League One: Leyton Orient 3 Exeter City 0

Two second-half penalties from Kevin Lisbie and a goal from substitute Jonathan Tehoue helped Orient to the biggest league win of the season.

The O’s overpowered in-form Exeter after the break as Russell Slade’s side bounced back from their FA Cup exit at the hands of League Two side Gillingham the previous weekend.

The Orient chief, who made five changes to the starting 11, admitted afterwards: “It was a big, big win for us and it gets us back on track in terms of the league.

“We were disappointed after going out of the cup last week and we have worked exceptionally hard all week and I wanted a reaction and I got the perfect response.

“I thought that we were unfortunate not to be in front at half-time. I said I wanted more in the second half and in the end we got the breakthrough we deserved.”

O’s were full of menace in the 45 minutes and former Exeter striker Jamie Cureton came within a whisker of scoring against his former team-mates.

He lobbed an effort just wide after good work by Jimmy Smith on eight minutes, then he saw a drive from the edge of the box brilliantly tipped away by Artur Krysiak in the visiting goal, before he smashed an effort from a tight angle against the foot of a post on the half-hour.

Lisbie sent a couple of headers just wide before the break and it looked as if O’s might pay the penalty for not making the most of their chances when Exeter almost took the lead at the start of the second half.

O’s were caught cold at the restart as Liam Sercombe fired an effort against the woodwork and home keeper Lee Butcher brilliantly saved Danny Coles’ follow up.

But O’s quickly regained control and Cureton and Lisbie went close again before the deadlock was finally broken on 65 minutes.

Steve Tully was adjudged to have handled in the area and Lisbie stepped up and drilled the ball to the right of keeper Krysiak.

Jimmy Smith almost added a second, before the home side all but wrapped the game up 15 minutes from time when Lisbie raced down the left and crossed for Tehoue to head home.

It was the perfect comeback for the French striker, who had not played since early September after breaking his wrist.

With Orient in full control they wrapped up the victory with another penalty three minutes from time.

Substitute George Porter was wrestled down in the box by Troy Archibald-Henville and Lisbie stepped up and placed the penalty in the same place as the first one to take his goal tally for the season to six.

The O’s have now lost just one of their last 11 league games and will be looking to continue their climb up the table at Notts County next week.

“We will be looking to go there and grind out a result,” said Slade.

Orient: Butcher 7, McSweeney 7, Forbes 7, Cuthbert 7, Craig 7, Smith 7,* Dawson 8, Spring 7, Cook 7 (Porter 73 mins), Cureton 7 (Tehoue 73 mins), Lisbie 8. Subs: Laird, Clarke, Mooney.

Attendance :4,291 inc 678 Exeter fans

Referee: Andy D’Urso