Recent Report: Leyton Orient Head Coach Names Three Rising Stars Behind The Victory Over Reading FC & Makes Huge Admission To….

Recent Report: Leyton Orient Head Coach Names Three Rising Stars Behind The Victory Over Reading FC & Makes Huge Admission To….

Leyton Orient boss pleasantly surprised at win over Reading.

Richie Wellens admitted he didn’t expect the ease with which the League One clash at home to Reading was settled in favour of his Leyton Orient side.

 

A 2-0 win at Brisbane Road sent them to the fringes of the play-off places in the division and extended their unbeaten sequence in the league to 10 games.

 

And after taking the lead in the first half through debutant Dilan Markanday, the former Tottenham man on loan from Blackburn Rovers, another loanee, QPR striker Charlie Kelman, added a second on 51 minutes to kill off any Reading revival.

That came as a surprise to the O’s boss.

 

“I thought the players controlled the game well,” he said. “There was never any threat for us and when we got the second goal I was expecting a response from Reading but it never came.

 

“Overall, it was pretty comfortable. We started the game really well with great intensity.

 

“They picked up an early injury and there was a bit of lull immediately afterwards but then we kicked on again really quickly.

“When we moved it quick and with the way they play being open in the middle of the pitch, I thought we looked a real threat and all in all it was a good day.

“There were loads of good performances. Dilan scored a really good goal on his home debut and with Azeem [Abdulai], you can just see how he just glides about the pitch and eats up the ground. He has all the tools to be a fantastic player.”

Goal number one was made in Tottenham.

 

 

 

Collecting a delightful pass from current Spurs man, Jamie Donley, on-loan Blackburn winger Markanday shimmied past two defenders before sending his left-footed drive low into the corner of the net.

 

The O’s doubled their lead soon after the interval when Royals goalkeeper Joel Pereira spilled the ball following a corner and Kelman stabbed the ball home for his 12th goal of the campaign as the hosts took a firm grip on the game.

 

Kelman again found the net 12 minutes later only to be adjudged offside whilst Markanday hit the side netting with an angled drive.

 

The visitors had been forced into a change after just four minutes when Jeriel Dorsett suffered a leg injury but, after Markanday’s opening goal, they never looked likely to gain a foothold in the match.

 

And Reading head coach Noel Hunt admitted conceding the opening goal proved to be the defining moment of the game.

 

“I thought that we were the better team in the first half,” he said. “I thought we created a lot more problems for them and then they got a breakaway and the goal.

 

“You can’t be going behind in games like these that are tight and against a team like Leyton Orient that are a strong team and squad.

 

“In terms of giving goals away, we said it would be the first to blink and unfortunately it was us and we gave them that goal.

 

“But the boys showed great character throughout the first half but that goal early in the second half knocked a bit of stuffing out of us.

 

“In games like these, these are moments in the game that we need to address.

 

“I thought we might have got a penalty but I’m getting tired of it now but you’ve got to accept it, keep working hard and keep going.

 

“You’ve got to keep asking the referees questions and giving them the opportunities to give you the chances.”