Leyton Orient head coach rues game management issues as Hartlepool United claim a point

Wellens returned to the Suit Direct Stadium, the scene of his first game in charge of Orient just over a year ago, and came away with the same number of points as on that day after Connor Jennings struck nine minutes from time for Pools to cancel out Paul Smyth’s opener.

Smyth fired in from the edge of the area early in the second half to give the League Two leaders the lead as they continue their march towards League One.

But where Hartlepool have, themselves, surrendered a lead in recent weeks, here they fought their way back into things in the final stages.

Jennings met Josh Umerah’s low cross to find the bottom corner before Hartlepool would then strike both the post and the bar as John Askey's side were, again, forced to settle for a point.

Wellens, however, suggests, after not being able to extend their lead, his side should have seen the game through but was content with the point at the Suit Direct Stadium.

“We should have been out of sight. We should have been two or three up and we shouldn’t have let in their goal. It’s a bad mistake,” said Wellens.

“Before that, there was no danger at all but then you’re playing against a club that are fighting for their lives. The atmosphere is good, they’ve got a new manager and he’s trying to change the momentum of the club and you could sense that.

“Our game management was not good enough in the last 10 minutes. I know the pitch is bobbly, and it’s difficult to play on, but we weren’t brave enough to play.

“It’s not easy coming to places like this. You look at this club here, John has come in, I think he’s had five games and five draws and he said it in his pre-match: this is a difficult place to go and people have to take that into consideration.

“It’s a season and when you play a season you need so many wins, so many draws and you’ll have so many defeats. So it’s not a bad point.”