Leyton Orient continued their fine start to their league 2 campaign with a routine victory at local rivals Dagenham & Redbridge. A first half strike from Paul McCallum and a Lloyd James penalty set Orient on their way before a stunning Dean Cox free kick in the second half wrapped the game up. Jamie Cureton grabbed a consolation goal in the closing stages but Orient held on for a comfortable victory sending them to second in the table.
Both sides were looking to bounce back from defeat in the League Cup in midweek and in a scrappy start Dagenham went close through Ashley Hemmings and Jamie Cureton but Alex Ciask saved well. Orient began to grow into the game with Dean Cox having a sighter on the home goal before the away side took the lead. After a good move down the right, Bradley Pritchard’s cross was only cleared to Cox who flicked the ball over his head to the unmarked Paul McCallum to head beyond the on rushing Mark Cousins.
With Orient growing in confidence after the goal Pritchard robbed Joe Widdowson but saw his shot saved with McCallum firing the rebound over. The O’s were finding all kinds of space and McCallum went inches to adding to his tally but his header from Sean Clohessy’s cross hit the woodwork. But Orient did double their advantage just before the half hour mark, Cox’s corner was handled in the box by Clevin Dikamona leaving Lloyd James to slot home the resulting penalty kick.
The away side continued the second half in much the same vein with Clohessy providing a real outlet down the right, McCallum and Simpson went close before Cox curled in a beautiful third with a free kick. Orient pushed for a fourth and somehow managed to miss the target with Simpson crashing a header off the bar. Dagenham pushed for a consolation with Cristian Doidge having an effort well saved before Jamie Cureton lobbed Ciask on the 90 to leave the score at 3-1.
Ratings
Dagenham
Mark Cousins – 5- Struggled throughout with Orient in attack, didn’t deal with crosses well but did make a couple of good saves in first half
Josh Passley – 6 – Coped well with threat Orient possessed down left, tried to attack in second half but missed placed passes from teams caused problems
Nyron Nosworthy – 5 – Struggled all match with pace and power of Orient’s front line, couldn’t deal with the high pressure of Orient with passes going a stray
Clevid Diakmona – 5 – Poor decision making for the handball for the penalty, struggled with Orient’s frontline
Josh Widdowson – 5 – Poor defensive throughout, found it hard to deal with the movement of Orient down the right with Clohessy overlapping throughout
Ashley Chambers – 5 – Bright early on in first half but as Orient grew in presence, he found it hard to have an impact on the game.
Andre Boucard – 6 – Outnumbered in the midfield, playing against Orient’s diamond shape, looked to try and get Dagenham forward but pressure from Orient forced mistakes
Kane Ferdinand – 6 – Bright early on and looked to support Cureton and Doidge in attack. Could have scored early on but didn’t react quickly enough at the back post
Ashley Hemmings – 5 – Struggled to deal with Orient’s work rate and movement down the right during the game. Found it hard to get on the ball
Christian Doidge – 5 – Looked bright early on and added a physical presence but fed off scraps for majority of the match
Jamie Cureton – 6 – Bright and full of running but struggled to have an impact on the game. Grabbed the consolation goal in added time
Subs
Jodi Jones – 6.5 – Brightest player on the day for Dagenham, confident on the ball and looked to create a spark going forward for them
Leyton Orient
Alex Ciask – 7 – Rarely tested but when called upon pulled off saves. Made two great saves from Doidge in second half
Sean Clohessy – 7.5 – Comfortable defensively and provided a real outlet down the right. Consistently up and down the wing, crossed very well
Mathieu Baudry – 7 – Solid performance from the skipper. Ushered his defensive well and confident on the ball
Connor Essam – 7.5 – Another solid display from center half. Took no chances at the back, growing as a player
Fraser Shaw – 6.5 – Rarely tested throughout the match but caught on a couple of occasions. Poor at times in possession, giving the ball away
Lloyd James – 7 – Comfortable display once more from anchor midfielder, always an option when in possession. Confident for the penalty
Sammy Moore – 7.5 – Great energy in the midfield once more, tried to get the O’s moving forward, covered well and work rate was excellent
Bradley Pritchard – 8 – Continues to grow as an Orient player. Magnificent work rate nearly grabbing himself a goal. Tireless and energetic performance
Dean Cox – 8.5 – MOTM Brilliant all round display from little number 7. At the heart of Orient’s play going forward. Work rate excellent, pressing Dagenham when in possession. Assisted McCallum’s goal and scored a stunning free kick
Jay Simpson – 8 – Real threat in attack with his pace, unlucky not to grab a goal but header cannoned off the woodwork in second half. Links with McCallum very well
Paul McCallum – 8 – Partnership with Simpson continues to grow, grabbed his second in as many games. Disappointed not to add to his tally in second half
Subs
Alan Dunne – 6 – Replaced Baudry with 10 minutes left
Blair Turgott – N/A
Ollie Palmer – 6.5 – Good work rate from sub after replacing Palmer. Gave away a few fouls when challenging for aerial balls