Notts County v Leyton Orient match
report
Jon Stead inspired Notts County to their first home league
victory of the season with a 3-1 win over Leyton Orient this afternoon.
County edged a very scrappy first half. Orient started the
stronger but County gradually grew into the game, culminating in Stead having a
double chance half way through the half but this was easily dealt with by Alex
Cisak, the Orient goalkeeper.
The game lacked any positive chances in the later part of the
half, in which Notts central defender Richard Duffy was cautioned for a
handling offence to beak up a dangerous looking Orient attack.
County came out the traps flying in what proved a far better
second half. The deadlock was broken in the 53rd minute when, after
good build up play, the ball was played in by wing back Matt Tootle and met by
the head of Jonathan Forte. Cisak almost kept it out but an alert assistant
referee spotted it had already crossed the line.
Fans had to wait only a couple of minutes for a second goal
– a real beauty. Stead picked the ball up on the top right corner of the box,
turned and powered a thunderous shot into the bottom left hand corner of
Cisak’s goal.
County were reduced to ten men after 68 minutes when central
defender Louis Laing was shown a second yellow card. This gave Orient a chance
to come back into the game and Paul McCallum duly set up a nervy finish when
substitute Jordan Bowery flicked the ball over a defender’s head to the back
post, leaving McCallum with an easy chance.
The final moment of the game was a piece of sheer brilliance
from County loanee Aaron Collins. Taking a pass from substitute Jordan Richards
in the Notts’ half Collins burst into the Orient half, beat one defender for
pace, skipped past another and coolly tucked the ball just beyond Cisak to seal
the points for County.
The man of the match award deservedly went to Stead whose
link-up play was a constant delight until he had to be substituted in the 58th
minute with a hamstring problem. The goal against Orient was his seventh of the
season and he now has gone to the top of the League Two goal scoring chart.
Now with County’s unsuccessful home streak ended at the
fifth attempt the team can only look ahead with confidence to pushing towards
the playoff spots. Orient’s defeat was their first away from Brisbane Road.
