Leyton Orient boss Jobi McAnuff insists his players must still target the League Two play-offs following a 2-2 draw at Harrogate

The O’s lie four places and four points outside the top seven and have only five games left to play, but McAnuff wants his team to take their season to the final day.

Strikers Conor Wilkinson and Danny Johnson twice gave the visitors the lead only for Harrogate to reply through Dan Jones and Josh McPake, with Lawrence Vigoroux also saving a penalty from the hosts’ striker Jack Muldoon.

A forthright McAnuff said: “We have to still be thinking about the play-offs because there has to be a goal to work towards. We need to try and take the season to the final game but we know we have to win matches from now on.

“We got ourselves into a winning position twice in this game, so it was a big opportunity to get a win, but we also rode our luck and, defensively, we were all at sea at times.

“That has not been the case for the vast amount of time I have been in charge, but we looked nervous and panicky, which resulted in their penalty that we got away with.

“We still looked on the edge after that though and couldn’t see the game out. If you come away from home and score two goals, you should be winning the game, so there’s things we have got to look at and put right.”

Johnson’s 20th goal of the season provided some consolation for the London outfit, with McAnuff adding: “He is a poacher who works his socks off and gets in good positions with his great anticipation and, more times than not, he’s been in the right position for us this season.”

Harrogate manager Simon Weaver was delighted with the manner in which his team fought to avoid a fourth straight home defeat.

He said: “We really turned up and had an intensity with and without the ball and it felt inevitable that we would get back into the game rather than lose it.

“We had great performances all over the park in the first half but it would have been even better to get a goal from the chances we had.

”Then we concede so early in the second half and it’s an acid test but the players stood up to that test and showed real character. Even after the penalty did not go in, the response afterwards spoke volumes about our attitude.

“It was Josh McPake’s best performance for some time and, when he’s on his game like that, he’s some talent. Jack Muldoon also probably ran about 14kms and Jon Stead’s class and composure alongside him shone through for us.”