Fletcher pleased Orient performance in Carlisle draw

Posted Sunday, October 27, 2019 by PA

New boss Carl Fletcher was pleased to see Leyton Orient’s work on the training ground starting to show through after the O’s bounced back from their midweek mauling with a draw against Carlisle.

Orient were thrashed 4-0 at Plymouth on Tuesday but recovered with a 1-1 draw against Carlisle in Fletcher’s first home game in charge.

It might have been even better for the hosts after they took a seventh-minute lead though Josh Wright’s penalty, but Carlisle levelled through Jack Iredale at the start of the second half.

Fletcher, whose side were away to Grimsby last Saturday before travelling down to Devon in midweek, said: “I knew that going into today with all the travelling the last week that we were going to hit fatigue but I thought the lads were great today and dug in.

“In the first half we were really on the front foot and could have been a couple of goals up but it’s a game of two halves.

“It was pleasing to see little things that we have been working on in such a short period of time coming to fruition and next week we have a free week together on the training ground which I am looking forward to.

“You are not going to have 90 per cent possession every game and the opposition are there to make things difficult for you of course, but there are always areas to improve. But I have to give credit to our lads as it was an open game and we continued to show the willing to try and win.

“No targets have been set from me and as a club, we just taking it day by day as the results will take care of themselves.”

Orient dominated the first half but were left to rue the lack of further goals at a rain-swept Brisbane Road with only Wright’s early penalty to show for their domination.

Carlisle, who had lost their previous four games, levelled three minutes into the second half when Orient failed to deal with a corner and Iredale fired home from close range.

United boss Steve Pressley said: “I needed to make a couple of tactical alterations at half-time to do with the shape of the team and I think that allowed us to really pressurise them and get to grips with the game.

“That result would have given ourselves a little bit of confidence and we now have a full week ahead of us to get out on the training ground.

“Part of the job is that we have had to address certain issues in the early part of the season and then we have suffered in other ways. So I’ve had to try and make amendments to that so it’s always trying to find solutions.

“I have a definite way on how I want us to play but sometimes the journey to that point isn’t smooth.

“The difficulty we have is that we are a new team who are trying to find their way. But I’m pleased today that we stopped the rot and it gives us at least a foundation to build from.”