On Saturday Leyton Orient eventually overcame ten-man Morecambe to move back into the League Two play-offs.

When Morecambe goalkeeper Barry Roche was sent-off for bringing Jay Simpson down in the penalty area after just 12 minutes, I'm sure most Orient fans' thoughts returned to the poor performances against ten men of recent seasons.

Fear of a repeat of those missed opportunities would've only increased when the visitors' substitute goalkeeper Kieran O' Hara saved Simpson's spot kick.

Of course it isn't always easy to play against ten men as opponents tend to sit deeper, remain compact and try to hold out for a point. This was certainly the case against Morecambe.

Orient had plenty of possession but the opposition refused to be drawn out of their shape. In the first half the O's struggled to break them down.

After the interval Orient improved somewhat going forward but they were denied by a string of impressive saves from O'Hara.

The O's were going to need a moment of brilliance or a slice of luck to beat him and they received the latter when an attempted clearance cannoned off a Morecambe defender and the ball ended up in the net.

Overall it is difficult to analyse the game. On the one hand, had it not been for the own goal Orient's profligacy in front of goal would've meant two points dropped, despite having a numerical advantage for much of the contest.

However, the O's did create chances, particularly in the second half and they could well have won by a greater margin had O'Hara not been in such fine form.

I suppose at this stage of the season in particular, the result is all important.

Kevin Nolan has called on his side to put together a winning run and the O's have managed to record two victories in a row.

The longer that run goes on the more likely it is that teams will play more defensively against us (particularly at Brisbane Road) and therefore Nolan's men will have to become better at breaching stubborn defences.

Nolan has massively improved the defence and developed an effective (if not always pretty) way of playing away from home. However, it is fair to say that he hasn't quite developed the right formula for home games.

Since becoming player-manager Nolan has won three and lost three at Brisbane Road. While that isn't a bad record there is room for improvement as Orient's performances haven't been entirely convincing in those games.

Kevin Nolan has done remarkably well to get the O's back in the promotion hunt. Before his arrival it was looking like Orient would fall away.

By his own admission he now needs to work some of his magic on the attack, which could really help bring our home form in line with Nolan's strong record on the road.

Nolan's arrival has seen goals coming from players other than Jay Simpson. We have become less reliant on him which is clearly a positive but Jay's form has somewhat dipped.

If Nolan can restore some of Simpson's confidence in front of goal and find the right system and strike partner to get the best out of him, he has the ability to make a real difference during the run-in.

The coming weekend is an important one for Nolan to reinvigorate his side going forward.

Not only will the games be coming in quick succession, two important attacking players, Calaum Jahraldo-Martin and Jobi McAnuff, will be away on international duty.

McAnuff in particular has performed well of late and he has been the match winner in important games. His presence will be missed so Orient will need other players to step up.

The Orient boss has stressed the importance of stringing a few wins together in order to strengthen their promotion hopes.

The two games over Easter are prime opportunities to do just that particularly as the O's travel to play-off rivals Accrington Stanley on Friday.