Leyton Orient 1 Charlton Athletic 2
Wow. This team does not know when to give up.
We deserved something from the game, but as the clocked ticked onto 90 minutes, hope appeared to have left the stadium, yet the 11 yellow shirted Addicks had definitely not.
The first half was really a story of a lack of composure and poor decision-making in the final third.
The half started slowly but had potential with the O’s having a couple of good headers, but us looking by far the more dangerous, and a lot of the game was being played in their half.
The best chance should have had us ahead when Luke Berry failed to convert when it looked easier to score. This all coming about after ex-Addick Pratley mis-directed a header against his own bar.
Stalemate at the half and it was the O’s who came out stronger 2nd half. It wasn’t that their goal was coming but they were in the ascendency when Brown hammered home an unstoppable shot from 30 yards.
It took us a while to recover from that, and Mannion made a good save as Orient showed why they’ve been on this incredible run.
Jones made three changes on 67 minutes and the momentum switched back to us, but after a mad scramble when we thought we had scored following a Docherty shot and a terrific save from their keeper it began to look like it wasn’t going to be our day.
All afternoon our set-pieces were a source of frustration until we won a corner on 92 minutes. Gilbert put in a perfect cross that their before that flawless keeper came for but didn’t make and Gillesphey was at the far post to head home a deserved equaliser.
At the point those watching would’ve have taken a point, but you could see it in the players faces that they were not done.
Gilbert blocked a shot and off we went racing up the pitch with just about a minute of added time remaining.
I think it was TC that won the corner, and Gilbert put in another peach for Ramsey to head home at the far post with their keeper again caught flapping.
Cue absolute bedlam, and that was just in my living room!
A few players weren’t at their best today and we just didn’t click in the final third, but this team has an incredible spirit, mental strength and ability to keep going.
Credit to Jones for going for it with the subs and the sheer togetherness between players and fans at the end was a joy to witness.
🎙️“[The celebrations showed] a football club that’s returning to somewhere near the resemblance of what it used to be. And we want to bring all of that together. These are the moments that you can really galvanise that, really put the glue into all that work when there’s moments like that to celebrate.” – Nathan Jones
⭐️ Conor Coventry
🏟️ 8,942 (1,263 Addicks)
📸 Kyle Andrews
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, everywhere we go
let’s all get behind the team , this whole set up, from the owners to the coaching staff feels like it did back in our glory years , my son who is 17, has never known us in the prem , let’s dare to dream !!!
coyr!!!
uta!!
I did some research last night and I make it ten goals scored this season after the 90th minute, contrast that with say last season and the number of late goals conceded far outweighed those we scored. That’s not a coincidence – the fitness and energy levels are both greater than last year and of our opponents this season.
There was also a slight tactical switch – especially late on we had TC on the right and Thierry Small on the left and I think it was he not TC who won both corners but I may be wrong…
Speaking of which…they were pin-point perfect and the second a carbon copy of the first, but their keeper who had been excellent needed to be stronger and more decisive once the ball went into the mixer. Twice he left the goal line clear for what were really routine headers, if you come off your line you need to get to the cross or else.
From here we need to start Alex Gilbert – presumably in place of Luke Berry – he was the difference, even earlier in the move for the first corner he picked out TC with a beautiful 30 yard cross field pass to the far right hand corner of the box. We’ve missed that kind of precision all season and arguably since Josh Cullen, we need to make better use of it and not just in the last quarter.
Although we can talk about the desire to keep going to the final whistle again we should have have been a goal or two up at half-time.
Barnsley await…
Once again having tall players on the pitch at the end of the game paid dividends at corners. Leaburn and Aneke combined with Jones and Gillesphey made it difficult for the O’s to mark. So we have won 2 of the last 3 games from corners when we have a powerful players in the box.
Glad that Gilbert made a significant contribution as he is the type of midfielder we need. Hopefully his fitness level is good enough for him to play 90 minutes.
Dare we dream ?
2nd only to Birmingham in the from Jan 1 league table, imo and as form suggests, believe we’re the best team in the league outside the top 1 outliers and have a golden opportunity to prove it.
For sure a lot of doubters after Crawley but in this world of recentism, let’s judge after a full season, if indeed the jury’s still out for anyone. NJ is the club builder we’ve been crying out for for over a decade, if we’ve got the sense to unify behind him he’ll take us places. Weren’t many doubters in the away section yesterday I can tell you.