Fletcher returns to haunt sorry Orient

Last updated : 21 March 2004 By Gary Hutchinson
Gary Fletcher returned to his old hunting ground to give Orient a taste of what they let go with a fantastic display capped off with two superb goals.
Keith Alexander kept faith with the same sixteen who drew 2-2 with Southend in midweek, which meant that dependable Simon Weaver had to sit out a second successive game.

City started in the best possible fashion after just three minutes. Peter Gain crafted a ball that evaded the Orient defence and the deadly Fletcher nipped in to round Glen Morris in the Orient goal and give the Imps a dream start. 1-0.

Francis Green could have made it two just moments later. Fletcher was the provider releasing Green who should have scored. Morris pulled off the important save to keep the home side in it early on.

Orient best chance of the first half came from Donny Barnard who let fly with a stinging drive that flashed inches wide of Alan Marriotts post.

A wild lunge from former Exeter and West Ham striker Gary Alexander left Kevin Ellison laid prone on the ground. Referee Paul Armstrong pulled out a yellow card much to the derision of the home support. The tackle was clearly dangerous and caught the on loan midfielder late. However Alexander escaped with the caution.

Ciaran Toner went down acrobatically just minutes later under what seemed to be a fair challenge by the bald headed Ellison, but he was clearly making an enemy of the Orient fans. Turners drawn out treatment only added fuel to the fire.

After 38 minutes Ellison was again at the centre of a storm of controversy. Another clattering challenge by the brutal Alexander saw the left sided player laid out on the turf yet again. perhaps sensibly, perhaps leniently Armstrong allowed the forward to stay on the field. One couldn't help but wonder if these two players had a history as they seemed to be digging at each other for the entire first period. However Alexanders tackle signalled the end of the significant action for the first half.

In the second period Ellison was again the man making things edgy for the home side. A Gary Fletcher long throw was nodded out for a corner, and Ellisons whipped centre had to be punched off the line by an aware Glen Morris. Ellison and Fletcher in particular were looking lively for City, and a second goal seemed to be in the post.

It wasn't long coming. A Marcus Richardson header zipped over the bar as City looked increasingly like a side heading for division two. Gary Fletcher looks like a player heading for much greater things, and his next contribution will do little to disparage that notion. He picked up the balkl in the vicinity of the half way line before embarking on a mazy run through fouror five red shirted defenders. Once those players had  been beaten it remained only for a powerful shot to be despatched into the net past a helpless Morris. 2-0, and Fletcher had proved his point to the Londoners.

Straight after the goal Fletcher made way for Simon Yeo in a move designed to protect the forwards fitness with the latter stages of the season in mind. These days Yeo provides a dangerous and exciting addition to the side. As Fletch made his way off the field he found the cheers of both sets of supporters ringing in his ears.

Gary Alexander was looking to prove his worth to the home fans as his former understudy had done to devastating effect. He freed himself from the City defence but his header was grasped to safety by the outstanding Alan Marriott.

Orient continued to press for a majority of the second half, but a series of flash shots and half efforts rarely troubled Marriott or the City defence. A counter attack from Marcus Richardson could have made it three for the Imps, but the ball he played was neither a shot nor a pass leaving Simon Yeo stood in space with no chance to pounce on.

In the final minute Glen Morris chose to bring the ball forward himself an made it to the halfway line before slipped in the difficult conditions. A long shot from Ellison failed to hit the target but had Morris heart in his mouth for a moment. It proved to be the last significant action in the final three minutes bar a succesion of yellow cards.

The win lifted City to sixth in the table, and they now look forward to Kidderminster next week knowing the Yeovil and Mansfield (7th & 8th) have to face each other the same day. Nows the time Citys promotion push really kicks in!