23 November 2021

Kenny Jackett rues missed chances as Leyton Orient draw at Scunthorpe

23 November 2021

Boss Kenny Jackett bemoaned Leyton Orient’s inability to kill the game off as his side were forced to settle for a seventh draw in nine League Two away matches at Scunthorpe

Aaron Drinan’s 10th goal of the season gave the O’s a 21st-minute lead in a game they dominated, only for substitute Jake Scrimshaw to rescue a point for the bottom-of-the-table Iron four minutes after coming off the bench.

Adding to Jackett’s frustration was the fact that the visitors carved out a host of chances either side of Scunthorpe’s equaliser, without being able to take one.

“It’s another disappointing result on the road, despite a dominant performance,” the Orient manager said.

“We were on top and it looked like the game was there for us right the way through – we just couldn’t finish our chances and got caught on a corner when they had very few opportunities to score.

“We should have had a clean sheet, although similarly we should have put the game away.

“The goal against us should have been inconsequential, and that’s the most frustrating thing.

“It was a winning performance that we weren’t able to get over the line.”

Drinan’s goal – a first-time finish to complete a flowing move upfield and inviting right-wing cross from Hector Kyprianu – was no more than Orient deserved.

A second goal for the Irishman, or Dan Kemp, early in the second half would have been the same, although the O’s were made to pay for their profligacy when Scrimshaw hooked home at the second attempt when the visitors failed to clear a 64th-minute corner.

Still there were opportunities for the O’s to claim all three points, with Harry Smith firing against the inside of the post and substitute Paul Smyth lifting his shot wide after racing clear inside the final 10 minutes.

While there were positives in a point, Scunthorpe manager Keith Hill – still chasing his first victory since taking over from Neil Cox just under three weeks ago – wants to see more from his team.

He said: “It’s a point that can hopefully ignite something, but can it be a springboard moving forward? I don’t know.

“I don’t hope, I plan and I’ll evaluate things over the next three days ahead of the next game.

“Ultimately, I want us to play better, but we’ve got to get results.

“What I need is for the workaholics to be better technicians, and some of the technicians to work as hard as some of the others.

“If we get that, I think we can turn a courageous performance into something worth watching and still get points.

“The players gave me everything, which is the least I expect, and they earned the little bit of fortune that we got.”

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