Slade faces massive task

That task begins in earnest today, when he takes training for the first time after a damaging defeat by one of the teams the Seagulls are striving to finish above.

Although the record books will show his reign began at Orient, Slade did not pick the side and he has yet to work with the players.

He will have to get his message across pretty damn quickly to a squad ravaged by injuries and overflowing with new players unaccustomed to each other’s names, yet alone styles.

Time is not on Slade’s side. There are 13 matches left and four of them are squeezed into the next 12 days, so instilling his philosophy is going to be constrained by the hectic schedule.

Things can change quickly. Crewe were behind Albion when they came to Withdean nine days ago and now they are five points clear but Gudjon Thordarson has been in place since the turn of the year.

The Seagulls are knee-deep in the brown stuff with the clock ticking. They have games in hand but a four-point gap is daunting when you have won only three of the last 22.

It was not so much the X factor as the risk factor occupying Slade’s thoughts after they once again suffered defeat from a position of strength and continued the habit of conceding late goals in both halves.

He said: “There are too many situations like from throw-ins where we are not organised enough and there are too many crosses coming into our box.

“That needs sorting out. I call it the risk factor. If you reduce the crosses going in and the shots on target then you earn yourself a better chance of winning.

“Sometimes it was too easy for them to get the ball in from throw-ins and those sort of situations. Hopefully we can tighten up.”

Lloyd Owusu, one of five on-loan debutants, knows what to expect after Slade took him to Yeovil.

The Cheltenham target man, who impressed with his aerial power, revealed: “The gaffer is more of a calm, collected manager.

“Don’t get me wrong, he will crack down when things are going wrong and we are not doing the right things but if you work hard for him he looks after his players.

“He works a lot in training on pressing the ball. If you press the ball early enough then other teams can’t really get crosses in. If we do that I don’t think many teams will get past us.”

Albion, with the latest influx, have now used an incredible 39 players this season. That figure could rise still further because, behind the jolly exterior, lies a manager who evidently will not tolerate those unwilling or unable to respond to his ethos.

“Having seen them together as a group, it will allow me now to work on things and hopefully players will take that on board,” Slade said.

“If not then maybe there are other players who will take it on board, because we need to be disciplined. If we are going to survive, discipline is going to be a very important part of it.

“I am not saying the answer is going to be to bring in say three more players but if the right player becomes available then clearly we have to look at that.”

Another of the newcomers, Matt Heath, stabbed Albion into a 17th-minute lead at the second attempt, his first league goal for 19 months, after Owusu jumped with Orient keeper Jamie Jones from Adam El-Abd’s cross. Referees are usually over-protective to goalkeepers, so Richard Beeby favoured them in that instance, but the man responsible for awarding Albion’s decisive play-off final penalty five years ago evened the score in first-half stoppage time.

Heath was penalised for holding Simon Church in a position of no real danger inside the box. Significantly, Al Bangura had been booked and not sent-off by Beeby just moments earlier for a reckless arm into the throat of Charlie Daniels.

Scott McGleish levelled from the spot and first-half comfort turned into second- half angst when the enigmatic Sean Thornton, older brother of former Albion loan signing Kevin, curled in a beauty two minutes from time.

Although admirable in its execution, Slade felt it was a goal which should have been avoided.

“Sean Thornton is not the greatest athlete in the world but he picked up the ball five or ten years outside our box when we didn’t get the first clear header in,” he said. “We have got to be more wary and deal with that. It’s all about lasting 93 or 94 minutes. I am disappointed that we didn’t lock the game out and just ensure that we came away with something.

“We have got to develop a resistance quickly. If we go away to teams like Orient and go one up then really we have got to make it very difficult for the opposition to get back in it.

“Having said all that, I thought it was really harsh on the players. I don’t think Orient did enough to earn the win but that is what it is all about at this stage of the season, digging out wins, not whether you deserve it or not.”

Albion (4-4-2): Andersen; Whing, Heath, El-Abd, Borrowdale; Fraser, Bangura, Jarrett, McLeod; Owusu, Davies. Subs: Carole for McLeod (withdrawn 56), Livermore for Fraser (withdrawn 61) Hinshelwood, Sullivan, Gargan.

Goal: Heath (17).

Yellow cards: Jarrett (24) foul, Bangura (45) foul, Whing (45) dissent, Owusu (75) time wasting.

Leyton Orient (4-4-2): Jones; Purches, Mkandawire, Spence, Daniels; Melligan, Chambers, Thornton, Demetriou; McGleish, Church. Subs: Terry for Chambers (withdrawn 46), Gray for Melligan (withdrawn 57), Morgan for Demetriou (withdrawn 70), Morris, Saah.

Goals: McGleish (45) penalty, Thornton (88).

Yellow cards: Chambers (29) foul, Spence (54) foul, Thornton (63) foul.