The Hatters played host on a second occasion in the week, but for the first time in League One since the penultimate Saturday of August, as they fell to their inaugural League One defeat of the campaign against Leyton Orient.
A pair of early first-half goals for the visitors put them in control of proceedings – and although Jack Diamond’s first competitive County goal offered some hope shortly after the interval, two further strikes by the Hatters’ immediate League Two Champion-predecessors made sure of inflicting a first home league defeat at Edgeley Park in over seventh months.
With the Autumnal Equinox less than a day away, County took to the field on a gloriously sunny afternoon, and showing two changes from the most recent L1 starting line-up at Crawley seven days previously. Callum Connolly (making his home league debut as a Hatter) and Diamond – both of whom had started in the midweek EFL Trophy-tie against an Under-21 side from Everton’s Academy – were the players brought in, respectively replacing Tyler Onyango and Ibby Touray who featured on the bench.
The initial dozen minutes produced plenty of end-to-end endeavour, albeit without a cutting edge on the part of either side in the final third. But the afternoon’s opening chance, when it did arrive, was to produce a goal – and, alas, the first of the season to be conceded by the Hatters in SK3.
So it was that the ‘O’s’, having last suffered defeat at Edgeley Park 15 years earlier, went ahead – courtesy of Ethan Galbraith, whose deflected shot flew into the far-top corner from 12 yards after he had picked up a Tom James cross from the right.
Five minutes later, Galbraith and his team had a second – when the Northern Irish international tapped in from close range on the rebound, after Corey Addai parried Charlie Kelman’s low, goal-bound drive.
With 20 minutes played, and County at two down, Addai prevented the scorers being troubled further when he used his outstretched legs to scramble the ball around the near post, after Ollie O’Neill had cut in from the right.
Ten minutes ahead of the break, the Hatters fashioned their first chances of note. Louie Barry, to the right of goal, saw a close-range shot deflected behind by visiting goalkeeper Zach Hemming, before acting skipper Fraser Horsfall headed narrowly wide of the near post from the resulting corner.
County showed some further attacking intent through Will Collar, who, following a dashing run down the right, earned a second corner in as many minutes. And shortly afterwards, Barry curled one shot past the right post from just inside the box, as well as a second that was deflected away from goal by Orient captain Omar Beckles.
HALF-TIME: County 0, Leyton Orient 2 (Galbraith, 12 and 17).
Having ended the first half strongly, the Hatters began the second by introducing Lewis Bate – who took the captain’s armband – and Tanto Olaofe, as they sought to reduce the arrears.
They proceeded almost immediately to go close through Tayo Adaramola, whose shot from distance stung the hands of Hemming, before Collar drilled wide of the left post – but then enjoyed a huge let-off, when Kelman, fed by James, poked an effort beyond the corresponding upright at the other end.
All this, with fewer than five minutes of the new half played, was followed by a County goal. Diamond started the move by winning the ball around the halfway-line, before racing to the six-yard box and converting Olaofe’s delivery from the right.
But seven minutes, and a couple of Orient substitutions later, the visitors’ two-goal cushion was restored. One of the newly-introduced O’s, Dom Ball, played in Dan Agyei, who turned in the box before blasting home.
Adaramola tested Hemming with another well-struck shot, Barry fired past the far upright with an effort from the left, and substitute Jayden Fevrier, less than a minute following his introduction, clipped the left post, as the Hatters strove to get back into the contest.
Hopes of that prospect for County were, however, well and truly buried with 10 minutes remaining, when Sean Clare – fed on the right by Agyei – fired in the visitors’ fourth from a tight angle to put the seal on their deserved triumph and an end to the Hatters’ unbeaten L1 start.
FULL-TIME: County 1 (Diamond, 50), Leyton Orient 4 (Galbraith, 12 and 17; Agyei, 57; Clare, 80).
Team (3-4-3): Addai; Connolly, Horsfall (Capt.), Pye; Diamond, Camps (Bate, 46), Norwood (Olaofe, 46), Adaramola (Fevrier, 72); Collar (Touray, 84), Wootton (Fiorini, 72), Barry.
Unused Subs: Hinchliffe, Onyango.
Booked: Diamond.
Man of the Match: Diamond.
Attendance: 9,473 (462 away).
Reporter: Gareth Evans.
Photographer: Mike Petch.
