Manager insists that the O’s will bounce back following five straight defeats

Orient manager Russell Slade insists his side will bounce back, despite an awful start to the season.

The O’s were beaten 2-1 by Carlisle at the weekend and are bottom of League One without a point.

But Slade said: “The players are hurting, they are a team that care and they will be looking to bounce back as soon as they possibly can.

“I actually think Carlisle came for a point by the way they set up and they have mugged us and gone home with three points, so it’s really disappointing.”

Orient looked on course to get off the mark after Jimmy Smith gave O’s the lead eight minutes into the second half.

But Carlisle levelled and then grabbed a winner three minutes from time and Slade said: “I thought that for the first 60 minutes, even though it was a tight game, we were in control.

“We got the goal and I thought that we deserved the goal and we were okay as soon as we scored. But for the last 25 minutes we have turned the ball over and that’s what we have been looking at,” Slade added, as the O’s boss and the players remained in the dressing room for 45 minutes after the game.

“It was ridiculously poor. We have not kept the ball well enough. We have not had the authority on the ball we should have had after we went in front.”

Once Carlisle levelled, Orient’s confidence looked frail and Slade admitted: “It always will be when you are losing football matches, but that’s my job to build it up again and we have only a few days to wait before we go into cup duty.

“But we will be back. I thought having been beaten 5-0 at Brentford it was a good response from my players in a tight game. They showed a good attitude and worked very hard to get in front. We should have stayed there and that’s the disappointing thing.”