I haven’t been to Brisbane Road since 2 May 1972; that’s 52 years ago for anyone who wants to do the maths. My maths teacher offered to drive five of us down to London and we parked up in Hendon and took the tube from there to Leyton. It was a warm clear Tuesday evening and the last game of the season. We needed to draw or win to pip Millwall to promotion to the top flight. Our team boasted the late and legendary Trevor Francis, Bob Hatton, big Bob Latchford who was to score the only goal of the game from a Gordon Taylor corner in the second half. There were 15,000 Blues fans there in a packed ground creaking to capacity totalling 33,000. The remainder were made up of the home faithful fortified by thousands of Millwall fans who made the short trip from New Cross to Leyton to see if their local neighbours could help them out. It was an amazing atmosphere and a very nervy first half finished 0-0. We hadn’t had things all our own way and Orient had had chances which would have made the task very difficult had they scored. The defence with Paul Cooper in goal and marshalled by the rugged and resolute Stan Harland and Roger Hynd, someone I had the privilege of meeting when I was in hospital with a fractured femur 12 months earlier, stood firm however and Freddie Goodwin’s men took control in the second half and I can still remember the roar from our end when Bob Latchford headed in at the opposite end to us into the top corner on the hour. Blues managed the game efficiently and Orient never really laid a glove on us after that. About seven minutes from time, the Millwall fans, as is their wont, were not about to accept their fate in a sportsmanlike, sanguine manner. Action was required as far as they were concerned and they clearly decided that their best hope was to get the game abandoned by invading the pitch. The game was stopped to clear the playing surface and the Met’s finest marched in a line across the pitch, truncheons in hand slapping them into the other. The stout parties from South-East London promptly ran off again rather that receive cracked heads! This was during the days when the police were allowed to do such things. It was quite funny really. Needless to say, they failed in their endeavours, the match was completed without further hitch and at the final whistle it was the Blues fans turn to invade the pitch in celebration. During the joyous scenes there was an urgent announcement to vacate the ground as there was a bomb scare in the main stand. It turned out to be a hoax but it made the evening all the more eventful for all that.
Over half a century later I was returning to the same venue, this time for a match at the start of a season and in a division below that witnessed before. Blues have picked up some momentum since the underwhelming draw on the opening day of the campaign against Reading with away wins against Charlton in the EFL Cup and Wycombe in the League. I did get to the Charlton game and witnessed Khela’s wonder strike from 35 yards and Alsop’s excellent save from the penalty spot which won us the game but had to follow the Wycombe game nervously on my phone since I was at a family gathering that was a three line whip. The 12 minutes of time added on at the end did nothing for my blood pressure but the stats suggested a dominant performance. However, the concession of two goals to a team that was hardly in the game, was a little concerning but we got over the line and that is what matters. Four points from six is a good start but needs to be consolidated with another three if possible. It was to be hoped that the boys would take inspiration from the class of 72. Leyton Orient have in contrast not started well with two defeats at the hands of Bolton Wanderers at home on the opening day and last Saturday at the Valley against local rivals Charlton. The O’s were clearly wanting to put things right against us and for that reason it was not going to be a straightforward match. However, there is no room for sentiment in football and with a maximum following plus those who had managed to accept a ticket in the home stands having no chance of securing a berth in with the away contingent, nothing but piling on their misery would do. They did win well in the Carabao Cup against Newport County, scoring four to one conceded so they are not to be taken lightly; something Chris Davies has no doubt drummed into his players.
Saturday dawned to a sopping wet day. It was tipping it down and the forecast suggested that although it was likely to be a bit brighter in East London come kick off, the conditions were likely to be very damp. Mind you, looking at a behind the scenes video of Chris Davies taking the players for training I noted that he asked the ground staff to water the pitch he was going to use later to provide slick conditions. Football clubs will often irrigate playing surfaces as it makes for slick passing and high tempo play so hopefully it could help us given the possession based style that the team has adopted under CD which I have to say I’m loving watching.
Mrs Bazza dropped me at Farnborough Main station at about 11.30 and a fast train to Waterloo appeared as if by magic. I was in London just after noon and made my way on the tube via Bank to Leyton. I rang Jacob from Sussex Blues OSC to arrange to meet for a pint. He said he that he’d been with his Dad, Steve and fellow Sussex Blue, Shoreham Jack and in the pouring rain they had been to two so called away pubs to be denied entry and made their way back to Leyton tube station where I was waiting. We ended up just down the road in the Kapture pub where a couple of pints were sunk and much reminiscing and banter was exchanged. We then made our way to the ground which was a short walk away.
With barely six minutes on the clock Blues took the lead through Keshi Anderson. A poor pass from goalkeeper, Hemming was seized upon by Anderson and Alfie May who was fouled in the process by Hemming trying to make amends, managed the get the touch back out to Anderson who picked up the rebound burrowed into the box and finished easily from the inside right position for 1-0. The local fans round me weren’t happy; “Fackin’ ell ‘Emming! you’re Fackin’ useless!” (Or words to that effect rang round) However, typical Blues, gifted the opposition an equaliser on the half hour. Bailey Peacock-Farrell made a right mess of his first touch following a routine ball back to him and good pressing from Ollie O’Neill led to him being robbed of the ball which was flicked off to Zech Obiero who unselfishly found Galbraith on the edge of the box. Peacock-Farrell never recovered a good position because he was ball watching and Ethan Galbraith coolly finished into the bottom corner. This was as bad a goal as ours but just as annoying for all that; 1-1.
Well what do you know? Another piece of bad defending let in Alfie May one on one with the keeper for 2-1! Good pressing again forced the mistake. A panicky pass back to one of the centre-halves was miscontrolled. To be fair the three yard pass was pinged at the unfortunate defender with far too much pace and the resulting poor touch rebound was gobbled up by Alfie May who was clean through, rounding Hemming with aplomb and stroking home into an empty net. Twenty minutes gone and three goals. The rain started to ease and things settled down after that.
The second half proved more attritional and I thought with our possession based play that Orient would tire. In credit to them they didn’t appear to do so and strived for an equaliser and though they had one or two moments they never really threatened though I do recall Peacock-Farrell having to parry away one fierce shot but it was one you would expect him to make. Blues also could have added to their lead and I always felt we had another gear had it been needed. In the end the better team won.
The Good: The result obviously, the company of Steve, Jacob and Shoreham Jack and the catering at Orient; fairly quick service (I managed to get a pint a half time) the pie was hot, well baked with a tasty, generous filling.
The Bad: The goals! Poor goalkeeping for two and poor touch from an Orient defender for the third. I noted that Orient manager, Richie Wellens, threw his goalkeeper, Hemming under the bus after the game, blaming him for the defeat whereas Chris Davies encouraged Peacock-Farrell and the defenders to keep playing out from the back and persist with doing the right things.
The Ugly: My mood when I caught the wrong train back from Waterloo and my phone battery failed at the same time!
Leyton Orient: Zachary Hemming 5, Jayden Sweeney 6, Sean Clare 6, Dan Happe 6, Brandon Cooper 6, Zech Obiero 6, Ethan Galbraith 7, Jordan Brown 6 (Darren Pratley 89, N/A) Charlie Kelman 6 (Sonny Perkins 89, N/A) Jamie Donley 6 Ollie O’Neill 6 (Diallang Jaiyesimi 89, N/A)
Subs not used: Sam Howes, Lewis Warrington, Omar Beckles.
Goals: Galbraith 15.
Yellow cards: Obiero 44, O’Neill 52, Wellens 52.
Birmingham City: Bailey Peacock-Farrell 5, Ethan Laird 6, Christoph Klarer 6, Krystian Bielik 6, Alex Cochrane 6, Marc Leonard 6 (Willum Willumsson 56, 6) Paik Seung-ho 6, Keshi Anderson 7 (Koji Miyoshi 84, N/A) Luke Harris 6 (Taylor Gardner-Hickman 66, 6) Emil Hansson 6 (Ayumu Yokohama 66, 6) Alfie May 7 (Lukas Jutkiewicz 84, N/A)
Subs not used: Ryan Alsop, Alfons Sampsted.
Goals: Anderson 6, May 20.
Yellow cards: Laird 23, Klarer 51.
Referee: Anthony Backhouse: 6; Despite the protestations of local supporters around me who thought the man in the middle was “Fackin’ blind!” on more than one occasion, I thought Mr Backhouse had a solid game. There was nothing truly contentious that I could remember and he stood for no nonsense histrionics or simulation and after the first few minutes this sort of behaviour largely stopped.
Attendance: 8,005 (1,200 away fans [at least in the appropriate section])
KRO Bazza
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