‘Left It Late, Left It Great’ Leyton Orient Reaction To Last Gasp Winner

o'connor orient 0215174100_R6M26549_edit_7018769527053 — Credit Graham Burrell

Richie Wellens came away from the game on Saturday afternoon feeling it was the first ‘real test of character for his side’ as the O’s found a winner in the dying seconds against the Imps, writes Kyle Fox.

Leyton Orient fans online also shared their delight and the relief that always comes with a last-minute winner. Wellens was quick to credit his players for their hard-fought victory as he said; “It tested our resilience, and you have to give credit to the players because they kept going.”

However, after this, he went straight into talking about what his side could’ve done better as he brought up aspects such as; “We had a 25-minute spell where we kept playing in front of them—too many touches, too many passes—and they were set up to pounce on a loose ball and counterattack.”

“When it got to 2-1, there was a threat, but we had enough chances to win the game. In that 25-30 minute spell, we took too many touches, passing backwards or sideways. When we went 3-2 up, we passed forward and could have had a couple more. We got a little blasé and naive at times, but it’s a good result.”

Nervy second half due to goal on half time and Lincoln pressed us really well and arguably deserved the 2-2. But then we have silkiest player in L1 in EG and with 10 minutes of Dan A it was just too much for them!
— terence mortimer (@twm01303) February 15, 2025

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When asked about Sonny Perkins, The Leyton Orient boss had lots of positive comments about the midfielder, who scored a brace during the game; “I’ve said before, he’s going to be a really good footballer. Goals are expected from him because we see his top-quality finishing every day in training. I’m more pleased with his defensive work and duels, which were excellent.”

He had a very good game, and it’s clear why the manager was quick to praise him. It’s the 21-year-old’s first season of getting consistent men’s football after spells with Leeds, West Ham, and Oxford. He and Ethan Galbraith (who pulled off three assists during the game) have great futures ahead of them and are thriving in this Orient side.

The last-minute winner ensured Orient’s pursuit of a playoff place is still a great possibility as their tremendous turnaround in form since the starting three months of the season continued. They have won four and lost one in their last five league games. The O’s have only lost a single league game since the 26th November which was at home to Stockport County two weeks ago. An incredible run of form which has culminated in them currently sitting in a play off position.

And into the play off places…
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When asked about if he will make changes for their upcoming fixtures, he shed some light on preparing the push for the play offs towards the end of the season. Possibly revealing some scars from last season when Orient had half a chance of making a play off sport but fell away towards the end of the season. He said; “We’ve rotated in the last few games and will continue to do so. My experience is that the last 10 games are crucial when pushing for playoffs or titles. Last year, the players were physically fit but mentally drained. We hope to reach the final stretch this season with a fully fit and mentally fresh squad.”

Big win against a good side. O’s were disjointed with plenty of changes and players unfamiliar with each other. Great stuff from the manager going for it at the end – a draw was no good today. Lincoln’s first goal was shocking from the officials at this level by the way.
— IOR (@enorilay) February 15, 2025

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Wellens was not happy with Lincoln’s first goal scored on the stroke of half time by Lewis Montsma. He was frustrated with the officiating for the build up and when the goal was scored. He said;

“Yeah, he’s offside. Not even close. The referee said it didn’t impact play, but it did. Our centre-back runs for it clears it for a throw-in, and their lad goes through him. So not only is it offside, it’s a foul. The referee got that wrong, but overall, I thought he was okay today.”

The O’s manager was also pleased with his substitutes who came on to impact the game. They helped to swing the tie somewhat back in Leyton Orient’s favour which eventually allowed them to keep putting the pressure on and nick the winning goal. He said; “Our subs were excellent today. Don Ball, Dan Agyei, and DJ gave us the impetus we needed- But when the energy dropped, the subs came on and did really well.”

One mentioned there that was getting spoke about post match by fans online and by Wellens was Daniel Agyei who only made an eight minute cameo. Agyei is still building his fitness back up after an injury he picked up at the start of January but did look a threat as soon as he came on. Wellens also mentions this in his interview; ” Dan’s a sprinter, and that lactic acid can build up quickly, especially when he’s not starting or fully warmed up. His heart rate goes from zero to 100, and it takes a toll. But we have a plan to get him up to full speed, and if he keeps impacting games like that, we’ll be fine.”