Opposition view: Orient 'played with our flip flops on' against Cobblers, says Wellens

Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens said his side ‘played with our flip flops on’ during an 18-minute spell in which Cobblers scored four times on their way to Saturday’s 4-2 victory at Brisbane Road.

Both Orient and Northampton started well but Mitch Pinnock’s thunderous opener was followed by a period of dominance for the away side who scored three further goals.

Jon Guthrie poked in a set-piece and then Josh Eppiah netted either side of Theo Archibald’s goal for a 4-1 half-time lead. Orient did strike again early in the second-half but there was no way back.

"We started the game well and we could have been 2-0 up before their first goal but the goalkeeper has pulled off a great save,” said Wellens.

"It was competitive and quite even for the first 15 minutes and they were at it but then we played with our flip flops on and we were nowhere near at it.

"We didn’t want to get into people’s faces, we didn’t want to close the ball down, we allowed them to pass the ball forward and we allowed runners to run off us.

"When you do that, you will concede goals. They scored four but I felt we could have scored four. The second-half was all one-way traffic.

"They might have sat back and protected what they had but I thought the effort we put in and the areas we played in were much better than the first-half.

"Northampton are playing for promotion and they brought a good following so that first goal gives them a huge lift and suddenly they can run that extra five per cent.

"That’s why it kills me that we aren’t playing for anything because you get these type of games. I’m not going to read too much into it but it’s a lesson that anyone can beat us if we are not at it from minute one.”

On Shadrach Ogie’s late red card, awarded for a headbutt on Danny Rose, Wellens added: “It’s harsh because I don’t think he made any contact.

"But why do it? We’re not playing for anything. Their lad makes a fair tackle and they are fighting for something so you expect them to be on it. We can’t react like that.”