Exeter manager Gary Caldwell felt his side got what they deserved as they were knocked off the top of the table in a 2-1 home defeat by Leyton Orient, whose winner came in stoppage time.

With seven players out through injury or on international duty, it was a lacklustre performance form a very young Exeter team, who went in front against the run of play through Demetri Mitchell’s spectacular strike four minutes after half-time.

But Joe Pigott levelled for the Os before Ruel Sotiriou’s long-range strike went over the hands of Exeter goalkeeper Gary Woods gave the Londoners a deserved victory.

“It was a really disappointing result and a disappointing performance overall,” Caldwell said. “We didn’t get going at any point in the match and we got what we deserved really.

“Leyton Orient deserved to win the game and we could have been a few goals down in the first half. It was a disappointing performance, but I said to the players I am not going to get overly cross with them.

“They have been fantastic and given so much, but this was a game where we dropped below the level and the standards we’ve set and we have to take that bump in the road and do something about it next week.

“We had eight players out today, but that’s not an excuse – that’s the reality and what it does is give opportunities to others.

“With the drinks break, half-time and the goal, there were plenty of opportunities for us to spark into life, but we never got going at any stage. The goal was a special moment and even after that, we still looked second best.”

Orient boss Richie Wellens felt his side were well worth the win at St James Park.

He said: “We were totally dominant in the first half. We hit the crossbar twice, we had three or four situations where we could have scored and, apart from one breakaway from Demetri Mitchell, there was no threat at all.

“We came out after half-time to build on that performance and their lad hits an absolute worldie and you are thinking maybe that’s our luck.

“But we never felt sorry for ourselves and we kept doing the basics right. That was a big thing today. Set-plays were good for and against, and even when we got it back to 1-1, I thought we were the dominant team.

“I thought Joe Pigott had his best game. He was a real handful and won his fair share of duels with the centre-halves. When you play really well, strikers want to see their names on the scoresheet, so it was a really good finish.

“Forget his goalscoring, I want a platform, something to play off especially when you are away from home. We needed to make sure we gave ourselves a platform and Joe was that.

“We could have scored a lot of goals today, so that was really pleasing.”

Leyton Orient came from behind to record a deserved 2-1 win at League One leaders Exeter, with Ruel Sotiriou firing home a stoppage-time winner.

Orient started well, with Omar Beckles striking the crossbar inside the first seven minutes and then Sotiriou side-footed wide from six yards when an Exeter clearance fell right at his feet.

Idris El Mizouni forced Grecians keeper Gary Woods into a smart save as Exeter, missing several players through injury and international duty, failed to assert themselves.

However, the home side broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion in the 49th minute when 16-year-old debutant Jake Richards lobbed the ball forwards and Demi Mitchell allowed it to bounce before lashing a stunning 20-yard half volley over the head of Sol Bryan which went in off the underside of the crossbar.

Orient  levelled six minutes later, though, as Joe Pigott was allowed to chest down a cross and fire a shot into the bottom corner from 10 yards.

Os defender Brandon Cooper forced Woods into a flying save with a shot from 20 yards, while Mitchell headed a good chance wide for Exeter.

But, Orient won it two minutes into stoppage time when Sotiriou was afforded too much space 25 yards out and his low shot flew past Woods into the bottom corner.

Steve Evans was delighted to see Stevenage’s best-laid plans pay handsome dividends after his in-form side claimed an “excellent” 3-0 win at Leyton Orient to go third in League One.

Boro have now won four of their six league matches this campaign and their latest success came thanks to first-half goals by debutant Charlie McNeill and Dan Sweeney and then a wonderful 25-yard strike by Nick Freeman.

Evans’ promoted team now are level on 13 points with leaders Exeter and second-placed Bolton following their convincing victory over last season’s League Two champions, and the Scot believes the scoreline could have been even greater.

“I thought the boys were excellent,” Evans said.

“We knew we were playing against an excellent team but we had a game plan which we worked for a couple of days and we knew we could effect it in certain areas. With a little bit more care and attention I think we could have won by more.

“We didn’t set up immediately which comes with new players but we have tremendous team spirit and we learned lots today about individuals and we continue to be humble. We win, lose and draw together.

“We’ve come to Leyton Orient and the atmosphere has been tremendous from both sets of supporters albeit I care more about ours than anything.

“They have travelled in big numbers and Orient fans always turn up and get behind Richie Wellens and the team here.

“I thought Charlie McNeill’s movement was fantastic. In fairness, the Leyton Orient defenders done well to find where he was after half an hour because he ran them ragged into all sorts of channels and he got his goal as a reward.”

O’s boss Wellens took responsibility for the reverse following his side’s fourth defeat in six league matches this season.

Orient must view Stevenage as a bogey side having failed to win any of the last six encounters against them.

“I will take the blame,” Wellens said.

“It’s very difficult when you have a performance like last week whether we needed to change the team and I contemplated all week, do we need to go big or do we need to maybe go three at the back?

“I thought first 15 minutes we were good and dominating the game and Ruel Sotiriou has to score in that period but pretty quickly after that we conceded from two set-plays. After that they managed the game well and made no mistakes.

“I should have changed the team from last week and put more experience out there. Our average age of the side was 22-years-old but it was against a team of men and physically we struggled.

“Set-plays and balls into our box is something we need to work on. When you have so many young players, it’s a learning curve. Full credit to them though they were outstanding.”

Wycombe manager Matt Bloomfield admitted to being put through the wringer during his side’s 3-2 win over Leyton Orient that gave them their first points of the season at the third attempt.

It was a frantic night at Adams Park as Orient had centre-back Dan Happe sent off in the second half in what was their third straight defeat in League One.

The incidents did not stop after the final whistle either as Orient head coach Richie Wellens and his assistant Paul Terry were both shown red cards for their protests towards the officials.

Bloomfield said: “It’s just a relief to get the first win if I’m honest.

“This job means the world to me, this football club means the world to me and it’s hurt a huge amount, losing the first two games in the manner in which we did.

“It’s really hurt and I’m desperate to do the right thing for this football club, I’m desperate to do a good job here.

“The emotion was up and down, we have to manage that at times and I felt like at times maybe we didn’t and we got a bit caught up in the game, but football is an emotional game.

“I know there are a lot of things trying to take the emotion out of the game at the minute, with all the new rules and everything, but we all love football because at times we love it and at times we hate it.”

Joe Low’s opener for Wycombe was cancelled out before half-time by Ruel Sotiriou, but momentum shifted five minutes after the restart when Happe was sent off for pulling back Dale Taylor when the last defender.

Low headed in Luke Leahy’s cross for his second to restore the Chairboys’ lead and Taylor then added a third for the hosts before Sotiriou’s second brought about a nervy finish.

Orient goalkeeping coach Simon Royce, speaking to the media because Wellens and Terry were barred from doing so, said: “I think with 10 men we were the better side.

“It’s nice to score a couple of goals away from home, but conceding three away from home is not going to win you many games.

“But the lads put in a great shift, the fans were unbelievable and they cheered us right to the end.

On Happe’s red card, Royce added: “He didn’t get close enough [to Taylor] to start with, he’s held his hands up in there, but we don’t say sorry in that changing room, we all stick together.

“He may have pulled his shirt a little bit, I haven’t seen it back.

“Whether it was a red card, I couldn’t see whether there was anyone coming around, but it did change the game a little bit.”

Centre-back Joe Low scored twice on his first league start for Wycombe as they edged to a 3-2 win over Leyton Orient to claim their first points of the season.

Orient’s tally remains empty, however, after their third straight defeat in League One and their cause was not helped by a red card for Dan Happe in the early stages of the second half.

Wycombe had their first league goal of the campaign after 15 minutes when Low did well to reach Luke Leahy’s cross and finish into the bottom corner.

Having drawn blanks in their opening three games in all competitions, Orient finally broke their duck as Theo Archibald’s cross was firmly finished by Ruel Sotiriou.

Happe was then sent off five minutes after the restart for tugging back Dale Taylor when the last defender and Wycombe restored their lead when Low nodded in another Leahy cross in the 68th minute.

Taylor appeared to have made the game safe in the last 10 minutes by tapping in Josh Scowen’s ball across goal, but Sotiriou quickly pulled one back by squeezing an effort under Max Stryjek.

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho believes there is still room for improvement with his side despite a comprehensive 4-0 away win at League One newcomers Leyton Orient.

The visitors bossed the show with Marlon Pack breaking the deadlock on 23 minutes before Colby Bishop doubled the advantage.

Six minutes after the interval, Orient skipper Omar Beckles turned Gavin Whyte’s teasing cross past his own keeper and then in added time, Kusini Yengi slotted home a penalty to complete the rout.

“I thought the second half was really good and we were excellent in the way we saw the game out and very professional in terms of getting the third and fourth goal to kill the game,” Mousinho said.

“I don’t like to be too critical but the players came in at half-time and it was case that everyone knew it wasn’t good enough. We were two-nil up off the back of being a bit sloppy.

“I thought we looked a bit leggy to be honest and I wondered if it was because we didn’t travel overnight for the first time but I thought we were a bit fortunate with that scoreline at half-time.

“But full credit to the lads for the effort and shift they put in second half they were absolutely excellent.

“There could have been more in the second half but that’s not a disappointing thing because in that part atmosphere the players stuck to their jobs and made it comfortable for us.

“Our job is to make sure we don’t get carried away and have to keep our feet on the ground but I don’t want to dampen anything down because that was a really good four-nil victory.”

Richie Wellens admitted his Orient side, who were experiencing League One football for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, lacked the experience of competing at the higher level.

“I thought first half we were probably the better team,” he said.

“The reason they won the game was because of experienced players who have played at this level who did the basics right. They never wowed us but they defend the box well and they attack balls at the other end.

“We need to be better in the box because we didn’t defend it well.

“First half I thought we should have had more shots. We conceded from set plays and it’s something we need to work on.

“Sol Brynn (goalkeeper) got injured yesterday and potentially it could be a bad one. The squad is now looking threadbare because we have some good players in the treatment room.

“We’ve had little things go against but the positives are Max Sanders came on, we got another 70 minutes out of Joe Piggott but the third goal was the killer.

“It’s been a tough start not necessarily the results but we are lacking.”

Portsmouth served notice of intent with a 4-0 away win at newly-promoted Leyton Orient.

First-half goals by Marlon Pack and Colby Bishop, an own goal after the break by Orient’s Omar Beckles and a penalty in added time by Kusini Vengi sunk the home side.

Pompey ran the show handing out a harsh lesson to their hosts in the standard of higher-sphere football.

The visitors went in front after 23 minutes when Pack met a corner, the first of the game, and saw his effort roll gently into the net off the inside of a post.

Christian Saydee and Colby Bishop both went close before the latter doubled the lead on 44 minutes. Man of the match Gavin Whyte sent in a cross from wide on the right,  Orient debutant keeper Sam Howes hesitated allowing the unchallenged Bishop to head into the net.

Orient’s plight increased on 51 minutes when Whyte sent in a teasing cross that Orient skipper Beckles turned past Howes.

Then three minutes into added time, Vengi stepped forward to convert a penalty after being fouled by Beckles.

Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher was delighted with his “refreshed” side as they beat Leyton Orient 2-0 to win through to the EFL Cup second round.

Argyle’s two-goal cup hero was New Zealand international Ben Waine, who made up for having an early effort ruled out for offside by scoring in the 25th and 38th minutes.

Schumacher said: “We played some really exciting football in the first half and my only criticism is we didn’t get another goal but credit to Orient, they had a right good go in the second half.

“It’s objective achieved because we wanted to get into the next round.

“I thought it was important to freshen the team up from Saturday because Saturday took a lot out of everyone so to make 10 changes and still have that level of performance was brilliant.

“In the first half in particular we showed some real bits of quality, passed the ball really well, created loads of good chances and looked quick on the break.

“Second half we were a little bit scruffy with the ball but credit to them, Leyton Orient came after us a little bit, had nothing to lose. It fizzled out in the end but 2-0, clean sheet, loads of positives and we are in the next round.”

Orient boss Richie Wellens said: “Both goals were mistakes. Obviously the pass back was short, which gives them a good leg-up in the game, and then we over cover far too much and allow a winger to pull back in an area.

“First half they were good. Our press wasn’t. We were so lethargic, and slow and sloppy and reactive.

“And they have got a team that is fresh, full of energy because none of them played at the weekend. They just wanted to play forward and run forward and their two wingers caused us a lot of problems because we didn’t set up for that.

“We were better in the second half, our full-backs stepped up and were more aggressive.”

Charlton got their League One campaign off to a winning start with a 1-0 win against newly-promoted Leyton Orient.

A first-half strike by captain George Dobson was enough for the south Londoners in their local derby.

Alfie May was denied his first goal for the hosts after just four minutes, when Sol Brynn stopped his effort.

Orient held their own in the first half – although they had to wait until the half-hour mark for their first attempt – as Ashley Maynard-Brewer turned away a Theo Archibald effort.

However, the hosts broke the deadlock a minute before first-half injury time. Corey Blackett-Taylor found space on the left to cross the ball in low for Dobson to finish.

Orient struggled for a breakthrough in the second half, although Tom James saw his effort after 57 minutes deflected over the crossbar.

Tyreece Campbell just failed to control the ball enough to round Brynn after 72 minutes, while May saw his shot four minutes later flash over the bar.

Substitute Panutche Camara missed a sitter in stoppage time to double the Charlton lead, but the hosts held on for the narrow victory.

Retired Jamaica international, Jobi McAnuff, has officially called time on his professional career, finally pulling the curtains on a journey that has spanned some 20 seasons.

The 31-year-old midfielder, who spent the final year of his career as player-coach for EFL League Two outfit Leyton Orient, played his final game against Carlise, on May 1, which ended in a 3-2 home defeat for Orient.

McAnuff, who also played 32 games for the Jamaica national team, believes the time had simply come to hang up his boots.

“After 20 seasons and nearly 800 career games, the time has finally come to announce my retirement,” McAnuff said via social media platform Instagram.

“It’s been a tough decision, but my body and mind have finally had enough of the rigours of day-to-day football and I definitely feel now is the right time to hang the boots up,” he added.

“I’ve put in a lot of work over the last few years to make sure I was as prepared as I could be for this day and I look forward confidently and excitedly to the next phase of my professional life.”

Despite having taken over as coach for Orient’s final 16 fixtures, while also playing in midfield, McAnuff will not be continuing on as the team’s coach.  Orient finished in 11^th position.

Former Reggae Boy Jobi McAnuff has been appointed interim manager of League II club Leyton Orient after the club parted ways with head coach Ross Embleton on the weekend.