After an arduous and gruelling 45 games the season all comes down to this. The O’s know that a point at home to already relegated Braintree Town will seal the National League title.
A defeat could also be enough to see them return to the Football League at the second time of asking, providing there isn’t a five goal swing in favour of 2nd place Salford or an eight goal swing in the favour of 3rd place Solihull Moors.
Now these situations do seem unlikely but the fact that they remain in the realms of possibility has seen many an Orient fan up tossing and turning late these past few nights.
You do feel that only mass complacency and a catastrophic performance that would be so out of character for this team could prevent The O’s from picking up their first league title since 1970 on Saturday, but stranger things have happened and I’m sure very few will be celebrating until it is mathematically certain that Orient can’t be toppled.
Last Time Out
In a nervy game with an almighty degree of tension attached to it, Orient did what they’ve done throughout this season; exactly what was needed of them.
Justin Edinburgh described Monday’s 0-0 draw against Solihull Moors as “95 minutes of hell” and I’m sure the 726 Orient fans in attendance as well as the thousands watching at home on BT Sport share his sentiments.
You’d have expected the Orient coaching staff to know exactly what was going on just over 100 miles up the road at Salford, so when weighing up the risk and reward of chasing a winner it seemed sensible that Edinburgh decided to keep his side compact and hard to break down, rather than chase the elusive goal that would have secured the title beyond all doubt.
However, it wasn’t quite as clear cut a stalemate as the score line would suggest. The O’s had a few chances, notably Macauley Bonne’s stinging strike that was well parried away by Ryan Boot in The Moors goal.
Whilst Solihull had two big chances of their own that surely raised the heart rate of anyone of an Orient persuasion. The first came when Lee Vaughan found space down the right and flashed the ball across goal to Jermain Hylton, his effort was almost spilt into the net by Dean Brill before he eventually claimed it virtually on the goal line.
The second came in added time. Darren Carter delivered a wide free kick onto the head of his central midfield partner Kyle Storer, but with the goal gaping and to the relief of O’s fans everywhere, he headed wide of the target.
The full time whistle sparked jubilant scenes in the away end with the result coupled with Salford’s loss to Fylde putting Orient within touching distance of the title.
Edinburgh was keen to keep his feet on the ground though telling the East London Advertiser: “We can’t take our eyes off it. We have to be focused and we know anything can happen in football.”
Predicted Lineup
Brill
Ekpiteta Coulson Happe
Brophy Clay McAnuff Widdowson
Maguire-Drew
Bonne Koroma
With Orient just needing a point to secure the title it might be tempting to stick with the side that earned the 0-0 draw last time out.
That would mean keeping Jamie Turley in the starting eleven and maintaining a fairly conservative back five. However, I believe Edinburgh will proceed to show the same attacking intent he’s shown throughout the season by moving James Brophy back to right wing-back to accommodate Jordan Maguire-Drew in the number ten role, as he did against Harrogate on Good Friday.
Personally I’m a huge fan of Turley and I hope he is rewarded for his performances and attitude since signing for us with a new deal next month, but he did at times look reluctant to take on his man and put a final ball in against Solihull.
A switch to Brophy at wing-back would provide Orient with the attacking emphasis they need for this game, as going into this game with the mindset of ‘a point will do’ could prove dangerous.
Maguire-Drew hasn’t yet returned to the kind of form he showed in the matches prior to his injury but he is a player with undoubted quality. You also get the sense that he’ll relish this big occasion and would love to be the man that sealed Orient’s return to the Football League.
View on the Opposition
Braintree manager Danny Searle is the club’s third manager of the season. Yet despite the club being relegated on his watch, he’s proved rather more successful than his two predecessors.
In two of his earliest games in charge the semi-pro side knocked off Salford at home and Sutton away, whilst Searle has also overseen an excellent recent run of four wins from their last five.
Searle, who previously coached at academies such as Chelsea, West Ham and Charlton, deserves huge credit for using the club’s relegation as a chance to blood a crop of talented young players into his side in preparation for next season.
Braintree’s starting eleven last time out at home to Dagenham and Redbridge had an average age of just over 21 years old and you sense from the 2-0 winning score line that these youngsters are going out and playing with a sense of freedom, helped in no small part by the clubs fate already being sealed and their manager’s explicit faith in them.
Perhaps the most exciting of these youngsters is striker Korrey Henry. The 19 year old came through the West Ham academy where he was coached by Searle. He joined Yeovil at the beginning of this season after being released by The Hammers but things didn’t quite work out for him in Somerset.
Henry only made four appearances at Huish Park and was free to rejoin his old coach back at Braintree come February. Since then he’s become an integral part of Searle’s side, picking up five goals in his last eight appearances.
Another of The Iron’s prospects is 6ft 3 centre back Daniel Matsuzaka. The former Southend man was signed in January and has featured consistently in Searle’s recent lineups.
Although born in Barnet, Matsuzaka is eligible for Japan and has played for their u19 side on two occasions. The 20 year old is hoping that a good year next season could see him selected for his countries home Olympic Games in 2020.
Who are the rest playing?
You suspect that Salford will be going all guns blazing to close the goal difference gap between themselves and The O’s in order to keep their National League title hopes alive. They travel to a Hartlepool side that have just one win from their last five.
Solihull Moors manager Tim Flowers seemed to have conceded his own title hopes in Monday’s post match interview. Flowers praised Justin Edinburgh and congratulated The O’s on a successful season. The Moors head to Dagenham and Redbridge knowing it would take a minor miracle for them to end the day as title winners and as such might rest players for their likely playoff campaign.
Fylde will be looking to secure 4th spot with a win at home to Halifax, whilst Wrexham take on Harrogate in what could be a dress rehearsal for a playoff match which would take place in mid-week.
LOFC 1881 