League Two: Leyton Orient 2 Mansfield Town 1
Leyton Orient moved 16 points clear of the League Two relegation zone with a 2-1 victory over Mansfield Town.
A first-goal half strike from midfielder James Dayton and an own goal from Stags Mal Benning sealed the three points for the O's at Brisbane Road to make them unbeaten in three league fixtures.
Head coach Ross Embleton made four changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Macclesfield Town on the weekend with Ruel Sotiriou and Marvin Ekpiteta both missing out through injury while Josh Wright and Jordan Maguire-Drew were dropped to the bench.
The O's brought in Josh Coulson, Lee Angol and new signing Danny Johnson for his full debut, while James Dayton returned from his suspension following a red card against Northampton Town on January, 21.
The Stags put the ball in the back of the net in the fourth minute of play as striker Nicky Maynard latched onto the ball in behind the O's backline, but it was whistled down for offside as it left his foot and hit the bottom left corner.
The hosts then got into the game themselves and started moving the ball around nicely with defender Dan Happe sending a lovely cross pitch pass out to the right flank for Conor Wilkinson.
The Irishman laid the ball back for loanee Ouss Cisse who had his long range effort deflected out for a corner which amounted to nothing.
Although they got another corner less a minute later but failed to make the most of it once again in the seventh minute.
Five minutes later Angol was brought down by Stags captain Krystian Pearce to give the hosts a free-kick.
The former Shrewsbury Town attacker fired the free-kick on goal forcing Bobby Olejnik to palmed it out before the O's whipped it back into the box.
The cross found Happe who rang a shot off the post from 10 yards out before the ball bounced out to Wilkinson who then sent an effort over the crossbar.
In the 22nd minute striker Johnson challenged goalkeeper Olejnik to an incoming ball from George Marsh and he dropped it but Mansfield were awarded a free-kick.
O's James Dayton whipped in a free-kick shortly after and found Wilkinson the back post, but he was denied by Olejnik as Johnson looked to dig for a rebound.
Goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux was called into action in the 36th minute as he tipped a Maynard shot wide as CJ Hamilton raced down the left flank before picking the striker out inside the box.
On the stroke of halt-time Dayton broke the deadlock as he crept a shot underneath Olejnik after the O's moved the ball around the box nicely while he waited patiently out on the right for the ball to come to his feet.
Early in the second-half Cisse dragged a left-footed shot through a sea of bodies but it trickled wide before the Stags striker Maynard headed towards goal down the other end but it went straight at Vigouroux.
In the 56th minute Wilkinson tried his luck from 50 yards out after a poor clearance from Olejnik before the attacker then jinxed through the Mansfield into the box moments later before going down inside the box very easily.
The visitors equalised shortly after in the 61st minute as Kelland Watts headed beyond Vigouroux from point blank range as he gets on the end of an incoming corner.
Eleven minutes later Mal Benning's strike was deflected into the gloves of Vigouroux from the edge of the area as he got forward.
But in the 74th minute of play the O's restored their lead as substitute Jordan Maguire-Drew whipped in a deep cross that was turned in by Stags Benning at the back post who was under pressure from striker Angol.
The O's then didn't sit back of their laurels and kept attacking, with a few shots being deflected wide, and a number of corners in the latter stages of the contest.
Leyton Orient: Vigouroux, Marsh, Coulson, Happe, Brophy, Cisse, Clay, Dayton (Wright 66), Angol, Wilkinson, Johnson (Maguire-Drew 69).
Unused subs: Sargeant, Judd, Widdowson, Sweeney, Kyprianou.
Mansfield Town: Olejnik, Sweeney, Pearce, Watts, Riley (Clarke 46), Bishop, Tomlinson, Benning (Charsley 88), Hamilton, Maynard, Rose.
Unused subs: Stone, Preston, Davies, Evans, Knowles.
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