Striker sets sights on boosting survival bid

East London Advertiser: Chris Dagnall celebrates his goal in Orient's 3-0 win at Yeovil earlier this season (pic: Simon O'Connor)Chris Dagnall celebrates his goal in Orient's 3-0 win at Yeovil earlier this season (pic: Simon O'Connor) (Image: Simon O"Connor/TGSPHOTO c/o 27 Plaiters Way Braintree Essex)

Leyton Orient’s leading goalscorer Chris Dagnall says the club are facing their biggest week of the season as they battle for League One survival.

O’s welcome bottom club Yeovil to Brisbane Road on Saturday, with Barnsley visiting on Tuesday, and then make the trip to lowly Crawley next weekend.

And they go into that seven-day sequence on the back of successive defeats, with French midfielder Romain Vincelot also ruled out for the season with medial knee ligament damage.

But 11-goal Dagnall said: ”We’re still positive. We’ve got a big week coming up with three games in seven days.

East London Advertiser: Romain Vincelot receives treatment for an injury at Peterborough (pic: Simon O'Connor)Romain Vincelot receives treatment for an injury at Peterborough (pic: Simon O'Connor) (Image: Simon O'Connor Photography)

“It’s one of the most important weeks of the season and if we can take six points or more it should help us an awful lot.”

Dagnall was on target as O’s ran out 3-0 winners over the Glovers at Huish Park in late December and has struck twice since, against Preston and Walsall.

But the 28-year-old, who needs just four more league goals to reach 100 in his playing career, would trade them if it meant keeping the club out of the bottom tier.

He added: “It’s nice to get goals, but where we are in the league it doesn’t compensate for that. It doesn’t matter, if we don’t stay up.

“We played well down there on a terrible pitch. They’re struggling, but we’ve got to dig in and hopefully get the result.”

The club confirmed Vincelot would miss the rest of the campaign in midweek, following a scan on the right knee he injured in the 1-0 defeat at Peterborough on Saturday.

And Dagnall had sympathy for his fallen team-mate, having experienced a similar setback himself earlier in his career.

He said: “It’s such a shame for Romain. He’s played most of the games and has been doing well, but he’s still upbeat and eager to get his rehab underway and get back for next season.

“I did my cruciate, but I completely tore mine and had the operation and was off for six months.

“It’s a hard injury to get over, but hopefully his isn’t as bad.”