On Saturday night I lost my group of friends on a night out. I paid an extortionate amount on a black cab to catch the last train. I then got to Liverpool Street just in time to notice there were no trains and I had to get on a bus to Stratford at 1am.

As I boarded said bus I noticed that I had somehow lost my Oyster card, pre loaded with an annual season ticket. I got home at about 3am and I was smiling like the Cheshire cat.

To finally see the O’s record all three points at Brisbane Road felt, at worst like a huge weight off of our collective shoulders and at best, a signal that this darkest timeline, forged when Chris Dagnall struck that penalty, and ongoing for months, which felt like years, could be over.

If it’s not? Well, we got 90 minutes of respite in a truly depressing season.

As players come back from injuries, the Orient squad has an embarrassment of riches. Players like David Mooney and Kevin Lisbie find themselves down the pecking order, whilst players with recent Champions League experience are coming.

Despite the wealth of talent we have on the books, we have looked like ‘same old Orient’, losing games late, not scoring many goals and letting in loads.

Given the nature of the season, there has been a feeling in the air that at any moment we would step into gear and show just what we were all expecting in August. That moment happened on Saturday.

It’s true Crewe were poor but since when did that matter this year? The pressure was all on the home team and they stepped up to the plate. They looked like some of what Milanese has been preaching is sinking in and working.

When he took over from Kevin Nugent there was a lot of bad feeling towards him and the new regime in general. It has been notable that even with only one home win under his belt, the fans have warmed to him.

His vocal championing of a better brand of football is in its infancy but well received nonetheless and his signings whilst being at the helm have looked inspired thus far.

Vito Plasmati is the type of player that, since Lisbie got injured at Bristol City in August, we have missed. He is clever, holds the ball up well and brings other players into the game.

His opener on Saturday settled any nerves Orient had going into the game. The other new boy, Andrea Dossena, was showing why he has played at the very highest level. He gives us an outlet going forward that we have been missing all year.

Despite the new boys adding some flair, it was one of the overlooked players or the Mauro era that stole the show. Dagnall, the Scouse gazelle, put in a performance rarely seen at Orient. He did the dirty work, ran the channels, scored a goal and had a part to play in the other three.

He looked like a man with a point to prove and with eight strikers on the books, who can blame him? He has two goals in four assists in his last three and if he continues with that form, he is un-droppable.

The three points pulled us out of the bottom four but perhaps what is more important is the confidence that will give the squad. It’s a monkey off of our backs for sure.

Knowing ‘same old Orient’ we will lose against Bradford and Peterborough but in our unique world, who knows, this could be the dawn of ‘same new Orient’? Now let’s, please #RiseAgain!

  • E10Mess is a weekly podcast available at www.soundcloud.com/e10mess or by searching "E10Mess" on iTunes. It features interviews with former players, managers and club characters, as well as tribute songs, chat, analysis, moaning and more.