Russell Slade insists finishing seventh in League One would still be something to be proud of after Leyton Orient’s play-off hopes were finally ended.

The O’s climbed up to their highest position of the season after their 1-0 win at Coventry City on Saturday but Swindon Town’s win over Stevenage scuppered their chances of gatecrashing the top six.

Orient manager Slade said: “We wanted to take it to the final game of the season. That hasn’t quite happened for us but to be seventh is something to still be proud of and with one game to go we’d like to think we can finish in that position.”

Reflecting on the effort of his depleted side at Coventry, he responded: “I think we needed a wheelbarrow to carry most of them off to be fair. They put in a momumental shift for themselves and each other and I’m very proud of the staff and the players and what they’ve done this season.

“The players are drained and obviously a little bit disappointed because I think they felt they couldn’t give much more which they couldn’t to be fair to them.

“It’s unfortunate [to miss out] but it was never in our hands anyway. We just had to take care of ourselves and make sure that we got a positive result and that’s exactly what we’ve done.”

The O’s responded strongly to their Johnstone's Paint Trophy exit to Southend United two months ago by charging up the table when they could easily have let the season peter out. But defeats at lowly Scunthorpe United, Hartlepool United and Colchester United have been highlighted as the ones which cost them a play-off place.

Slade is refusing to look back despondently at these setbacks and insists every club could pick out matches over the course of the season where things have gone wrong. Instead the manager is focused on keeping the squad together and building on an encouraging canpaign next year.

“I think every football club will have its tail of woe,” he said. “But it’s gone and you can’t do anything about it. You can only control the future and if we can keep the nucleus of the squad together going forward then I’m sure we can be very competitive again once more in League One next season.

“It depends what your focus is. It could have been so different and you will always have your ifs and buts about why we got beat at Scunthorpe and felt like we shouldn’t have lost that game. Then again at Colchester we had an opportunity but its just the way it is sometimes. That’s football, it’s very unpredictable.”

The O’s made their customary slow start under Slade this season but he felt they nearly timed their run ideally compared with sides that have fallen down the table rapidly in recent weeks.

The former Yeovil Town boss said: “You’ve only got to look at Tranmere and I’m pretty sure they won their first three and look like they will finish in mid-table so what do you want? We've talked about the fact it is a marathon and we will play 59 games.

“It’s about reaching the finishing line at the right time, isn’t it? We’ve just missed out narrowly so for me I’d rather concentrate not on what might have been, or the first three games, but the more recent matches which might have clinched the last play-off slot and we’d be sitting here talking about how fantastic the timing was to get in the top six but that’s football.”

Slade admitted he predicted back in August that the O’s would finish in the top half of the table. Despite living up to this target, the manager insisted the club have overachieved in their current position considering their size and budget.

He said: “When we went to the FA to get compensation for George Porter going to Burnley, I was with the chairman and chief executive Matt Porter. We were talking about the season and having a little prediction on where we’d finish.

"I think I said top ten or certainly top 12 and I think most of us were in agreement. That’s how it’s turned out and seventh is punching above our weight, don’t let’s forget that.

“It’s alright looking back on where it went wrong or not getting off to a good start which is pretty traditional since I’ve been with Orient. But hopefully I can change that in the new season and we can get off to a reasonable start.”

The manager also reserved praise for the 893 away supporters who made the trip to Coventry after a long and costly season.

He said: “It was fantastic. Every player wanted to go over there and thank them for their efforts on their travels. It was a great turnout and they were very vocal from the first minute and it was good to see so many.

“They’ve been up and down the country. I think that was our 58th game this season and there is one more to go. It has been a long season and probably a very expensive season for one or two families and we appreciate what they’ve done for us over the term.”