Leyton Orient survived a late onslaught from Cambridge United to earn a hardfought 2-1 win at Brisbane Road on Saturday.
First half goals from Jordan Maguire-Drew and Danny Johnson were enough to see off Cambridge, who scored a consolation goal through Paul Mullin after 63 minutes.
Orient zoomed out of the blocks, establishing control early on and creating a variety of goalscoring opportunities.
Control of the game
“No matter how you play, whether it’s direct or by retaining possession, you have to establish control of a game, and that’s what we did early on,” said Orient manager Ross Embleton.
The Os breakthrough came after 17 minutes when Maguire-Drew angled a shot into the far corner. Craig Clay latched onto the ball inside the Orient half and drove into midfield, where he delivered a robust hand-off into the face of his marker. Clay continued towards the edge of the penalty area and laid the ball off to Maguire-Drew. The striker remained composed, feinting to shoot with his left before chopping back onto his right side to slot the ball home to make the score 1-0.
Cambridge United almost equalised immediately as a flicked header from a wide free-kick struck the foot of Orient’s post.
Callum Burton heroics
However, the Os’ dominance resumed with the home side forcing a handful of smart saves from Callum Burton in goal for Cambridge.
The former Hull City keeper was tested beyond his limits as the second half drew to a close, parrying a low shot from James Dayton into the path of Johnson, who tussled with a defender before slotting the ball into an empty net todouble the O’s lead.
After continued control by Orient in the second half, the outcome of the game came into question for the first time after 63 minutes.
Cambridge sent an arrowed free-kick into the box, causing panic among Leyton Orient’s backline. Millen wriggled free and fired a low shot off the post into the net to give Cambridge a glimmer of hope.
McAnuff returns from injury
Minutes later club captain Jobi McAnuff received a warm reception as the 38-year-old replaced James Dayton to complete his much anticipated return from injuries.
McAnuff spoke of his pride about the feeling of making his return and hearing the fans chant his name as he waited to come on.
“It’s been a long journey. There’s been times where I’ve had doubts about whether I could get back on the pitch. I’m delighted to be back out there and grateful for a fantastic reception from the fans,” said the midfielder.
Cambridge huffed and puffed during the later stages, forcing a stunning save from Lawrence Vigouroux, to whom the home side were indebted for an outstanding second half display, which secured Orient an invaluable three points.
The win extends Orient’s impressive unbeaten record at Brisbane Road to seven games.
No complacency
While Embleton was happy with the victory, he made it clear in his post-match comments that the outcome of the game could have been very different.
“I won’t tell you the terminology in which I put it, but what I said to the boys: ‘you haven’t made it easy for me there,’” the Orient boss said.
“But I’m delighted – pleased to get over the line. We were under the cosh but we managed to see it through. I think we showed today, especially during the first hour, that we’re able to control games and to create chances.”
