Orient defeat County in league return

Orient banished any bad FA Cup memories after only eight minutes in a comfortable 2-0 victory over Notts County.

Dean Cox opened the scoring in under ten minutes and although it took the O's till the 79th minute to add a second, thanks to Andrew Whing, we looked dominant and comfortable throughout.

With two key players missing, Slade had to slightly shuffle his team. Jimmy Smith and Ben Chorley were both absent, so Matt Spring made his first start after injury and Elliot Omozusi returned to the starting line-up.

Getting a good start was essential in making sure Wednesday's score didn't play on the minds of the players and we did that after only eight minutes, thanks to the passing skill of Tommy Carroll.

Carroll, playing alongside Matt Spring and Stephen Dawson in the centre of midfield, chipped the ball over the County defence to find Cox in space. Taking the time to check he was onside and wait for Stuart Nelson to come out, Cox easily guided the ball home.

It was a goal of real quality and was to exemplify Orient's first half performance. We passed the ball superbly throughout the first 45 minutes, triangles of play between the likes of Carroll, Daniels and Cox on the left kept the ball away from Notts County.

The only thing we didn't do was add a second goal, Cox and Revell having chances to double the lead. Despite going into half-time happy and seemingly on course for another victory, there was also the lingering doubt that not adding a second would come back to punish us in the second-half.

Orient had the chance to make the lead more comfortable nine minutes after the break in an ridiculous series of events. Firstly Revell went clean through on Nelson, rounded the goalkeeper before his shot was blocked by a sliding Notts County defender.

The linesman on the far side immediately raised his flag to indicate handball and the referee awarded the penalty. Incensed by the decision, County players argued with the officials.

Whilst the decision looked unfortunate for the defender, he stopped the ball from going in and if this was with his hand (as the linesman, with the best view of the incident, instantly thought it was) then County can have few complaints.

Like his players, County manager Paul Ince disagreed with the decision and in a argument with the O's management, threw a cup of tea in their direction.

Whilst I couldn't hear what was said from my seat in the West Stand, Ince's behaviour was completely unacceptable and better suited to a school playground than a football pitch. Ince was rightly sent to the stand amongst the boos of a delighted home support.

After all the drama Revell stepped up to take the penalty but his shot was saved by Nelson. You can't blame Revell, who had ages to wait before he could finally step up to take the spot-kick.

Luckily the missed penalty didn't prove decisive and Andrew Whing finally made the game safe 11 minutes before the end. Cox's chipped free-kick dropped into the perfect spot between the defence and keeper and Whing took advantage, diving to guide his header past Nelson into the corner of the net.

It was no more than Orient deserved for a dominant performance, having an impressive 70% of the possession. Most of that possession was composed and intrigute football, keeping County away from the ball.

We saw Orient's passing football in bursts on Wednesday night but against lower league opposition it proved very profitable.

Although Notts County, unlike Arsenal, threatened very little. Craig Westcarr was probably their most dangerous player, having two chances on Jamie Jones' goal but as a team County never looked like scoring.

Across the pitch Orient looked good. Daniels was again positive going forward, running past County players with ease on numerous occasions. Whing and Omozusi looked solid on the other side of the defence whilst Cox's work on the wing again offered the O's a real threat going forward.

Carroll showed just why his reputation is growing around Brisbane Road with a confident display. Despite his young age and small statue, Carroll looked to pick up the ball and play in a often congested midfield area.

It was the perfect performance after our cup exit and puts the O's back on course for an outside push for the play-offs. With games in hand and form that could give us a chance against any team in the league, a top six finish is within our sights.

The Teams:

Leyton Orient: Jones; Whing, Omozusi, Forbes, Daniels; Spring; Carroll, Dawson, Cox (Mpoku 83); Kane (Téhoué 68), Revell (McGleish 80)

Notts County: Nelson; Ravenhill, Chilvers, Pearce (Sodje 68), Thompson; Gow, Clifford (Demba-Nyren 74), Bishop, McDonald, Sproule (Gobern 77); Westcarr

There were outstanding performances across the pitch today but Elliot Omozusi just won out for star player of the game.

In the absence of Ben Chorley, Omozusi stepped in alongside Terrell Forbes in the heart of the defence and looked comfortable and commanding all afternoon. Powerful in the air and prepared to play the ball out of defence, Elliot put in a first class performance and showed just what a valuable defender he is to the team. 'We dominated the game and the only disappointing thing was that we hadn't scored more. We needed a little more reward for the pressure we put on Notts County.

'We passed the ball in difficult conditions really well today and the players were brave enough to do that. We wanted to go and pass and get on the ball - we did that.

'I'm not really interested in the League position at the moment, we just want to keep the momentum going and trying to put results and performances together, to keep our focus, that's what we're about'



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