CAMERON Jerome got a pat on the back from manager Ian Evatt after helping Wanderers see out a late storm against Leyton Orient.

The veteran striker came off the bench with 10 minutes of regular time remaining on Saturday with the outcome very much in the balance.

Wanderers were struggling to adapt to second-half changes made by their opponents but Evatt felt the striker’s introduction, alongside that of Victor Adeboyejo, helped to tip the scales in his side’s favour.

“We saw the value of Cameron Jerome today – even though it was for 10-15 minutes, just his experience, the way he got us up the pitch and made the ball stick,” he said after the final whistle.

“We had to be direct at times, but we were getting it wrong, they had gone man-for-man so we ended up kicking long to their big centre-backs and the distances between our lines were just too big. We couldn’t make the ground up. When that happens you lose the first header, lose the second ball.

“We had to tweak things and change things. It isn’t our style. But in those conditions, and under that pressure we managed to get across the line.”

Evatt knows there was much room for improvement in Wanderers’ second half performance but after successive defeats against Portsmouth and Bristol Rovers, he was happy to put a win on the board.

“It was hard missing Rico against Leyton Orient because I knew how many balls we would have to defend, aerially, and I was delighted with what we did in that first half. Second half, I was not,” he added.

“It would have been easy at 3-2 to cave, and in years gone by we might have done, and drawn the game. But we didn’t this year, we found a way to win.

“We know we can play better but it is back into winning ways after two poor results. That is all that needs to be focussed on, in my opinion.”