It was not pretty. Paul Terry was the first to say so. But after seven home league games without a victory stretching back to 21 March, Leyton Orient were not about to turn their noses up at an ugly 1-0 win over Stevenage at Brisbane Road.

Alex Gilbert's goal on 79 minutes was enough to settle a third-tier contest that, by the sound of it, offered more in the way of resilience than spectacle. For Orient's supporters, who have watched their side grind through a dispiriting run on home turf, it hardly mattered. Three points were three points.

The weight of a long wait

Orient's assistant manager Paul Terry admitted after the match that the backroom staff had been well aware of the barren home run, even if they chose not to dwell on it publicly. "As staff, we were aware of that, but you don't want to get bogged down by that because it becomes a weight on the players' shoulders a little bit," he told BBC Radio London.

"We haven't made a big thing of it. As long as we do the right things in a game, we're always going to have a chance of winning it."

Seven games without a home win is the sort of statistic that gnaws at a dressing room whether or not anyone says it out loud. A League One crowd at Brisbane Road knows when things are not right, and Orient's faithful have had plenty of opportunity to make their feelings known in recent months. Saturday's finale gave them something different to shout about.

Ugly, but done

Terry was refreshingly candid about the quality on show. "It wasn't our best performance, it wasn't pretty. We've done the ugly side of the game and we've got the goal we needed and three points," he said.

That is the language of a side grinding its way through a difficult spell rather than one purring with confidence, but there is a pragmatism to it worth acknowledging. League One campaigns are rarely won on aesthetics alone, and the ability to bank three points when the performance is below par is a marker of a team with some backbone.

Gilbert's late intervention gave Orient the win their defensive effort deserved. For Stevenage, it was a frustrating afternoon. They will feel they were in the match for long enough to have taken something from it, but a single moment of quality from the home side proved the difference.

A collective moment

Terry was at pains to spread the credit as widely as possible. "This is for everyone, the players, the staff, the fans, everyone associated with the club, because we were all together on that one," he said.

That kind of language can drift into press-release territory if it is not backed up by effort, but breaking a seven-game home losing run against a fellow third-tier rival at least gives it some substance. The supporters who turned up to Brisbane Road having watched their side fail to win there since late March earned their moment.

Where this result sits in Orient's broader season picture depends on what follows. One home win does not rewrite a difficult run, and the third tier moves quickly enough that any sense of relief can evaporate inside a week. But for an afternoon at least, Brisbane Road had something to celebrate, and Terry's side delivered it in the only currency that counts.

Frequently asked

When did Leyton Orient last win a home league game before beating Stevenage?
Orient's previous home league win was on 21 March, making the 1-0 victory over Stevenage their first at Brisbane Road in seven attempts.
Who scored for Leyton Orient against Stevenage?
Alex Gilbert scored the only goal of the match in the 79th minute to secure Orient's 1-0 win.
What did Orient assistant manager Paul Terry say after the Stevenage result?
Terry acknowledged the win was not a polished performance but praised the collective effort, dedicating the result to the players, staff and supporters.