KEVIN NOT IMPRESSED BY ORIENT
LEYTON ORIENT find themselves in the play-off places, and this narrow victory could be crucial to finishing as a top-six side, according to player-manager Kevin Nolan.
Morecambe were down to ten men after goalkeeper Barry Roche was sent off for taking down Orient’s Jay Simpson in the penalty box and saw Ryan Edwards score an own goal.
Nolan said: “We didn’t punish them with the penalty and I’m frustrated. And then what happens is we start looking a bit nervous and we start doing things we shouldn’t be doing.
“You’re playing against ten men and you start taking the extra touch and then you start doing or trying things because you think they’ll be happy with a draw because they’re playing with ten men.
“I think Morecambe battled so well, probably fantastically well, and are probably disappointed with not coming home with a draw.
“I’ve said to the boys that if you want to be a top six side then you’ve got to win games even when you’re not doing the right things and that’s what they done today and that’s fantastic.”
Morecambe manager Jim Bentley, meanwhile, said he was very proud of his team’s response from going a man down early on in the game despite losing in the worst possible way.
Bentley said: “With ten men in a place like this, you know I think it’s one of the best squads in the division with plenty of experience and have the league’s top scorer.
“I would’ve been calling for a sending off myself so the ref’s probably got that one right. I think from then on we managed the situation very well. We rode our luck at times and Kieran O’Hara was excellent in goal when they did get through.
“After everything we’ve put in and everything the players have done and the way they went about playing with ten men, I thought they were superb.
“I’m proud for them but to lose to a goal like that is very disappointing.”
Orient striker Jay Simpson was brought down in the box by goalkeeper Roche and was shown the red card in the 12th minute for denying a goalscoring opportunity.
But substitute O’Hara came to the rescue and denied Simpson’s shot with his feet.
Orient striker Armand Gnanduillet tested O’Hara again a minute later when he met another Clohessy cross with his head at point-blank range with the keeper managing to tip it over the bar.
In the 53rd minute, left-back Jerome Binnom-Williams forced O’Hara into another diving save after he overlapped winger Jobi McAnuff to set up the goalscoring opportunity.
Orient finally found the back of the net after Alan Goddall tried to clear Binnom-Williams’ cross in the six-yard box but hit Ryan Edwards back and deflected into their own goal with just ten minutes left