Leyton Orient lost at home for the second league game in a row after they were beaten 4-2 by high-flying Forest Green Rovers.

Rovers led 3-0 at the break through an Ebou Adams brace and Matty Stevens’ goal. Orient bounced back in the second half through Matt Harrold and Jordan Maguire-Drew, but Junior Mondal’s late strike wrapped it up for the visitors.

Orient saw both Lee Angol and Jamie Turley return to the line-up following their respective injury issues. The latter slotted in a right-back, which saw Sam Ling shifted over to the left.

Forest Green wasted a good half-chance in the opening minutes when Aaron Collins fired over, but the first real chance of the game came just a minute later. Craig Clay won the ball back and fed Dale Gorman, and his effort bounced off the post, with Joe Wollacott in the visiting goal firmly beaten.

The visitors began to gain a foothold in the game and their lofty place in the League Two table was beginning to show. Although the eventual opening goal had an element of fortune about it, it was the least they deserved.

An excellent passing move saw Collins force Dean Brill into a save, but he couldn’t hold onto it and Ebou Adams came steaming in to fire the rebound into the top corner.

The goal was greeted by a chorus of jeers around the stadium, as just minutes before the Orient fans felt Adams had feigned an injury when brought down by Gorman.

Even worse for the O’s, interim head coach Ross Embleton was dismissed by the referee before the game could restart, leaving Orient a goal down and without their boss on the sidelines.

A decent spell of possession from Orient following the goal brought no reward. Their best move was prematurely halted by the referee when he blew for a foul on Angol, despite the advantage clearly there to be played.

Instead, it was the visitors who bagged the next goal, and it was Adams again finishing from a rebound, this time sweeping into the far corner after Collins had seen an effort blocked in the box.

The horror half proceeded to get worse for the hosts as, just before the break, Rovers grabbed a third when Matty Stevens was left unmarked in the box, and he tucked home with the simplest of finishes.

Considering the form that both teams were in prior to the game, it was going to take a big effort from Orient in the second half to take anything from it.

However, less than 10 minutes into the second period, they had a platform to build from. Adams’ foul on Brophy brought about a free-kick that was sent in by half-time substitute Maguire-Drew, and Harrold got on the end of it to power a header past Wollacott.

The balance of play had completely shifted from the first half, and it was now Orient in the ascendency. They were prevented from getting a second in quick succession, though, as Wollacott got down brilliantly to tip Josh Wright’s header wide of the post.

The comeback was well and truly on with 12 minutes to go, though. Maguire-Drew repaid the faith shown to bring him on at half-time, diverting a cross into the bottom corner to bring the deficit back to just one.

It wasn’t to be for Orient though, as with so many committed forward in search of an equaliser, they were caught on the break and substitute Mondal wrapped up the points for the visitors.

The O's take a break from action next week having been eliminated from the FA Cup at the first round stage. Their next game is the EFL Trophy second round match away at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday, December 4.

Orient line-up: Brill, Ling, Gorman, Coulson, Clay, Happe, Brophy, Harrold, Angol, Turley, Wright

Subs: Sargeant, Ekpiteta, Maguire-Drew, Dennis, Marsh, Ogie, Alabi