U's 1-3 Leyton Orient: Friends reunited
Poor old Kim Jong-Hun. A month after leading North Korea to the pinnacle of any football manager's career, the World Cup, he is labouring 14 hours a day on a building site, his punishment for "betraying the trust of Kim Jong-Un," son of the country's leader, Kim Jong-Il. For a country so poor that even names appear to be rationed, his mistake was to inspire his team to play so well in their opening game against Brazil that the Koreans were sufficiently encouraged to show their next game live on national television… and they were duly hammered 7-0 by Portugal. Jong-Hun must be feeling pretty lonely now. Sounds like a cue for a song…
There is no such punishment, of course, on these more 'enlightened' shores, other than a few vitriolic pieces in the press and the inevitable comparison of the national team manager to some form of vegetable matter. Such a load of burdocks does not apply, though, to friendlies, and particularly not to the manager of a Conference team which has lost its two pre-season tests against clubs from two divisions higher. Martin Ling's squad seems to be making unspectacular but gradual progress towards being ready for the big kick-off in two weeks' time, although a little more ruthlessness in front of goal would be more than welcomed.
Ling, of course, has a longstanding connection to Leyton Orient, as do two of his squad, Brian Saah and Wayne Gray, and it was nice to read his reassurance in the matchday programme that "…when I cut myself now I bleed amber and black, not red and white!" It has certainly been a colourful pre-season for the U's as they wore their fourth different strip so far, following last season's amber and black sash, sky blue and white and green with a new all-white combo, and very smart it looked too. Hopefully the new term's first and second strips will not be too far behind.
United's starting line-up: Brown; Thorpe, Coulson, Saah, Jennings; Ives, Carden, Miller; Platt, Wright, Marriott.
Ling decided on a 4-3-3 formation against his old muckers, and stuck to it throughout the match, with 17-year-old Jonathan Thorpe continuing to deputise for the injured Kevin Roberts and Daryl Clare still unable to make his United debut. All of the starters except Thorpe and Simon Brown wore shirts sporting their names and squad numbers.
Orient, just a week away from their first League match against Yeovil, stuck to good old-fashioned 1-11 with a mix and match side which included the intriguingly-named Harry Beautyman and ten substitutes which included former U's Alex Revell and Scott McGleish plus new signing from Charlton, Matthew Spring. 244 away fans made the trip up the M11 in a total attendance numbering 1,037 on a pleasantly warm and alternately sunny and cloudy summer's day.
Early exchanges were tentative and confined almost entirely to midfield, with little to excite the sparse crowd. Thankfully they were not tempted to start a Mexican wave, although with those numbers it would have been nearer a Mexican dribble.
First action of note came on 13 when the intrepid James Jennings embarked on a superb run, skipping past several opponents on his way into the Orient box before firing a low cross across the six-yard box which just evaded Conal Platt, scrambled away for a corner. Four minutes later a Beautyman cross set up the visitors' first chance for French striker Jonathan Tehoue, but he could only poke into the side netting.
On 22 Platt fired a free-kick over the wall and over the bar for the U's from 25 yards, but it was still a very evenly-matched contest. And it was on the break that United were undone on 28, as from their corner a long Ryan Jarvis ball sent Tehoue haring down the middle. Despite being neither spectacularly quick nor especially muscular, he held off Josh Coulson's rather feeble challenge and as Brown advanced, he clipped a shot past him on the bounce which trundled almost apologetically into the bottom right corner of the goal. Shoddy defending: 1-0.
Another thrilling Jennings run gained the U's another corner, but they could not match the O's in the air, and on 31 Tehoue drew a parry from Brown with a snap shot. United continued to probe, with Adam Miller particularly busy in both penalty areas and all points in between, but they could create little of note with Adam Marriott struggling to get so much as a touch.
But Maz had by far United's best chance of the half on 43 as Orient defender Ben Chorley received treatment for a cut above the eye which was to result in a change of shirt and a bandaged head. Miller was the creator with a quite exquisite chipped through ball over the Orient defence, and it set Marriott clear with only keeper Jamie Jones to beat, but he snatched at his shot and could only brush the outside of the post, to Jones' relief.
So far, so similar to Tuesday: not bad, getting there, but lacking in goal power. We hoped for better after the break.
Orient made one change for part two, Spring coming on for Stephen Dawson, and a determined United were soon knocking on the visitors' door. On 49 an excellent run down the right from Danny Wright saw him power past his marker and arrow over a low cross which Marriott tussled for with two defenders inside the six-yard box, and after a bizarre scramble Maz scooped a shot from a sitting position which Jones did well to tip over the bar.
Five minutes later Wright again set up Marriott, this time from the left, and after a miscontrol which handed the ball to Chorley, the mercurial U's striker nicked it back with some neat footwork and fired for goal from six yards, but somehow that man Jones managed to fling himself to his left and paw it away for a corner. So close.
Just before the hour Ling rang the changes with the introduction of Wayne Gray, Robbie Willmott and Simon Russell for Wright, Platt and Ives, all like-for-like swaps within the 4-3-3. Marriott then set up Saah of all people for a swing at goal from the D, but he fizzed it just wide.
On 61 Jake Argent replaced Tehoue for the red-shirted visitors, and a minute later Marriott was denied once again by a fine reaction save from Jones following a Miller through ball. Paul Carden brought down Spring on 64 to present the O's with a free-kick just outside the box, but Spring himself drove it low past the far post.
Four minutes later the unfortunate Argent twisted his knee on the turf, and although he was off the pitch in front of the Habbin, Jennings saw that he was in absolute agony and sportingly put the ball out of play, to Willmott's disgusted cry of 'but he's off the pitch!' Argent's pain was all too real and he was eventually stretchered off across the field after some TLC from the physio and some tender hand-holding by his team-mate Aaron Brown. Aww.
Romanian striker Adrian Patulea replaced Argent, and at the same time Jennings was withdrawn to give Darryl Coakley some match time. Mike Cestor came on for Chorley on 74 as United pressed for an equaliser, and they soon went very close when Coakley produced a run and cross worthy of the man he had replaced; Wayne Gray arrived in the middle, but he was denied by a point-blank save from the outstanding Jones when a goal looked a certainty.
On 78 Willmott advanced on goal but scuffed disappointingly wide from twenty yards, then Liam Hughes was rewarded for his excellent display at Cambridge City on Thursday with an introduction from the bench in place of Marriott. He gambolled about enthusiastically like a puppy let off the leash.
United's pressure proved all for nothing, though, with an extraordinary goal four minutes later. Spring received the ball in his own half in the centre circle, and looking up to see Brown a long way off his line, he arrowed a perfect lob over the hapless keeper's head and into the net from behind the half-way line. 2-0.
Brown had been so far out of his goal that he only just reached the penalty spot when the ball hit the net, but it was a top-quality strike. The unfortunate Brown may well have reflected on a similar goal he conceded from the centre circle from a certain Dion Dublin in the fundraising match in May.
Two minutes later Jones was in action again, denying Gray's shot, then Scott McGleish finally made his entrance in place of Dean Cox. Traditionally, pre-season friendlies tend to finish on the dot of ninety minutes, but Argent's injury and the sheer volume of substitutions compelled tiny tanned Oompah-Loompah-a-like ref Matthew McLaughlin to play several minutes of added time, and the second and third minutes thereof yielded two more goals.
The first was entirely down to Willmott, who chased down Cestor as he tried to usher the ball out of play by the byline, nicked it off him and was promptly brought down for a clear penalty. Gray looked keen to take it, but Robbie kept firm hold of the ball and rammed it unceremoniously home; Jones was beaten at last. 2-1.
Any thoughts of snatching a late draw were almost immediately dashed when McGleish scampered clear of a slumbering defence, drew Brown and chipped calmly past him to seal the victory: 3-1.
It was by no means a bad day for United and Ling, who had seen several impressive individual performances, a growing understanding and a partially successful change of formation. More goals would be nice, however, even if the old saying about pre-season results being unimportant is mostly true, and the forthcoming week's trips to Bury and Bishop's Stortford should see the first team come together ready for Wrexham. Hopefully it won't be all hard labour…
Statto Corner
Scott McGleish's stay at the Abbey was brief but memorable. He made his debut on loan from Peterborough against Hereford in the Coca-Cola Cup on 3rd September 1996, and scored seven goals in just eleven games, including a brace in United's 2-1 home win over Torquay, despite playing up front alongside Jamie Barnwell-Edinboro.
At the end of his loan spell in November he joined not the U's but Orient, who paid £50,000 for his services to the Abbey faithful's great disappointment. It was to be his second spell at Brisbane Road, having been there on loan from his previous club, Charlton, and after a consistent scoring career at Barnet, Colchester, Northampton and Wycombe, he joined the O's for a third time on loan in February last year before signing permanently for 2009-10.
McGleish has scored regularly against United ever since he first faced them for Orient in a goalless draw at the Abbey in March 1995. In all he has played against the U's on 16 occasions and hit the net eight times, scoring for Northampton, Colchester (in two spells), Barnet and Orient (two spells including today). He only notched a double once, in a 3-1 home win for Colchester in October 2001.
Alex Revell is a Cambridge boy who came through the youth ranks at the Abbey but never really established a permanent first-team place for himself, scoring a total of five goals in 20 starts plus 46 appearances as substitute. He made his debut in a 2-0 win at Northampton in April 2001 and bowed out almost exactly three years later in a 1-1 draw at Mansfield, but played many games out of position as wide man rather than as an out-and-out striker.
After a brief spell at Southend he drifted into non-League football with Welling and Mildenhall, but he discovered his goal touch at Braintree Town and so impressed that he returned to the Football League with Brighton. Southend then paid £150,000 for him in January 2008, but he sustained a broken leg and was subsequently loaned out to Swindon and Wycombe. Now starting again at Orient, he is still only 27 and U's fans will be doubtless be happy for this local lad if he can re-establish himself as a successful goalscorer.
Player Ratings
Brown 6. No major rickets this time but cannot be happy at being lobbed from the centre circle. Again.
Thorpe 7. Another highly mature performance from the baby of the team.
Saah 7. Solid as ever against his old employers.
Coulson 6. Decent effort apart from weak defending for Orient's first goal.
Jennings 8. Class.
Ives 6. Put in a reliable shift.
Carden 6. Reasonably efficient.
Miller 8. Tremendous box-to-box work and quality passing, supporting the attack one moment then helping the defence the next.
Platt 6. Had his moments, but not entirely convincing in a 4-3-3.
Marriott 7. Almost totally anonymous for 40 minutes, then became United's most dangerous striker for the next half an hour and was only denied a goal by Jones' brilliant keeping.
Wright 7. Very promising from the big man, showing good skill and pace to demonstrate that he is more than just a target man.
Gray 6. Put in some good work and very close to scoring.
Russell 6. Not at his best but a good team performance.
Willmott 6. Energetic and committed.
Coakley 6. Solid deputy for Jennings.
Hughes 6. Put himself about well.
Match Summary
United continued to ease their way gradually into the season with a display of considerable promise which, again, just lacked that bit of ruthlessness in front of goal. The jigsaw is not yet complete but the overall picture is definitely taking shape.
Man of the Match
James Jennings. Solid defender and dangerous attacker in one very impressive package.
Ref Watch
McLaughlin 7. Made Amy Rayner look like Giant Haystacks but never lacked authority.
Soundtrack of the Day
Tunng "Don't Look Down Or Back"
Andrew Bennett
Andrew's previous match reports
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