August 2019
Championship – Blackpool v Orient (Away)
The hosts take charge in this first Championship match, creating chances at will it would seem, as we resort to attempting counter-attacks.
A shot from well outside the area strikes the post and falls to Omoijuanfo, but he is flagged offside as he tucks it away. 0-0 at Half-Time.
Blackpool continue their good play in the 2nd-Half and take the lead on 53 minutes via a simple finish. Ojamaa side-steps a defender on his way to scoring our equaliser after 77 minutes. A nice way to remember his 100th League appearance.
Our new GK spills a lofted ball right onto the head of a Blackpool forward to see a point slip away from us late-on.
Final Score: Blackpool 2-1 Orient (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
League Cup, 1st Round – Oxford v Orient (Away)
Terrific start with Joel Ambalu latching on to a ball flighted from defence and slotting goalwards inside 3 minutes.
Supplier Bruno Chauvin turns scorer 15 minutes in, sliding to meet a cutback from Ambalu. He is then injured and subsequently replaced (Broken Nose – out for about a week).
Some sloppy defending allows Oxford to pull a goal back after 30 minutes – all too easy. We hit back straight away as Ambalu scores his 2nd from the resulting kickoff.
A Red-Card was flashed to an Oxford striker just before Half-Time – so we enter the break a man and 2 goals up.
Oxford emerge determined to compete and hold us to the 2-goal lead we had at the break.
Final Score: Oxford 1-3 Orient (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
2nd Round draws us against Premier League outfit, and my favourite team – Wolves.
Championship – Orient v Leicester (Home)
The visitors are denied a spectacular opener by the crossbar before we even have time to work up a sweat. 20 minutes in, the crossbar again comes to our rescue.
Ambalu scores a real poacher’s effort as we trek down the other end. Jimmy Smith pops up with a fine header at the near-post to make it 2-0 before the half-hour mark.
Ojamaa times his run perfectly to remain onside and tuck away a chance just as the 2nd-Half begins. A potential Clean-Sheet is sullied by a good strike from Leicester’s Goodwillie – a chance afforded to him via a defensive lapse.
An Own-Goal with much of the game played makes it 4-1 in our favour. A nice way to reward our Home support as we make our way up the Football League.
Final Score: Orient 4-1 Leicester (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
Championship – Everton v Orient (Away)
A disastrous Own-Goal inside 10 minutes has us behind. We then ship another goal after 30 minutes as a ball in behind to the back-post catches us unaware.
Caught too square at the back as the 2nd-Half begins to allow a 1-on-1 that is duly punished. 3-0 down now.
Luke Williams scores a late consolation effort after a good run down the left flank, but it does little to disguise a poor performance.
Final Score: Everton 3-1 Orient (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
Championship – Orient v Watford (Home)
A Free-Kick on the edge of the box finds the head of defender Gasparotto to give us the lead after 25 minutes. The big centre-half has another chance cleared off the line twice, just before Half-Time.
Despite out-shooting our visitors 14 to 5, Watford make a late effort count, drawing level just before the Final whistle.
Final Score: Orient 1-1 Watford (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
League Cup, 2nd Round – Wolves v Orient (Away)
A goal from a corner just 4 minutes in gives us an unlikely lead. It doesn’t last long, as Wolves equalise after 20 minutes, theirs also from a corner.
Not a minute into the 2nd-Half and Wolves take the lead, a sliding effort at the near-post.
We were completely out-played as expected, and concentration on our Championship survival campaign can continue.
Final Score: Wolves 2-1 Orient (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
Championship – Peterborough v Orient (Away)
Ambalu streaks away to net our opener after 12 minutes. Luke Williams tucks away a first-time effort another 10 minutes later to make it 2-0
The rest of the match flies by with a few chances for both sides, but no change to the score.
Final Score: Peterborough 0-2 Orient (screenshot below; click to enlarge)
League Table
Below is the League Table as it stands at the end of August. Overall, not a bad start to our campaign for survival.