Orient boss discusses substitutions at Notts County and their approach before the fixture

Leyton Orient player-manager Kevin Nolan is pleased with how he is juggling playing and managing at the League Two club.

The former West Ham United captain has only been in the job for just over a month, but achieved a big degree of success.

Since his arrival, the O’s have picked up 12 points out of a possible 18 and beaten the likes of Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth.

On Saturday they saw off Notts County with central defender Shaun Brisley scoring the only goal of the game at Meadow Lane.

Nolan revealed afterwards that Andy Hessenthaler and goalkeeper coach Lee Harrison were the ones making all the substitutions against the Magpies.

He said: “When I am on the pitch I just treat it as though I am a captain and that is what I have always tried to do – manage what we have been asked to do.

“Yes I know exactly what we need to do, but it is up to me to get that happy medium. It is something I am working on and something I will get better at as the games go on.

“I feel like I have known the lads all my life already because I have spent so much time with them. I have spent more time with them than the missus over the last three weeks.

“The subs were totally on Hessenthaler and Harrison at Notts County and I think they were good ones at the right times when we needed them.

“Even if I didn’t think that at the time, I have given them that power when I am playing on the pitch to make substitutions.”

Nolan discussed the conditions afterwards and how they changed throughout their warm-up approaching the kick-off at Meadow Lane.

He felt Orient put County under enough pressure to warrant them getting a deserved victory to send them down the M1 happy.

But the player-manager would have respected a point had nobody been able to score the opener at the weekend.

“If that was a goalless draw at Notts County then we would have had to respect the point because it was one of those days where it wasn’t really flowing football,” added Nolan.

“When we got here about 1.30pm it was raining and then it just petered out. It looked fantastic when we came out for the warm-up.

“The next minute we came out for kick-off and it was blowing a gale against you. It was one of those things we’ve got to get used to and we have.

“I think we’ve done brilliantly and put them under enough pressure in the end and they cracked so that’s why we’ve got the goal.”

Orient now need to make sure Brisley’s strike against the Magpies proves to be an important one.