ORIENT were plunged back into the relegation mire by an injury-time winner from Yeovil on Saturday.

Care-taker boss Kevin Nugent was left ruing a “shattering blow” after Gavin Tomlin headed in Andy ’s corner in the 95th minute.

This smash-and-grab style raid denied the O’s a deserved point and handed Yeovil a win they had done almost nothing to merit.

The blow was made all the painful by the circumstances that led up to it.

The extra time came after defender Tamika Mkandawire had been twice floored and left in need treatment by collisions in the final minutes of the contest.

The second contact appeared to come from the elbow of goal-scorer substitute Tomlin.

It was the second time in Nugent’s brief reign that Orient were denied points by an extra-time goal. Southend clawed a point out of his first game as boss.

Afterwards, Nugent said: “It was going to be won or lost by a set-piece.”

“It was a bit of naivety on our behalf in organisation that cost us. We switch off with a minute to go and they score.

“We didn’t play particularly well, but I thought a point would do us in this game. It was really scrappy.”

The fixture was a must-win for both Orient and the visitors.

Orient went into it having lifted themselves out of the League One drop zone by beating second placed MK Dons away on Tuesday, to hover in 20th position.

Russell Slade’s Yeovil were just two places higher. A win for Orient would have hoisted them further away from relegation trap-door and hauled the visitors right back into it.

But as it turned out, Yeovil climbed a place and Orient were thrust back into the danger-zone.

This did not look a likely out-come during a match that had nil-nil written all over it. Events on the pitch did little to raise the temperature among the 4, 597 spectators, who were buffeted by swirling, freezing winds from kick-off to final whistle.

Teenage keeper Jamie Jones started again after his heroics against MK Dons, in place of Glen Morris.

He had little to do throughout. He again pressed his case for the number one jersey by looking confident and assured and by the way he came for and collected crosses and dead-balls.

Adam Chambers was solid in front of the back four on his return from suspension.

Scotland under-21 international Craig-Brown was missing with an injury But the O’s defence was rarely troubled because Yeovil did not create one meaningful chance.

However, Orient also struggled in front of goal. Ryan Jarvis’ second half strike into the South Stand 20 yards out from a lay-off by Demetriou, was one of just two shots.

It followed Morgan’s cross come shot at the end of the first half which swung past of the angle of the far post from an acute angle on the left flank.

Neither team did enough to merit all three points, but Orient certainly did not deserve to come away with nothing.

The visit of Leeds on Tuesday means the O’s have little time to mull too long upon this un-just result.