Harrogate Town 0 Leyton Orient 3: Sorry Sulphurites now seven without a win

A couple of unforced errors by experienced centre-half Rory McArdle gifted the visitors two of their goals, the result leaving Simon Weaver’s out-of-form Sulphurites without a League Two win in seven attempts.

The opening half was an entertaining affair, both sides creating some decent opportunities without managing to capitalise.

Orient’s Ruel Sotiriou nodded wide early on before Harrogate wing-back Lewis Richards got forward down the left and forced Lawrence Vigoroux into a decent stop at his near post.

Theo Archibald looked set to break the deadlock on 12 minutes when he cracked a low effort beyond Mark Oxley, only for the ball to rebound off the base of the upright.

Oxley then did brilliantly to deny Sotiriou one-on-one, while Mark Beck got in behind the visiting defence and beat Vigoroux to the ball, however he failed to guide his finish into the gaping net.

Sotiriou continued to look a threat, firing over the top following another slick Orient attack, but half-time arrived with the game still goalless.

The O’s would however get their noses in front just five minutes after the resumption when McArdle directed what was a free header straight at Alex Pattison. The ball rebounded into the path of Aaron Drinan, and he was able to race through on goal and curl past Oxley at his near post.

Six minutes later, the game was more-or-less ended as a contest as Town failed to deal with a long throw-in from the left and the ball was allowed to bounce off Drinan and into the net.

The Sulphurites did rally briefly, Jack Diamond seeing a shot gobbled up by Vigoroux, then hitting the post, before Alex Pattison took aim and forced Orient’s goalkeeper into a decent stop.

But, another unforced error from McArdle, who gave the ball away not once, but twice, in as many seconds handed the men from the capital a third on 73 minutes.

His second misplaced pass played Sotiriou clean through, and the Cyprus youth international finally found his range, dinking a cultured finish over the exposed Oxley.

There was still time for Simon Power to rattle the cross-bar from Diamond’s cut-back when it actually appeared easier to score, though that was to be as close as the home side would come as Orient substitute Harry Smith almost added a fourth in stoppage-time when he shot against the post.

Town remain 16th in the League Two standings despite having taken just one solitary point from the last 15 on offer.