A spirited late fightback was the bare minimum Richie Wellens expected from his Leyton Orient side - but he felt they should have taken something from their trip to Lincoln City.

The O's lost 2-1 but after conceding the second in the 77th minute, they gave themselves hope with a Dan Agyei goal.

And they peppered the home goal in the closing stages without success, falling to a 2-1 loss in League One.

After four games without a defeat, this was a second straight loss but the late fight was enough to convince the boss they are still on the right track.

Wellens said: "[Not giving up] is the bare minimum. We’ve had hundreds of supporters turning up.

“We’ve had 10 games now and that was a mirror image of probably nine of them. We should have got something out of the game.

“We dominated the first half, we’ve hit the crossbar, but the amount of areas we get into and we don’t get a shot, it’s happening too often.

“We’re playing against a team who just wants to counter attack. What have they done? Nothing.

"I’m not slagging them off for it because that’s what they do.

“It’s our fault. We’ve got a soft underbelly. We allow teams to score. They have a cross and we let a big centre forward run through our box free.

"It’s an unbelievable goal to give away and the second is probably worse.

“I’m the biggest one to look in the mirror. If I asked someone to look at our first 10 games and critique us there wouldn’t be a lot wrong.

"But we don’t work the goalkeeper enough."

Tom James was the one to hit the woodwork in the first half, the defender catching the hosts out from a quick corner routine but his dipping strike smacking the bar.

And it was two minutes into the second period when Lincoln took the lead, Jovon Makama poking home after Tom Hamer headed Tendayi Darikwa’s cross back across goal.

Buoyed with confidence after his opener, Makama came close to a second when he burst clear but that shot went wide.

Not to worry though as another youngster, Freddie Draper scored his second in three games as he thumped Erik Ring’s pin-point pass into the bottom corner.

But Agyei's goal, latching onto Charlie Kelman’s header on 81 minutes, give them hope and set up a storming finale.

It needed Lincoln goalkeeper George Wickens to be at his very best in stoppage time as he kept out Kelman’s header before making a brilliant stop to deny Dialling Jaiyesimi’s overhead kick.

Brandon Cooper’s header was scrambled off the line right at the end as Orient came up short.

Lincoln boss Michael Skubala said: “Sometimes the league table lies, they’re a good team.

“We weren’t at it first half, that’s the reality. We looked a bit jaded. It’s been a long week.

"Second half we came out fast and strong and it’s a good win for us.

"Jovon looked like the only one for us in the first half and I’m pleased he’s got his goal. You saw his quality, you can see what he can do. He’s done the business out there.

“I’m proud he’s got his goal. It was a superb finish."