Sebastian Liggenstorfer picks out the five key things to take from the O’s victory over London rivals.
Leyton Orient beat Dagenham & Redbridge 3-2 in an entertaining game at the Matchroom Stadium.
Jay Simpson scored twice to give the O’s a 2-0 lead at the break, though the Daggers answered with two goals within a minute from Jamie Cureton and then Clevid Dikamona to level the game.
Armand Gnanduillet’s goal after 65 minutes ensured Orient’s first win in last five games to keep them two points off the final Play-Off spot.
1. Simpson regains his scoring touch
Jay Simpson once again proved his worth for Leyton Orient with goals number 24 and 25 of the season to give Orient a two goal lead at the break. He could have had one or two more goals, but missed numerous clear chances. The closest he came to his third goal was in the 52nd minute when his shot hit the post, and would have ensured a first professional hat-trick for the 27-year-old.
2. Turgott could be key to Play-Off hopes
Blair Turgott put in arguably his best performance for the O’s since his arrival last summer. The 21-year-old winger played a great game in his return to the starting line-up, with his last start came all the way back on January 16 against Exeter. He was an offensive threat for 90 minutes with his speed and crosses, and delivered the assists for the second and third goals and could have had even more. He still has scope to develop and get stronger but he could be a real game changer for the remainder of the season.
3. Mental mistakes cost strong Orient defence
Although Orient only played against bottom of the league Dagenham & Redbridge, they had a solid game at the back for most of the game. Mathieu Baudry and Shaun Brisley coped well with the speedy forwards of Dagenham and Alex Cisak made some outstanding saves in the last minutes of the game to secure Orient the three points. Everything went well defensively for the majority of the game but a costly two minutes saw the hosts give away their commanding lead on the hour. Captain Baudry first played a short back pass to Cisak, which led to Jamie Cureton’s goal and just seconds after that they allowed Dagenham to score again when Dikamona rifled home a volley from the edge of the box. The O’s will need to cut out any errors during their final four matches if they are to reach the Play-Offs.
4. O’s need to take their chances
Orient had numerous chances within the opening 15 minutes of the game, and quite simply could have put the game beyond doubt by half time. Simpson alone could have had a hat-trick, but he, Gnanduillet and several others wasted great opportunities on a number of occasions. The O’s could have finished the game off in the first half but such has been the case all season, they need too many chances to score goals, which has cost them on several occasions throughout the campaign.
5. Blunt Daggers drop out of the Football League
Dagenham & Redbridge’s relegation from League Two was confirmed with their loss to Orient combined with Stevenage’s 2-1 win over Newport. After a terrible season with only six wins in 42 games, John Still’s side will be playing in the National League next season, and on Saturday you could see why they find themselves at the bottom of the division. Defensively they were all over the place the whole game and were lucky Orient only scored three goals, while offensively they struggled to create chances with the exception of scoring their two goals in a crazy couple of minutes. Time will tell when the Daggers will be back in the Football League.