Leyton Orient 1 Bury 0: Trevor Davies reports from Brisbane Road

A Dean Cox goal on the stroke of half-time was enough to give Orient their third successive league win.

The hot-shot winger fired home his sixth goal of the season from 14 yards after David Mooney raced down the right and pulled the ball back into Cox’s path.

The win was not quite enough to lift the O’s out of the relegation zone, but Orient manager Russell Slade was pleased with the victory as his side stretched their unbeaten league run to four games.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” he said.

“We set out to try and get out of the bottom four and we’ve almost done it. It’s just our goal difference that is keeping us in there.”

The O’s have taken 10 points from a possible 12 and Slade added: “It’s all about our current form as much as anything and this win keeps the momentum going.

“It wasn’t a classic, but we were very, very solid and that was pleasing.”

And the O’s boss was delighted with Cox’s winning strike just before the break.

“It was a great finish and ‘Coxie’ is just lethal in front of goal at times,” said Slade.

Cox’s effort was the highlight of a disappointing first half as both sides struggled to get going.

Orient impressed early on and Charlie Daniels went close with a long-range drive and skipper Stephen Dawson wasted an opportunity against his former club, but chances were at a premium.

Apart from the goal the home side’s only other effort of note in the first half came when Dawson found David Mooney, but Bury keeper Trevor Carson parried his close-range effort and Kevin Lisbie fired the rebound over.

Bury’s only effort of the opening 45 minutes came from defender Efetobore Sodje, but Matt Spring came to Orient’s rescue with a goal-line clearance.

After Cox made the breakthrough O’s could have wrapped things up at the start of the second half and Lisbie had a couple of chances to make the game safe.

As the game went on Bury looked more dangerous and Michael Jones hit the bar with a header and home keeper Lee Butcher saved well from substitute Steven Schumacher, but O’s held on to keep their recent run going.

Orient: Butcher, McSweeney, Forbes, Cuthbert, Daniels, Spring, Mooney (Porter 78 mins), Clarke, Dawson, Cox, Lisbie. Subs: Lovelock, Omozusi, Cureton, Laird.

Bury: Carson, Picken (Harrad 72 mins), Skarz, Sweeney, Bishop, M Jones, Coke, Sodje, Eastham (Hughes 25 mins), Amoo, Byrne (Schumacher 65 mins). Subs: Belford, A Jones.

Bury bookings: Sodje (74 mins foul), Amoo (89 mins foul).

Referee: Darren Deadman

Attendance: 3,943 (inc 327 Bury fans)