Four mad minutes make difference on emotional day
» Four minutes of madness that took the game away from Cheltenham Town
With 67 minutes played, Robins boss Michael Duff sent on Bristol Rovers loanee Gavin Reilly for his debut in place of Tahvon Campbell up front alongside Luke Varney.
It was 0-0 and while Cheltenham had not looked like scoring in the second half, they were very much in the game and had made an encouraging start to their opening match of the season at the Breyer Group Stadium.
But it all went dramatically wrong in the four minutes that followed.
A free-kick from the halfway line was won in the Cheltenham box by Lee Angol and when Conor Wilkinson’s shot was half blocked by Ben Tozer, it fell for Josh Wright, who tapped past Scott Flinders to given Orient the lead in the 68th minute.
Luke Varney then went up for an aerial challenge with Marvin Ekpiteta and was shown a second yellow card in the 70th minute.
Before play could restart after Varney’s dismissal, Rohan Ince was also given his marching orders after throwing an empty water bottle down in frustration, which hit the fourth official and Cheltenham were down to nine men.
Duff responded by sending on Alex Addai in place of Max Sheaf, pushing Ben Tozer into midfield and adopting a 4-2-2 formation for the final 20 minutes.
Cheltenham defended superbly for the duration to prevent Orient extending their lead, with Scott Flinders making a pair of fine saves to deny Josh Coulson and Angol.
But the game had slipped away from Duff’s side, who managed to deliver a couple of balls into the box in the closing stages, without ever seriously testing young substitute goalkeeper Sam Sargeant.
The major turning point was in the seventh minute
With three players making their debuts and Charlie Raglan making his first appearance was a permanent signing after his loan spell from Oxford United last season, Cheltenham were on top for the first quarter of an hour.
During that time, Hull City midfield prospect Sheaf shone, playing two particularly impressive balls through for the front men.
The first of these released Varney in the sixth minute and he reached the ball before on-rushing goalkeeper Dean Brill.
Varney nudged the ball past the goalkeeper and fell to the ground, which everyone in the ground expecting a penalty to be given.
But referee Michael Salisbury saw it differently, showing Varney a yellow card for simulation.
Replays appear to show that he was wrong and the decision cost Cheltenham dear, missing out on a penalty and
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then having Varney sent off in the second half, which will rule him out of Saturday’s home match against Scunthorpe United.
Brill was forced off with an injury in the 12th minute after making a save from Will Boyle’s header.
The club are planning to appeal Ince’s red card, with the midfielder adamant he did not deliberately throw the bottle in the direction of the fourth official, but that may be difficult to prove and it upheld he is likely to miss the next three.
A fitting matchwinner on a day full of emotion
Orient’s first competitive game without manager Justin Edinburgh, who died at the age of 49 in June, was always going to be emotionally-charged.
Cheltenham supporters played their part in the tributes by bringing a giant flag in his memory.
It was a gesture greatly appreciated by the home fans and Edinburgh’s son Charlie, who accepted a cheque to the Justin Edinburgh 3 Foundation for £1,700 from Robins fans James Robinson and Owen Knight of the 1887 Red Army at half-time.
There was a minute’s silence before kick-off, with those in the Tommy Johnston Stand behind the goal holding up red and white cards to create a “JE3” mosaic.
Whatever happened on the pitch, the day was always going to be about the legendary manager, who led the club to the National League title last year, and it was rather fitting that his final signing as manager scored the decisive goal.
Wright became a close friendly of the Edinburgh family and after scoring he ran straight over to the stand Charlie was celebrating in, displaying a T-shirt dedicated to Justin and pointed to the sky.
It was an occasion like no other and one of the most testing starts to the season Cheltenham could have asked for, but it was Orient’s day.
Chris Hussey makes a welcome return
Cheltenham went into the match worrying about the fitness of both left wingbacks, with Josh Debayo suffering a hamstring injury against his old club Leicester City a fortnight earlier and Hussey missing all of the friendlies with a thigh problem.
In the end, Debayo was fit enough to play for an hour and he produced one of his best performances for the club so far in a role that clearly suits him more than left-back in a four-match defence.
As he tired, Hussey was sent on for the final half an hour and while he was unable to have any real influence on this match, having him back in contention is a huge lift for Duff.
Hussey was one of Cheltenham’s top performers last season and his composure, ball-carrying ability and set piece deliveries will certainly be a vital part of Duff’s plans this term.
Cheltenham can feel hard done by, but there was also plenty to improve on
After a nervy start, Orient improved and finished the first half on top.
They also looked the more likely scorers in the second half, eventually breaking through in the 68th minute.
Cheltenham seemed to run out of creative ideas, with Duff unhappy at the number of long balls pumped towards Campbell and Varney.
Ryan Broom played with energy, Sheaf started well before fading slightly before being taken off, while Ince will need a few games to rediscover his edge after a full year out.
The back three performed well on the whole, although Duff will be displeased to see them concede after a set piece delivery from the halfway line.
Flinders recovered from an early fumble to put in an excellent display, but Duff will be fully aware that even if decisions had not gone against them, there is plenty to work on and they did not do enough to feel they deserved to win the game.
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