Latics condemn Orient to their fifth consecutive defeat
Last updated : 12 April 2008 By Dave Moore
Athletic condemned Leyton Orient to their fifth consecutive defeat in the game at at Boundary Park. The Latics, still suffering from an unusually long injury list, had a make-shift team with youngsters making up the numbers but they were still too good for the O's.
Sean Gregan passed the ball down the right to teenager Deane Smalley who passed inside inside to Chris Taylor who drove into the bottom corner for the opening goal. Just before half time the Latics were two ahead when Mark Allott smashed a rocket shot into the net from 12 yards.
John Sheridan praised his players and told Latics World, "I thought we were excellent, particularly in the first half. The performance was very pleasing. We played some very good football and moved the ball around quickly. We were dominating the game from early on and were getting plenty of balls into the box, so I was always confident we'd score. Mark Allott produced an excellent finish for the second goal while Deane Smalley did very well for the first. He showed a lot of intelligence by squaring the ball and Chris Taylor tucked it away nicely."
"I haven't got a lot to pick from so full credit to the players. Neal Eardley looked comfortable in midfield, while Deane Smalley did well playing through the middle and linked up well with Matty Wolfenden. The front two caused Orient a lot of problems and they played very well together, while Andy Liddell and Sean Gregan bring experience and stability. We were so much on top we had to make sure we didn't get complacent in the second half, but we carried on creating chances. I'm very pleased with the way we played throughout the game."
