Leyton Orient got their season off to the ideal start in Ian Hendon’s first game in charge after a 2-0 home win over Barnet.

The O’s were quiet in the opening 45 minutes but improved significantly in the second half with two goals in the space of a minute from strikers Jay Simpson and Paul McCallum proving the difference.

Striker McCallum was passed fit to make his league debut for the O’s after recovering from an ankle injury at Southend United last weekend.

New head coach Hendon handed first competitive starts to Sean Clohessy, Connor Essam, Frazer Shaw and Sammy Moore. Goalkeeper Alex Cisak, who was on loan at the club last season, also started after his summer move from Burnley.

The hosts should have taken an early lead through McCallum when the striker exposed the offside trap but his effort flew just wide of the target.

But Martin Allen’s side missed an even better chance when John Akinde squared the ball and Michael Gash inexplicably fired wide from close range.

The O’s had an opportunity through Simpson but the striker’s effort flew harmlessly over the crossbar.

There was another let off for Orient when Akinde was denied by Cisak and then his cross was headed over by Curtis Weston with the net unguarded.

The match was increasingly untidy towards the end of the opening period but Barnet would have felt they should have taken the lead after looking the more dangerous side.

Orient had a big chance early on in the second half to score when Simpson’s shot was parried by Graham Stack and McCallum fired the follow-up into the side netting.

The hosts were looking more of a threat and Clohessy fired an ambitious volley over the crossbar.

Bradley Pritchard sent in a header but the midfielder’s effort from Shaw’s cross was comfortably saved by Stack.

Orient produced their best attack of the match with Pritchard combining with Dean Cox before Simpson drilled a low strike just past the far post.

The O’s grabbed the breakthrough in the 74th minute when Cox’s cross was half-volleyed into the net by Simpson to send the Brisbane Road fans wild. 

Orient effectively clinched the points with their second within a minute when McCallum rifled the ball home from close range.

Hendon made his first change in the last ten minutes with Alan Dunne handed his debut as a substitute for Moore. Summer signing Blair Turgott was also introduced in place of goalscorer Simpson.

McCallum got an excellent reception after the striker was replaced in injury time by Ollie Palmer. 

There were eight minutes of injury time but not even that was enough to save Barnet as the O's claimed a deserved victory.

It was a a dominant second-half performance by the O's as they marked their first game in League Two with a victory to get Hendon's reign off to an encouraging start. 

Leyton Orient: Cisak; Shaw, Baudry, Essam, Clohessy; Cox, Moore (Dunne, 84), James, Pritchard; Simpson (Turgott, 88), McCallum (Palmer, 90)

Subs not used: Woods, Kashket, Moncur, Ling

Barnet: Stack; Hoyte (Gambin, 81), N’Gala, Dembele, Johnson; Yiadom, Weston, Togwell, Vilhete (Muggleton, 66); Akinde, Gash (Stevens, 87)

Subs not used: Nelson, Champion, Batt, Stevens

Attendance: 6,151