ORIENT boss Geraint Williams is in the market for some late Christmas presents with which to patch up a leaky defence.
That is after an un-merry festive season which sees the O’s end the decade inside the League One drop-zone.
Yeovil Town come to Brisbane Road on Saturday, with Orient desperate for a win.
However, the back-line has been decimated by illness and now a ban, while star winger Andros Townsend has gone home to Tottenham Hotspur.
On Monday, Southend United came from behind to rule out Adam Chambers’ 57th-minute volley and win the derby clash 2-1 Williams hinted at his action plan for the January transfer.
“I've been making phone calls, obviously," he said.
“Priority areas would seem to be at the back, because we're conceding too many goals.
“There's a few irons in the fire and we'll see what we can do. I don’t think there are pots and pots (of cash) so we'll see.
“We would like to score more goals, but we can’t keep conceding two goals a game.”
WIlliams' reaction to entering the drop-zone was frank.
“That’s where we deserve to be because we haven’t picked enough points.
“If you look at the Christmas period, it’s been an encapulsation of our season: lots of good things happening, but still coming up short.”
Tamika Mkandawire played out of position at left-back against the Shrimpers on Monday.
Now his comrade in defence, Ben Chorley, will miss the Yeovil clash after he was shown his fifth yellow card.
Williams must wait to see if right-back Stephen Purches and left-back Charlie Daniels beat illness in time, while Townsend could return for another spell.
It must be enough to cause a new-year hangover, but there is hope for a remedy.
The return of Sean Thornton and Ryan Jarvis for the Yeovil clash should boost Orient’s attack threat.
Williams was hopeful that entering the relegation places will galvanise the players.
“Hopefully, it will give us a kick in the pants and force us to get our house in order,” he said. “We're at home to Yeovil Town on Saturday in another big game.
“At the moment the lads feel everything's kicking them when they're down, but that’s our own doing. We've got to defend better.”
At the start of a new decade, the resolution must surely be to win when in winning positions.
Defeat to Southend was the third time in four games where the O’s took the lead and finished without three points.
Afterwards, Williams said: “We’ve decided that when we get in front, we'll get the ball into the corner and, for five or ten minutes, get into their half, and get the game settled down.
“We ve talked about it, but talk doesn’t get the job done."
That failure to close out games means Orient have replaced Brighton & Hove Albion in the bottom four.
The Seagulls have scored four more goals.
On Boxing Day, the pair played out a stale goalless draw, as Orient failed to convert their chances.
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