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A Good Thrashing!	Posted by David Snowball at Sunday, September 17, 2006
ALBION fans were all smiles for a change after Orient were given a good thrashing at Withdean. The only pity was that the Seagulls didn't rattle up an even higher score - - it could easily have been six, such was Albion's superiority. Orient were undone by the 15th minute dismissal of their centre back and captain. Paul Reid opened the scoring two minutes later, and, by half time, a 3-0 lead was established thanks to a stunning left foot belter from Adam El-Abd, turning in from the right wing, and a well-deserved, tight-angled drive from Dean Cox, who just got better the longer the game went on. It was a shame Dean Hammond didn't convert a penalty awarded for a shove on Reid, but the rest of his play sitting as the holding player in a diamond midfield was excellent most of the afternoon. Reid revelled in his preferred central midfield role, and was unlucky not to grab a second when a thumping free kick from the edge of the box rattled a post and bounced to safety. Alex Revell worked his socks off to good effect in opening up opportunities for others and linking the play effectively. The other Alex, Frutos, showed glimpses of a return to the sort of form he displayed last season, giving the Albion a good looking balance wide on the left. Albion were so on top Kerry Mayo even had the opportunity to display some silky showboating skills to take the ball out of a tight situation. Georges Santos had probably his best game since joining the Albion, but spoilt it by conceding a penalty with a blatant foul right in front of the ref. Credit to substitutes Jake Robinson and Doug Loft for combining to notch the injury time fourth goal. Jake got behind Lockwood and pulled it back delightfully for Loft to nod home in the six yard box. The only disappointment was the size of the crowd - 6,003 - but a few more performances like this, together with a rise up the league table, will bring the stayaway fans back. Nick Turrell Labels: League One, Leyton Orient, Nick Turrell