Two goals by Craig Austin was the difference between the teams today as Orient lost out at Swindon Town's County Ground.

Sean Thornton scored two cracking long-range efforts in the second half of this entertaining encounter.

He might even have had three, but David Lucas kept out his two headers at point-blank range in the first half. But Austin matched him in quantity, if not quality.

And there was an action-packed end to this match as the net bulged three times in the final 15 minutes and Tamika Mkandawire was red-carded for flooring Austin as he bore down on goal in search of his hat-trick.

Austin's goals on 76 minutes and then 85 minutes settled what had been an even encounter, with nothing to pick between the sides after the first 45 minutes.

Earlier, Billy Paynter had opened the scoring from the penalty sport on 51 minutes.

Skipper Stephen Purches was judged to have fouled Alan Sheenan by the referee, but it looked a harsh decision.

Thornton equalised on 67 minutes with a free-kick from 25 yards which David Lucas may have seen late and which whizzed under him into the far corner.

Then the Irishman got his second deep in injury time, from distance with a shot from square on goal which fizzed into the other corner.

But it was scant consolation for the visitors on a dismal day in Wiltshire.

Orient had started this game positively and looking for three points.

On seven minutes, Jason Demetriou took one touch too much after he ghosted into the area and collected Andros Townsend's pass.

The Spurs youngster fired just over a minute later from the edge of the area, after a spell of neat short passing between himself, Charlie Daniels, and Sean Thornton.

Jones made a finger tip save to keep out Charlie Austin's header on 11 minutes. The forward drove his header, from Jonathan Douglas' cross, into the ground and the high bounce might have sown mayhem.

Sean Thornton had two bites of the cherry on 25 minutes with two close-range headers but Was denied by the long arms of David Lucas in goal. Thornton looked as stunned as everyone else was surprised that the scoreline was still 0-0.

Jones was excellent at full stretch to turn Austin's side-footed effort around the post on 33 minutes.

Three minutes into the second half and Orient conceded a penalty so soft it was marsh-mellow. Alan Sheehan went down like a shot man under an innocuous challenge by skipper Stephen Purches.

Billy Paynter got his ninth goal of the campaign when dispatched the penalty kick under the body of Jones, who will feel he should have kept it out.

Williams spent most of the second at the edge of his technical area as the hosts controlled possession for long spells and Orient struggled for cutting edge.

Townsend and Daniels each tried from long range with an hour on the clock, and the manager threw on Ryan Jarvis for Orient to switch to a 4-4-2 formation.

That change paid initial dividends as Orient enjoyed an extended spell camped inside Swindon's final third which ended with Purches trying his luck from way out, with 64 minutes on the clock.

Sean Thornton pulled Orient back on level terms on 67 minutes with another of his long-range specials, this time underneath keeper Lucas, who may have seen it come through a crowd of players at the last moment.

When they had the ball in the other half, Orient always looked like they might create something. But Swindon were always poised to break fast up-field when the visitors forwards.

Charlie Austin was the man Swindon relied on to make things happen for them and he restored the hosts lead on 75 minutes when he stuck out a boot and re-directed Simon Ferry's shot past Jones.

Loanee Luke Summerfield had a game to forget with wayward shooting and several misplaced passes which handed possession to Swindon. He did have one moment of glory when he stopped Jon-Paul McGovern's shot with his head, on the goal-line.

This was when Orient fell apart, as Austin settled a goal-mouth scramble to grab a hat-trick and Tamika Mkandawire was red carded two minutes later, when he impeded Austin.

The County Ground crowd were roaring on their team and Jones pulled off another great save late on to push McGovern's free-kick onto the bar with two minutes left on the clock.

Scott McGleish came on with ten minutes to go and immediately added purpose to Orient's attack by linking up well Jarvis and fizzing a pass across the goal-mouth.

Sean Thornton scored again from long range in stoppage time but it was scant consolation.

Jones, Purches, Chorley, Mkandawire, Thornton, Demetriou, Daniels, Summerfield, Smith (Jarvis 61), Scowcroft (McGleish), Townsend (Ashworth 88).

Subs: Morris, Ashworth, Melligan, Chambers, McGleish, Jarvis, Cave-Brown