WARREN Feeney was left fuming after seeing his Newport County AFC side concede an 85th-minute penalty to lose 1-0 to Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road.

Feeney demanded an apology after referee Andy Davies saw what he deemed a push from Deane Smalley on former Cardiff City man Jobi McAnuff five minutes from time.

Jay Simpson thumped the penalty in to condemn the Exiles to a 1-0 defeat.

Feeney said after the final whistle: "That's possibly one of the worst decisions I've seen in the game.

"People say players have bad performances, but you've got to watch what you say about these people (referees).

"I wouldn't mind if he's consistent, but through the whole game, I thought he was poor from the start.

"I told him I expect an apology tomorrow.

"I'm gutted for the players because I don't think they deserved that."

County so nearly spoiled the party in East London as they frustrated their hosts in new player-manager Kevin Nolan’s first home game in charge.

The O’s had the majority of the chances but it looked as if they would have to settle for a point until Davies pointed to the spot.

As expected, Darren Jones slotted straight back into the heart of the Exiles defence in place of the injured Janoi Donacien.

And there was one change further forward as Scott Boden dropped out and Medy Elito returned having recovered from the nasty cut he sustained against Blackburn Rovers last week.

Warren Feeney’s team set up in a loose 4-3-3 formation with Smalley and Alex Rodman either side of central striker Conor Wilkinson.

But that often became 4-5-1 with Wilkinson looking isolated up front at times.

Neither goalkeeper had a save to make in the opening stages but it was the hosts who looked most likely to break the deadlock.

Hughes did well to block a goalbound effort from Calaum Jahraldo-Martin and Mitchell Beeney was relieved to see a Simpson free-kick fly wide after deflecting off Elito’s head in the wall.

Former Arsenal striker Simpson was the danger man for the O’s and he forced Beeney into his first save after 27 minutes.

Simpson’s low drive was heading for the bottom corner but Beeney was equal to it, diving to his right and palming the ball behind.

County had another narrow escape when Simpson just failed to connect properly with a Sean Clohessy cross.

And Jahraldo-Martin’s curled effort from the edge of the box just dipped over the bar three minutes before the break.

County didn’t test Alex Cisak in the Orient goal until stoppage time when the ball fell to Wilkinson eight yards out.

The striker unleashed a snap shot and Cisak reacted brilliantly to tip it over the top in an instant.

That was the closest either side came in the first half but the visitors had maintained a threat throughout with Rodman and Smalley looking sharp and Elito getting stuck into tackles in the middle.

At the back Jones looked like he’d never been away, winning the high balls and organising the defensive unit well.

But he was almost punished for giving the ball away just after the break as that man Simpson tried a Thierry Henry-style finish from the left, which curled inches wide of Beeney’s far post.

Feeney changed things less than 10 minutes after the restart by replacing Yan Klukowski with John-Christophe Ayina.

The Frenchman went out wide on the left, with Smalley switching to the right and Rodman dropping into the middle.

But most of the action was at the other end where Hughes cleverly eased a rampaging McAnuff off the ball without doing enough to concede a penalty.

Hughes looked to be enjoying himself and showed good strength soon afterwards to out-muscle Simpson and clear the danger.

Still the chances came for the hosts and substitute Armand Gnanduillet fired across goal and wide moments after entering the fray.

At the other end they were fewer in number but Wilkinson continued to look a threat and his turn and shot from 25 yards had Cisak worried before it dipped over his bar.

New Orient player-manager Nolan brought himself on in an attempt to force a winner and it was his cross that resulted in the penalty that eventually sealed three points for his side.

Orient: Cisak, Clohessy, Shaw, Essam, Baudry, Palmer (Gnanduillet, 68), McAnuff, Payne, Atangana, Simpson (Pritchard, 90) Jahraldo-Martin (Nolan, 80)

Subs not used: Grainger, Turgott, Kashket, Pollock

Booked: Clohessy, Jahraldo-Martin, Cisak

County: Beeney, Davies, Hughes, Jones, Holmes, Elito, Byrne, Klukowski (Ayina, 54), Rodman, Wilkinson (Boden, 78), Smalley

Subs not used: Green, Barrow, Taylor, Owen-Evans, Dymond

Booked: Klukowski, Elito

Referee: Andy Davies

Attendance: 4,209 (154 County)

Argus star man: Hughes