Richie Wellens remains philosophical despite Orient surrendering two-goal lead

Posted Tuesday, April 11, 2023 by PA

Richie Wellens remained philosophical after watching his Leyton Orient side surrender a two-goal half-time lead against relegation-haunted Harrogate.

Orient sit eight points clear at the top of the table with six games remaining and require just six more points to guarantee promotion.

A brace by Ruel Sotiriou took his tally for the campaign to eight as the O’s looked in complete control at 2-0 but a resurgent performance after the interval by the visitors saw them earn a draw thanks to goals from Anthony O’Connor and George Thomson.

“When your two nil up at home and don’t win it’s disappointing,” Wellens stated.

“But you have to give some credit to Harrogate. They are fighting for their lives and their livelihoods and when they got their opportunities they took them.

“We looked so comfortable in the first half and had numerous chances to get the third but football is never the same flow and can suddenly change.

“I thought the players just suddenly became lethargic and slow. We conceded at a bad time which gave them a lifeline. We played one backward pass and then another and it becomes easy to press and little things we’ve done in the last six or seven weeks we couldn’t repeat.

“I understand the supporters because it’s put a massive dampener on things but if you’d had offered us seven points from the last three and 12 games unbeaten we have to look at the positives.

“We came into the game 11 points clear and we are still 11 points clear of fourth.”

Town manager Simon Weaver was delighted to see his side emerge with a draw.

“After the first half, we’d have never called that because the standard of performance was nowhere near,” he admitted.

“I was bitterly disappointed especially as we were playing the league leaders in a great atmosphere but we just weren’t performing in the first half.

“We had words with the players at half time and rejigged it so to get that great response from the players which was no mean feat coming to a rampant and in-form Orient and getting a point was incredible.

“Warren Burrell wasn’t too happy when he was told he was left out the side before the game and he showed exactly the right way to react. I don’t want players happy not to be playing and when he came on at half time. I thought he did ever so well.

“We have to be honest we weren’t at the races first half and we can’t afford too many of those between now and the end of the season.

“But the character and result gives us a real buzz now for the final games of the season.”