Football: Cambridge United 1 - 2 Leyton Orient

Orient boosted their play-offs on Easter Monday

Leyton Orient came from behind to claim a 2-1 win over Cambridge United, pushing the home side to the brink of relegation from League One.

Author - Craig H

Despite falling behind early on, the O’s showed resilience and quality in the final stages, with goals from Charlie Kelman and Jamie Donley securing all three points. 

Orient had started brightly, with Jamie Donley testing Jack Stevens from a free-kick, but it was Cambridge who struck first after 17 minutes. Sullay Kaikai broke down the left and delivered a deep cross which Ryan Loft turned back across goal for Josh Stokes to nod in.

Chances were limited after that, but Orient gradually found their rhythm and were rewarded midway through the second h9alf. Substitute Dan Agyei swung in a cross from the right and Kelman rose well to head home his 10th goal in nine games.

READ MORE: Cambridge United 0 - 1 Charlton Athletic

Moments after Shayne Lavery came close for the U’s, Donley struck the decisive blow with a superb dipping effort from the edge of the box on 78 minutes, sparking celebrations in the away end. 

The result keeps Orient’s strong finish to the season going. Cambridge now face the real prospect of relegation and will go down if they fail to win at Burton on Saturday.

What's next for Orient?

Next up, a sold out Brisbane Road awaits for the visit of Wycombe Wanderers. There's still so much to play for. Two more wins should guarantee a spot in the end of season play-offs.

What happens at that point is anyone's guess.

Promotion to the Championship would cap a remarkable few years for the club

The story of how Leyton Orient were relegated from National League became huge due go the disastrous way the club was being run. The first step on this remarkable journey back from the brink came in 2019 when they were promoted back to League Two. A remarkable few years for the club followed.