Russell Slade believes Saturday’s defeat to Scunthorpe United is indicative of the inconsistency of his Leyton Orient side this season.

Last week saw the O’s return from the Dorset coast with a 2-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth, but once again they failed to follow it up with three points on home soil.

Only once this season have the E10 club won away from home before enjoying home success a week later – that coming in October when Kevin Lisbie’s double inspired the O’s to victory over Saturday’s victors United, before a home win against Bury a week later.

It had all looked so promising for Orient after Jonathan Téhoué had given Slade’s men a deserved half time lead.

The feeling was that the O’s could go on and make sure of the result but the second period proved a completely different affair, with the visitors sealing the points thanks to strikes from Josh Walker, Andy Barcham and Jon Parkin.

And Slade likened this defeat to earlier losses at Brisbane Road this season against Oldham Athletic and Carlisle United – games in which his side have scored the all important first goal, but failed to hang on to their lead.

“Six games we have won away from home, and only once have we come back here and backed it up and won. Only once all season, and perhaps that tells a story of the inconsistency so far,” said the manager.

“Alan (Knill, Scunthorpe manager) has always been 4-4-2 but in recent weeks he has gone 4-3-3 in an effort to get out of that bottom four which he has done. He has put two back-to-back wins together which is fantastic for him, I am pleased for him, but teams make it more difficult for you to break them down.

“The important thing for us today was that we got that goal, as we did against Oldham and as we did against Carlisle. These are the disappointing games that in the end we have got nothing from.

“There are three games there where we have drawn first blood, we have gone in front, and we have got nothing from them. That is so so disappointing.

“It is like we just wanted to sit back and maybe see if we could get a second goal on the counter-attack rather than taking the game to them, setting our stall out and making sure perhaps we would go on and get the second and third goal.”