Jose’s magic show

Photo: Pictures by ALAN HOWARTH

BREAKTHROUGH: Matt Derbyshire celebrates after putting Athletic in front in the 77th minute.

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Athletic 2, Orient 0

Jose Baxter conjured up a second goal here that had Orient’s defenders wondering how he did it.

Rummaging for possession on the fringe of the penalty area in the 83rd minute, Baxter whipped home a brilliant curving shot that left visiting goalkeeper Ryan Allsop gazing at the corner of his goal in resentful admiration.

It was Baxter’s third - and best - goal for the club. Even greater will be Paul Dickov’s feat, if he manages it, of keeping the player when his deal expires in mid-January.

If he can be persuaded to ignore the interest of Championship clubs, it will be a lot easier for Athletic to come close to maintaining the current excellent form that just over three weeks ago seemed inconceivable.

The impact of Baxter and loaned players Matt Derbyshire and Reece Wabara cannot be overestimated: all three are too good for npower League One.

Here the terrific trio were at their best, despite their side rarely getting the breaks they deserved.

Wabara casually slipped into gear at will and there can be no better right-back in the division than this talented future star. He attacked with pace, linked up well with Croft and gave little away defensively.

Up front, though, the unceasing workrate of Derbyshire paid dividends.

Baxter began the game well, forcing Allsop into a diving save with a controlled volley. He also headed into the turf and over the bar from one of a stream of crosses the home side didn’t take enough advantage of. Jean-Yves Mvoto alone should have scored twice from set plays.

Dickov’s men were on top for most of the opening period: Athletic looked dangerous - but in Dickov’s opinion, not dangerous enough. On came Matt Smith and Chris Sutherland for Robbie Simpson and Montano.

The pair gave Orient a new set of problems. A visiting defence already weary from the hard running of Derbyshire and probing of Baxter lost concentration and allowd Cliff Byrne to get a flick on Croft’s corner.

This is currently not an Athletic team which sits nervously on a one-goal advantage. Baxter waved his wand and Orient left with nothing but a hard-luck story.

Athletic have had enough of those themselves. Tall tales and big dreams are the way forward now.



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