Leyton Orient 1 (Beckles 80) Charlton 0
On the safe side of the Blackwall Tunnel, Kevin Nolan bore not-so-silent witness to a performance of mind-stultifying ineptitude. Here’s his version of events…
The blow-by-blow history of the goal, by which Leyton Orient squeaked past Michael Appleton’s feckless bunch of fainthearts, might also be co-opted to summarise their lily-livered attitude to the game as a whole. We’ll refrain from referring it to as a local derby, a term which implies passion, pride and commitment to the shirt you’re wearing. Orient offered slightly more of those qualities than their milksop visitors but there wasn’t much in it. Both sides were largely clueless, with the East Londoners ultimately and decisively less clueless than their Boxing Day visitors. And so on – reluctantly – to the goal.
The process began on the left flank where Tennai Watson sauntered back too late to prevent Shaq Forde’s low, hard cross. Michael Hector had room and time to deal with the danger but contrived to horribly slice his intended clearance high into the air though no further than the penalty spot. Charging from his line to take charge, Ashley Maynard-Brewer’s crooked punch added to Charlton’s problems but fell conveniently on to Scott Fraser’s favoured left foot. The plot promptly sickened as the Scottish playmaker’s intended haymaker instead produced an awkwardly scuffed effort in Corey Blackett-Taylor’s general direction. Brushed aside in a 50-50 challenge for the loose ball by Jordan Brown, Blackett-Taylor was neither use nor ornament to Tayo Edun, who went rashly to ground and allowed Dan Agyei to reach the right byline, where he cut back for an unmarked Omar Beckles to sweep home Orient’s matchwinner.
More than half of Charlton’s on-field representatives, during their chaotic Keystone Kops interlude, were directly linked to this dreary game’s only goal. It was, however, the logical culmination of an overall performance from which none of its contributors emerged with credit. As already mentioned, the O’s were themselves nothing to write home about; they simply wanted it more.
Required to defend the indefensible, Appleton made a brave, if deluded, post-action fist of it. “Very disappointing” he conceded, “tough one to take on the chin. But that’s football!” Before his last conclusion could be disputed, he continued “I don’t think we were brave enough in the second half getting on the ball… it’s the build-up of not getting what we deserved over recent games and it was heavy on their shoulders today.” The beleaguered boss could reasonably point to an unbeaten run of seven league games prior to Boxing Day, a somewhat bogus record qualified by the five draws it included. It’s fair to say that the eleven points mustered were precisely what the Addicks deserved after conceding added time equalisers to the bog standard likes of Cambridge United and Burton Albion. To which can now be added Leyton Orient’s 80th minute winner.
To their credit, Orient had done their homework on their visitors. Clearly up for a fight, Darren Pratley added experience and savvy to their game plan. He was invaluable to right back Tom James in countering the perceived threat of Blackett-Taylor, who was rarely allowed to cut in on his right foot, where he has proved so dangerous this season. On the one occasion Charlton’s fleetfooted striker slipped James and moved inside, his cleverly threaded shot was brilliantly saved by Sol Brynn. The keeper also competently stopped a first half snapshot from Chem Campbell, tipped aside Fraser’s corner-bound curler and was indebted to Rob Hunt for blocking Alfie May’s five yard shot almost at source.
As this dreary game wore on, Richie Wellens’ East Londoners sensed they had little to beat. They began to bully their nearby neighbours, with Pratley hardly missing an opportunity of leaving his foot in to make their point. His gritty side dominated the physical exchanges, winning practically all 50-50 challenges and aerial duels. More alarmingly, their weak, passive opponents appeared to have left any vestige of will-to-win on the other side of the Blackwall Tunnel, at least if the outbreak of shirked tackles offered reliable evidence. It’s appropriate to add in that regard that Orient were hard but far from dirty. They didn’t need to be to beat such soft-centred victims, who were obliging almost to a fault.
Moving swiftly on, Charlton are due at Bristol Rovers on Friday. Just four short of 2,000 admirable zealots followed them to what was once known as Brisbane Road, provided their usual stout support but were badly let down by their heroes. Most of them will probably make the trip to the Gasworks more in hope than expectation but still defenders of the faith. They used to include your reporter among their number but those days are gone. And not a moment too soon is his inescapable conclusion!
Orient: Brynn, James (Brown 70), Happe, Beckles, Hunt, Pratley, El Mizoumi (Sanders 85), Forde, Galbraith (Agyei 78), Archibald, Sotiriou. Not used: Howes, Turns, Pigott, Moncur. Booked: Happe, Hunt, James, Beckles, Archibald.
Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Tennai Watson, Hector, Jones, Edun (Asiimwe 83), Dobson, Fraser (Louie Watson 83), Chem Campbell (Tyreece Campbell 75), Kanu, Blackett-Taylor, May. Not used: Walker, Thomas, Andrson, Tedic. Booked: Dobson.
Att: 8,499 (1196 visiting).