Seven decades of Cardiff City v Leyton Orient matches.

Posted on October 2, 2025 by The other Bob Wilson

I’ve said before on here that Newport County have always been my “second team”. Although it seems that many County fans can’t stand City, I’ve always had a soft spot for Newport and I’ll be hoping that what is ominously shaping up as a relegation season for them turns out to be nothing of the sort – having got the number of Welsh EFL clubs back up to four in recent seasons, the last thing we can afford is it being reduced to three again.

I don’t have a third team as such, but, if I did have one, it would probably be Leyton Orient. I can’t really explain why but I suppose I liked the unusual name and although my first visit there was a bit of a disaster (a 4-1 loss at the start of the 71/72 season), I can remember being impressed by little things like they’d give you a free programme (I see last weekend’s opponents Wigan are one of an increasing number of clubs that no longer produce a match day programme) as part of your price of admission. The crowd got right behind them that day and, despite the scoreline, I liked how vibrant this little club surrounded by some giants of the game seemed, given that life was always going to be a struggle for them in terms of gates and finances.

Throw in an interesting history and a few quirks such as them not seeming to be able to make their minds up for long spells whether the club colour was red or blue and Leyton Orient have always been a club I’ve looked at with affection,

Predictably, Orient couldn’t survive the disadvantage of having me supporting them in the two Play Off Finals they played in the fairly recent past. One of them was last season of course where a dull Charlton side “got the job done” to the tune of 1-0 under Nathan Jones, while the other was back in 2014 I think it was when Russell Slade was the manager against Rotherham and the Os were unluckily beaten in a penalty shoot out.

Orient’s success last season was built on some very good loan signings and the early signs are that they’re suffering some sort of hangover after falling at the final hurdle in 24/25. They come here on Saturday much closer to the bottom of the league than the top opf it with just one win, and four defeats in their last seven games in which a total of 13 goals have been conceded.

Until Tuesday’s game, I would have said there was a very good chance of us winning, but with our, long established, home fallIbilities making an unwelcome return in our last two games at Cardiff City Stadium, who knows what’s in store now?

Here’s seven questions on Leyton Orient dating back to the 60s, I’ll post the answers on here on Sunday.

60s. With a surname suggesting he was born about twenty five miles from Leyton, in reality it was almost a hundred and fifty miles away, he won over fifty caps for his country, while also representing the nation at a major sporting event. His CV included some very famous clubs (e.g. Manchester United and Chelsea), but it was always as a reserve and it was only when he signed for Leyton Orient that he became a first choice at a time when they were on the rebound so to speak from the best season in their history – who am I describing?

70s. Born in a part of London famous for having a huge number of parks football pitches I suppose, this forward played for two clubs in the capital before leaving these shores to go and play in Australia. Orient was the first of his two clubs from London and he enjoyed much more success with them. than he did with his second team. He was one of those players who mainly played out wide without being a traditional winger. Indeed, he seemed to be someone who would probably see himself as more of a support striker in a time where it was a lot more common to play two up front. His goals at Orient came at the rate of something like one in every four games, but he only managed the single goal for his second club after making what was a shortish move across the river. Who is he?

80s. Shake Neil and initially treat his vertigo? (5,5,)

90s. Man of the cloth meets metal worker at the back.

00s. Which City manager from this decade last his job after a game against Leyton Orient?

10s. Alternative way of describing thing in this picture I suppose! Russell Slade rated him.

20s. Who is the third longest serving member of the current Leyton Orient first team squad?

Answers

60s. Boston Lincolnshire born goalkeeper Mike Pinner combined a career as a lawyer with one as an amateur footballer who played fifty two times for England’s amateur team and represented the UK in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics. Pinner was om the books of Aston Villa, Arsenal, Sheffield Wednesday, Manchester United and Chelsea (he also played once for Swansea), but the fact that he played just sixteen games in all at those five clubs tells you all about the nature of his career. When he got to Leyton Orient in 1962, he finally became a first choice goalkeeper for a club as the next two or so years saw him play just short of eighty times for them.

70s. Barrie Fairbrother was born in Hackney and played for Orient and Millwall before going off to play in Australia.

80s. Kevin Hales.

90s. Dean Smith.

00s. Bobby Gould was replaced with Alan Cork by Sam Hammam following a 2-1 defeat at Leyton Orient in October 2000.

10s. Shaun Batt was complemented by Russell Slade during his spell in charge at Leyton Orient.

20s. Dan Happe is the longest serving member of the current Orient squad, then it’s Omar Beckles followed by ex City defender Tom James.

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Cardiff City’s 2020’s curse returns with a reminder that the mental scars are still there for some.

Posted on October 1, 2025 by The other Bob Wilson

So, for the first time this season, the biggest single factor in our decline in the 2020’s raises its head – the fact that our home results have been abysmal for the last five years.

The loss to Bradford City ten days ago was one thing – we deservedly lost, but I didn’t think we played too badly and, after following our first defeat of the season season up with a Cup win at a Premier League club and then as dominant an away performance as we’ve produced for at least a couple of seasons on Saturday, there was clearly no need for any panic stations.

A win at Cardiff City Stadium tonight against bottom of the table Burton Albion would have taken us back to the top of the league, but, instead, we lost by a late goal to nil and by the end of the game, it had all got very concerning as the life, belief and spirit of adventure that has characterised this season drained out of the team as quickly as air does from a balloon.

For all of the excitement generated by the emergence of youngsters this season, it should not be forgotten that there are still plenty of the first team squad that have probably lost more home games than they’ve won during their time at the club – we’ve been so bad at home for so long that I wouldn’t be surprised at all if someone as long serving as Perry Ng has tasted defeat at home more than he has experienced victory. It seemed that for all of the desire on and off the pitch to state that we’ve moved on from the wretched home form of recent seasons, this was clearly not so based on the evidence of the last quarter of tonight’s match which was a grim reminder of so many 0-1 losses suffered at Cardiff City Stadium since the Covid pandemic.

City, especially Yousef Salech, will feel that referee Jacob Miles’ decision to disallow his first half goal changed the game. Certainly, it was the sort of decision Salech just doesn’t get given in his favour in this division and I thought it was a poor call by the ref to rule that our centre forward had committed a foul.

However, I’m not too sympathetic towards our striker this time because he’d already had two headed chances that he could have done better with and there were a couple more opportunities he got wrong in a second half where, at times, it looked like he was more concerned with carrying on a running battle with Burton defenders or arguing the toss with the officials.

Joel Bagan, so assured when passing the ball, blazed a very presentable chance into the upper rows of the family stand as City’s strong and impressive first half an hour or so was undermined by familiar final third problems such as wingers staying out wide when crosses were dropping into areas just beyond the far post on their side of the pitch.

Not having enough bodies in dangerous areas for a crosser to aim for offered some excuse for a half time successful crosses figure of just three out of fifteen, but only some – failing to pick out our own players when in space close to the bye line has been a season long weakness.

As the opportunities came and went for City, a few heads began to drop it seemed and Burton could have been ahead when Nathan Trott just about kept out George Evans’ point blank header and Charlie Webster had a couple of opportunities from the edge of the area that he could have done better with.

Salech’s best header of the night set up a great chance for Cian Ashford quite early in the second half, but the winger’s well struck shot flew straight at keeper Collins who was to have a pretty quiet night of it all told.

Salech then wasted another good chance provided by sub Callum Robinson’s neat through ball as City got worse and worse as the belief gained by all of the good things they’d done in the first two months of the season drained away.

Although Burton were not looking too dangerous themselves, there was no a definite feeling that the visitors could nick it late on against a City side that were now a shadow of the one that had briefly run rampant for a while at the start of the match. On 82 minutes the goal arrived as Webster scored at the third attempt following all manner of missed opportunities to clear and half hearted tackling from a frazzled home team.

Although the game dragged on for nearly twenty minutes after the goal, City never looked like equalizing and so, for the first time I’d say, BBM has some really serious issues to try and sort out before we play again – I wish him luck in that because it seems to me that a lot of those issues are deep seated and long lasting ones even if tonight was probably the first time he’d seen evidence of them.

In complete contrast, the under 21s served up a reminder of how effective the type of football BBM wants the first team to play can be if you can get tha early goal. Jake Davies’ deflected shot had us 1-0 up at Leckwith this afternoon against Millwall inside the first ten minutes and Will Spiers made it two from the penalty spot in added time at the end of the first period. The second half saw a couple of quick fire goals from Mannie Barton complete a 4-0 win that was as impressive as the scoreline suggests.

The youngsters’ pace and movement made Millwall’s big defenders look leaden footed by comparison and opponents who are always competitive at this level were blown away by the end as both the under 21s and 18s continue what are largely successful seasons without any signs of what is the first team’s increasing, and concerning, fragility.

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