Coca-Cola League One

Oldham Athletic 2-0 Leyton Orient
Stu Vose at Boundary Park

Two first-half goals worthy of any game were enough to ease Athletic past Leyton Orient and condemn the visitors to their fifth straight defeat.

Chris Taylor curled home his fifth goal of the season to put the hosts ahead before Mark Allott slammed in a fine second just before the break.

The double salvo proved sufficient to see off an Orient side who offered little in the way of threat throughout.

Boss John Sheridan also took the opportunity to give two youngsters -- Aaron Chalmers and Ashley Kelly -- their debuts off the bench.

With the manager issuing a challenge to end the season strongly, a new-look Athletic side responded well.

They packed plenty of attacking punch up front courtesy of the makeshift combination of Deane Smalley and Matty Wolfenden, particularly in the first half.

The performance of Smalley drew praise from Sheridan after the game, and the promising youngster was desperately unlucky not to come away with a goal.

Latics chief Sheridan had hinted at changes, and he sprung a surprise when Neal Eardley was named in midfield with Sean Gregan dropping back and Reuben Hazell moving to right back.

And the changes certainly seemed to work as the home side had the lion's share of the possession in the first half, coming close through Allott early on.

Only Adam Boyd could counter for the visitors with a close-range header that Mark Crossley plucked out of the air.

But Orient were behind on 22 minutes as Athletic manufactured a super opening goal with Smalley at the centre of the action.

The 19-year-old raced on to a long ball down the right flank and bamboozled Aiden Palmer with some neat footwork before slipping the ball to Chris Taylor.

Taylor didn't need asking twice and measured a precise effort beyond the diving Glenn Morris and into the far corner of the goal.

Wolfenden could have added a second goal on two occasions, but headed straight at Morris before flicking a Taylor cross agonisingly wide of the far post.

Athletic were well on top by now, remanining resolute at the back while linking well with the busy front two.

Morris was forced into another save when he tipped Eardley's long-range screamer wide, but the reprieve wasn't to last long as Athletic doubled their money from the resulting corner.

Wolfenden just managed to get a toe to a loose ball and divert it into the path of Allott, who stepped up to ram a first-time shot beyond a stunned Morris and into the roof of the net.

With the recent 4-1 rout of Huddersfield still fresh in fans' minds, Athletic pushed forward again in the second half but just couldn't force home a third goal.

Deane Smalley touched a Taylor cross just wide from eight yards out before his goalbound shot struck Morris in the chest and bounced clear after Wolfenden engineered the chance with some clever play.

Chalmers and Kelly were both introduced -- the latter replacing the injured Gregan -- as Latics closed the game out and banked another clean sheet.

Jason Demetriou provided a late scare  when he dispatched a rare chance just past the far post, but the hosts stood firm to record their seventh home victory of 2008.

 
Latics: Crossley, Eardley, Lomax, Stam, Gregan (C), Taylor, Liddell, Gregan (Kelly, 79), Allott, Smalley, Wolfenden (Chalmers, 74).
Subs Not Used: Winters, Brooke, O'Donnell.

Booked: Kelly.

Goals: Taylor 22, Allott 42.

Orient: Morris, Purches, Mkandawire, Melligan (Terry, 56), Chambers, Gray (Ibehre, 56), Thornton (Barcham, 73), Oji, Boyd, Palmer, Demetriou.
Subs Not Used: Daniels, Saah.

Booked: None.

Att: 4,325 (136 away).

Referee: Mr M Pike