At the end of last week’s post, I suggested that: “with just 15 games remaining, we are bang in trouble and need to find a way to start grinding out results and getting points on the board, and quickly.” (Orient Nerd Weekly Ramblings: Make No Mistake Orient are in Real Trouble, but are They Capable of Fighting their Way Out of It?).  While it didn’t exactly take ground-breaking, in-depth analysis to reach that conclusion, I have to admit that I was far from convinced that Orient version 2025/26 possessed the requisite grit and determination.

While we have learnt through bitter experience all through this season that one win, admittedly at a ground where we usually struggle, doesn’t necessarily suggest that we have turned a corner form-wise, it was encouraging to see the way the players battled and scrapped to a very hard-fought victory.

It was an encouraging start from the O’s, with the exciting Favour Fawunmi driving forward and testing Ross Fitzsimons in the Northampton goal with a sharp drive. Very early in his time with the club it might be, but there is a real buzz around what the young Stoke loanee brings to the squad.

Thankfully, in a match that was always likely to be attritional we were able to make an early breakthrough. Another of the new boys, Dylan Levitt, got lucky with a miscued pass that turned into a useful clipped ball over the top for Dom Ballard, Ballard controlled it on his chest before firing low past Fitzsimons with less than 10 minutes on the clock. After the depressing performance against Plymouth the previous Tuesday evening, it was exactly the start we all needed. The same is probably true for the players themselves.

I wouldn’t say that protecting our lead to half-time was easy as there were a number of desperate looking blocks right in front of the travelling support, while Kaelan Casey had to make a clearance from under his own crossbar; but we made it to the break still a goal to the good.

Chatting to a mate, Mark, over a half-time beer, we were in agreement that if we could get a second goal early in the second half, then we should be ok. Even as we were saying it though, I am not sure either of us were convinced that it was actually going to happen. Credit where it is due though, we did exactly what we had hoped with new left back James Morris finishing off a sweeping counter attack just 2 minutes into the second period. However, hanging onto that lead was to prove a real test of our defensive mettle.

I have to admit that when Tom Eaves pulled one back for the Cobblers on the hour mark, the pessimistic side of my nature (I am an Orient fan after all!) really started to kick in. Despite us being largely under siege for the final 30 minutes plus added time, somehow or other we kept them at bay, thanks in no small way to some stubbornly resolute defending and one excellent save from Will Dennis.

Speaking after the match gaffer Richie Wellens suggested it was a performance in which we showed much needed: “resilience, desire [and] attitude”. While those qualities have undoubtedly been lacking in too many of our performances this season, this time the players dug deep and got the result that we both deserved and very much needed. The fact that we made a reported 96 (yes, 96!) clearances according to Opta, apparently the most on record in the EFL since 2019–20, is testimony to that.

We suggested last week that it was likely that we would change our approach to games for the remainder of the season, to adopt survival mode if you will. The move to three centre backs clearly helped us to deal with Northampton’s more direct style of play.  Whether this is something we see in the next games remains to be seen. Personally, I feel that this formation combined with a slightly more direct approach of our own, might be the solution to helping us to scrap our way to the wins that we all know we need to drive us up the table and well and truly away from danger.

It is of course only a small step in the right direction, and we have been here before on numerous occasions this season, but it really did provide encouragement for the O’s faithful. As we keep saying the key now is to follow up this victory with another, and another, and so on. It is actually staggering to think that at the end of February we haven’t as yet managed to achieve back-to-back victories with 32 matches played.

Tomorrow’s game against Barnsley is likely to be a different style of encounter altogether than what we saw at Sixfields. It is much more likely to be an open game and less a battle of wills. The Tykes sit 5 places and 5 points ahead of us in the table, albeit having played 2 games less, but they are almost as inconsistent as we are. On the road their form has been even worse than ours, with just 3 wins on their travels this season and not having won away since early November. It is unlikely to be as exciting a last season’s thrilling Good Friday encounter, but that won’t matter to any Orient fan as long as we can put another 3 points on the board.  

Up the O’s!