Having written last week about how I felt the lack of a clear tactical plan and defined style of play was leading to Orient’s ongoing inconsistency (Orient Nerd Weekly Ramblings: Orient’s Seeming Lack of a Clear Plan and our Consistent Inconsistency.), against Cambridge last Saturday we saw Richie Wellens revert to his tried and trusted 4-2-3-1 setup, and it just looked so much better.

There was a crispness to our passing, greater fluidity and rotation in our positional structure, and while we remained solid at the back, we also looked much more threatening when we attacked.

The big surprise in the team selection, on top of the switch in formation, was that Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Ollie O’Neill and Somto Boniface, all of whom were returning from significant periods out injured, started the match. A gamble? Quite possibly. But it most definitely paid off.

Cambridge came into the match having made a decent start to life back in League 1, with just 2 defeats in their opening 13 matches. Indeed, it was the U’s that had the first real chance of the match after a cagey opening, when Fin Stevens half blocked Cathal Heffernan’s effort only for the ball to loop up and clip the crossbar. In truth, it looked as if Nathan Baxter had it covered.

As is so often the case in tight matches, the opening goal is all-important. Half an hour in we won a corner out on the right, Alex Gilbert swung it in, and REG was on hand to tuck it home on the volley via the left-hand post. If it was a relief for everyone around the ground, it must have been incredible for the centre back himself after 385 days out recovering from an ACL injury.

Five minutes into the second half, REG was again involved from an attacking point of view. This time acting as provider when he got to a speculative ball in by Somto Boniface, laid it across the face of goal to give Jaze Kabia an easy tap-in. That was the striker’s first goal since the game at home to Wycombe in the middle of September, and it can only be hoped that he can kick on again from here.

When Joseph Olowu replaced REG on 56 minutes he left the field to rapturous applause all around the ground. While we all hoped he could do a job defensively with Will Forrester out injured again, I am not sure anyone, Richie Wellens included, expected that performance.  It wasn’t just the goal and assist; he looked calm and composed in his defensive work and with his passing out from the back. It was no surprise that he was awarded the sponsors’ man of the match despite completing less than an hour on his return. If he can continue in that vein, it can only add to our squad depth for the rest of the season.

Just past the hour mark Aaron Connolly ended the match as a contest in trademark style. He seized onto the ball midway inside our half, drove all the way up through the centre of the pitch, and just when you thought he had held onto it too long again, he slipped it across the face of goal and into the bottom left-hand corner. Similar to Kabia, if his first goal of the season can get him firing again like we know he can, and, crucially for him, if he can stay fit for an extended period, then it can only stand us in good stead going forward.

Speaking after the match a more upbeat, Richie Wellens (certainly compared to after the defeat at Burton), suggested that the victory was “a good benchmark to work from” now that we are closer to having our first-choice squad available. It is of course, just one win and a small step in the right direction, the vital thing, as we know from the bitter experience of last season, is that we follow it up and start to build some momentum.

After this weekend’s FA Cup sojourn, we face a trip to a slumping Doncaster (assuming it goes ahead), then a home game against a Wimbledon side that haven’t won in their last 7 matches, before we head to high-flying Stockport.

After the Burton game Richie suggested that the next run of games would be pivotal to how our season shapes up. If we can come out of those next three matches with a decent points return, going into December there might be every reason to believe that we have turned a corner. I don’t think any of us really want to contemplate more inconsistency.

On the subject of the FA Cup, we face Harborough Town of the National League North (Sixth Tier) at home tomorrow afternoon. Despite the best efforts of the club in opening all of the stands, and allowing season cardholders to purchase their own seats for just £10, I suspect that Brisbane Road will be far from full. While I know next to nothing about our opponents, we just have to hope that we take it seriously, put out a proper side, and get the job done. None of us want another Maldon & Tiptree experience!

Up the O’s!