A messy second-half goal by Marvin Ekpiteta was enough for Leyton Orient FC to edge out league leaders Wrexham A.F.C and go top of the league on Saturday.
Richard Assheton at the Bowers Group Stadium
The defender’s goal on 72 minutes took the O’s one point ahead of the travellers in the National League with a game in hand.
After winning for the first time on live television, on BT Sport, in more than four years, Justin Edinburgh’s side can look forward to the closing stages of the season with relish.
It was a nervy, adrenaline-filled affair on a bright spring day.
Following an early chance for Craig Clay flashed just wide from a corner, Bryan Hughes’ Wrexham became the better team.
With their vocal travelling fans drowning out the O’s faithful, Wrexham were first to the 50/50s in the opening 20 minutes and the home team looked nervous.
When Ekpiteta, who was dealt a lot of work at right wing back, won the ball and played it forward to Joe Simpson for a first-time pass in behind, it looked like it might be the moment to spark the O’s into light.
But Simpson’s pass was cut out and the O’s were frustrated.
Then in the 20th minute Ekpiteta’s long ball was charged down by Ben Tollitt, who looked threatening all afternoon. Tollitt worked an angle but narrowly missed the far right corner. A sharp foul on him later signalled the blood pumping through the veins.
Both teams were still struggling to string passes together.
Finally the O’s had the moment they had been waiting for. Jay Simpson, their best attacking player on the day, turned on a sixpence, danced passed two defenders like Lionel Messi and whipped a cross in from the right.
Although Macauley Bonne’s volley flew just past the top-right corner, the Orient had laid down a marker.
Yet Tollitt and Stuart Beavon continued to give their fans joy on the left, blocking clearances and piercing the back three in the O’s familiar 3-4-1-2 formation with through balls.
By this time the O’s were beginning to work their passing game in Wrexham’s half, but the final product still eluded them.
O’s keeper Dean Brill fielded a low strike as half time beckoned but it was the home side that would have the better chance before the break.
Simpson skinned two players and passed wide to Sam Ling whose cross Bonne headed just wide. On reflection, Simpson’s pass had been three yards too heavy for Ling to keep the cross low.
Both managers had important words to say at half time, with a six-point swing balanced on a knife edge.
The second half continued much like the first, but the O’s steadily built sustained pressure on Wrexham’s box and the home crowd became louder.
Both sides had chances blocked. Ling then sustained an injury and was replaced by James Brophy. Brophy sprinted forward menacingly but couldn’t find the final ball.
The home side had to wait until the 72nd minute to finally get its breakthrough.
Simpson tried to find Ekpiteta on the edge of the box and cut back inside.
But the ball pin-balled to the wing back who struck a half-volley first time which just crept between the right-hand post and keeper Rob Lainton’s left glove.
A huge outpouring of pent up energy sent the crowd into frenzy. But the crowd wanted more, with shouts of “Come on O’s, we want another one!” rising into the east London air.
From then on the O’s started to assert themselves, winning more high balls than they had previously and creating chances.
There was a hairy moment when a high ball was not collected at first by keeper Brill but he leaped on it on the ground.
After a typical bit of magic from Simpson a three-on-two went begging when Jordan Maguire-Drew’s pass went dead.
Wrexham worked a couple of half-chances as the lips of the home team tightened. Then the announcement of six minutes injury time caused a few more nerves.
Brill made one sharp save before the final whistle but it was Leyton Orient’s day.
Centre-back Dan Happe, who made clearing header after clearing header in the second half, was named a worthy man of the match.
It remains to be seen whether the O’s can keep luck on their side and force their way back into league football.
