Stockport County 2 - 1 Leyton Orient
Coca-Cola League 1

ORIENT'S winless run was extended to eight matches after they slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Stockport County on Saturday.

Tamika Mkandawire's 88th minute strike was little more than a consolation for a disappointing O's side, who were beaten by second half goals from Nicholas Bignall and Greg Tansey.

On a miserable afternoon for the visitors, Stephen Purches suffered a fractured cheekbone in the first half, and there was little to raise their spirits on the pitch either.

Stockport's Bignall shot straight at Jamie Jones in the sixth minute after combining with David Poole to create an opening in the left hand side of the penalty area.

The O's were then forced into an early change when Stephen Purches had to be carried from the field on a stretcher following a nasty collision with Michael Rose as the pair slid in for a loose ball.

Immediately after the reshuffle Stockport came desperately close to forcing the breakthrough but Jones flung himself to his left to touch Carl Baker's 20-yard drive onto the post and Bignall couldn't convert the rebound.

Orient thought they should have had a penalty on 20 minutes when Ryan Jarvis was dragged back by Michael Raynes as he looked to run onto Kristian O'Leary's ball over the top but the assistant referee judged the foul to have taken place outside the box. Charlie Daniels' free kick was deflected behind and Stockport survived.

The hosts' neat passing game was causing the O's problems but Orient weren't giving much away in the final third and the interval came with the scoresheet blank.

It didn't remain that way for long after the break though, Bignall bursting clear to finish coolly under Jones with 49 minutes on the clock.

Baker was a constant threat from midfield and his shot from 25 yards in the 56th minute sailed over the O's crossbar.

A minute later he tried his luck again but Jones was well positioned to cling on to the ball.

Williams introduced Andros Townsend and Adrian Patulea from the bench as he searched for a route back into the match but any hopes of a comeback all but extinguished 13 minutes from time when Tansey drilled into the bottom corner of Jones' net from range.

Mkandawire pulled one back from a set play two minutes from the end but it was a case of too little, too late for Geraint Williams' men.

Stockport: Fon Williams; Mullins, Huntington, Raynes, Rose; Vincent, Baker (Pilkington 87), Bridcutt, Tansey, Poole; Bignall (Thompson 82)
Subs: Turnbull, Johnson, Gerrard (GK), Halls, Havern

Goals: Bignall 49, Tansey 77

Booked: Raynes

Leyton Orient: Jones; Purches (Cave-Brown 12), Chorley, Mkandawire, Daniels; Melligan, O'Leary (Townsend 60), Smith, Demetriou; Jarvis (Patulea 76), Scowcroft
Subs: Morris (GK), Ashworth, McGleish, Pires

Goal: Mkandawire 88

Booked: Demetriou

Referee: Andy Haines

Attendance: 4,091 (236 away)