Nicky Hunt believes Leyton Orient gave a perfect response in their 3-0 win over Colchester on Saturday after their 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Sheffield United in the FA Cup the previous weekend.

The former Bolton Wanderers defender got himself on the scoresheet with his first goal in four-and-a-half years, along with two from Jay Simpson, who found the back of the net for the first time this season, to seal the three points.

It was O’s boss Alberto Cavasin’s second win since taking over the E10 club at the beginning of October and it was the bounce back they needed ahead of Saturday’s clash against Blackpool.

“We needed this win, we had been talking about it from the 6-0 loss and the 1-0 in midweek, and we needed to bounce back,” said Hunt. “And we did that. It was a very efficient performance. The dressing room is always upbeat but defeats hit us hard as it does with the fans.

“But we have been digging deep in training, morning, noon and night. Sometimes we were on the training ground at five o’clock trying to put things right shape-wise, get the clean sheet, it is what we needed.”

Hunt’s goal was vital in ensuring Colchester did not get back into the match and it knocked the wind out of their sails to try and reduce the deficit.

But it was Simpson who would get all the attention with last season’s 25-goal frontman back on form.

Hunt was full of praise for his teammate and said: “Jay should get the headlines because he works his absolute socks off so he deserves the headlines.”

“He is paid to score goals and that is what he did so long may it continue.”

More than 1,000 Orient fans travelled to the Colchester Community Stadium to cheer on the boys in red who were in the relegation zone going into the match.

The O’s fans have always got behind the team and showed their commitment to the club once again on Saturday.

Hunt added: “Obviously it is always a massive boost for us to see the away fans, to travel around the country and pay good money to come and watch us.

“Our away form has been better than at home and we seem to click away from home but we have to put it right against Blackpool.

“I have been asked the past two months what it is? What do you think it is? Are you under pressure playing at home?

“I think we are under pressure every game as the chairman wants to win every game, we want to win every game, and we feel we let everyone down when we don’t win and get the right result.

“We need to get that right at home and try and show that against Blackpool. It will be a tough game, don’t get me wrong, but we will try our best.”

This win came after the Leyton Orient Fan Trust announced they are set to stage a march ahead of Saturday’s game, along with Blackpool fans, in order to ‘give the fans back their clubs’.

When asked about the supporters’ protest, the 33-year-old said: “As the group of players that we are we just want to focus on getting that second home win of the season. That is what we need to do.

“The fans are important, especially at games like Colchester, the fans have been brilliant, and they have been a different class away from home and at Brisbane Road.

“We have not put in the performances or got the results at home, we know that as players, that has to be 10-times better.

“But the only way to do that is to have another home game and that is against Blackpool, and try and keep another clean sheet.

“We can build on a clean sheet. We seem to struggle when we go a goal behind, heads go down, I don’t know why that is, and that needs to be addressed.

“But that starts against Blackpool and we just need to focus on football.”