Ross Embleton angry at Justin Edinburgh comment after Forest Green defeat

Leyton Orient interim manager Ross Embleton said his “blood is still boiling” after he was shown a red card during a 4-2 home defeat to Forest Green.

Embleton admitted that his frustrations took over leading to his dismissal after just 15 minutes, and implied that a member of Forest Green’s coaching team had compared him to former Orient boss Justin Edinburgh, who died in June.

Forest Green had led 3-0 at the break before coming under intense pressure as Matt Harrold and substitute Jordan Maguire-Drew reduced the deficit.

Junior Mondal then came off the bench to ensure the points with a goal four minutes from time.

“I got told I am an impostor in the environment I am in but that’s fine because I get told that regularly and it doesn’t affect me anymore so I can accept that comment,” Embleton stated.

“But to follow that up with ‘Why do you think you are Justin Edinburgh?’ is something I will never accept.

“I have to apologise to everyone associated with Leyton Orient Football Club though because I got sent off and that shows a lack of discipline which I would never want my players to show.

“I got sent off for throwing chewing gum at Mark Cooper and ultimately that is what I deserve but it was that or something more aggressive which would have been even more naive, but my blood is still boiling.

“Off the back of a difficult first-half, we sit here now disappointed we haven’t salvaged a point from the game.

“The second half, we gave the crowd something to cheer about and we were a couple of inches away from getting a point when we hit the bar.”

Mark Cooper voiced his satisfaction with a sixth away league win of the season, and was keen to play down Embleton’s outburst in the wake of Ebou Adams scoring the first of his two goals ahead of another by Matt Stevens that gave Rovers a 3-0 advantage.

Harrold and substitute Maguire-Drew reduced the deficit only for substitute Mondal to make the game safe late on.

Cooper commented: “There was nothing in it really.

“There had been a little bit of verbal towards Ebou Adams from the technical area and when he scored, I responded by celebrating, I clenched my fist and said ‘Get in there’. From there, something was thrown and that was it.

“It was a real hostile atmosphere and the boys dug in during the second half, which was a real credit to Orient.

“When they scored early in the second half, there were nerves of course because the game is never over and we should have made it more comfortable but we just had to get over the line.

“We held out against the Orient pressure but fair play to the boys, they stood strong.

“I think we would have lost that game last year and would have caved in and drawn rather than come away with the win as we did today.”