Macauley Bonne’s 90th minute penalty ensured Leyton Orient maintained their two point lead at the top of the National League with a 2-1 win over Sutton United in a remarkable game at Gander Green Lane.
Justin Edinburgh made one change from Tuesday night’s 3-2 win over Eastleigh with Dale Gorman coming in for his first league start since January, in place of Alex Lawless who was forced off with a head injury in midweek.
The O’s manager had to shuffle his pack once again just 15 minutes into the game, full back Sam Ling went down off the ball and was replaced by James Dayton.
The rest of the first half was a cagey affair with both sides employing direct tactics, which often saw the ball bouncing high off the unpredictable artificial surface.
Josh Koroma had Orient’s best effort of the half five minutes before the interval. The O’s youth graduate cut inside onto his right foot, unleashing a shot from just outside the box which forced Sutton keeper Jamie Butler to parry the ball out for a corner.
That save would prove to be one of Butler’s last acts of the game as he was replaced at the break by Ross Worner.
Flagged Down
The second period got underway with a bizarre incident. The assistant referee went down after colliding with Bonne and after receiving lengthy treatment from both sets of physios, he was replaced by the fourth official.
Shortly after the change in officials, Sutton took the lead. Jonah Ayunga, who got the winner in the reverse fixture back in September, found space 25 yards from goal and let fly into the top corner leaving Dean Brill with no chance in the O’s goal.
Happe Hunting
The opener forced Edinburgh’s hand who opted to fight fire with fire by bringing on burly striker Matt Harrold for Gorman, in an attempt to match up against Sutton’s mammoth centre half pairing.
Harrold was immediately involved, winning the free kick which resulted in Orient’s equaliser. Koroma swung the set piece in from wide on the left and Dan Happe rose highest to net his first league goal for the club.
Strange Dismissal
Buoyed by their equaliser, the O’s looked bright but their momentum was stalled in the 70th minute by a controversial red card. Dayton was on the wrong end of a robust challenge and lay in agony in the centre of the pitch as play continued around him until the ball went off.
Once receiving treatment, Dayton then seemed to launch his shin pad at the turf in frustration at a potential season ending injury. However, referee Daniel Middleton interpreted the winger’s throw as being towards him and as Dayton was carried off on a stretcher, he was shown a straight red card.
Charlie Lee, who was all set to replace Dayton before he was sent off, then came on for Koroma as Edinburgh adjusted to a 5-2-2 formation.
Just Deserves
Despite having only ten men, Orient continued to press high up the field as they searched for a winner. Bonne in particular showed impressive stamina, maintaining the pressure on Sutton’s backline in the closing stages and the Zimbabwean was rewarded for his tireless efforts in the 89th minute.
Craig Eastmond played what seemed like a straight forward back pass to Worner, but with both Bonne and Harrold haring in on him, he took a freak touch which sent the ball up into the air.
The O’s striking duo then nicked the ball and tried to scramble it home before Worner clipped both from behind whilst scrambling back, leaving Middleton with no choice but to point to the spot.
Bonne-Kers
The 1337 Orient fans in attendance waited with bated breath as Bonne stepped up, but the former Colchester man showed impressive composure to strike the ball hard and low past Worner to give his side the lead and spark bedlam in the away end.
Given the multitude of stoppages, the O’s were perhaps a little fortunate to see only seven minutes added time flash up on the fourth official’s board and those minutes were navigated superbly by the league leaders.
Thanks to a combination of strong hold up play and clever drawing of fouls, the ball was kept mostly in Sutton’s half until the referee blew the final whistle to seal a crucial victory for Edinburgh’s side.
Crunch Time
This win gives Orient breathing space at the top with a tough couple of fixtures on the horizon over the Easter weekend.
The O’s entertain sixth-placed Harrogate Town on Good Friday before heading to third-placed Solihull Moors on Easter Monday.
