OFF-FIELD WOE HURTS THE O’S
LEYTON ORIENT caretaker boss Kevin Nugent insists it is impossible for the off-field uncertainty at Brisbane Road to not be affecting his players as they slipped further towards the League One relegation zone.
The 45-year-old, who was taking charge of his second match since Russell Slade’s departure, watched on as goals from Michael Smith and Nathan Byrne ensured Swindon took the points.
And Nugent, who had two spells as a player with the O’s before joining the coaching set-up, believes that the club need to regain stability.
“It’s impossible for the off-field situation to not be affecting the players,” he said. “I don’t know the ins and outs. “I really want to do well with them and I want them to be a good football club.
“The spirit is still there, you could tell that by the way that we went right until the end.
“The club just needs a bit of sta- bilising.
“I think that we previously were looked at as being a model football club and we want to get back to that.”
The hosts had the better of the early exchanges and should have taken the lead on 16 minutes when Chris Dagnall crossed for Dean Cox, but the midfielder’s header was hacked off the line.
And that missed chance would prove costly.
On 28 minutes Swindon went ahead when top-scorer Michael Smith collected Massimo Luongo’s cross and fired home.
Five minutes later the hosts thought they had levelled through Jay Thompson, only for the goal to be controversially disallowed for offside.
Just before the break the visitors had a chance to double their lead but Byrne’s effort deflected wide.
But he wouldn’t be denied for long as two minutes after half-time he latched onto Smith’s cross and dispatched a shot into the corner.
On 69 minutes veteran forward Darius Henderson had a good chance to pull one back for Leyton Orient but his header was easily saved by goalkeeper Wes Foderingham.
With time winding down the O’s piled on the pressure and Henderson eventually pulled one back for his side in the 94th minute.
But it would prove to be too late for the hosts and Swindon held on to make it eight league matches unbeaten, much to the delight of manager Mark Cooper.
“I thought some of the football was amazing,” he said.
“The young players are getting better and better.
“To come to places like this, that can be hostile, and deal with it by taking the sting out the game and then playing in the manner we did was a big achievement for us as a team.
"We knew it was going to be a really tough game.
“They’ve got some really good players and in the last 15 minutes used their experience and we had to safeguard against that.”