Orient match winner Kevin Lisbie admitted his spell on the sidelines through injury helped motivate him after a successful return to the side.

The former Charlton Athletic striker struck twice, including late on, to fire the O’s to a vital win over Shrewsbury Town on Saturday.

It was his first start for Orient since picking up a hamstring injury during the home defeat to Sheffield United last month.

Lisbie said: “The good thing about being injured is it does give you that hunger to get back out there so hopefully that’ll spur me on to get more goals and we can start climbing the table again.

“It is hard for a player being out, I don’t like coming to watch matches but obviously it’s a rule where you have to come and watch but it just makes me want to get out there quicker.

“But you have to be patient and get yourself right because hamstrings can keep coming back so hopefully I won’t get that injury again.”

He continued: “I felt good, that was the real pain in the arse about the whole thing, because I felt good and then two or three games into a good run you get an injury like that but maybe everything happens for a reason. Hopefully it’ll spur me on now and I won’t feel as tired at the end of season.”

The 34-year-old has been missed during the last six weeks with Orient sliding down the League One table and struggling badly for goals.

Lisbie came off the bench in last week’s defeat at MK Dons before marking his return to the starting line-up with a brace against struggling Shrewsbury.

Reflecting on the win, Lisbie said: “I thought we were excellent throughout the whole game. I thought the second half against MK Dons we were good and I think we carried it on today. I haven’t seen us play like that in a long while and I think we deserved it today.

“I think for five minutes after they scored it drained a lot out of us and then I think we got back into it and started believing in ourselves again. We started passing the ball like we did in the first half and it was only a matter of time before we scored and fortunately it fell to me.

“Everywhere you go you hear ‘when are you going to get back’ but it’s pressure and you try and play it down and you try and play your own game. I’ve been around long enough now to know you just keep your head down. We’ve got a good team and I thought today Cooky (Lee Cook) was excellent with his crossing and I thought the more chances we got I’d get another one.”

The experienced forward admitted that he was tiring towards the end of the match and was initially expecting to leave the action during the second half. But Lisbie was kept on the pitch at Brisbane Road and the decision paid off as he grabbed the decisive goal to end their losing league run.

He said: “I was blowing in the later stages and as soon as I scored I asked the referee how long there was left.

“I think the plan was to take me off at 70 minutes but obviously being on at 1-0 and the way the game was I think the gaffer felt like he wanted to leave me on and thank goodness he did because I got the winner and hopefully it’s the start of many now.

“When you’re out there you don’t think about being rested, I just want to play as much as I can but if the boss wants to rest me I’ll do what he tells me.

“My hamstring felt fine, my lungs not so good, I got knocked out at the beginning as well. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken the penalty because I was feeling a bit dizzy but that probably took the pressure off – it was probably a blessing to be honest.”