After doing our job and picking up the win against Stevenage the preceding Thursday, last weekend’s League 1 results were relatively kind to Orient. Huddersfield got thumped 4-0 by a resurgent Charlton, Bolton lost 2-1 away at Blackpool, and even though Reading won 3-1 at home to Peterborough, we went into Tuesday’s match at Burton just 3 points behind the Royals who were occupying the final play-off spot.

For their part the Brewers have been struggling all season having won 3 of their 18 home games ahead of Tuesday evening, managing just 1 win in their previous 5 matches and were mired very much in the dropzone 6 points from safety. On paper at least it should have been a game from which we were more than capable of taking all 3 points and carrying on our push towards a possible challenge for the play-off places. So where did it all go wrong? 

While we didn’t exactly get off to a blistering start, once Dan Agyei put us into the lead 10 minutes in, we should have really looked to press home our advantage. Instead, from that point forward we looked a bit toothless in attack, and as the first half wore on Burton seemed to grow in confidence and into the match.

Just before the hour mark Gary Bowyer changed the home side’s approach: switching to a back four and bolstering his attack by replacing centre back Jason Sraha with attacking midfielder Tomas Kalinauskas. The switch reaped dividends almost immediately, as just minutes later Charlie Webster equalized, then Ruman Burrell put Burton into the lead. From there we looked a bit shell-shocked and despite still having the best part of half an hour remaining, we didn’t look like we knew how to raise our game.

We might have snatched what would have been a lucky point right at the death from a Dan Happe header, but Max Crocombe in the Burton goal did well to tip his effort over. In the end we were consigned to what was both a disappointing and frustrating defeat.

Speaking after the match gaffer Richie Wellens reflected on the way that just as we had at Blackpool, and at home to Stevenage, having put ourselves in control of the match by getting a relatively early goal, we then stopped “doing the things that had gotten us a lot of joy in the game”.

When prompted by Dulcet Dave asking why the players lose concentration and don’t follow the plan? Richie suggested that it’s easy to say that it might be down to inexperience but that some of the more experienced players, (Darren Pratley in particular was highlighted), were the biggest culprits.

Personally I can’t help but think back to the comment that Richie made last week (and then subsequently re-emphasised after Tuesday’s defeat), when he said: “maybe we’re not ready [for the play-offs]”.   That may well be a fair and accurate assessment, but has it gotten into the players’ heads? Is the element of panic that creeps into our play down to a lack of belief in our individual and collective ability?

When we were on our highly impressive unbeaten run through the late autumn and winter, it was perhaps slightly easy to get carried away with how well we were doing. We maybe needed to be a little bit more mindful of the quality and form of the opposition we were playing at the time.

Equally the recruitment undertaken in the January transfer window struck most of us as really good business, and clear strengthening of the squad ahead of the run-in. Defensive injuries and Jack Currie’s ridiculously harsh suspension have clearly had an impact on our rearguard, but has the range of options at the top end of the team perhaps confused things? 

Reportedly we went to quite a bit of effort to convince Blackburn to recall Dilan Markanday from Chesterfield and loan him to us, but did we truly need him given his relative lack of involvement over recent weeks alongside the recent return to fitness of Ollie O’Neill?

Azeem Abdulai was hugely impressive away at Exeter and in filling in as the central striker at home to Mansfield but doesn’t seem to have done enough yet in the eyes of the coaching staff to merit a regular starting berth. Quite what has happened to Randell Williams, who seems well and truly out of contention for whatever reason, is anyone’s guess.

If we are being totally honest with ourselves, did any of us fans truly believe that we were genuinely capable of making the play-offs this season? I remember back in the summer up in Edinburgh ahead of the Hearts game, chatting away to several of the Orient cognoscenti about our prospects for the season ahead. The general consensus was that given the status and budgets of some of the others in the division a top-half finish would be an achievement in itself. In all reality, to be where we are now at this stage of the season has probably exceeded most fans’ expectations, and possibly those of the players as well.

Amazingly, despite the poor performance and loss at Burton, with Reading and Huddersfield both also losing on Tuesday night, we somehow just about remain in contention for the final play-off spot, lying just 4 points behind Bolton who occupy 6^th place. Mathematically it still remains possible, but do any of us truly believe that we will win most/ all of our remaining 7 matches? Equally, as fun as it undoubtedly would be, are we truly ready for a tilt at getting into the Championship?

I guess for now though the important thing is not to let this season fizzle out starting with the visit of Wigan to Brisbane Road tomorrow afternoon, and then our trip to Mansfield on Tuesday. Having said what we have just said though, wouldn’t it just be typical of Leyton Orient to win both of those games and have us all believing again!

Up the O’s!