The Sutton United train collides with the Orient Express.
When you get result like the one Sutton United got at Leyton Orient, beaten four one, fans can reach for a phrase or two of comfort. Like this one ‘bad day at the office.’ Were once football was associated with the factory gate its now a bad day at the office. Now that more than a few office workers work from home the ‘bad day at the office’ can be retired. Then there is the baying chant to opposition fans ‘your grounds a fucking library’ presumably because they are so quiet. I have my library card, libraries these days are not quite. If it is quiet, you are after, duck into the French Church just off Leicester Square. Not sure how ‘your grounds a fucking church’ will catch on. All this moaning is to do with the disappointment of today’s result which in parts resembled a Christmas Panto at the heart of the Sutton United defence. Also, I have been away with work these past four weeks disconnected from all things Sutton United.
The day started well with the advantage of an away game in London down Leyton way. A trek across London, on at Morden, out at Leyton arriving before noon. The Leyton High Street looked a bit faded but ten minutes’ walk, turn left towards the Orients ground it was showing signs of gentrification. At the heart of this were the flats that formed part of the ground in a comparable way to the Holiday Inn Hotel that forms part of Norwich football ground. The flats are I believe what are left of Barry Hearns involvement with Leyton Orient. As a Sutton United fan walking up to the Brisbane Road stadium is like approaching a tiny footballing Sistine Chapel in that you have a moment of awe that Sutton United are playing at such stadiums. The supporter’s bar was a grand affair with all sorts of ales, toffee stouts and some sort of pear-based ale. It is the kind of supporter’s bar that other clubs around our league can aspire too. The Sutton United pre match experience was a subject of debate most recently at the Meet the Manager night last Thursday. The bar queues on match day are an issue, more staff are required but as we know the hospitality industry is in the midst of a staff shortage. The pre match lunch could learn from how other clubs do it. For me, the pre match meal is more than suffice for the price. What Ii like most about the pre match lunch is the chance to sit with all sorts from ex-players, to Norwegian supporters and the team behind Jenny the Giraffe. I have said it before that as a club Sutton United are suffering from the growing pains of a club that is super charged by volunteers to being one where it needs to become more professional with a few more staff on the payroll in areas such as hospitality.
Speaking of Jenny, the Giraffe I am not expecting her to follow Cleo and Theo the Orient mascots who I spotted taking turns doing press ups. There must be a gym somewhere that all the club mascots go. It cannot be easy wearing the mascot kit so the fitter the better.
As for the game we got the hope. A seventeenth minute goal from Olaofe put us one up. We settled well into the game, not bossing it but we were on it. Then Orient scored an equalizer. The game turned with Orient moving up the gears with only wayward finishing sparing us going into the dressing room losing. Surely Matt the manger would help steady the ship and send us out second half, masts up. Unfortunately, we sunk with Orient going two one up to goals that owed more to pantomime than football. From then on Sutton United were on to a hiding, the goals came until it reached four and we could take no more.
I waited until the very end to acknowledge the players as even in defeat they deserve a clap or two.
Reasons to be cheerful, Sutton United are only down to ninth in the league and we have Mansfield on Tuesday. Here is a chance to respond to today’s bruising defeat, beat Mansfield, move and get the train back on track. Onwards.
