[Exile on Spencer St]

Like last week at Woking, the sending off turned the match into a different game. Prior to that, it was a great, end-to-end tussle with both sides showing intent.
I, and others, were puzzled why our 'proper' captain was sat on the bench, along with an apparently fully-fit left-back, but the players on the pitch were really getting into their stride for the first 20 minutes. The midfield of Messrs Davies, Brown, and Lacey was, I thought, starting to show great promise. Then, I suspect because he's isn't a full back, our 'temporary' captain lets one their better forwards get past him and 'pulls' him down. Very harsh red card, but the ref and the linesman on our side were a couple of idiots and, after what seemed like a five minute chat together, decided McMarmite had to go. About the only positive to take from that was at least it was him, and not another Stanley player, who might have really been missed.
After that it was much harder work, with Lacey once again 'relegated' to playing left-back and losing what influence he'd begun to exert in midfield. But all ten Stanley players really gave their best. No-one left on the field had a bad game. I'm not even sure that, for once, the substitutions were a good idea. Replacing Gornell, who seems to have gained a bit of muscle and was battling well with their big centre backs, with McCarten wasn't really effective. Orient's back line of four weren't going anywhere near the half way line, so there was no space for McCarten to exploit. BTW, he ain't Payet, and needs to spend the next two weeks doing extra practice until he can at least hit the target.
I've seen Stanley play worse and win. But, Orient were also not a bad team and had some tricky forwards who, but for one scrappy, scrambled, goal, were pretty well contained by our defence.
But there's plenty of good teams who've gone down claiming they were constantly unlucky and Stanley have no reason, on today's result, to think it can't happen to them.