Leyton Orient vs Hartlepool United. Sky Bet League Two.
Matchroom StadiumAttendance5,543.
Monday 28 March 2016 18:52, UK
Second-half goals from Billy Paynter and Nathan Thomas gave Hartlepool a thoroughly-deserved 2-0 win at Brisbane Road as they dealt a blow to Leyton Orient's play-off hopes.
The victory extended Pools' unbeaten run to five matches and was their fourth successive clean sheet.
The visitors might have taken the lead just before half-time when Paynter found the net with a powerful header from a free-kick but the effort was ruled out for offside.
A toothless and lethargic O's side paid the price for a lacklustre effort when Paynter opened to scoring three minutes into the second half. Full-back Jake Carroll tricked his way past Orient full-back Sean Clohessy before delivering a sublime cross to the far post for Paynter to finish the move off.
The visitors doubled their lead after 70 minutes with a fine individual effort from man-of-the-match Thomas. He slipped past substitute Frazer Shaw and cut in from the right before drilling the ball into the far corner of the net.
Although the home side raised their game in the final 15 minutes they found Hartlepool goalkeeper Trevor Carson in excellent form as he kept out efforts from Jay Simpson and Blair Turgott while Jerome Binnon-Williams had a shot cleared off the line.
