April 2019
League 1 – Tranmere v Orient (Away)
Jimmy Ryan scythes through the rain and sees his shot nestle in the net, 5 minutes in. A wicked deflection leads to Tranmere’s equaliser midway through the 1st stanza.
The Home side almost go ahead but the post thwarts them and saves us.
A Free-Kick just as the 2nd-Half starts results in our 2nd goal, an accurate header from Gasparotto. Scores are leveled again after 60 minutes; poor marking costing us dearly.
A sliding effort at the back post by Omoijuanfo coming up to 70 minutes gives us the lead for a 3rd time. Instructions were sent out to relax a little and concentrate on defending our goal to see the match out.
A really tough match and we have done well to get 3 points out of it.
Final Score: Tranmere 2-3 Orient (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
League 1 – Orient v Rochdale (Home)
We withstand some early pressure from the visitors, before a lovely Free-Kick gives us the advantage 25 minutes in. Patient buildup leads to a chance at the near-post for Joel Ambalu, which he buries to make it 2-0.
Rochdale claw one back with 75 minutes gone to make a real game of it again. A nervy finish, but we see it out for an important 3 points in the Title Race.
Final Score: Orient 2-1 Rochdale (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
League 1 – MK Dons v Orient (Away)
With just 1 point separating our teams atop the table, this match could very well decide the destination of the League 1 Title.
An end-to-end start, with MK Dons hitting the bar to go closest early on.
A straight Red-card is shown to a Dons midfielder just before Half-Time to give us a numerical advantage, if not one on the scoreboard. 0-0.
Some great passing play leads to a chance in the 2nd-Half for Jimmy Ryan who finishes with power. A wonderful save from a long-range effort keeps our Clean-Sheet, but the Dons equalise soon after.
Despite being a man down it’s the Home side looking the more capable of getting a winner here. A Free-Kick of ours beats everything but the woodwork, much to my frustration.
Ambalu turns on a dime, and fires in from just inside the box with just minutes left. 2-1 now.
A grinding win, and it could be so crucial come season’s end. With this result, we have mathematically secured Promotion – now to win the League outright!
Final Score: MK Dons 1-2 Orient (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
League 1 – Orient v Crewe (Home)
An even start, both sides unafraid to shoot when in-range. A corner and headed effort put Crewe in-front just before the break.
Ambalu must have been listening during the Half-Time talk, as he finds our equaliser within a minute of the restart. After a midfield battle throughout, Luke Williams scores a fine goal late on to give us a largely undeserved lead, and the 3 points to go with it.
Final Score: Orient 2-1 Crewe (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
League 1 – Crystal Palace v Orient (Away)
After a fairly bland beginning, our Left-back Lee Molyneux scores a nice Free-Kick to open the scoring on 24 minutes.
Jim Mernagh darts past a few defenders, opening up space for a shot and goal 37 minutes in. The youngster is denied a second by the crossbar just a few minutes later.
Palace waste no time in the 2nd-Half, bringing the deficit back to just 1 within a few minutes. We go on the defend well and hang on to claim maximum points.
Final Score: Crystal Palace 1-2 Orient (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
League 1 – Orient v Swindon (Home)
A point here would wrap up the title in-front of our Home fans.
But Swindon come to spoil the party, scoring first on 5 minutes. A lovely cross is then controlled by Jimmy Smith, who controls well and scores our equaliser 25 minutes in.
Swindon regain the lead after a spell of heavy pressure on 72 minutes. To be fair, Swindon were all over us and deserved the win.
With MK Dons drawing their match, we have officially been crowned Champions of League 1 for the season!
Final Score: Orient 1-2 Swindon (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
League 1 – Bury v Orient (Away)
An injury to Left-back Ben Davies forces me into an early change. We go on to create a few nice chances, but are finding it difficult to score.
Bury draw first blood, a looping header crossing the line just before Half-Time.
The 2nd-Half was more of the same, plenty of chances created but none of them even on-target.
Final Score: Bury 1-0 Orient (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
League Table
Below is the League table after all was said and done. A great effort by the whole squad to claim top spot and promotion to the Championship.
The 25-match unbeaten run through the campaign was surely the catalyst for this success, and hopefully gives us a strong platform to build on for the future.
Awards
I was named League 1 Manager of the Year, Left-winger Franklin Omoijuanfo took out League 1 Player of the Year, and both he and Centre-back Scott Cuthbert were named in the Player’s Team of the Year.