LISBIE WINNER KEEPS O’S TOP
THEY may have ridden their luck at times but according to manager Russell Slade, Leyton Orient deserve to be top of League One after a 100 per cent start to the new season.
Veteran striker Kevin Lisbie scored a first-half winner, but after the break Orient weathered a Stevenage storm to ensure they smuggled the three points back to East London.
“Well it’s just a really good result for us – it keeps our momentum going,” said Slade. "When you come to places like this you have to have the right mindset and be physically ready.
“We had the best chance of the game in the first-half which we took so I think we deserved the win.
“The defence was really solid; we only had one scary moment to deal with, which we did well, but other than that, we were OK.
“Every game is important, especially when you have the type of momentum we do.
“We have a good feeling around the place, we want to keep that – you do that by winning.”
The deadlock was broken in the 27th minute when Leyton Orient’s Moses Odubajo was allowed space out wide to cross for veteran striker Kevin Lisbie who headed past goalkeeper Chris Day.
Orient came close to doubling their lead in the second minute of stoppage time when Dean Cox’s cross to the back post was just out of the reach of Lloyd James.
The visitors picked up where they left off in the first half with David Mooney laying a ball off to Cox who shot just wide in the 47th minute.
Lisbie was put through one-onone with Day by Mooney in the 64th minute, and the striker looked to have been brought down by the keeper but was deemed to have dived and given a yellow card.
In response for the hosts, a corner from Freeman was then met by the head of Peter Hartley who rattled the crossbar.
A shot from second-half substitute Greg Tansey was punched away by Jones but only into the path of Darius Charles, who rounded the keeper and scored - but it was correctly ruled out for off side in the 76th minute to end Charles’ celebrations prematurely.
The last five minutes saw Stevenage build pressure in the Orient half, and a chance fell to Tansey but he lashed his shot over in added time.
“I think you always have got to be honest about where you are at,” said Stevenage manager Graham Westley.
“It was quite hard going for us, but I think we showed a lot more than we did last week.
“It was a pleasing performance compared to last week – it wouldn’t have been unjust if we got a draw. “There are a lot of unanswered questions, but we have a good group of lads here.
“I know the players we have and they are a good bunch. I think we will be okay.
“We have to get used to each other and gel; I like the phrase
Rome wasn’t built in a day.”