Kevin Nolan, the former West Ham United assistant now in charge of Northampton Town in England’s third-tier, might have been looking forward to a catch up with Leyton Orient loanee Kaelan Casey.

Nolan knows the young defender from his time working alongside David Moyes at the London Stadium, after all.

But as Northampton found themselves on the wrong side of a 2-1 scoreline in a proverbial relegation six-pointer at Sixfields, Kevin Nolan’s fondness for Kaelan Casey would surely have been tested. A few begrudging curses muttered under his breath, perhaps.

Colossal Casey shines for Orient!

What should West Ham’s plan be with the youngster?

Nolan’s opposite number at Leyton Orient, Richie Wellens, predicted that Casey would grow into be a ‘top’ centre-half when he joined on loan from West Ham United in the January transfer window.

This was certainly a top performance.

West Ham United loanee Kaelan Casey channels his inner-Axel Disasi for Leyton Orient

The tightest of 2-1 away wins means The O’s – beaten play-off finalists last season – exited the relegation zone. They also leapfrogged 22nd-placed Northampton in the process.

The challenge of coming up against Nolan’s 6ft 3ins giant of a number nine Tom Eaves would be a daunting one for many League One defenders. But not Kaelan Casey. In what was surely his finest performance on the senior stage, the Brentford-born prospect made a remarkable 21 clearances as part of a Leyton Orient back five who refused to budge with their backs firmly against the wall.

For context, the highest average number of clearances per game, in League One this season, belongs to Exeter City’s Jack Fitzwater with eleven.

While praising the 21-year-old’s ‘ball-playing’ talents – a big part of the reason why the possession-orientated Swansea took him on loan for the first half of the campaign – Wellens felt Casey would bring a ‘dominant’ presence to one of the division’s leakiest backlines.

It is difficult to imagine a performance more ‘dominant’ than this; Casey accounting for half of the 41 clearances mustered by Orient’s central defensive trio in Northamptonshire.

Casey is convinced he will return to West Ham a ‘better player’

After his parent club secured a third clean sheet in four games, captain Jarrod Bowen hailed Axel Disasi’s transformative impact since arriving from Chelsea. Casey, having been breached only twice in his last three Leyton Orient outings, is yet more proof of the impact one well-suited defensive addition can make to a team in trouble.

The centre-back colossus we’ve been praying for! 🙏 🇫🇷

How highly do you rate Axel Disasi?

I think we just needed someone who could win headers, organise the backline, and take responsibility – Disasi does all three of those. I thought his passing was excellent v Bournemouth too

I commented West Han Live group that none of us wanted “Ballon” Dawson at the time, and look how that turned out We’ve bern trying out for someone like for a couple of years and Disasi has made an instant impact and almost got on the scoresheet against Bournemouth ⚒️

“It was a really good team performance from the boys,” Casey said at full-time; Leyton Orient winning for the first time since his debut five weeks ago. “We knew coming here it wasn’t going to be easy, especially away from home.

“You know, they’re a good side, good size. I feel like we dealt with them well; it’s a really good three points and an important one.

“I think they’re my favourite games [the physical ones]. I’m quite a tall lad, so heading is one of my strengths. I think I’ve done that quite a lot today,” he adds, and talk about an understatement. He won ten of his aerial duels, the most of any player on the pitch.

“All the back five, the midfielders, and the strikers, I think we defended really well and dealt with the amount of crosses and set pieces they had.

“That’s what we do as defenders and that’s what we take pride in. All the boys stuck together today. The way we were putting our bodies on the line. I’m proud of the team. We’ve just got to keep doing it now and picking up more results.”

“Coming up against players like [Eaves] is what I’ve come here to do to try and help the team out. It was a really tough game against a very experienced striker. Playing against these players is only going to make me better.”