Orient will keep battling – Clarke

LEYTON Orient captain Nathan Clarke says the club’s players remain determined to dig their way out of relegation trouble.

The centre-back expressed his disappointment at a report in the Evening Standard which suggested the club is in crisis. An unnamed source claimed staff and players were desperate to leave Brisbane Road.

The report also gave the impression of chaotic transfer dealings and laid bare the club’s wage structure, with five players reportedly being paid over £7,500 a week.

Clarke (31) — a popular figure at SportsDirect.com Park during a 19-game loan under manager Paul Dickov — said the leak hadn’t come from within.

“I’m not sure where it’s come from,” Clarke told the BBC. If it has been leaked, I know it’s not one of my players.

“We have a chairman who backs the manager, whether it be in wages or helping us with facilities or travelling down the day before a game,” he added.

The team has not done well this season but it is not down to one person. We are desperate to prove a lot of people wrong and that has spurred us on.”

Last night’s home game with Bradford saw the O’s lose 2-0 at Brisbane Road for a 10th home defeat of the campaign - its ninth loss in its last 13 matches.