DINO Maamria cannot wait for the January transfer window to open after watching his Oldham side surrender an early lead to draw 1-1 with Leyton Orient.

The Latics hit the front inside two minutes when Jonny Smith coolly drilled home into the bottom corner following a break down the right.

But Oldham were pegged back when Jordan Maguire-Drew tapped home after Lee Angol’s pass carved the defence open on 25 minutes.

Oldham pushed hard in the second half and could have won it at the death when David Jones smacked the post with an 89th minute free-kick.

The hosts are now unbeaten in five but are continuing to look over their shoulders in League Two, with Maamria fully aware of the changes required next month.

“We are working with the squad we have but we know where we need to improve and I cannot wait for January,” said the manager.

“We will make changes and improve. We want to improve the quality.

“Every game we need to be at it, we cannot take our foot off the gas. We are not a team that can win at 60 per cent, we need to be at 90 or a 100 per cent every game.

“The games are what they are, we will focus on us to keep working and keep improving.”

Smith’s opener was the only highlight of a scrappy opening 15 minutes which saw Oldham waste possession too easily in the final third.

Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro had a glancing header blocked by team-mate Jamie Scott on 18 minutes.

Zeus de la Paz got down well to save a shot from Maguire-Drew four minutes after he pounced on a defensive error.

But there was nothing he could do to stop Maguire-Drew from levelling for the Londoners on 25 minutes after he bundled home Angol’s brilliant ball across goal.

Maguire-Drew then wasted a good chance for the O’s on 40 minutes when he decided to shoot instead of picking out a team-mate as Oldham got hit on the counter. 

Sam Sargeant then spilt a long-range effort from Stott in stoppage time as Oldham ended the half strongly.

Hector Kyprianou headed over from close range before Conor Wilkinson had a shot blocked for a corner on 50 mins as Orient enjoyed a good spell after the restart.

Smith curled an effort just wide before he saw a powerful shot saved at the second attempt by Sargeant on 56 minutes.

Zak Mills had a piledriver blocked for a 60th minute corner as Oldham began to step up the pressure.

Angol fired an effort straight at de le Paz a minute later, before Jones tested Sargeant from distance.

Daniel Happe was yellow carded on 75 minutes after he brought down Akpa Akpro as he attempted to get through on goal, with the entertainment not letting up.

Morais fired a yard wide from a narrow angle before Jones rattled the post with a free-kick in the final 10 minutes, as both sides fell short of netting a winner.

Maamria added: “We bossed the game and we are disappointed not to win it. We are just lacking that cutting edge and bit of quality.

“We need a scorer to put the ball away. We are working with what we have got in December but we need to improve.

“We got in good area and got crosses in but we did not have enough bodies in the box

“The players tried their hardest but we came up short in certain areas.

“On a positive it is five games unbeaten in the league and we are picking up points and heading in the right direction.”

Oldham Athletic: de la Paz 6, Hamer 6, Wheater 7, Stott 7, Iacovitti 6 (Morais 68, 6), Mills 7, Jones 7, McCann 7, Smith 9, Akpa Akpro 5 (Segbe Azankpo 80, 5), Wilson 8 (Maouche 66, 6).
Subs not used: Woods, Fage, Sylla, Egert

Leyton Orient: Sargeant, Ling, Turley, Happe, Widdowson, Kyprianou, Maguire-Drew (Brophy 63), Wright, Marsh, Angol (Dayton 81), Wilkinson (Matt Harrold 73)
Subs not used: Brill, Gorman, Ekpiteta, Coulson.

Referee: Alan Young.

Attendance: 3,121