Trains, taxis, travel trouble and commitment … the story of Leyton Orient 0 Rotherham United 2
IT was touch and go whether Lee Clark even made it to the game.
A loss in the family had brought a Friday-night dash from London to Newcastle to be with his partner on the eve of Rotherham United's clash with Leyton Orient and Saturday's matchday saw the new manager heading south to be with his team before another trip back home straight after the League One contest.
The train was supposed to take the strain. Only it didn't. There were delays, cancellations, and Clark finished up paying a taxi fare to reach the BetWright Stadium in the sunny East End just as the warm-up was concluding.
He was glad he made the effort.
In the first match since relegation was confirmed, he picked up his first win in the Millers hot-seat, the side he inherited last month won for the first time in 10 attempts and the long-suffering fans finally got to enjoy themselves.
“It was a good result,” said number two Peter Leven with a bit of Scottish under-statement as he took care of the after-match media work on behalf of the boss.
“You're going down with the Rotherham,” chanted 395 hardy souls in the away section as their team heaped some drop concern on opponents who are flirting with the bottom four.
Clark's schedule amounted to nearly 1,00 miles in less than 24 hours and while he was racking up the distance, the players were putting in some hard yards for their gaffer.
They led in the first half, they increased their advantage in the second, they could have scored several more times, they answered the very public questions the manager has been asking about their character.
“We've got a duty,” Leven said. ”We came here to try to win. We'll keep going right to the end, no matter if we're relegated.”
Clark hadn't been the only one hit by train trouble. Fans had faced disruption and so, too, had club officials who'd been forced to hitch a lift and divert to Stevenage before reaching the capital.
“I know it affected many of the supporters coming down,” Leven said. “It's fantastic that they were here. Credit to them for still coming after the situation the club has been in. This one was for them today.”
Crucially, the Millers got the opener - the first time they had been in front in a game for more than a month. Harry Gray turned an opponent one way and then the other before his low, right-footed cross in the 24th-minute evaded everybody and nestled in the far corner.
“When I was working in Scotland, I think it was 78 per cent of games that were won by the team scoring first,” Leven said ”It's so important to get that goal. I thought we were well worth the win today.”
Clark had grabbed a cab and now some of his players were leaving their own meters running as they covered every blade of grass and produced their A game against the O's.
Gray, just 17, shimmied and shone, Dan Gore had spark and spite in equal measure, Cohen Lee looked like he was playing his 100th pro game not his second and the backline stood comfortably firm. “You've only come to see the Millers,” chanted supporters.
Lee was in the starting 11 along with fellow 19-year-old James Clarke. Another 17-year-old, Harrison Duncan, came off the bench and was much more than a boy in a men's game.
“You have to bring lads through the academy,” Leven said. ”You have to see how they can cope in this environment. Cohen showed composure, he was taking the ball under pressure, Clarkey brought energy and did well for the second goal. There were a lot of positives from today.”
Still, the official supporters club's man-of-the-match award went to the manager for his commitment at a time of personal sadness.
Ar'Jany Martha had missed badly before Gray's strike. At 1-0, Gore punched holes in the Orient defence but couldn't hit the target. Then, Gray took possession, Clarke picked a dangerous pocket of space and the latter's little pass saw Sam Nombe steer the ball beyond Will Dennis.
Later, Nombe had two more chances, bringing a fine save from Dennis with a header before fractionally misdirecting a lob while Millers keeper Ted Cann's only vital involvement was blocking a close-range second-half shot from the division's top scorer, Dom Ballard.
“Let's hope the way home is a little bit easier than the way down,” said Leven. ”I hope everybody gets back safe.”
The fans he was referring to seemed to be enjoying their day just fine.
“Up the Football League we go,” they chanted in ironic humour.
Not many of them would have wanted the manager to be in charge next season when he was appointed last month for the nine-match run-in.
His honesty has since made a mark on them and his standing rose further this weekend as a result of all that selfless travelling to be with the Millers as well as his missus.
Taxi for Clark at the end of the campaign?
Maybe a few more supporters are now thinking not.
Orient (4-2-3-1): Will Dennis; Tom James, Will Forrester (Kaelan Casey 59), Dan Happe, James Morris; Azeem Abdulai (Sean Clare H-T), Tyreeq Bakinson; Sonny Perkins (Josh Koroma H-T), Charlie Wellens (Aaron Connolly 59), Demetri Mitchell (Dylan Levitt 59); Dom Ballard. Subs not used: Killian Cahill, Michael Craig.
Rotherham (4-2-3-1): Ted Cann; Denzel Hall (Harrison Duncan 61), Emmanuel Adegboyega (Joe Rafferty H-T), Zak Jules, Jamal Baptiste; Dan Gore, Cohen Lee (Dru Yearwood 76); Ar'Jany Martha (Jack Holmes 84), James Clarke, Harry Gray; Sam Nombe. Subs not used: Ben Childs, Gabriele Biancheri, Jordan Hugill.
Goals: Gray 24, Nombe 73 (Rotherham)
Referee: James Bell (South Yorkshire)
Attendance: 7,816 (395)