UNDER PRESSURE Orient boss Martin Ling wants fans to back the team as he tries to find a striker to end the goals drought at Brisbane Road.

“The fans have to stick with us” he said this week. “When the happy times were about they were the first to cheer along with me.

"Now, we need to stick together and set about turning this season around and getting positive results.”

Ling was speaking after watching his team concede the lead at Brisbane Road against the Championship's Sheffield Utd on Tuesday.

He praised the 3,486 O’s fans who came to the FA Cup third round and saw their team dumped out of it by the assured Yorkshire side.

“I thought the fans were superb there.” said Ling. “They stuck with us first half. We got a few little grumbles in the second half, but you expect it, we lost 4-1.”

“I’ve talked to the players about the Brisbane Road factor. The results haven’t been good enough here. I feel that to get out of this, we have to turn it around at home. Playing on our pitch has got to be a positive, not a negative.

Orient had just a couple of shots on target on Tuesday.

One of those was Sean Thornton’s strike which led directly to the O’s goal, via the hand of United defender Sam Kilgallon and JJ Melligan’s penalty kick.

“The striking department is always a difficult one to fill” mulled Ling. “Look a the amount of time it took us to Sam get Parkin in. Everyone wants one.

“Sam still hasn’t got a goal but I think his effort and endeavour is good.

He’s with us for the next two games, but we need an Impetus in the attacking area.

“It is difficult but there might be one or two new players up there to freshen things up a bit I like to think we could get someone in before the Bristol game on Saturday.

“There’s a list of players. We have made an offer one player which was turned down. Other clubs made offers. It’s no good naming him but we have made offers because we need to fetch someone in sharpish for the next two games and beyond.

Ling suggested that a player’s wage demands would decide whether or not a contract is offered.

“It all depends what sort of wages in the players who come in are on.”

The O’s boss faced up to the prospect of a dog-fight with other teams to beat the drop, and said his team have the character to win.

“It’s a fight to the end of the season. We’ve been in this division two-and-a half years now. The first year was a survival battle from day one, last year was a lot more comfortable for us.

This year is turning into a survival battle. We know what it's all about and we know how to get out of it.”