Peterborough United ace looks ahead to Stevenage clash and calls on team mates to be more clinical in both boxes

Jack Payne believes Leyton Orient need to improve defensively if they are to beat Stevenage this weekend in League Two.

The O’s appeared to get some momentum going on Boxing Day as they defeated Portsmouth 3-2 in a thrilling encounter at Brisbane Road.

But that went on Monday as Bristol Rovers were 2-1 winners at the Memorial Stadium to inflict a first loss for the east Londoners since November 15.

Ian Hendon’s side travel to Broadhall Way on Saturday for their first match of 2016 hoping to achieve an away success.

A victory against the Hertfordshire outfit would give Orient a chance of moving back into the top seven.

Stevenage will be keen to respond, however, after they also ended the year with a defeat – at home to Dagenham & Redbridge.

Payne said: “They will want to bounce back and so will we and it will depend on who goes there, takes their chances and keeps it shut at the back.

“I don’t think anybody can put their finger on why we aren’t winning and that is the most frustrating thing.

“You can say it is because of this reason or that reason, but we have just got to find the solution and find it quickly.”

Orient haven’t registered back-to-back victories since August – during that month they beat Stevenage 3-0 at Brisbane Road.

Many critics have suggested it could be down to the formation or the style that the O’s are playing.

But Payne believes the main reason for their lack of consistency is down the individual errors at the back.

While the east Londoners haven’t won too regularly of late, their defeat on Monday was their first since November 15 to show they are at least hard to beat.

“I think changing formation is one thing, but mistakes is the other thing we are doing at the moment,” added Payne.

“That is costing us more than anything else at the moment rather than the formation or the way we are playing, it is mistakes that are costing us.

“If we can cut the mistakes out, we’ll win more games than we lose.”