Leyton Orient cruise to overdue away win as Aaron Drinan brace sinks Harrogate

Posted Wednesday, March 23, 2022 by PA

Leyton Orient ended their longest run without an away win since 1997 following an emphatic 3-0 triumph at Harrogate.

The O’s had not prevailed in any of their previous 14 league games on the road since mid-September, but top scorer Aaron Drinan bagged a brace – his first goals since December to take his season’s tally to 15 – and Ruel Sotiriou wrapped up matters.

Earlier, Theo Archibald had come closest to a first-half goal when he rattled the base of home keeper Mark Oxley’s left-hand upright from eight yards.

The visitors went on to open the scoring in the 51st minute when Harrogate defender Rory McArdle’s clearance struck team-mate Alex Pattison, releasing Drinan through the right channel and he drove inside Oxley’s near post from 12 yards after ineffective defending by Warren Burrell.

Drinan grabbed his second of the game six minutes later with a deflected eight-yard effort after Omar Beckles had headed on Shadrach Ogie’s long throw from the left.

At the other end, Jack Diamond struck the outside of Lawrence Vigouroux’s near post – but the outcome was put beyond doubt following more shoddy defending by the hosts.

McArdle twice gave the ball away just outside his own penalty area, which left Sotiriou to beat an exposed Oxley after charging through the left channel on 73 minutes.

Harrogate sub Simon Power then hit the crossbar, but Harry Smith might have rubbed salt in the home wounds when he struck a post in stoppage time.