STEVE Parkin was left frustrated by two Bank Holiday weekend defeats as his side showed both sides of their character.

After Saturday's crushing 3-0 defeat to Bury, Dale put in an awful 45-minute showing at The Matchroom Stadium in London. They improved vastly after the interval, but conceded a sloppy second from Leyton Orient and remain in the lower reached of the League Two table.

"Orient were far and away the better side in the first half and we had Neil Edwards to thank for a couple of good saves," said a disappointed Dale boss after Monday's loss - their fourth of the season.

"We were fortunate to go in only one down at the break and I told the players to use that as a positive, which they did.

"They battled better, picked up the second balls better and started to pass the ball better," he added. "Once we'd got the equaliser I thought it was only a matter of time before we got another. We looked stronger and the fans had turned a little bit quiet on Orient.

"Daryl (Burgess) hit the crossbar from a corner and, from a great set-piece delivery from Jamie Clarke, he then clattered a post. But straight away a couple of basic errors from Wayne Evans and Gary Jones led to them scoring again.

"I am really annoyed about that because we had done enough to have got back in the game and a point at Orient would have been a good point."

Parkin will now have to rally his troops for Saturday's tough away trip to Grimsby, before they entertain Darlington a week later at Spotland.

• DALE face former player Neil Redfearn when he visits Spotland with Scarborough in the first round of the LDV Trophy.

The 39-year-old midfielder played nine games for Rochdale at the end of last season, but was released in the summer by Steve Parkin. He has teamed up with former Oldham team-mate Nick Henry at the Seadogs, taking the role of assistant-manager.

Elsewhere in the northern section, Stockport entertain Bury. Games will be played the week starting 27 September.

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