Substitute Jason Kerr scored with his first touch to give Wigan a narrow but well-deserved 1-0 victory over 10-man Leyton Orient at the DW Stadium.

Wigan had an early let-off when a weak header from Luke Chambers presented the ball to Darren Pratley, who fired wide from the edge of the box.

But only a desperate header off the line prevented Wigan going ahead after a deep corner from Chambers was headed back in by Charlie Hughes.

Wigan should have hit the front when Callum McManaman fed Josh Magennis, who shot wide from eight yards.

But the game completely changed three minutes before half-time when Orient’s Ethan Galbraith picked up his second yellow card in the space of 13 minutes – both for fouls on his Northern Ireland international colleague Jordan Jones.

From then on it was attack versus defence, with McManaman shooting just wide of the target at the beginning of the second period before substitute Charlie Kelman somehow headed wide from eight yards against his old club.

But Wigan finally got their breakthrough 17 minutes from time when Jonny Smith crossed for Kerr to head home – both of their first touches after coming off the bench.

Boss Matt Taylor revealed he was left out of pocket after watching his Bristol Rovers side collect all three points with a 1-0 victory at play-off hopefuls Leyton Orient.

Chris Martin recorded his 15th goal of the season when a first-half set-piece from skipper Antony Evans eluded the home defence and the unmarked Martin claimed the faintest of touches before the ball nestled in the far corner of the net.

Rovers found themselves reduced to 10-men after 82 minutes when James Wilson was dismissed for an off-the-ball incident with Brandon Cooper, but they emerged with their goal intact after soaking up relentless second-half pressure.

“This game has cost me five hundred quid for the clean sheet and five hundred for the set-piece goal,” Taylor said.

“I’m having to bribe players as we’re going to Cheltenham races in a few weeks, so £1000 is a lot of money and you can buy a lot of nappies for that but it was more than worth it!

“I thought it was a high-quality game of football in the first half. Orient are a really strong team and we know they have a fluid rhythm about them but I liked our structure.

“They started the second half really brightly and we changed our shape and got more of a foothold in the game, and I didn’t think our goalkeeper was overworked. But the unexpected happened and we lost a player for the last 15 minutes of the game.

“We then had to withstand the pressure with backs against the wall defending and we rode our luck at times, but again Jed (Ward) has only really had to make a couple of saves.”

Orient boss Richie Wellens felt his side deserved more from the match.

“It was a smash and grab,” he said.

“We conceded three shots on our goal and they scored from one of them. It was a poor goal from us to give away. A sloppy free-kick and a cheap set play but the delivery was very good and (Chris) Martin does what he does best, which is to get across people in the box.

“Second half, I can’t even remember them being in our box or in our half at times. We had 18 corners and started the game OK with opportunities to take people on but just looked just a bit leggy.

“It was a disappointing day in terms of results this afternoon but another really solid performance. We’ve lost two games when we’ve played midweek and the opposition haven’t. It’s not an excuse but we did look tired and hence why I need to make changes.”

Bristol Rovers grabbed a 1-0 win over Leyton Orient thanks to a Chris Martin goal, despite playing out the final few minutes with 10-men after James Wilson was sent off.

Rovers, who were forced into a change after just four minutes when defender Jack Hunt left the pitch with a leg injury, should have scored the opener in the 13th minute when the dangerous Scott Sinclair teed up Luke Thomas but he completely missed his kick with the goal beckoning.

However, the lively visitors grabbed a deserved lead on the half-hour mark from a set-piece. Skipper Antony Evans curled in a teasing free-kick and Martin claimed the faintest of touches as the ball found its way into the far corner of the net.

Orient totally dominated possession after the interval but were unable to unlock a resilient and resolute opposition.

Wilson was given a straight red card by referee Darren Drysdale eight minutes from time for an off-the-ball incident with Brandon Cooper, but despite incessant pressure and a total of 17 corners, Orient were unable to capitalise.

Richie Wellens heaped praise on his Leyton Orient squad after a 1-0 home win against Blackpool.

The victory allowed Orient to leapfrog their opponents and move into eighth position in Sky Bet League One, although they remain five points adrift of a play-off place.

Ollie O’Neill, who scored in the win at Oxford on Saturday, was again on target when he struck in the second half to record his third goal for the club since signing from Fulham in January.

The goal was sufficient to earn the London outfit their seventh win in their last 10 matches.

“We had a brilliant win in terms of we beat Oxford on Saturday by playing really good football and moving the ball smoothly and rotation,” said Wellens.

“Tonight wasn’t about that, credit to Blackpool because they stopped us playing as they were well set-up defensively.

“So we then decided to miss midfield and pick up second balls. We knew that was the way to try and win the game.

“I thought the best player on the pitch was Ruel Sotiriou, although there were a lot of good performances from elsewhere. Ruel set the tempo for everything we did.”

Recent signing O’Neill also attracted individual praise from his manager.

“Sometimes recruitment is really hard and a player can look brilliant with attributes, but (with) Ollie we had a real look and straight away we knew he was strong.

“He doesn’t look like he’s running quick, but then you look at defenders chasing him and they’re not catching him.

“He has two good feet, he scored with his right foot (on) Saturday and he scored with his left today so I’m delighted.”

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley admitted his side cannot afford to slip up in their bid to reach the play-offs after slipping down to ninth after the defeat.

“I thought it was a tight game with very little between both teams,” Critchley said.

“It was always likely to be settled decided by a moment of quality or a mistake and unfortunately it was ourselves who made that mistake and they capitalised, and that was the difference.

“Neither goalkeeper has really had anything to do and even through Orient had territory, they didn’t really cause us many problems.

“They are a really hard team to play against here. They don’t concede many goals and we huffed and puffed when we went 1-0 down, but missing Jordan Rhodes and Shane Lavery was obviously difficult and overall we didn’t do enough.

“I said to the players can we try and scrap and get a 1-0 win in these type of games or worst case dig it out and get a 0-0 to earn a point.

“Nothing is decided yet. We’re still in there, but we can’t have too many nights like this and afford to have games where we don’t pick up points.”

Leyton Orient kept their Sky Bet League One play-off hopes alive as Ollie O’Neill scored the only goal in the 1-0 victory over Blackpool.

Both teams battled hard in the opening half in a vain attempt to gain supremacy without managing to break down resilient defences.

The visitors almost nosed ahead after 11 minutes when Karamoko Dembele raided down the right side and delivered a cross into the box that just eluded Jake Beesley.

At the opposite end, Orient striker Shaq Forde raced clear but instead of shooting for goal, he opted to overhit a pass which gave the Tangerines chance to retreat.

The second half was just seven minutes old when O’Neill opened the scoring. Collecting a pass from Ruel Sotiriou he drilled a left-footed shot into the far corner to record his third goal since joining from Fulham in January.

Blackpool’s woes continued when, shortly afterwards, substitute Andrew Lyons pulled up whilst chasing the ball and was carried off the pitch on a stretcher.

The visitors failed to manage a shot on target in the second period as Orient’s defence, superbly marshalled by Brandon Cooper, comfortably protected their lead.

Burton boss Martin Paterson felt his half-time team talk paid off in the 2-1 win at Leyton Orient.

The Brewers had trailed to a George Moncur penalty before the break, but Mason Bennett and Aristote Nsiala made Orient pay for two defensive mistakes to secure all three points in their first visit to Brisbane Road.

It was the second successive win on the road for the visitors, who moved six points clear of the League One relegation zone.

“I spoke to the players at half-time and I think that was the difference because they (Orient) led at half-time but didn’t have a clear-cut chance and only scored from the penalty which was a poor piece of defending,” Paterson said.

“We knew Orient are a really good team that are possession based so we set up a certain way. However within that, I was disappointed we didn’t see the triggers at certain times so sometimes players need education, help and encouragement.

“I’ll be positive about Orient because they have a clear identity but I knew if we could stay in the game and tweak things tactically with our substitutions, we could get something.

“They shaded it first half but second we definitely did, so I’m delighted with the result.

“My job is to keep encouraging, build the confidence. The non negotiables in terms of effort are there for all to see. It’s a group that wins the games not individuals.”

Orient boss Richie Wellens felt his side dropped their levels after the break.

He said: “I think they’ve had three shots on target and they’ve scored from two of them. In the last two home games the opposition have scored five goals and we’ve only faced six shots after we’ve dominated possession.

“I think the performance first half was excellent and we could have been two or three-nil up. Maybe we could have moved the ball quicker, but we were playing against a team who came here to defend and sit back.

“We were passing along the back and we wasn’t clever enough and went safe and played to the full-back and we can’t play like that.

“Fair play to Burton as they stayed in the game and got a smash and grab. We haven’t got the squad to push. We still have a small opportunity but this 10 per cent drop off is huge for us.”

“Second half right from the kick-off we went backwards to our goalkeeper who slips and had to do a Cryuff turn to get out of trouble. It was far too slow. Then we went long ball time and time again and we didn’t squeeze.”

Burton moved six points clear of the League One relegation zone after stealing a 2-1 win at Leyton Orient.

After George Moncur gave Orient a first-half lead, Mason Bennett and Aristote Nsiala struck in the space of four second-half minutes.

The first half had proved an uneventful period with the home side, despite enjoying 83 per cent possession, struggling to break down Albion’s five-man backline.

The stalemate was broken after 43 minutes when Shaq Forde moved into the box before being brought down by Tolaji Bola and Moncur stepped forward to coolly convert the spot-kick.

Burton had been outplayed in the first half but they were galvanised when Omar Beckles gave the ball away in the 72nd minute and Mark Helm picked out Bennett for the equaliser.

Four minutes later, O’s keeper Sol Brynn hesitated when he came to meet a Joe Powell set-piece and Nsiala stabbed the ball home from six yards to put the visitors in front.

Boss Richie Wellens likened Ruel Sotiriou to former Manchester United super-sub Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after Leyton Orient’s thrilling 4-3 win over Northampton.

The Os had suffered their first defeat in nine matches against Barnsley on Saturday but immediately returned to winning ways in this absorbing encounter.

Wellens, back in the technical area after serving a three-match ban, watched Orient take the lead on three separate occasions through Ollie O’Neill, Shaq Forde and Sotiriou only for Marc Leonard, Kieron Bowie and Tyreece Simpson to cancel out each goal.

But the defining strike came from substitute Sotiriou, who took his league tally for the season into double figures with his second of the night and the winner deep into added time.

“I love Ruel Sotirou when he comes on as a sub and whilst he doesn’t like it, he really does remind me of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when he comes off the bench,” said Wellens. “He smells areas and he’s a brilliant sub.

“It was a brilliant night and a brilliant performance – full of young, exciting, talented players, full of energy, and it would have been a travesty had we not won it.

“Northampton can be a threat as we saw but we dominated the game. We had 19 shots and they had three and every one of theirs went in.

“At times we ran Northampton ragged. Our rotations were fantastic. We got our full-backs to push on and they changed to a (midfield) diamond but we kept going and for me I thought we were really dominant throughout.

“We’ve played Northampton several times in my tenure and every game has been tough. For me their team is a symbol which represents their manager, Jon Brady. Loads of energy and never give up.”

Brady was frustrated after his side’s repeated fightbacks came to nothing.

“I’m more disappointed to concede the number of goals we did after we fought hard to come back the way we did. To come away with nothing is disappointing,” he said.

“We were really stretched today so to show the character and spirit the way we did and not give up and keep coming back was a really strong part of our game today but we needed to see it out.

“We have a lot of inconsistencies with injuries but it is what it is. To score three goals away from home and come away with nothing is really hard to take.

“I thought first half we looked jaded but second half we came out after just scoring before half-time but I expected us to close it out. I expect us to be better than that.

“We could have won 4-3 at the end and another occasion Mitch Pinnock scores and that breaks them, but unfortunately we were the ones today who felt that sucker punch.”

Barnsley boss Neill Collins hopes Adam Phillips’ dramatic late double can be a pivotal moment in their season.

The Tykes were heading for defeat against Leyton Orient until Phillips equalised in the 88th minute.

And, despite Barnsley going down to 10 men when Luca Connell saw red, Phillips struck again in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win that moved them within four points of the automatic promotion places in League One.

“It’s not the way we planned it,” said a relieved Collins.

“I thought losing an early goal is always an issue. But the players responded very well, as did the crowd.

“And together we just kept going right to the very end. And you could see at the end, even with 10 men, when everyone’s up it’s very difficult and I’m so pleased for everyone that we got what I think was a deserved winning goal.

“At the end there, it could be a really pivotal moment of the season. It was great to see the second goal go in.”

Orient took the lead through Ruel Sotiriou in the 10th minute.

But their eight match unbeaten run came to an end as Phillips bagged a brace either side of Connell being shown a second yellow card.

Orient boss Richie Wellens was not happy with how his side attempted to hold on to their lead.

“It’s not cruel when you sit deep and invite teams on,” he said.

“I think first 20 minutes, half an hour we were very good. We went 1-0 up and every time we attacked we looked a real threat.

“Then we didn’t play with enough bravery to pass the ball, we didn’t play with enough bravery to switch the ball and everything we wanted to do.

“And the accumulation of not being brave enough and fatigue, especially in the last 10-15 minutes, has cost us the game.

“I don’t think we can begrudge them. I think they deserved to win the game cos the pressure was building.

“Our game management was really, really poor. And if you allow teams like this to build momentum and you never break it, then unfortunately you’re going to pay the price.”

Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens only had one gripe after his side stretched their unbeaten run to eight games with a 1-0 success at struggling Port Vale.

Captain Idris El Mizouni piled on the agony for managerless Vale – whose defeat dropped them into the relegation zone – with the game’s only goal after 60 minutes.

Orient’s latest win pushed the Londoners to within seven points of the League One play-offs.

“We should have walked away winning that game (by) four or five,” said Wellens after serving the second of a three-match touchline ban.

“But there was only one team in it for the majority of the game.

“Their keeper Connor Ripley was the best player on the pitch. He was exceptional but we have got to be taking those chances.”

Ripley produced a succession of outstanding stops in each half, with Ruel Sotiriou suffering more than most.

On his team’s current run of form, Wellens added: “Since the middle of December we have been on an unbelievable run.

“We just keep going and concentrate on ourselves. If we do the basics right, we have got good players.

“We are getting to that stage where we are probably going to be safe. And that was our first thought from where we have come from.

“In the coming weeks we will be going to win every single game. We will evaluate as each game ticks by what we need to do.

“It is a privilege to work with these young players. The biggest thing is they are improving and it is great to watch them grow and learn.”

Vale sacked Andy Crosby on Monday, putting academy trio Will Ryder, Matt Done and Danny Lloyd in temporary charge.

The club will appoint a permanent successor to Crosby while director of football Dave Flitcroft was the subject of chants calling for his resignation at the final whistle.

“We will do the best we can to continue to fight and try to get some points on the board,” said Ryder.

“When I move back into my role in the academy and the next management team come in, they are going to need everybody pulling together.

“That’s our job to try and galvanise that. Are the players behind playing for the club? A million per cent. They are hurting in the changing room.

“It is now an opportunity to get together for the rest of the week to commit to a game plan for Stevenage on Saturday.

“Full credit to everyone for getting on with it and being professional.

“Have we got the result we wanted? No. But they were committed and gave it a good go. And we were still in the game at the end.”

Idris El Mizouni piled on the pressure for managerless Port Vale, scoring the only goal in Leyton Orient’s 1-0 win at Vale Park.

Valiants goalkeeper Connor Ripley kept the visitors at bay with a string of saves until the 60th minute of this Sky Bet League One contest, when captain El Mizouni raced onto Tom James’ pass to net his first league goal in almost a year.

Orient’s win was their fifth in an eight-game unbeaten run and keeps them pushing for a play-off spot after last season’s promotion from tier four.

In contrast, Vale, who briefly topped the division in September, are now without a win in five matches and fall into the bottom four.

They axed manager Andy Crosby on Monday, putting academy director Will Ryder and staff Matt Done and Danny Lloyd in interim charge.

Busy Ripley produced a string of saves in the opening half before Jack Shorrock retaliated with a shot beaten away by Sol Brynn.

Ruel Sotiriou had a frustrating night in front of goal, denied by the crossbar and Ripley in quick succession.

But skipper El Mizouni produced a fine low finish to earn Richie Wellens’ team a deserved victory.

Bolton boss Ian Evatt gave an honest assessment following his side’s 1-0 defeat to Leyton Orient in Sky Bet League One.

Promotion hopefuls Bolton, who started the match two points off the top of the table and with two matches in hand, should have taken the lead in the first half when leading scorer Dion Charles headed against a post.

However, the visitors paid the price when Dan Agyei netted the only goal of the game in the 54th minute, his third in as many matches, to give Orient the points.

Evatt, who was impressed with his team’s display in Tuesday’s FA Cup replay loss to Luton, said: “I’m very disappointed and I think we got what we deserved.

“They didn’t create lots but played the conditions better and showed more fight, more determination and a willingness to do the ugly side of the game better than we did.

“Some of our decision making and execution was baffling after Tuesday, when it was the opposite.

“I made five substitutions but I wish I could have made 11. If I could have made 11 changes then I would have.”

He continued: “I wasn’t happy with anybody. We made the wrong choices and showed the wrong body language.

“Very rarely am I disappointed with that group of players to the extent I am today.

“Having said all that we still had the best two chances in the game, which you cannot afford to miss. Both gilt edge, right in front of goal with no pressure and one on one. We saw that at Portsmouth and we saw that again today.”

In contrast, Orient assistant manager Matt Harrold was understandably upbeat after his team stretched their unbeaten league run to five matches, a run that includes four victories.

He said: “We’re really thrilled with the result. We’ve looked a really good team (in the) last six games.

“We need to stay aggressive and keep it going. We were really positive, it was a dominant performance despite them having the best two chances of the game.

“We had to stay patient with Dan Agyei having picked up the long-term injury pre-season but his return has been a massive boost for everyone.

“We need to keep him fit and he can go from strength to strength. He’s got that strength, power and unpredictability so we need him to keep going.

“Credit to the overall team though. We’re working hard and stopping the opposition from higher up the pitch, which means we’re not conceding too many chances.

“The big emphasis has been ‘let’s get back to what we are on the front foot, physical and aggressive’.

“There are a lot of games in February and March and the squad is going to be needed and we will attack each game as it comes.”

Portsmouth’s poor form continued as John Mousinho’s league leaders made it one win in six games by slipping to a shock 3-0 defeat at home to Leyton Orient.

A disastrous opening half saw stuttering Pompey conceded all three goals before the break.

Orient could have been ahead inside the first 10 seconds, but Dan Agyei’s shot was deflected for a corner.

They did take the lead after 30 minutes when a one-two between Shaq Forde and Max Sanders saw Forde score easily.

It was 2-0 five minutes later when Jordan Brown stabbed home after a goalmouth scramble.

Pompey had a chance to get back in the game after 40 minutes with a penalty after a foul on Jack Sparkes, but Colby Bishop’s tame effort was easily saved.

Things got worse for Pompey in the last minute of first-half added time when Agyei headed home from a corner.

Orient maintained their dominance in the second half, stifling Pompey’s efforts to get back into the game and came away worthy winners.

Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens was satisfied with his side’s 0-0 draw against Wycombe.

Although the O’s recorded back-to-back clean sheets in the league for the first time since August, they were unable to find a way past Chairboys keeper Max Stryjek even with the seven minutes of added time caused when a linesman sustained an injury in the first-half and swapped roles with the fourth official .

Stryjek pulled off a string of fine saves, including two from piledrivers from full-back Tom James as Orient, despite dominating play in the second half, were unable to find a way past the former Poland youth international.

“I thought first half it wasn’t a great game with two teams that looked leggy but only one team who wanted to win it as they came for a point,” Wellens said.

“Fair play to them but we showed a lack of energy but I’m not too displeased as we got a point out of the game.

“In a perfect world we would have taken our front three off and freshened things up for this game but we were holding on for a hard one-nil win against Charlton on Boxing Day and couldn’t really do that which probably effected us today.

“Did we do enough to win the game? Maybe, maybe not but they haven’t had a shot on target and we thought we’d have more of the ball today when in fact we only had 62 per cent possession.

“We’ve come a long way in the last few weeks though and it showed with a team who are predominantly at the top of this league have come here and only come for a point.”

Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield was also content with the point.

“I was really pleased with the clean sheet, particularly after conceding a couple of late goals recently and the long journey we had on Boxing Day at Exeter which had got to the legs of the boys,” he said.

“So I tried to freshen things up with five changes and wanted to pick an attacking team.

“We knew it was going to be a running game against a fit and young Orient team. We knew we needed to play on the front foot and attack them and I think we did that in the first half at times.

“We’re working hard at the moment. We will be in tomorrow and start preparing for Bristol Rovers on New Year’s Day.

“We all want to be celebrating wins and it’s not so much fun when you’re not, but we keep going and the boys are giving absolutely everything.

“In my 20 years I spent here I know what it means and working hard we get to where we want to be.”

Leyton Orient gained bragging rights in their London derby with near-neighbours Charlton thanks to a goal from Omar Beckles.

The central defender met a cross on 80 minutes from substitute Dan Agyei – who had only been the field for two minutes when he sent a ball into the box – to earn a 1-0 win.

Neither side had anything to show for their intense energy in the first half with a lack of true quality proving their shortcoming.

Orient keeper Sol Brynn kept his side on level terms before the break when he was at full-stretch to keep out efforts from Corey Blackett-Taylor and Chem Campbell, after Watford loan striker Shaq Forde had spurned a good opportunity in the third minute for the home side when he blazed over the bar following a Theo Archibald corner.

Orient improved after the interval and were rewarded with Beckles’ defining goal, although they were indebted to Brynn’s fine late save from Blackett-Taylor that protected their win.

The victory exacted revenge for the O’s defeat by the same scoreline in the opening match of the season at The Valley.