11 August 2013

Leyton Orient 3 Shrewsbury 0, 10/8/13

A game which... demonstrated that at the moment Orient are finding League One as simple as a general knowledge quiz set by Jimmy Smith. Indeed, apart from a brief stagnant period towards the end of the first half the home side were totally in control of this game and crucially - and I can't actually believe I'm writing this about an Orient side - it always feels like goals are coming. 

Seriously, this is a team in rich vein of form and if it continues (with that 'if' written in enormous sky-high letters on the side of Kevin Dearden's fridge) we'll be in with a fighting chance of promotion. 

Moment of magic... Moses Odubajo's last-minute goal, in which the opposition defence appeared to be so traumatised I can only presume they were having some sort of flashback to that terrible day in '98 when an aggrieved Morris dancer ran amok at the Shrewsbury Village Fete and destroyed most of the entries in the 'Most Amusingly-Shaped Vegetable' competition.  

David Mooney
Moment of madness... When Orient were finding the game so easy that Dean Cox decided to mix things up by slide-tackling his team mate David Mooney, an action reminiscent of a determined gerbil attacking a bewildered giraffe. 

Top Gun... Nathan Clarke, Mathieu Baudry and Jamie Jones had flawless games, and David Mooney's two goals puts him on top of the League One goalscorers table - an event that until yesterday scientists believed to be inconsistent with the known laws of the universe. However, man of the match has to go to Elliot Omozusi who - playing in an unfamiliar left back position - offered both defensive and attacking impetus throughout. 

Little donkey... No bad performances from anyone in an Orient shirt and even the referee and officials had good games. In fact the only blight on the day was the less-than-expected (given the 2,000 free season tickets dished out) gate of just over 4,000. Hopefully that's an August phenomenon, and once we get into September we'll see the crowds flocking in to see the league leaders. 

Coxy: Ladies' man
In the dug out... Dean Cox was milling around pre-game in the technical area today, primarily to try and chat up the Cheery Os, as captured in this photograph.

View from the opposition... "Inevitable spanking now complete for #salop," wrote Shrews fan Stephen Finch. "When will the Turner apologists wake up? Action or exit Graham, you said a play-off push."

Tweet of the week... According to Dean Cox's Twitter feed, he and his girlfriend are currently kitting out their pad. So what does a discerning lower league footballer go for when it comes to art? The post-impressionism of Cezanne? Something from the pre-Raphaelites? Or perhaps a surrealist piece by Magritte?* Actually no - Tiny went for this stirring portrait of his favourite player, tweeting "Great canvas to put up in the house." 

Orient by numbers... 20. The number of years since Orient last topped the table after their first two games. "I remember it well," recalled manager Peter Eustace. "The club secretary Old Bertie Smythe - who was 112 at the time - accidentally arranged our first fixtures during June. I wouldn't have minded, but he also inadvertently signed Colin West while attempting to pay the gas bill."

* Thanks Wikipedia
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