Disappointing day for #Colchester, as Leyton Orient scoop three points

By Matthew Martino

Both sides came into the game looking for some inspiration to kick start their seasons and it was the O’s who came away with all three points of a soaking wet afternoon at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

The U’s now find themselves at the wrong end of the League Two table and know they need to pick up a victory soon to start to pull away from trouble.

Their chances were not helped on Saturday when captain Luke Prosser picked up a knee injury in the warm-up, meaning that Frankie Kent was brought in ahead of kick-off.

But the U’s found themselves 1-0 down on eleven minutes when a defensive mix-up allowed Jay Simpson to seize on the loose ball and bury it past the helpless Sam Walker.

The first half was relatively free of clear cut chances and Head Coach John McGreal switched to a 3-5-2 formation to try and get a foothold in the game.

Goals change games and, as the U’s came out for the second half, they knew the next one could prove crucial in the match.

But it was the O’s who got it just two minutes after the restart. Full back Nicky Hunt worked his way to the edge of the box before bending one into the far corner to make it 2-0.

The U’s knew they had to work hard to get back into this one and again had moments of pressure that hinted they might close the gap on their visitors.

Again it was Guthrie who was left with his head in his hands, as he sidefooted wide when well placed in the centre of the box.

That miss proved crucial as the O’s extended their advantage five minutes later.

And it was a first class strike, as Simpson smashed one into the top corner to take the game beyond the U’s.

The match was seemingly beyond the home side at this point and, with the O’s happy to sit in and protect their lead, they had more of the ball without often testing Cisak.

They did force a couple of good stops out of the O’s keeper, though, and Dickenson continued to be a threat down the left hand side.

As the rain continued to fall, the minutes also fell away from the U’s.