Wow I didn’t see that one coming at all! Given how Orient have struggled for consistency all season, and that Reading, now free of the clutches of their previous malevolent owner, are seemingly a club on the rise; I don’t mind admitting that going into the match I honestly thought a draw would be a more than acceptable result. Then again, I was clearly reckoning without the goalscoring superpowers of one Dom Ballard.

As we looked to build on the encouraging performance against league leaders Cardiff the previous week, it was no real surprise that Richie Wellens went with a similar line-up and approach against the Royals. However, just to make life more “interesting”, Alfie Lloyd was recalled by QPR almost at the very last minute, meaning that debutant loanee Ajay Matthews went straight into the front two alongside Ballard.

The only other change saw Sean Clare replace Michael Craig at right wingback with Charlie Wellens coming into the midfield. That switch meant that Tyreeq Bakinson had to play a solo anchoring role in the middle of the park, with the more creative Ollie O’Neill and Wellens further forward. As a result, the midfield didn’t look quite as solid as it had the previous week.

That is not to say that we started badly, we certainly didn’t and Ballard had the ball in the back of the net after just 6 minutes, only for it to be ruled out for offside.  We remained very much on the front foot for the majority of the first half. Ballard was once again denied by a tight offside call before opening the scoring on the stroke of half-time after being set up by O’Neill. The lead at the break felt fully justified.

Reading seemingly came out with a point to prove at the start of the second period, and when Jack Marriot drew them level 7 minutes in, I must admit that I started to get slightly anxious. I really should have known better though, as on 65 minutes Ballard netted his second: heading home a brilliant cross from Theo Archibald and then sealed all 3 points 5 minutes from time: driving in from the left, beating a defender and firing past Joel Pereira in the Reading goal.

Ballard’s perfect hat-trick (left foot, header, right foot), his second treble of the season, took him to a hugely impressive 15 league goals and a 3-goal lead in the League 1 Golden Boot race. In truth he could and maybe should have had even more. There were the two disallowed in the first half, and then right at the death he hit the post when clean through and odds-on to net his fourth. If we thought Charlie Kelman had an impressive goal return in the second half of last season, at just 20 years old this kid is simply phenomenal.

Speaking to Dave Victor after the match, a clearly delighted Richie Wellens said of Ballard: “He was outstanding”. I don’t think you would find anyone in Brisbane Road on Saturday afternoon who would disagree with that assessment. The thing that really summed up Ballard’s attitude for me was when he hit the post late on, while he looked understandably disappointed, if not downright angry, with himself, his first instinct was to chase back at full speed and try to win the ball back.

As good as he was, this win wasn’t just about Ballard, it was another impressive team performance and a well-deserved victory. The two new loanees: forward Ajay Matthew in the first half and defender Kealan Casey as a second half substitute, gave brief glimpses of what they are all about and hopefully will contribute more than their first half of the season predecessors. Stand-in skipper Theo Archibald and Ollie O’Neill both impressed from an attacking perspective, while Will Forrester once again marshalled the defence with calm assurance.

While we have, for once, managed to follow-up a good result with another, as we keep saying the important thing is to keep going, to keep building on our consistency and to continue to climb the table. So far this season we haven’t managed to put together back-to-back wins and have mustered just three victories on the road. While the trips to Bolton tomorrow and Doncaster on Tuesday won’t be easy, this does feel like an ideal opportunity to finally get our season going. If things go wrong though then I fear more frustration and soul-searching is on the cards.

On a slightly different note, Saturday’s win was Richie Wellens’ 100^th as Orient manager in all competitions, achieving that milestone in 210 matches, 15 games quicker than the previous record holder, a certain Russell Slade. However you look at it, that is a phenomenal record. In a season that has felt a very much stop/ start, it is easy to forget just what an impact the gaffer has made since he walked through the door nearly 4 years ago. (With thanks to Barri Twinn and his excellent website: The O’s Zone | The Complete Record of Leyton Orient – From 1881 to Today for the heads-up and data).

While we have been assured that the club is working hard to bring in further new recruits, I think the least we can hope for is another goalkeeper and a left back, as of lunchtime on Friday there have been no further announcements. So for now we just need to focus on the upcoming two away matches and hoping we can carry on our good form. 

Up the O’s!