45-year-old talks about his initial style of play and how crucial it is that everybody at Brisbane Road sticks together

Andy Edwards knows Leyton Orient need to improve at both ends of the pitch to ensure they move away from the danger of losing their Football League status.

The 45-year-old took charge of O’s for the first time in League Two officially on Saturday after his appointment on Wednesday.

Doncaster Rovers proved too strong, however, and earned a deserved 3-1 win at Keepmoat Stadium to keep Orient only just above the relegation places.

“The reason we are down the bottom is we are conceding too many and not scoring enough. We need to find a way of addressing that,” said Edwards.

“Our first focus is on being better defensively because I think we have only kept three clean sheets this season and that certainly needs to improve.”

Edwards was in charge of the east Londoners when they earned one of those shut outs away to Barnet on October 1.

Although it wasn’t a game that lives long in the memory, the former Southend United defender did put out a team that looked organised and disciplined.

Now Edwards is manager on a permanent basis, he called on everybody associated with O’s to be united.

He added: “We’ve got to make sure everybody connected to the club sticks together because we are in difficult times.

“Relegation is a serious threat looking at where we stand now so we’ve got to address that aspect and try to find every inch we can to improve the side and make sure we’re safe first and foremost.”

Orient’s former academy manager didn’t want to be drawn on what occurred under predecessor Alberto Cavasin when he was assistant manager.

And Edwards warned the football during the early parts of his tenure is not going to be swashbuckling with the Brisbane Road outfit just above the bottom two.

He said: “I’m not going to speak about what has happened previously. I can only look forward now and myself and Danny Webb have ideas.

“I think initially will it be scintillating football being played? Probably not. I don’t think many teams down the bottom play their way out with a great style.

“We’re hopefully going to be resolute and hard to play against and we’ll get points on the board and then we can develop our way of playing as we come more successful. It is important however and which way we do it, that we just get some points.”