As the full time whistle rang out around Brisbane Road on Saturday, I found myself envious of Northampton Town.

A team with no ex-Premier League players or international goalkeepers, who just work hard for each other, had just beaten us 4-0 and look like they will go up.

This after what was a decent first half of football from the O's when the finishing touch just eluded us. Northampton weren't that much better than us, they just closed men down quicker (in the second half especially), were faster on the break and more clinical where it mattered (as well as scoring two superb individual efforts).

If you had offered me nine points from 15 at the start of Kevin Nolan's reign I would have taken it and you can definitely see how the team has improved under his management in a very short space of time, and we think you have to give him a lot of credit for that.

Defensively we have looked better and less likely to concede, and you get the feeling that Nolan has his first choice back four in Frazer Shaw, Shaun Brisley, Mathieu Baudry and Nicky Hunt, with decent options to bring in replacements should any of those get injured.

Kevin has spoke of the importance of keeping clean sheets in his interviews and you get the feeling he has really focused on sorting this out and that the defence has bought into this.

Where Kevin has a job on his hands is the midfield. Does he continue to play 4-1-4-1 at home after it worked so well away to Portsmouth or does he need to be more attacking? Does he play himself consistently or should he start on the bench? And just who should he play in the middle of the park? All big questions...

Nigel Atangana has had a decent start to his O's career and was unfortunate to not be in the team that played Portsmouth due to a previous gentleman's agreement with Ian Hendon. You would presume he might be recalled after Saturday's result.

For every decent game Jack Payne has he can't seem to follow it up. He was superb against Portsmouth, but in the game on Saturday he just couldn't have the same impact.

You also have Bradley Pritchard who had a great start to the season but has lost his way in the last few weeks, Sammy Moore just returning from injury who has done well this season and Lloyd James who is still sidelined. That's quite a few central midfielders in the squad, all with different attributes and weaknesses that Kevin has to select from.

The wingers are currently picking themselves with Jobi McAnuff and Calaum Jahraldo-Martin playing very well at the moment, both scoring goals and looking very up for the challenge. Sean Clohessy can also deliver a decent cross in, as well as having a certain Mr Cox making his recovery on the sidelines.

Another big choice for Nolan is if he is to start with a lone frontman, does Jay Simpson fit the bill, or should Nolan play someone more physical like Armand Gnanduillet or Ollie Palmer? There is no doubt that Jay will get you goals, but you feel he does need a strike partner alongside him to help.

From Hendon having a very small squad, Nolan now has a squad of depth to choose from. If he can get these choices right and find a combination that works at home as well as away then we won't be too far off the play-off places come the end of the season, and don't forget we have Deano aswell as Paul McCallum to come back after long term injuries.

After that defeat we sit just two points from a play-off place so a victory next week could make the table look very different on Saturday.

Whatever happens, up the O's!

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