The 630 O's fans on the terrace got Orient over the line as the O's earned their first win of the season at the fourth attempt and after three consecutive draws. The result sees the O's rise to 10th in the table, 2 points off the play-offs.
Final Score: Maidstone United 1-2 Leyton Orient
Maidstone United Starting XI- Worgan, Efete, De Haviland, Wynter, Lewis (C), Quigley, Loza, (Cooker 60),Twumasi, Muldoon (Mullings 68), Philips (Paxman 55), Turgot. Unused subs: McLeannan, Funnel
Leyton Orient Starting XI - Brill, Judd (ling 62), Ekpiteta, Coulson, Widdowson, Brophy (Lawless 72), Lee (C), Clay, Dayton (Alabi 62), Koroma, Bonne. Unused subs: Saregent, Happe
Summary
The O's travelled to the Gallagher Stadium to face Maidstone United in the National League, the O's looking to bounce back after a frustrating 2-2 draw at home to Barrow.
It didn't take the O's long to get into their stride. After ten minutes played, Josh Koroma, with a lovely bit of skill, flicked the ball over the centre back's head to go on to knock the ball past the keeper and into the net. A great start for the O's, with the fans in the away terrace in full voice.
Maidstone had a decent attempt in the 18th minute, forcing a good save out of O's shot stopper Dean Brill who tipped Lewis' shot over the bar. Ten minutes later, former Orient winger Blair Turgott broke away for the Stones,only to see his shot go very wide of the goal.
That chance would prove costly for the home side, as minutes later Orient doubled their lead from James Dayton's floating cross and Marvin Ekpieta finding the back of the net - a strong, powerful header from the young centre back just before half-time.
Before the interval, Joe Widdowson made an important block from Phillips to deny Maidstone a way back into the game putting his body on the line and forcing the ball out for a corner.
After the break, Widdowson was called to make another vital defensive challenge, dealing with a low cross then clearing the ball away from danger after the hour mark in a quite start to the second half. The O's later had a worthy penalty shout on 77 minutes, with Josh Koroma being brought down in the box but the referee awarding a free kick to the home side, booking the O's forward in the process.
That decision would be controversial and potentially a massive factor in the remaining part of the game as the Black Amber army found their way back into the clash through Mullings, who headed past Brill 10 minutes from time. O's had one last opportunity to confirm a victory but Josh Koroma's cut inside didn't have the right shot to match, firing wide on 84 minutes.
Que a nervous final 5 minutes in this game, Maidstone went all out attacking and nearly bagged a point right at the death, Blair Turgott could've been the hero as he found himself in the box but Dean Brill made a fantastic save to deny him - tipping his powerful close range shot onto the bar.
A minute or so later the referee blew his whistle for full time, with the O's bagging their first three points of the season.
My Notes
A good display from the O's on and off the pitch, both fans and players really pulling together and striving to achieve all three points. The away fans were a massive factor in the nights events, with O's boss, Justin Edinburgh, later stating ''the fans were incredible and saw us over the line.''.
It was good to see Koroma start up front, I think him and Bonne upfront together would make a very powerful partnership and he played very well in this game scoring one and getting on the end of many chances.
Joe Widdowson also had a good game, making a few vital blocks and challenges to deny Maidstone, frustrating their attackers and wide players all night. I thought Judd took his chance in the first team after replacing Ling in the starting XI, a brave decision that I think payed off for Justin Edinburgh.
It's good to see the youth players coming up through the ranks at our club and the experienced and proven players mixed together in the team and it's great there is such a unity and a bond amongst them, qualities vital in a strong team. From the outside, Leyton Orient looks a happy place to be right now.
Even the unity and togetherness with the fans is great to see, Coulson had a great game and the reception he got at the end was phenomenal with the fans repeatedly chanting his song, which has certainly cached on a lot since I first heard it at the end of last season.
Good to see Marvin score today, he's looked very good since we signed him in January. A very good and strong player, showing that it isn't the end of the world if Elokobi gets injured as even though he'll be missed in the team, we still have two great defenders in Ekpieta and Happe waiting to play. Even a five at the back formation would be a good idea, it may help our problem of leaking late goals.
Furthermore, it is great news to hear that Bonne has committed to the club by signing a new deal this week, he wasn't on the score sheet but looked very dangerous in attack with Koroma, he had a lot more to do in the later period when Alabi came on, who is still searching for his first goal for LOFC. I think Brill deserves a mention in my post-match notes for some good saves, he didn't have a blinder but he made a crucial save in the dying moments to deny Maidstone an equaliser.
Player Ratings
Brill 7
Judd 7 (ling 6 ),
Ekpiteta 8
Coulson 7
Widdowson 8
Brophy 6 (Lawless 7 ),
Lee 6 (C),
Clay 6
Dayton 7 (Alabi 6),
Koroma 8
Bonne 6
Unused subs:
Saregent, Happe
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