Leyton Orient 2 Stockport County 2 ( League 1 Play-Off First Leg) Saturday 10 May 2025

Despite looking the better team for long periods of the game , County had to settle for a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their play-off tie with Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road today.

County were on top from the start and it was a massive surprise when they went behind after half an hour to the clearest offside goal I have seen …ever….. as , in splendid isolation some 3 or 4 yards clear of any defender ,Charlie Kelman was allowed to celebrate scoring a goal that never was!

It took County 30 more minutes to set things back on the right course via a penalty converted by Ollie Norwood after handball on the line had deprived Horsfall of scoring the equalising goal.

Within 5 more minutes County were ahead, and Orient looked to be about to be swept away by wave after wave of County attacks mostly engineered by Jaydon Fevrier down the right for the blues.- his trickery winning a free kick that Norwood lifted onto Fraser Horsfall`s head .

County had the lead and looked the part doing so but somehow let their momentum dip and the initiative slip Orient`s way in the later stages- allowing their opponents to equalise at the death via the penalty spot.

In the end 2-2 is no great disaster, indeed let`s hope that the manner in which we almost conceded the game late on, serves as a definite wake up call for the second leg at Edgeley Park on Wednesday.

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The Sun shone brightly on East London as County opened the first leg of their play-off game with Leyton Orient on the attack- Tanto Olaofe forcing the home defence to clear their lines hurriedly as he bore down on them at speed.

Hills kept the momentum going a couple of minutes later with a neat ball that sent Wootton clear , but as he cut inside down the right ,keeper Josh Keeley managed to beat the County captain`s shot out bravely.

The first response by Orient came 5 minutes in when Ethan Galbraith surged to the fore down the right . Ethan Pye was on the case however , for County, conceding a corner when worse was in the offing, and when Brandon Cooper headed wide from the corner his efforts had been fully rewarded.

Fevrier surfaced for County next- blocked by Cooper on the end of Collar`s pass on 7 minutes and then kept out by good work from Randall Williams 2 minutes later.

For long periods after this County had Orient pinned down in their last third- Owen Moxon having his best game yet for County – a terrific run by him winning County a corner that Collar headed wide after 16 minutes.

Twice after this, Moxon showed us examples of how he could be very useful to us- unlucky not to tee Fevrier up with a chance 2 minutes later, and a real force on 24 minutes initiating and ending a raid with a rasping drive that Keeley had to go full stretch to keep out!

Fevrier meanwhile was looking in lively form too but lacking in luck in the first half especially on 27 minutes when, having skinned Charles Kelman comprehensively, he had to look on perplexed as the home keeper kept the shot out with his legs.

This was both good and frustrating – we needed County to get something for all their hard work , but 29 minutes in and it was still 0-0.

At the back for County there had seemed few alarms - Corey Addai dealing with what work came his way( usually free kicks…perhaps too many of them!) with almost perfect serenity!

Then it all went pear shaped and in all too familiar fashion as thoughts of another apology letter heading County`s way surfaced as Mr Speedie ( the Referee) and his main stand liner dealt County a fearsome blow with the most clearly incompetent decision you could wish not to witness on a football field!

Moxon had just conceded a free kick barely inside the County half, and the ball was lifted into the box to where Charlie Kelman stood several yards offside . Everyone in the stadium ( and a good few million watching from their armchairs at home) could see clearly the nature of it- he was offside , so it mattered not that he then put the ball in the net….HE WAS OFFSIDE!!!!!!! except Mr Speedie and his myopic liner clearly had a hallucinatory experience – the Referee indicating `goal`.

County players ,in the circumstances behaved far better than many would , but they were now 0-1 down and their boots were now on a familiar incline!

The game lost a lot of its zip in the 15 minutes that remained of the half- Jamie Donley coming closest for Orient but shooting wide after some sloppy defending from the blues- Moxon close with another decent effort close to half time for County.

The teams went in at half time with Orient still leading by that ridiculous `goal` - was another County comeback on the cards?- over 1200 County supporters under the East Stand roof hoped so !

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``Having said that County looked the better team for long periods, it was a shock to see the second half open with action at Addai`s end where great cavernous gaps appeared in our usually impenetrable back line as Dan Agyei burst through to the by-line with other than Ethan Pye apparently in doze mode- Pye was the man though for the moment which he ensured passed without cost to the blues via a fine defensive tackle.

The moment passed, as I indicated, and County hit their opponents with determination in the aftermath – Tanto`s break bringing Moxon to the fore again with his third screamer of the afternoon that twanged the bar before going out!

Five minutes of County pressure were then followed by a reply by Richie Wellens team -Donley picking Galbraith out in the box . Norwood did well to block Galbraith – the episode ending happily for County when Beckles headed over the bar from the corner.

More pressure followed from County- and some disappointment as Wootton volleyed over the bar after Tanto had won a free kick.

Fevrier was still looking lively and working hard – thwarted by good work from Romani Edmonds- Green close to the hour mark- Fevs` cross put out for a corner that County were unable to force home.

The hour mark saw County`s fortunes change – not immediately as Azeem Abdulai broke clear from a blue raid- but he was blocked by Ibby Touray – the ball heading to Fevrier wide on the right.

The cross that followed from Fev`s was beautifully weighted and aimed for the waiting Horsfall – Edmonds- Green handling the ball en-route to prevent Horsfall getting the equaliser.

But it was a stay of `execution` as Mr Speedie had pointed to the spot- County had a penalty!

Cue Ollie Norwood who stepped up to put away another nerveless spot kick to make it 1-1 and send 1200 + AS !

Then, within 5 minutes of the equaliser ,County scored again thanks in no short measure to the efforts of Jaydon Fevrier who again turned the left side of the home defence inside out forcing a foul from the harassed Orient defenders and thus ushering in a free kick from Ollie Norwood.

This was another beautifully weighted delivery and Horsfall met it with precision in front of goal – County now led 2-1 !

County continued to press following the goal- Tanto and Fevs in top nick winning a free kick but watching forlornly as Keeley produced another save for Orient to keep it at 2-1.

It went end to end next into the last 20 minutes- Woots shooting tamely wide from a County free kick.

This was interrupted by a break by Orient- the locals fancied they deserved a penalty, but Mr Speedie wouldn`t oblige them.

Both sides had made a raft of changes ,and these appeared to affect County`s rhythm more than Orient`s as they had more and more defending to do.

County were fortunate that Omar Beckles could do no better than shoot straight at Addai when a chance presented itself , and relieved to see Horsfall produce a vital defensive header as Orient kept the pressure on.

Then , with time running out, high drama ensued at the `wrong end` were Agyei`s cross hit Horsfall`s arm in the box prompting the Referee to point to the spot, where Charlie Kelman slid a well-crafted penalty into the County net beyond Addai efforts to deny him.

It was 2-2, and with 6 added minutes to come the game was not over yet!

Much of what followed took place in County’s half- Addai making a decent save to keep it at 2-2 ……the corner from which Beckles volleyed over from almost on the line- a real escape for County!

That said , County had their moments- Pye doing excellent hold up work with time of the essence….Camps ( on for Moxon in added time) inches away from a bouncing ball in the home box on 95 minutes.

County were looking to sneak one until the very last moment- Bailey winning a corner that saw Connolly`s header fly wide.

County had come away from a difficult tie on level terms with Orient- not what they sought, but not a disaster – definitely enough to take back to Edgeley Park on Wednesday.

There`s all still to play for in front of a full house,

See you there !

Leyton Orient line up :-

Keeley , Cooper ( James 67), Agyei , Williams( Currie 66) , Donley , Beckles , Gaalbraith , Kelman , Clare , Edmonds- Green , Abdulai ( O`Neill 71).

Subs not used :- Phillips , Ball , Jaiyesimi , Markanday.

Stockport County line up :-

Addai , Hills ( Rydel 84 ) , Horsfall , Pye , Norwood , Fevrier (Bate 83), Collar ( Connolly 83 ) , Moxon ( Camps 91 ) , Touray , Wootton , Olaofe ( Bailey 90).

Subs not used : Wogan , Andresson.

Attendance 8571 ( 1214)

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