First and foremost I am sure that all of the Orient Family’s thoughts, prayers and heartfelt condolences are with the family and friends of Derek Reynolds, the lifelong Orient supporter who sadly went to Tuesday evening’s match against Lincoln City never to return home.

None of us who were there will ever forget the incredibly sad and tragic scenes that unfolded from the 80^th minute. We can only hope that Derek’s family and friends can take some solace from the fact that he passed doing what he loved to do.

Even now a few days later I don’t really feel like writing about football, it all seems so incredibly futile compared to the pain and grief that those close to Derek are feeling. I only hope there is some small way in which the club and us supporters can show that we are thinking of them at this terribly sad time.

From our seats in the East Stand we could only look on in shock and anguish at what was happening. Understandably in the time after the match there has been a significant amount of (justified) anger about how the tragic situation was handled by the matchday officials and some of the club’s staff.  

The simple truth of the issue is that the EFL protocol around matchday medical issues is explicit in asking supporters “not to alert players or staff on the pitch as in most cases the crowd medical team will be able to provide medical care as the match continues”. Where this protocol falls down however is that Derek’s situation was clearly beyond being able to be handled by the crowd medical team, and for a fanbase that has only so recently lost a beloved manager to cardiac arrest, it was completely understandable the way that fans felt they had to try to intervene in some way.

The intention in writing this is not to point the finger of blame at anyone, but from the moment that Theo Archibald realised what was going on and alerted the linesman who was positioned merely feet away from where this sad tragedy was unfolding, the referee Stephen Martin should have taken the players off the pitch.  We will of course never know for sure the reasoning behind why he didn’t, or for that matter why he was so determined to try to get the match restarted, there is however nothing in the guidance about him having to continue to play the match once he realised the severity of the situation.

Equally the actions of the stewards who manhandled the two supporters from the East Stand who went onto the pitch to try to point out what was happening, seemed to be another over-officious response when the situation called for common sense. I realise that the rules about supporters going onto the pitch are in place for safety reasons after a series of dangerous incidents, but how anyone in their right mind could have interpreted the situation as worthy of potential ejection is simply incomprehensible.

Head coach Richie Wellens was also criticized for the way that he went over to remonstrate with the 20 or so fans who had come onto the pitch in front of the North Stand to try to get the referee to stop the game. However in a statement released through The Athletic he explained his actions: “When our supporters came on the pitch, the fourth official was worried about a safety issue. I said, ‘Leave that to me, I’ll get them off the pitch. Concentrate on the referee and trying to get help to our supporter’. I went over to our supporters, they were very good and got off the pitch but then, unbelievably, they tried to restart the game.”

While some sympathy can be given to the referee and his assistants for not really knowing how to handle such an unforeseen event, it seems to me that the EFL really need to have a long hard look at the protocol that they have set in place and to admit that it isn’t fit for purpose. As it was, there was no real guidance on what to do in such an extreme event and in the end we have to say that the Mr Martin called it wrong. We can only assume that he was concerned about the potential repercussions from his bosses if he had taken the players off the field.

Over recent seasons we have seen something of a deterioration in the way that football fans are treated. Of course some fans’ behaviour (especially before the Euro 2020 final at Wembley as an example) has led to a tightening up of safety and security procedures and we all have a part to play in ensuring that being at a football match is a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment. However we all know from the dark days of the 70’s and 80’s where it can ultimately lead if fans are treated with disdain and as a threat. We can only hope that what happened on Tuesday prompts a rethink into crowd safety and security.

Having said that though the behaviour of both the Orient and Lincoln fans on Tuesday night was exemplary and a reaffirmation of how the football family comes together in times of tragedy. It is events like this that remind us all that as much as we love it and obsess over it, football really is only a game.

Rest in peace Derek, you will be in all of our thoughts on Saturday afternoon.