Pete Wild delighted with Barrow display in draw at leaders Leyton Orient

Posted Sunday, January 15, 2023 by PA

Pete Wild was delighted with the draw that saw his Barrow side earn a well-deserved point in a 0-0 draw at Sky Bet League Two leaders Leyton Orient.

Orient were able to record an eighth consecutive clean sheet at home but, at the opposite end of the pitch, they have managed just a single goal in their last five games.

They did have two second-half penalty shouts turned down and drew three good saves from Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman whilst the visitors saw two opportunities denied by home goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux.

Orient also had Tom James dismissed for two bookable offences inside three added minutes at the end of the second half.

Barrow boss Wild said: “It was a really well-deserved point for us today and I am really pleased about how we played against the league leaders.

“I thought our shape was fantastic. I felt we frustrated Orient from the start, we worked incredibly hard and we created some really good chances too.

“We have played successive away games against two really good teams in Mansfield and Orient, who are absolutely flying and having a great season, and to pick up a clean sheet and four points out of those games is terrific and I would certainly have taken that if you had offered it to me beforehand.

“It shows we have character in this team and determination with a willingness to want to go and get something on the road.

“This group is great. They listen and have a go at what we ask them to do. I am the first to stick my hand up if it goes wrong but all I ask is for them to go and give the best account of themselves as players and they are doing that.”

Richie Wellens admitted his Orient team were below their usual standards.

“Overall I am happy with the point based on the performance but when you have four or five players underperform but still keep a clean sheet then you have to take it,” he insisted. “But the team that finished today is a shadow of where we have been this year.

“We weren’t bright enough, we played too slow. We weren’t crisp enough. From a defensive perspective we were okay but we were too last gasp and too open as a team.

“It’s a worry that we have only scored one goal in five games. We are having to change a lot because of injuries and I lost two players yesterday in (Theo) Archibald and (Aaron) Drinan. You could see at the end by the team we had it was a bit disjointed.

“When you aren’t scoring goals people immediately say you need strikers but I think there is more to it sometimes. We need to move the ball better, we need to get into pockets quicker.”