Justin Edinburgh labelled Leyton Orient’s game with Sutton United as “bizarre” as the 10-man O’s came from behind to win.

Jonah Ayunga put the hosts ahead in the second half to which Dan Happe soon equalised.

However, substitute James Dayton was then shown a red card despite being carried off an a stretcher before Sutton keeper Ross Worner brought down Macauley Bonne late on, and he converted the penalty.

After the game, Edinburgh said: “I think it’s take another day or two to take all of that in. It was a bizarre game with a lot of incredible incidents and we needed someone with nerves of steel and Macauley produced that go give us the winning goal.

“It probably wasn’t our best performance but at this stage of the season it’s all about the result and we got three valuable points today.”

The character shown by the squad in recent games has been nothing short of remarkable, with the side battling from two goals down to draw with FC Halifax Town and twice coming from behind to beat Eastleigh in the week before this game, and Edinburgh says it’s something that he has discussed with the players.

He said: “We spoke about that in the dressing room because we came in and didn’t really impose ourselves on the game as we’d have expected after Tuesday night’s game and the finish to Halifax. We just didn’t quite bring that momentum in.

“Credit to Sutton because they made it very difficult and I think what we’re seeing is that nobody’s rolling over, but when we needed that character, that drive to the end, which we’ve got in abundance, it came to the fore today.”

Prior to Bonne’s winning penalty, it was a header from Happe that got Orient back into the game, and Edinburgh remarked that he’s told the defender he felt he should be getting more goals.

He said: “We just had to try and remain calm, quickly get back in the game, find an inspiration from somewhere. It was a really good ball in from Koroma and a brave header from Dan Happe. I said to him before today’s game that I think he should be getting more and he’s certainly got us back in the game.

“I think it gave us the impetus and we got on the front foot. We got a bizarre penalty at the end and we’ll take anything we can get coming into this stage of the season.”