the correct decision to bring him on after half time.

For a time thereafter  , having collapsed to being 2 down earlier , with Bate and Tanto on there appeared to be altogether more life and positivity about County`s work culminating in Jack Diamonds goal just 5 minutes into the half.

But the renaissance was short lived – a chimera in fact , and despite a huge effort by Bate, Tanto and Fevrier later ,the blues could not prevent Orient from netting twice more securing a handsome victory that would have served the fair-sized following from East London well on their long journey home.

……………………………………………………………..

 

Another packed house ,bathed in warm sunshine probably felt ,like myself, in the first 10 minutes of the game, that County looked like they just might do something today.

The game opened with both sides probing the other but County, to me anyway, looked the sharper of the 2 teams at this point- Collar and Diamond briefly lighting up the County following  with a neat break.

It fizzled out, but showed intent- as did Tayo Adamarola getting to the by-line but unable to pick out a blue shirt with his cross.

And Tayo wasn`t done sending Barry into the box where he went down under pressure from a defender. I could not see if it was a foul ,but Referee Adam Herczeg thought it not so that was that.

Soon ten minutes had passed with , and I  scribbled this legend in `famous last words mode` namely “ 10 minutes gone and just 2 Orient throws to cause County any alarms!”

Hmm….the 12^th saw me chew on humble pie as despite their superior numbers County defence watched helplessly as the ball reached James and he crossed the ball with speed into the box where Ethan Galbraith wasted no time in beating Addai with a fine finish!

County replied through Collar and Wootton, but their progress was quickly halted by good work from Dan Happe and Jack Currie.  

If that offered  hope it was dashed again next as just a couple of minutes later Orient added a second goal , and County had a hand in their own demise  looking to pass the ball about when a `swing of  `boot through ball` might have been called for . The upshot was we lost possession and Addai had to pull off a smart save to deny the recipient Chas Kelman. The save was good, but the ball ran clear to Galbraith who thrashed his and his side`s second goal beyond Addai into the net !

That was a shock – but more looked to be on the cards as the O`s surged forward again – Addai doing well to save a shot from Ollie O`Neill , after the Danny Stand liner had incensed all and sundry by apparently allowing Ollie to carry the ball out of play and back in again en-route!

The corner had to be dealt with of course but a foul by someone in red stopped County`s angst for now .

It stayed 2-0 to O`s with neither side looking likely to change the scoreline, until 29 minutes when Addal and Pye contrived to give the ball away to O`Neill. O`Neil was blocked but the onrushing Tom James wasn`t, and as he entered the box, he treated us to his vaudevillian speciality- a near flawless dive to the ground ! It was an awesome spectacle that in another setting would have drawn rapturous  applause- this time  it only attracted a yellow card from Mr Herczeg!

County were losing possession far too often and conceding free kicks in iffy areas- the latest , after a foul on Jordan Brown, might have cost us dearly as the kick landed at the unguarded back post where Happe should have reacted and seen the ball into the County net- he didn`t , it stayed 0-2.

The last 10 minutes of the half saw County do their best to pull a goal back  but without success- Barry going close  on the end of Connolly`s cross…..Horsfall heading wide from the resultant corner.

Then Collar won another corner only for Norwood to waste it allowing the O`s to clear their lines.

Barry did go really close on 42 minutes seeing his curling effort miss out by not much at all and watched again angst ridden to see Zach Hemming the Orient keeper , make a good save to keep another shot from County`s number 20 out- the half ending with Horsfall heading wide from a late County corner, the teams going in at the break with Orient still 2-0 up!

………………………………………………..

 

Bate and Tanto were on for Norwood and Camps when play resumed after the break, and that looked a decent response by DC.

Indeed ,it almost looked a masterstroke as within seconds Tanto was bearing down on goal and arguably brought down ( albeit probably unintentionally)by Currie, but any thoughts of a penalty were quickly disavowed by the Referee!

County looked re-invigorated with Bate to the fore – Adamarola unlucky to see a shot saved brilliantly by Hemming- Collar narrowly missing out with his follow up effort.

Meanwhile Orient gave us a warning that they had not gone away  -Galbraith  very close to getting his hat-trick-  his shot drifting wide from close in.

Then, a minute later , County fans had something to celebrate with a move started and ended by Jack Diamond! As I say Diamond set it in motion breaking clear before picking Tanto out with his pass. Tanto`s blinding speed took him to the by-line where he could clearly see a line of blue shirts just about to line up and vie to put the ball in the net.  The cross was immaculately delivered by Tanto into the midst of the interested County forwards who by now were on the line.

Diamond did the biz getting to the ball first and firing beyond Hemming into the net.

It was 2-1 to O`s now and all to play for!

Orient were put under great pressure for a time after that goal Tanto and Louie Barry always offering a threat , but County had another problem namely that Orient were just waiting to punish the slightest error …the next loose ball or lost possession.

On 56 minutes County almost paid the price as their indecision at the back allowed Daniel Agyei a run on goal- he shot wide, but hopefully the point had been taken by the blues.

But it hadn`t and more pressure from the O`s saw County crumble again as Dom Ball picked Agyei out with his cross and this time his shot on the turn beat Addai increasing his side`s lead to 3-1.

The game got even more lively next as Corey Addai did well to keep a shot from Chas Kelman out- County responding but seeing Diamond blaze his shot over the bar for a Collar pass just passed the hour.

Orient continued to plunder possession from County as the game progressed , chances came and went without the O`s adding to the score.

Free kicks added to the blues problems , mostly through clumsy play by County but not all of `em were – the 69 th minute saw Galbraith go down in instalments unbelievably winning a freekick in a decent position from the Referee. Agyei shot wide from this  but next time perhaps!

We went into the last 20 minutes with County still trying to seize back the initiative from their opponents- Adamarola unlucky to see Hemming again keep his effort out in fine style beating the ball out brilliantly!

It ran out to Bate and he went down under pressure , but Mr Herczeg waved our claims away and our angst multiplied when Barry`s follow up effort went wide.

 

Fevrier eventually came on for Wootton and was soon very much in the mix desperately unlucky to see his shot deflected from goal off Cooper’s head – Hemming in top nick for O`s saving Horsfall’s back header in the aftermath!

County kept trying- a Bate free kick wracking up pressure on O`s ….Fevrier and Tanto constantly looking for an opening – but all the time we needed to be careful ..aware that the visitors might hit on the break, and they did, only a mighty saving tackle by Pye stopping Galbraith again adding another goal after a rare error by Horsfall.

That last action warned us , but we had no time to have digested the ramifications when Agyei and Clare broke at speed down the right where , despite an acute angle, Clare  slammed in Orient`s fourth goal from Agyei`s neat pass.

That was 9 minutes from the end and for some the dash for the exits was on!

County kept plugging away into 5 minutes added time - Fevrier doing most of the leg work down the right – corners coming/ going but without the blues being able to reduce their arrears .

That was not great, but then we always knew didn`t we   that some matches would be bad experiences ,and that we would lose some- that`s the real world!

So, I will go , with you , to Barnsley next Saturday to cheer whatever 11 DC puts out in County colours!

I have just one hope and that is that we persevere with playing Tanto and Louie together- they have proved to be absolute dynamite as an attacking duo for us previously – lets give `em some time starting for us.

See you at Oakwell!

 

 

 

 

Stockport County line up:

 Addai, Connolly, Horsfall, Pye, Adaramola (Fevrier 73'), Norwood (Olaofe 45'), Camps (Bate 45'), Diamond, Collar (Touray 85'), Barry, Wootton (Fiorini 73')

Subs not used : Hinchliffe, Onyango

Leyton Orient line up:

 Hemming, James (Cooper 57'), Beckles, Happe, Currie, Brown (Donley 89'), Clare (Graham 84'), O'Neill (Ball 57'), Galbraith, Agyei (Warrington 84'), Kelman

Subs:  Perkins, Phillips

 

Attendance :9473

hedgegrower

 

Crowd Shot Gallery From Andrew Machin starting with the photo of County`s magnificent Blue Army from Denmark- welcome all !......