Wednesday began our League One season with a mixed performance in a 2-1 win at Orient this afternoon.
As with last week’s Carabao Cup victory, we got stronger as the game progressed and could have had more goals to show for our second-half improvement.
After an early angled effort from Jordi Liongola into the side netting, it was Orient who looked the sharper and more creative side, Idris El Mizouni firing a great chance over the bar from inside the box and then Joe Lumley pushed away Yusuf Akhamrich’s low effort at full length.
However, Wednesday took the lead in fortunate fashion on 18 minutes when keeper Nathan Baxter’s attempted clearance bounced off the back of Callum Slattery and into the far corner of the net.
Undeterred, Orient got the equaliser their early enterprise deserved six minutes later when Fin Stevens sent in a cross direct from a ‘drop ball’, Jaze Kabia was given time and space to head on and Joseph Olowu finished off the move from close in.
The home side went close to going ahead early in the second half when El Mizouni saw his 20-yarder come back off a post but Wednesday began to take more control of the game and could have been well ahead in a 20-minute spell.
Jamal Lowe saw a header from Slattery’s cross ruled out for offside on the hour and the same pairing combined almost immediately, Slattery finding Lowe and his first-time effort from inside the box was just too close to the keeper.
However, Lowe was not to be denied two minutes later when he was pulled down by James Morris in the box and got up to send Baxter the wrong way from the spot for his second goal in two games.
With the Owls bossing the game, the next chance fell to Harry Gray via Lowe’s cross but his shot lacked power and direction and Baxter was able to gather.
And with 68 minutes on the clock came our best opportunity of the match, falling to Barry Bannan.
The midfielder seized on a poor backpass from Morris, took it past the stranded keeper Baxter but inexplicably dragged the ball wide of the open goal.
We were almost made to pay for those missed chances six minutes from time when Armando Dobra was left unmarked at the far post but shot wide from eight yards out.
It was Wednesday who then had the last say in added time, Louie Barry’s curler from the edge of the area tipped away keeper by Baxter after an excellent move.
Lumley, Palmer, Otegbayo, Swinkels (Cooper 81), M Lowe, Liongola (Barry 46), Bannan, Slattery, Gray (Burstow 81), Onyango (Thornton 14), J Lowe. Unused subs: Trueman, Fusire, Grainger.
