Phillips’ late and dazzling double stuns unlucky O’s

NEILL Collins hopes Adam Phillips’ dramatic late double can be a pivotal moment in his Barnsley side’s season after two late goals earned a comeback victory over a defeated Leyton Orient.

Ruel Sotiriou opened the scoring for the visitors before Adam Phillips found a way past Sol Brynn in the 88th and 95th minutes, with Luca Connell being shown a second yellow card in the aftermath of the equaliser.

“It’s not the way we planned it,” said a relieved Collins.

“I thought losing an early goal is always an issue.

But the players responded very well, as did the crowd.

“And together we just kept going right to the very end. And you could see at the end, even with ten men, when everyone’s up it’s very difficult and I’m so pleased for everyone that we got what I think was a deserved winning goal.

“At the end there, it could be a really pivotal moment of the season. It was great to see the second goal go in.”

The visitors broke the deadlock ten minutes in when George Moncur drove to the byline and cut the ball back to Sotiriou who applied the finish.

The Tykes equalised two minutes from time when

Mael De Gevigney launched a ball in behind the Orient defence, finding the head of Phillips who flicked it over the onrushing Brynn.

Connell was shown a second yellow in the 89th minute as he protested to the referee that Orient were taking too long to restart the game.

Phillips won it for his side in the fifth minute of added time. He connected with Corey O’Keefe’s free-kick from the right and turned it in for his second.

Orient boss Richie Wellens was not happy with how his side attempted to hold on to their lead.

“It’s not cruel when you sit deep and invite teams on,” he said.

“I think first 20 minutes, half an hour we were very good. We went a goal up and every time we attacked we looked a real threat.

“Then we didn’t play with enough bravery to pass the ball, we didn’t play with enough bravery to switch the ball and everything we wanted to do.

“And the accumulation of not being brave enough and fatigue, especially in the last ten to 15 minutes, has cost us the game.

“I don’t think we can begrudge them. I think they deserved to win the game cos the pressure was building. Our game management was really, really poor.”