Sigh...
It got worse before it hopefully gets better. In a game in which I can't tell if Wycombe were worth the win or Orient were left a bit hard done by.
In my preview yesterday I said that the main key to the game for the O's was to score early to settle the jitters 2 losses must have caused. As it was it couldn't have been worse start. A corner came in and after being cleared found its way out to the edge of the box to the 78 year old Ainsworth. He had all the time in the world to set himself and whip in a fine cross which Strevens nodded in from 3 yards out. He escaped his marker far too easily and I'm not convinced Butcher shouldn't have come for it.
To give credit to the O's they came back strongly with a spell of pressure that lead to Orients first league goal of the season. Omozusi found space on the right and crossed the ball which managed to evade the Orient strikers but not Cox who slammed a first time half volley into the bottom corner.
You could sense the relief inside Brisbane Road but that lasted roughly 30 seconds. From the kick off the ball ended up at the feet of Beavon on the very edge of the O's box and Dawson was adjudged to have fouled him. The ref wasted no time in pointing to the spot. On initial viewing I thought that Dawson got the ball first but the Orient players didn't really argue with the decision. Donnelly stepped up and placed a shot into the corner of the net. Butcher went the right way but couldn't prevent the ball from creeping in.
Again the O's did put up a fight and played their best football of the season so far. Dawson was involved in a couple of great moves but put both his efforts just wide. Wycombe almost scored a third when Cuthbert mis hit a pass straight to Joel Grant who had his shot blocked by Butcher who did well and closed down the angle. Just on half time Daniels made a bursting run into the Wycombe box and cracked a skidding shot which was held well by the Chairboys keeper.
The second half started slowly with both teams having a few chances. There was a feeling the O's could get back into it...that was until a slack bit of defending put the game before reach. Joel Grant, who was impressive all night, got in front of Omozusi far too easily and planted his header into the bottom corner of the net. From what i could see Butcher should have done better and almost seemed to push the ball into the net. Looking at Slade as it went in he didn't seem happy either. That goal blew out any steam the O's had shown and even with a couple of subs in Mooney and Porter the game drifted away. Porter had the best chance of the second half, being put through and using his pace to get clear only to disappointingly not even hitting the target.
In Review:
Despite the terrible result there were some positives. After all the criticism (which was well earnt), Matt Spring had a much better game. He was involved a lot more and looked better with his passing. On the downside Revell and Cureton have yet to gel at all and i havent been impressed with Cureton at all so far. There was a moment in the second half when he managed to get into the box and had a great chance to shoot but elected to cross over Mooneys head. The O's played some good football but they seemed to give up a bit after the 3rd goal. Wycombe looked quite good but scored 2 goals with their first two shots.
Ratings:
Butcher - 6 - Made a couple of routine saves but should have done better with the 3rd goal and possibly with the 1st as well.
Omozusi - 5.5 - Didnt get far enough up the pitch for my liking until we were 3-1 down. Was at fault for Grants header and got turned inside out all night.
Cuthbert - 7 - Didnt do a lot wrong and made a few good tackles.
Chorley - 6.5 - Lost his man for the first goal, solid otherwise.
Daniels - 7.5 - Looked like one of the only players wanting to do something. Charged up and down the left, had a few shots and put in decent crosses all night.
Smith - 4 - Completely annonymous the whole game. Cant remember him doing anything.
Spring - 7 - Did a lot better and moved the ball around well, picked up loose balls and although still a little slow defensively he was sound.
Dawson - 7 - Was invloved in almost all of Orients best moves and was good going forward.
Cox - 7 - Still not getting enough decent crosses in but took his goal fantasitcally well and was visibly annoyed at the teams performance. Will improve.
Revell - 6 - Again a so-so performance. Won his fair share of flick ons but had no chances in front of goal.
Cureton - 5 - Needs to gel with Rev. Looked lost with his runs all game and needs to hold the ball up better.
Subs:
Mooney - 5 - Ran around a lot without affecting the game too much. Had a 30 yard shot when he could have played in Cureton or Omozusi on goal.
Porter - 6 - Made a few good runs and looks to have a good football brain. Should have at least hit the target when through late on.
Slade - 6 - Did what he could with the subs nice and early and changed the formation round. Not a lot more he could have done.
Ref - 5 - Some strange decisions and gave a lot more to Wycombe. Probably made the right decision with the penalty but missed so obvious fouls.
AS
No comments:
Post a Comment