Joe Widdowson has praised Josh Koroma’s “special” performance against Boreham Wood and challenged the youngster to replicate that display on a consistent basis.

Koroma played a key role in Leyton Orient’s win over the Hertfordshire side on Saturday, winning the decisive penalty after being brought down by Ricky Shakes, who couldn’t live with the youngster’s pace.

The 19-year-old had to wait patiently for his chance during the opening weeks of the campaign, coming on as a substitute against Ebbsfleet United and Barrow, but has flourished after starting up front alongside Macauley Bonne recently, scoring his first goal of the season against Maidstone United last week.

Koroma came into the new campaign off the back of a prolific pre-season for the O’s, which saw him net seven times in five games, including four against Harlow Town.

After another impressive display for Orient at the weekend, Widdowson has now challenged Koroma to replicate that performance on a consistent basis.

Asked whether he felt Koroma was one of the brightest young talents in the National League, Widdowson said: “Yeah but don’t say that to him too loudly as we’ve got to keep Josh calm because he can get a bit excited sometimes. But he’s been very good.

“I was pleased for him today. He was pretty special really. He did a lot of good things and he was the match winner with the penalty, so it was really good for him. He just needs to keep doing that I think. He’s got a good chance.”

Head coach Justin Edinburgh was also delighted with the academy graduate’s performance against the Wood, however, he revealed the 19-year-old almost didn’t play after picking up an injury in training on Friday.

Fortunately for Orient, the injury wasn’t as bad as first feared and having passed a late fitness test on Saturday morning, the versatile youngster was cleared to play.

Speaking about Koroma, Edinburgh said “He’s so clever. He retains possession and is always a threat. Obviously his manoeuvre and trickery has won us the game in terms of winning the penalty.

“In terms of talent, we’ve got a lot of young players in the team that if looked after and cared for in the right way, then they’ve got big futures ahead of them.

“We were touch and go with him. We didn’t think he’d make today. He picked up an injury in training yesterday. We sent him for a scan and it wasn’t as bad as we first feared. Last night, I didn’t think he would be playing. But I’m glad he did.

“I thought he was a real threat for us today due to his work and hold up play and the areas he picked up were unmarkable. His performance was justified with the penalty which he should have got on Tuesday night.”