WHEN LEYTON Orient lost at Hartlepool United last season, such was the anger of their owner the players were forced to an impromptu week-long boot camp.

Pools won 3-1, the Orient players didn’t make it home until the following weekend after being ordered to remain at Waltham Abbey on the orders of Francheso Bonnetti.

Looking on from the stands on Saturday and Pools’ chairman Gary Coxall could be forgiven for looking for somewhere to send his players this week as punishment.

A week in Crimdon Dene would be too glorious after this performance.

Pools have now shipped six goals in two games and errors at the back are being punished by the week.

It’s right when manager Craig Hignett says that his side is never gifted goals in the manner Pools hand out.

It’s been a common theme this season that individual mistakes are pegging Pools back.

Scott Harrison was dropped after the defeat at Carlisle, with Liam Donnelly restored to central defence.

Toto Nsiala is some athlete and a good covering defender, but in the main he’s often let down by lapses in concentration both on and off the ball.

How Pools are missing both Matthew Bates and Rob Jones. The pair’s experience, nous and organisational skills are vital in a relatively young back four.

When a calm head is needed, Bates provides it. He has not played since the home draw with Newport on August 20 when he suffered bone bruising in a late challenge.

The signs are there that he’s coming back, but it’s a slow process.

“We miss both Rob and Batesy – talking and leadership qualities and they would have made a difference,’’ admitted boss Craig Hignett. “They pull people into position and have the know how. Lads are learning and young and we talk players through it and show them and they keep making the same mistakes.

“Both have missed a fair chunk of football and they need to be fit and ready – they have to be right and ready when they play.’’

Jones made his debut majestically last season in the win at Barnet and it’s a shame he’s unlikely to be ready to travel to the Hive this weekend.

When Pools won 3-0 at Grimsby at the start of the month there was plenty of hope and promise in and around the camp.

Since then there’s only been one point taken from nine as Pools’ form at the Northern Gas and Power Stadium continues to baffle.

Seven games in League Two have passed this season without a win, add in a cup defeat to Sunderland and two games at the back end of last season and Pools have not won at home since York were beaten in April.

Since then we’ve had three England managers, an Olympic games and Brexit. Article 50 could be triggered, completed and finished with by the time Pools next win at home if recent years are anything to go by.

Orient arrived without a win in seven and a manager already under pressure after three defeats in his opening three games.

Alberto Cavasin may not speak any English, but it wasn’t exactly talking the science of an Italian catenaccio system when, through an interpreter he said: “We made it 1-1 and took the advantage. The team just found new oxygen and started to run their socks off.’’

Pools took the lead in first-half stoppage time as Josh Laurent knocked in his first career goal. Orient were decent in the opening half as they pressed Pools, but with little reward.

Pools’ first-half passing, from the off, was often short and lacking in drive. They had good openings, with Padraig Amond twice heading wide, with mitigating circumstances on both occasions. First Nicky Hunt’s defensive touch knocked some drive off the ball and then he mistimed his jump a little for the second.

After Lewis Hawkins was denied a vital second goal by a fine save, Pools soon were level. Trevor Carson will be disappointed to be beaten at his near post in the manner he was.

Some poor defending on and around the edge of the area allowed the Os’ Ollie Palmer the chance to win the game.

Hignett concluded: “I said at the break we were one-up, but we weren’t clinical enough.

“We had a great platform to go on and second-half we had early chances – but they don’t have to work hard for their goals at all, it’s up there with the worst defending I’ve ever seen.

“You will struggle to win games defending like that. But we had a few chances and the difference is they put theirs away and we didn’t. It’s a lesson at both end of the pitch – the goals we have conceded in the last two weeks have been criminal.’’