Well that was a humbling experience wasn’t it? While I don’t think any of us really expected to beat Derby County, to throw away any chance of getting back into the game through our own ill-discipline was annoying to say the very least.

In fairness I thought we started the encounter with a much more positive attitude and approach than we had mustered up at Chesterfield the previous weekend. However, once again the failure to capitalise on early chances came back to haunt us. In the opening period we had a couple of decent opportunities from Theo Archibald and Ruel Sotiriou but couldn’t take them. It is easy to say with hindsight that if we could have taken the lead, then maybe we would have forced Derby to alter their game plan, and perhaps created more space in behind them. Ultimately though we weren’t able to do so.

Just past the half hour mark we undid all our good work up to that point. First we conceded the opening goal when we just seemed to back off Louie Sibley, allowing him way too much time to get his low shot away and it nestled into the bottom corner. If that felt like a bit of blow, when Brandon Cooper was shown a straight red card, for what has been revealed to be a clear elbow on Collins just before half-time, you just knew any hope we had of getting the result we are so desperately craving to get our form going again, had just gone.

Speaking after the match Matt Harrold, standing in for Richie Wellens due to the gaffer having a pre-arranged family commitment, suggested: “At the minute the moments are going against us…we put on a good performance today but we’re having a mountain to climb by conceding the first goal and then having a man sent off.” Difficult to disagree with that assessment, although it is fair to say that at the same time we didn’t help ourselves with our passive defence and Cooper’s rashness.  

Things got even worse immediately after half-time when Conor Hourihane laid the ball off for Nathanial Mendez-Laing all alone in the penalty area, the lively winger slotted home before many of the crowd had taken up their seats again.

We had a brief glimmer of hope when Omar Beckles, on as a sub for Geroge Moncur after the red card prompted a rejigging of the line-up, volleyed home a lofted Tom James’ free kick, only to be denied by the linesman’s raised flag. If the goal had stood maybe there was a chance we could have found a way back into the match, but it always felt like a big ask.

Then with just over ten minutes to go our fate was sealed once and for all. From a corner on the right Derby won possession on the edge of their area, Mendez-Laing tore up the left wing before squaring for Tom Barkhuizen to roll it home. It was the sort of lighting counter attack which Derby had utilised throughout the match, and a million miles ahead of the slow, ponderous possession football we have been serving up of late.

The defeat stretches our winless run to eight league matches and leaves us 16th in the table 6 points above the relegation places and 14 off the final play-off spot. As we approach the halfway point of the season that isn’t terrible, and probably a start to life in the third tier that most of us would have taken at the start of the season, so why does it feel so underwhelming, if not downright frustrating?

So far we have played 20 league matches for a total of 22 points, if we split our campaign in two: we picked up a total 11 points in the first 10 of those games and 11 in the second 10, so on the face of it no real discernible difference. It is failure to win any of our last eight matches that is probably the source of our concern.

Not having Dan Agyei for the opening chunk of the season and the loss of Jordan Graham are of course big issues, but for me the rest of our attacking players have been something of a letdown. To date we have averaged just under a goal per game (0.9 to be precise) and our total of just 18 ranks us 17^th in the division, so it is clear to see where the issue lies. Finding the back of the net more frequently might have seen us turning some of our eight draws into wins and we would be sitting higher in the table as a result.

There has been quite a bit of consternation expressed recently, especially on social media, about how things need to change and how we are inevitably going to be drawn into a relegation scrap unless we sort ourselves out, and fast. However if we look at it with a slightly different lens, there are still 26 games to go and if we can find a way to score more goals and as a result pick up more points in the remaining matches, then we have every right to feel a bit more optimistic about things. If the first four months of the season have been about acclimatisation, then the opportunity going forward is there for us to really establish ourselves in League One.

A big part of that will involve getting Agyei fully up-to-speed with the hope that he can make the attacking contribution that we believe he is capable of, but it also might involve bringing in some better quality options at the top end of the pitch. How much money is available for the January transfer window remains unclear, but if recent comments made by Vice-Chairman and Principal Investor Kent Teague are true there is sufficient budget available.

It seems way too early to suggest that Saturday’s match away at bottom-of-the-table Cheltenham is a “must win game”, but it does feel like an excellent opportunity to really go for it, take the game to them and remind ourselves, the fans, and the rest of the league just what we might be capable of this season.

Following on from her blogging debut last week (Orient Nerd Weekly Ramblings- A highly disappointing cup exit for the O’s and a clear need to start to turn things around.), the missus has put together some thoughts on our experience in corporate hospitality at Brisbane Road last Saturday:

The Missus’ (Corporate) Matchday View

This Saturday we were very fortunate to be offered free corporate hospitality at the match against Derby by a couple of newly discovered family members. It is a very bizarre story as it turns out. We were at Gareth’s aunt’s funeral in October, and Gareth’s brother was telling him about his wife’s cousin’s husband who is a massive O’s fan called Paul. In response, Gareth said: “Oh I probably know him”, while I very much doubted he would given that there are probably a number of O’s fans called Paul who regularly go to matches.

A few weeks later we were talking to a couple of mates of ours called Rob and Paul outside the Supporters Club and it came to light that Paul was in fact our cousin-in-law (well sort of by marriage anyway!). A few weeks later Paul was at the match with his brother-in-law Mike (yep also married to one of our sister-in-law’s cousins!) who happens to be one of the O’s season sponsors, and as a result has access to corporate hospitality. With Mike being away in Dubai “working” (nice work if you can get it!) he offered us his tickets along with Paul and Rob for the Derby match.

So on Saturday we met up with Paul and Rob outside the Supporters Club for a quick pint and then made our way into the West Stand suites. We were all hungry and looking forward to some food. Paul was slightly miffed as they had overbooked the corporate hospitality for other “paying” customers, and as a result we weren’t allowed the full sit down meal experience but were shown to the Sponsors’ Bar where they were serving curry and rice and some other options. To be honest, I wasn’t too fussed about a full sit down meal, but the best news of the afternoon was that the bar was free, and the four of us of course wasted no time at all in getting stuck in.

The bar was really busy and had a really good atmosphere, it was certainly easier to get served than in the East Stand. We had a good chat with O’s legend Terry Howard who Gareth appears on the Orient Hour with every month, and after a few beers, some curry, cheese and biscuits, and cake (I like to sample the full selection!) Rob and I discovered they also had spirits for free, so after a few cheeky double rum and cokes for me we ventured out to take our seats on the balcony.

As I said last week, I don’t do tactics but after going a goal and a man down before half-time, Rob and I decided to stay in the warm lounge with another large rum and coke rather than watch what was another guaranteed loss as far as I was concerned. May as well make the most of this experience! At one point, Kent Teague went past, and we heard a roar from the crowd and Kent kindly went to look out to tell us what was happening. Omar Beckles had had a goal disallowed.

Eventually deciding we really should go and watch the end of the match; they scored their third goal. I wish I hadn’t bothered, but a big thank you to our new family members Paul and Mike for the experience. It was an experience to remember, even if the game wasn’t!

Up the O’s!