Orient results ‘have to improve’

Leyton Orient head coach Ian Hendon admits results have to improve quickly if they are to maintain their hopes of getting out of League Two this season.

Hendon saw his side let an early lead slip on the way to a 3-1 loss at Hartlepool on Sunday and had sympathy for the fans who made the long trip to the north east.

He said: “The fans have been fantastic and rightly so they are not going to be happy with the result, just like the players and myself.

“We get amazing support home and away and I’m just sorry they travelled back on a defeat.

“We can’t keep saying the performance was all right, because we have lost and it is very disappointing from that aspect.

“At the end of the day it is all about results. The bottom line is we lost 3-1 and I get judged on results not performances, so results have to pick up and quickly. We have got a lot of disappointed players, along with the manager and staff in that dressing room.”

Despite losing Dean Cox to injury during the week, the match at Hartlepool began well enough as Bradley Pritchard put O’s ahead, but Hendon was unhappy with the incident that led to Hartlepool’s equaliser.

He added; “We were playing well, but then ‘Dunney’ makes a poor decision and gives a penalty away.

“We continued to play well in the first half, Charlie Grainger never had a save to make, but the second one has deflected in off ‘Dunney’s’ shin and then we are open trying to get back into the game.

“We are disappointed we have not taken our chances.”

With Cox ruled out for six months with a knee ligament injury, Hendon could only name five substitutes at Victoria Park and is looking to bring in some new faces.

“It’s majorly important we get some players in and add quality. This is not through a lack of trying,” he said.

“We are in and around it, but we need to start winning games if we are to keep challenging.”