DEADLY KELMAN AT THE DOUBLE TO BOOST O’S PLAY-OFF HOPES

By Andy Arlidge

CRAWLEY T 1

Quitirna 49 pen

CRAWLEY: Hutchinson 4, Mullarkey 7, Conroy 6, Barker 7, Quitirna
7 (Swan 60, 6), Camara 6, Fraser 6 (John-Jules 81), Ibrahim 6,
Kelly 6, Hepburn-Murphy 6, Doyle 6 (Roles 61, 5). Subs not used:
Holohan, Radcliffe, Anderson.

LEYTON ORIENT 3

Kelman 52, 53 (pen), Donley 90+2

LEYTON ORIENT: Keeley 6, Clare 6, Beckles 7, Edmonds-Green 7,
Currie 7, Brown 6 (Cooper 61, 6), Williams 6, Markanday 7 (Ball
70, 6), Donley 8, Abdulai 6 (Agyei 70, 6), Kelman 8 (Jaiyesimi
79, 6). Subs not used: Phillips, Perkins, Obiero.

Att: 4,793 Rating: Ref: Alan Young 7/10

CHARLIE Kelman scored twice as Leyton Orient came from behind to beat Crawley and maintain their hopes of squeezing into the play-offs.

And O’s boss Richie Wellens praised his side’s second-half display after they responded in style after Armando Quitirna had fired Crawley ahead, with Jamie Donley adding the icing on the cake with a third goial Wellens said: “In the first half we tried to be aggressive but kidded ourselves; Crawley can cause you problems. I got into them because we had to be more aggressive.”

Kelman now boasts eight goals in seven games and 23 for the season in all competitions, and his second goal came from the spot with Wellens adding: “That’s our first penalty in the league this season and I think we can get more penalties.”

The Red Devils gave a league debut to keeper Luke Hutchinson, signed on an emergency seven-day loan from Bolton, and he was called into action after 17 minutes when he saved a shot from Kelman with his legs.

Crawley threatened when Jeremy Kelly’s ball over the top found Kamari Doyle and he drilled an angled shot narrowly wide, and Kelman headed over at the other end.

The hosts broke the deadlock four minutes into the restart when Quitirna kept his cool from the spot after defender Sean Clare was penalised for a challenge on Toby Mullarkey.

But Orient turned things around with two goals in the space of two minutes through top scorer Kelman. After levelling by firing past Hutchinson, Kelman, on loan from QPR, then converted ed a penalty after handball by Mullarkey.

Donley put the gloss on Orient’s win in the first minute of stoppage time with a simple finish following a mistake by the hapless stopper Hutchinson. Crawley remain six points from safety after suffering an eighth defeat in 11 games and boss Scott Lindsey blamed “a mad two minutes”.

“It was a bit of a calamity at the back and we never recovered,” he said. “We lost the game in 90 seconds of the second half; we didn’t defend a ball down the middle and then we’re slow in the action from the kick-off.

“I want to see character because we are in a relegation battle playing against a really good side.

“We didn’t show enough character but we’ll fight on. This is a special club.”