Anthony O'Connor 'disappointed' Harrogate Town didn't take all three points off top-of-the-table Leyton Orient

The 30-year-old centre-half got on the end of George Thomson’s 54th-minute free-kick to half the deficit as the Sulphurites fought back from two down for the second time in four days to register back-to-back 2-2 draws.

Thomson’s sweet strike then levelled matters just three minutes later as Ruel Sotiriou’s first-half brace was cancelled out by a Town side who netted twice in the dying minutes against AFC Wimbledon on Good Friday and do not appear to know when they are beaten.

And although it was League Two leaders Orient who looked the more likely to go on and grab a decisive goal, the visitors had a couple of opportunities of their own, with O’Connor himself “gutted” not to have found the net for a second time with a header from another inviting Thomson delivery.

"Coming away to top of the league is never going to be an easy game anyway, and when you give yourselves a mountain to climb it is even tougher, but to get back into the game shows the character and determination we have in the group,” the Irishman told the Harrogate Advertiser.

"It even shows where we are at the minute that we are actually disappointed that we didn’t go on and take all three points.

"All credit to the boys, we showed character in the end, we didn’t lie down and we thought that if we could get a goal we could get back into it, same as Friday. Luckily enough, I managed to get a goal back from a great ball from Thommo, and then Thommo scores the equaliser and I’m a bit gutted that we didn’t go on to win it in the end.

"I had another chance to make it 3-2 at the back stick and I’m disappointed that I didn’t score. A goal is always nice but I’m more worried about the chance I missed. Again, it was a great ball from Thommo and I got above my man. I was just aiming to put it back across goal but it came off the wrong part of my head and went wide.

"But, all things considered, 2-0 down away from home against top of the league, a draw isn’t a bad result, I suppose."

As good as their second-half fightback was, Town’s first-half showing was dreadful with manager Simon Weaver revealing that he had to deliver some “stern” words during a half-time reshuffle.

And O’Connor insists that he and his team-mates fully deserved that interval “rollicking”.

He added: “We showed great character in the second half, but same as Friday, we gave ourselves too much to do and we are honest enough to know that we were miles off it in the first half.we showed them too much respect.

"There were a few home truths at half-time, a few lads got a rollicking and rightly so. We didn’t show what we’ve been showing for the last 15 games or so, we didn’t show any fight.

"When stuff like that happens, it is either sink or swim isn’t it. It’s needed sometimes. Friday was the total opposite. Okay, we didn’t play great in the first half and we found ourselves a goal down, but things were a lot calmer on Friday.

"We were miles off it today and we deserved a rollicking at half-time. Like I say, it was sink or swim and we managed to pull ourselves out of it."

Orient took the lead when Sotiriou got the wrong side of O’Connor in midfield, then drove into the box, where Town’s other centre-half Tom Eastman was too passive and failed to engage the advancing attacker.

O’Connor recovered in time to throw himself in the way of Sotiriou’s eventual strike, but only succeeded in deflecting the ball past Harrogate stopper Mark Oxley.

The same player was then able to add a second from close range, with O’Connor admitting that he and Eastman let their standards slip during the opening 45 minutes.

"I’m disappointed with the chance I missed but even more disappointed with the goals that we conceded, it wasn’t good enough from us,” he continued.

"Easty and I have looked solid all along and then today we didn’t look like that solid base that we have given the team for weeks.

"But if the second-half performance doesn’t give you confidence then nothing will. We’ve shown that we can come away to the league leaders, go 2-0 down, drag ourselves back into the game and be disappointed in ourselves that we haven’t gone on to win it.

"If that doesn’t drive you on to pick up some points in these next few games then I don’t know what will. We just have to believe in ourselves a little bit more because we are a good side, we showed that in the second half."

Monday’s result sees Town drop one place to 21st in the League Two standings, though they remain three points clear of the relegation zone and still hold a game in hand on all of the sides beneath them.