Port Vale response pleases Page

Caretaker manager Rob Page was encouraged after seeing a reaction from his Port Vale players.

In the end, it was a comfortable victory for Vale after Leyton Orient striker Darius Henderson was sent off in the first half. The Burslem club, who recorded their first clean sheet of the season, scored three times in the final half an hour to inflict the visitors' first away defeat of the campaign. "Our performance against Scunthorpe on Tuesday wasn't good enough and I told the players I wanted to see a reaction. I'm very pleased I got that reaction," said Page. "We had set high standards at home and I wasn't happy when those standards dropped on Tuesday. That was far more like it and hopefully we can push on from here. "I thought our play in the second half was very good. It isn't always easy against 10 men, but we kept the ball well, created chances and were strong at the back. "The crowd got a bit frustrated at 2-0 up, but the way the boys kept the ball was good to see. I didn't want to invite any pressure from Orient and I was desperate for that first clean sheet." Page added: "I've made it known I would like to have the job on a more permanent arrangement, but it isn't me who makes the decision. Obviously winning games of football must help my case." The former Wales international defender also revealed a knee injury to Vale's top scorer Tom Pope, who fell awkwardly in the closing stages against Scunthorpe, was not as serious as initially feared. "It's not as bad as we first thought, which is obviously very good news," said Page. Orient were up against it after half an hour when Henderson was shown a straight red card for elbowing Richard Duffy. The visitors survived increasing pressure as half-time approached and Vale striker Jordan Slew had a header ruled out for offside seconds before the interval. Orient's 10-men continued to hold firm in the opening stages of the second half, before Page's team took control with two goals in the space of three minutes. Right-back Adam Yates broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute, firing a right-foot shot into the top right-hand corner of the net from 15 yards after he was set up by Mark Marshall. And Ben Williamson drove an angled right-foot drive from12 yards into almost the same spot after he spun onto a pass from Michael O'Connor. Nathan Clarke deflected a free-kick from O'Connor into his own net in the 81st minute to complete Orient's misery. O's interim manager Kevin Nugent was honest enough to admit his team had failed to perform - even with a full complement of players on the pitch. He said: "We didn't start well with 11 players so when you get a player sent off so early it makes the task doubly difficult. "I've had a quick look at the red card incident on the DVD, but the footage isn't great to be fair. I'll have to see it again before we decide what to do. "We just didn't win enough tackles and do enough in those opening stages. My intention was to get the players in at half-time and galvanise them, but the sending off changed what I had to say. We had to reorganise. "I would imagine Port Vale learned from failing to beat Scunthorpe who had 10 men against them the other night. "It was disappointing and what we must do now is pick ourselves up for what will be a tough home game against Preston on Tuesday. "It's always difficult to lift players after a defeat, but they are paid to play football and I'll expect a reaction from them. "We are still struggling with more than our fair share of injuries and we have to battle on." Breaking news, transfer gossip, line ups and goal alerts from your football club - delivered direct to your mobile. Sign up for Sky Sports Alerts