Thoughts of a lifelong fan: Hoping for a repeat last year's result at Shrewsbury

To avoid missing any of the action I set up Sky Sports plus to record it, only to find you can’t record on the red button. Never mind, I thought, I’ll leave the television on with the sound down and, when I get back, I’ll rewind it. One hour and forty odd minutes later, I left the house group before the tea and coffee, got into my flat and tried to rewind it, only to find you can’t do that on the red button either.

After a few expletives, I comforted myself to see the score was one all and the game was in added on time only to see the Orient forward score from a free kick from just outside of the area. Would we have won if I had stayed for tea and coffee? Answers on a post card please, if you know what one of those is that is.

We lost two one after having gone one up in the third minute through a good goal from Louis Flower and forced Orient to bring on more experienced players in order to win the game. I think, as Scott did, that we probably deserved a draw even though the statistics showed Orient would have thought they were hard done by if they had not squeezed out the win.

I haven’t seen the challenge that gained them the free kick, so can’t comment on how fair the decision was by the referee to award it, but the kick was well struck like a dagger to the heart, and another game was lost.

Back to the league and 21st placed Crawley Town took on top of the League Walsall, managed by ex-Red Devil Matt Sadler and for the first half you would have wondered who was top. Harry McKirdy had a penalty saved on just three minutes which must have had people thinking it was going to be one of those days again, but this time Crawley stuck to their task really well and it was no more than they deserved when Mckirdy’s cross was headed home at the far post by Ryan Loft.

To be honest, we should have been ahead by more at the break with nearly 80% possession and twice the number of shots that Walsall had, but we weren’t and paid the price early in the second half when they equalised. This time, however, there was no collapse, and we could have won the game with a little luck, but to draw against a team top of the table, who must have departed the Broadfield feeling fortunate indeed should be seen by fans, players and all connected with our club as a point won and a stepping stone to a brighter future.

The crowd was a respectable 3,461 which unfortunately is down on last season’s average, which was in the 4000s because of the quality of teams we were up against. With Walsall bringing just over 500 this means our core support this season is running at just under 2,900 which hopefully will rise when our form picks up. I have no doubt that it will, and it must do if we are to remain a Football League club in our 131st year.

Having just watched the reaction to the game and the result from Scott, Lindsey and Malone, I am encouraged that they think it was two points dropped rather than one point won and am hoping we get a repeat of last year’s results against the Shrews and the Gas over the next two weeks which would go a long way to kick starting our season before we play in the FA Cup on the weekend of November 1st, the draw for which was scheduled for Monday 13th October.