Another home reverse for the O’s

Leyton Orient 0 MK Dons 3

Leyton Orient crashed to their sixth home defeat of the season as Mk Dons blitzed them at the start of the second half.

Russell Slade’s side had matched their promotion-chasers blow for blow in the first period, but trailed to a Dean Bowditch volley on 37 minutes.

But after the break the visitors took a stranglehold on the game as Adam Smith blasted home a second from 30 yards and then Charlie MacDonald netted from close range just after the hour to send Orient spinning to defeat

After the game Orient manager Russell Slade said “I thought we were probably the better side for the first half.

We had the best opportunity of the half and didn’t take it. In fact we had a couple of opportunities and they had one shot in the first half.

“So we were disappointed to be 1-0 down to be honest and I thought we were well and truly in the game. But the game was almost concluded 10 minutes into the second half.”

“We went 2-0 down and they could have scored before that. We rallied late on and had a good opportunity through Lee Cook and didn’t take it.”

The game took a while to get going and MK Dons had more than their fair share of possession early on.

But it was the O’s who created the best opening of the first half and they really should have taken the lead on 20 minutes.

Cook, who showed some enterprising touches early on, set up striker Kevin Lisbie with a clear shooting opportunity.

But the forward fired tamely into the arms of MK Dons keeper David Martin from 12 yards out.

As O’s enjoyed their best Jamie Cureton, still looking for his debut goal for the club, squeezed a shot just wide of the post.

Slade’s side didn’t do a great deal wrong in the opening half, but were caught cold on 37 minutes when the MK Dons grabbed the lead with their first real effort on target.

Full-back Adam Smith, raiding down the right crossed and Bowditch reacted first and volleyed into the roof of the net from six yards.

Slade had made just once change to the side who had won at Notts County. He drafted in fit-again Ben Chorley to the heart of the defence and moved Scott Cuthbert to right back to cover for the suspended Leon McSweeney, but he would have been disappointed with the way O’s started the second half.

The MK Dons took complete control and could have added to their tally as Bowditch twice went close.

On 51 minutes the striker fired in an effort that Butcher blocked with his foot. Then he went close with another shot.

This time the O’s keeper stuck out a foot and the ball bounced up onto the bar and was cleared.

So it came as no surprise when the visitors grabbed a second. Defender Smith fired in an effort from 30 yards that deceived Butcher and ended up in the far corner of the net.

Slade’s response was to throw substitutes Jonathan Tehoue and George Porter into the action in place of Cureton and Matthew Spring.

But it was MK Dons who struck a third to kill the contest on 62 minutes. MK Dons skipper Dean Lewington fired in a shot from the edge of the box that Butcher parried, but Charlie MacDonald was on hand to ram the ball rebound home from close range.

O’s should have cut the deficit 14 minutes from time when substitute Tehoue set Cook up, but he fired straight into the arms of Martin from 12 yards – and that just about summed up Orient’s day.

“They gave us a lesson for the first 15 minutes of the second half and I’m really disappointed about that,” said Slade.

“In the end it’s a comfortable win for them and really it shouldn’t have been. There was no evidence in the first half to suggest it was going to be that way.”

Orient: Butcher 6; Cuthbert 6, Forbes 6, Chorley 5, Craig 5; Smith 6, Dawson 6, Spring 6 (Porter 60 mins), Cook 7, Cureton 6 (Tehoue 60 mins), Lisbie 5 (Mooney 77 mins). Subs: Button, Laird

Orient bookings: Forbes (48 mins foul)

MK Dons: Martin, Smith, Lewington, Kouo-Doumbe, MacKenzie, Gleeson, Potter, Bowditch Balanta 84 mins), MacDonald (Williams 84 mins), Ibehre, Chadwick (Powell 77 mins). Subs: McLoughlin, O’Shea.

MK Dons bookings: Chadwick

Attendance: 4,162 (in 362 MK Dons fans).

Referee: David Phillips