Leyton Orient 1 : 2 Swindon - O's find the going tough

Posted Sunday, October 05, 2014 by PA

Swindon gained a comfortable 2-1 win at Leyton Orient with goals by Michael Smith and Nathan Byrne before substitute Darius Henderson pulled a goal back for the home side deep into added time.

Orient created plenty of chances with Dean Cox having a shot headed off the goalline by Nathan Thompson, but the only goal of a lively first-half came in the Robins' first serious attack on their opponents' goal.

Collecting a pass from Massimo Luongo, Smith struck his seventh goal of the season when he found the top-left corner of the net with a shot from inside the box.

But Smith almost blotted his copybook when an awful back pass was seized on by Jay Simpson, who raced clear of defenders and bore down on goal only for assistant referee Amy Fearn to raise the flag for offside.

Orient players complained bitterly to referee Tim Robinson about the decision, but Swindon doubled their lead soon after the restart.

Michael Smith's pass carved through the home defence leaving Byrne with a simple opportunity to score.

The visitors then bossed the game before Henderson rose highest in a crowded box to pull a goal back.

That was just a minute after a 12-man confrontation following an incident when Byrne and Cox clashed, with the O's man kicking the ball at his opponent.

Three players, including Cox, were booked taking referee Robinson's tally for the afternoon to six.