Nathan Clarke scored his first goal for Leyton Orient to help the O’s defeat Port Vale 2-0 and end a run of 57 years without a win at Vale Park.
The Orient skipper headed home a Lloyd James corner on the 57th minute to double Orient’s advantage after Dean Cox had opened the scoring with a magnificent strike four minutes before half time.
Vale created several chances themselves throughout the match however and will feel aggrieved to have seen two goals disallowed in the second half.
From the side that drew 0-0 at Notts County on Saturday, Russell Slade made one change as David Mooney returned from a rib injury in place of Kevin Lisbie, who dropped to the bench.
Following a close opening ten minutes, it was the hosts who created the first chance of the match when Ben Williamson fired an effort wide after Orient keeper Eldin Jakupovic failed to deal with a cross from the left.
Orient were forced into making a change with 20 minutes gone as Marvin Bartley came on to replace Romain Vincelot, who had picked up a knock in a tackle with Anthony Griffith.
The substitution had a chance on proceedings as the O’s began to attack more, with Dean Cox firing an effort into the side netting on the 26th minute.
The next chance then fell to Lloyd James who forced Vale keeper Chris Neal in to making his first save of the night to keep out the midfielders volley.
With the first half ticking on, Orient took the lead in superb fashion courtesy of a brilliant Dean Cox goal. Following good play down the right, Moses Odubajo laid the ball off to Cox who hit a rasping drive past keeper Neal which hit the bar on it’s way in.
The strike was enough for the O’s to go in ahead at the break and came close to grabbing a second of the night when Chris Dagnall dispossessed Chris Dickinson and took the ball round keeper Neal but his touch was too heavy to get a shot off.
Vale then responded with chances of their own and thought they had equalised when captain Doug Loft sent a header goalwards, only to see Lloyd James clear his effort off the line.
James’ block handed the O’s another boost and Dagnall came close again when he headed a James cross wide of the Vale goal on the 55th minute.
Orient were to grab their second of the night moments later however, through an unlikely source.
Having not scored a goal for Leyton Orient since joining in 2011, captain Nathan Clarke rose highest to connect with a James corner and head past Neal in the Vale goal.
Port Vale came close less than a minute later though, as Jakupovic produced the save of the night to keep out Chris Birchall who had got one on one with the O’s stopper.
Port Vale then had the ball in the back of the net twice in the space of a matter of minutes, only to see the first effort chalked off for offside before a foul was given in the build up to the second.
Substitute Billy Knott crashed an effort against the bar in the dying minutes as Orient dug deep to keep the hosts out and register their first win at Vale Park since 1956.
The win keeps Orient in second place ahead of Saturday’s top of the table clash against London rivals Brentford who sit once place behind in third, by only a single point.
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