Futures on the line for Orient flops

Martin Ling has challenged his players to prove they deserve to be at the club next season.

Leyton Orient's hopes of reaching the play-offs were ended by their 3-0 defeat at Hull and the manager is already looking ahead.

Ling said: "I've let four players go and everyone left in the building is playing for their future. They have to convince me they deserve a new contract or that I shouldn't bring someone else in to play in their position.

"I do not want this season to drift into a bottom-half finish. In the last two games in particular we've not played well and it's not good enough."

Orient have not won for six games and Ling added: "We only performed for 20 minutes last night and got what we deserved - absolutely nothing. I was hoping the stadium and surroundings would lift the players but it didn't work out like that.

"We'd got ourselves up to the fringes of the play-offs but our results haven't been good enough."