Slade disappointed as Rovers end Orient’s run

Leyton Orient’s four-match unbeaten run came to an end as goals from Iain Hume and David Cotterill in the first 21 minutes earned a powerful Rovers side the points.

O’s worked hard to try and find a way back in the game, but they were unable to engineer many clear-cut openings against a resolute Doncaster side who defended well and threatened on the break, with Hume always causing problems.

After the game Orient boss Russell Slade admitted: “I was really disappointed with the first half. They did to us what we have done to teams in recent weeks.

“They played ugly and came with a game plan and it’s come off.

“It’s all about goals and they got two early goals and it was just a little bit too comfortable for them. We weren’t bright and it’s frustrating that we weren’t bright.”

Slade was forced into a couple of changes as Martin Rowlands failed to shake off a hamstring injury, while Anthony Griffith was suspended.

So Mathieu Baudry came in for his first start in six matches, along with Jimmy Smith in the centre of the midfield.

Orient had their fair share of possession in the first half, but it was Doncaster who took the lead on 12 minutes with a slick move when Chris Brown escaped from Ben Chorley and set up the impressive Iain Hume, who fired home a sweet effort past Ryan Allsop into the bottom left-hand corner.

Dean Cox was giving the visitors some anxious moments down the right, but O’s were unable to create many clear cut chances as Jamie McCombe and Rob Jones were dominant in the air at the heart of the visitors’ defence.

Orient’s best chance of the half came on 21 minutes when Lee Cook crossed from the left, but Baudry failed to make a good connection with his header.

With Hume showing good movement and dragging the home defence around, Rovers struck their second shortly afterwards when David Syers’ shot from 15 yards was flicked home by Cotterill from close in.

Slade’s side started the second half well as they looked for a route back into the match and Kevin Lisbie had a couple of chances in the first six minutes.

First he was struck by Gary Sawyer’s right-wing corner and the ball almost bounced into the net, but visiting keeper Gary Woods made a save on the line.

Then the Orient striker was denied again by Woods who dived to his right and palmed away his header from eight yards following a cross by Cox.

In a bid to keep the momentum going Slade first threw Marc Laird into the fray, for his first action of the season. Then Moses Odubajo and David Mooney came on as O’s continued to try and find a way back into the game.

But, for all their efforts, the closest they came to a goal was when Laird fired wide of the target following some good build up play.

“We were never really able to hurt them. I’m not sure we would have scored if we had had another 30 minutes,” said Slade.

Leyton Orient: Allsop 6, McSweeney 6, Chorley 6, Clarke 6, Sawyer 6; Cox 6, Smith 6, Baudry 6 (Laird 61 mins), Cook 6 (Odubajo 69 mins), *Lisbie 7, Brunt 6 (Mooney 69 mins). Subs: Symes, Obafemi, James.

Orient bookings: Chorley (32 mins foul), Sawyer (86 mins foul).

Doncaster Rovers: G. Woods, Husband, Jones, Syers, Brown, Cotterill (Quinn 85 mins), Spurr, McCombe, Hume (Paynter 87 mins), Harper, Bennett (M Woods 81 mins). Sullivan, Quinn, Martis, Woods, Paynter, Blake, Keegan.

Doncaster bookings; Bennett (67 mins unsporting behaviour), Brown (75 mins dissent), Cotterill (80 mins foul), Paynter (90+2 mins unsporting behaviour)

Referee: Nigel Miller

Attendance: 4,401 (inc 620 Doncaster fans)