Declan McCarthy marks the O’s out of 10, as Jay Simpson makes it 22 goals for the season.
Orient made it two wins in a row under new player-manager Kevin Nolan with a late Jay Simpson penalty settling a close encounter against Newport County. Nolan, the former West Ham midfielder, even made his first appearance for the O’s in what was a fairly even contest.
The win makes it back-to-back victories for Orient, alongside back-to-back clean sheets – something the O’s had not managed since August.
Player Ratings:
Alex Cisak (7.5) – Another clean sheet for Cisak, making it seven so far this season. Made a crucial, unbelievable save on the brink of half-time.
Sean Clohessy (6.5) – A solid performance from the experienced right back. Kept Yan Klukowski, until substituted, very quiet for the majority of the game.
Mathieu Baudry (6.5) – The captain commanded his back four very well at times. The French defender just needs to work on his match fitness, as at times he looked like he was struggling with the pace of Newport’s forwards.
Connor Essam (6.5) – An average performance from the young man. Struggled to maintain and control the pacey Conor Wilkinson at times. Nonetheless, was part of a defence that kept a second consecutive clean sheet.
Frazer Shaw (6.5) – A standard performance from the 21-year-old. Did what was expected of him.
Calaum Jahraldo–Martin (7.5) – A real threat throughout the match. Came close in the first half to scoring his second Orient goal. Substituted in the 80th minute.
MOTM – Jack Payne (8) – On loan from Peterborough, he showed great quality in his range of passing. Was really impressive in large spells during the match.
Nigel Atangana (7) – In only his second appearance for the club, it was a solid performance from the Frenchman. Partnered up well with Payne. However, must work on decision making.
Jobi McAnuff (7.5) – The 34-year-old midfielder proved to be a handful for Newport all night. Worked extremely hard in the first half. The most creative player throughout the match.
Ollie Palmer (7.5) – Was strong in the air, battled hard throughout the match. Held up the ball for the on-running midfielders and connected really well with Simpson. Good performance.
Jay Simpson (7) – 22 goals this season for the nation’s top scorer. Was slow at times, couldn’t find or get himself in the right position so did struggle in spells, but it was his decisive penalty that made the difference.
Subs:
Armand Gnanduillet (6) – Real powerhouse, gave Orient a different style of play up front with Simpson – quite dynamic.
Kevin Nolan (6.5) – The player-manager was involved in the build-up that led to the penalty. Needs more minutes under his belt. Refreshing to see him on the field of play and the crowd would agree.
Bradley Pritchard – Came on as an 89th minute substitute.