29th December 2014

Goals from Chris Dagnall, Kevin Lisbie and Dean Cox condemned Yeovil Town to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of fellow relegation battlers Leyton Orient at a freezing Huish Park tonight.

Dagnall had given the O’s the lead on the half hour before second half strikes from Lisbie and a late finish from Cox tied Yeovil to bottom spot in the table and five points from safety as the O’s leapt from the bottom four into 19th place.

Yeovil manager Gary Johnson opted for two changes to the side that lost 2-1 at Bristol City on Boxing Day. At right back, Seth Twumasi was preferred to Brendan Moloney while James Berrett dropped to the bench, replaced by Ajay Leitch-Smith.

For the first half of the first half, Yeovil actually created the bulk of the chances and should really have been at least one ahead by the time Leyton Orient scored. Tom Eaves and James Hayter both pulled efforts wide, Leitch-Smith tested O’s keeper Gary Woods as did Hayter with a flicked header that was pushed away for a corner.

The O’s only chance had come from Bradley Pritchard’s mishit shot but seven minutes later, he was the architect for the Orient opener as his cross to the back post was headed in by the unmarked Dagnall.

The rest of the half saw little attacking chances for either side but early in the second half, Steven Arthurworrey stretched but couldn’t keep his shot down. At the other end, Arthurworrey’s defensive partner Ben Nugent acrobatically cleared off the line from a Dagnall back header just as it was about to cross the line.

Steer then saved well from Pritchard’s shot but he was helpless to stop Orient’s second on the hour. Dean Cox was allowed too much space and time and his shot was pushed away by Steer into the path of Kevin Lisbie who fired home into the corner.

Dagnall should have scored a third on 66 minutes but headed a Gary Sawyer corner wide at the back post. Yeovil sub Ryan Inniss was inches away from getting on the end of a cross from Nathan Smith’s low cross and the miss was made worse two minutes later when Leyton Orient added a third. Joe Edwards pass inside his own box was intercepted and played to Cox outside the box and the midfielder produced a terrific finish with his first time shot.

Yeovil’s night in front of goal was summed up late on when Inniss and Tom Eaves both rose to head the same ball and neither got a decent contact, Woods watching the ball go over the bar.