Solihull Moors boss Mark Yates: We could’ve been four or five up at half time against Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient stand-in captain Jobi McAnuff looks to get past Solihull Moors attacker Oladapo Afolayan (pic: Simon O'Connor). - Credit: Archant
The O’s suffered another defeat on Saturday to now extend their winless run in the National League to 15 games - the fans deserve so much better
Leyton Orient forward Macauley Bonne shows his shock after giving away a penalty at Solihull Moors (pic: Simon O'Connor). - Credit: Archant
Mark Yates felt his Solihull Moors team should have won by more than one goal at home to fellow strugglers Leyton Orient last Saturday.
Liam Daly headed past Dean Brill in the 59th minute to hand the hosts a 1-0 win at Damson Park with new O’s head coach Justin Edinburgh tasting defeat in his first match in charge.
Moors missed a penalty in stoppage time through Darren Carter while Jermaine Hylton and Jamey Osborne, the latter on several occasions, went close during the first 45, but it mattered little in the end with Solihull earning a 1-0 success.
“The lads were tremendous. It was a total 90-minute performance and we should’ve been four or five up in the first-half,” Yates told the official club website.
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“Sometimes when that happens, and you haven’t scored, it’s hard to get going again in the second-half, but we were terrific.
“With better finishing that game could’ve been anything to be fair and we defended when we had to.
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“Our goalkeeper has made one good save first-half and come and dealt with things when he’s had to. We defended and played like a team.”
The only real chance of note for Orient in the opening 45 minutes was when James Dayton had a volley from 25-yards saved by Max O’Leary, though the effort may have been going wide.
Matt Harrold also headed wide from a Jobi McAnuff cross, but O’s were indebted to various blocks and tackles by Joe Widdowson.
And after the break, things failed to get better for the east Londoners despite being backed by 533 away fans.
Brill denied Oladapo Afolayan straight after the restart before Osborne went close again and then came the breakthrough.
Dagenham & Redbridge loanee Bondz N’Gala gave away a needless foul on the right and Carter whipped the ball in for Daly to head home.
Edinburgh made changes after, but it was Solihull who looked mostly likely to score next on another bad day for O’s.
Yates added: “It was a really good team performance. We created lots of chances and limited them because what they have got is attacking threats, but we limited them to few chances.”
It is an indictment of how bad Orient were that bottom of the table Solihull should’ve beaten them by a lot more than one goal.
Very few of O’s players were able to walk off having done themselves justice, which is why the away fans expressed their anger at the end.
McAnuff, one of the few to impress in the first half, went over to apologise, but got embroiled in a heated exchange with one supporter.
The fans don’t want to hear any of the players say sorry, they simply want to see some fight and passion. They deserve better.
