JAMES Norwood struck the winning goal for the third time this season as Tranmere Rovers overturned a 1-0 deficit to beat Leyton Orient 2-1 on a rainy evening at Prenton Park.

Matt Harrold had put the visitors ahead on 22 minutes but Andy Cook levelled four minutes later before a strike on 71 minutes from Norwood gave Tranmere maximum points and back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

Manager Micky Mellon made two changes to the side which beat Bromley last Saturday with Ben Tollitt returning from a seven and a half month absence and Andy Cook coming back into the team after sitting out the Bromley win with a suspension.

And Rovers began brightly with Tollitt making a nuisance of himself in the early exchanges.

Charlie Grainger in the Orient goal made a couple of saves before a Norwood cross was turned goalwards by Cook only for a defender’s hand to deflect the ball away. The referee waved play on.

And moments later, the visitors took the lead. A low cross was drilled into the penalty area from the right hand side and striker Matt Harrol steered the ball past Scott Davies to give The O’s the advantage.

Parity was soon restored though as four minutes later, Jeff Hughes played a ball over the top of the Orient defence. Norwood ran on to it and his shot was parried by Grainger as far as Cook who calmly turned the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

Norwood continued to cause problems with his pace and he forced a few more dangerous situations before Mark Ellis headed an effort against the post for the visitors from a left wing cross.

Five minutes before the break, Tollitt was replaced by new loan signing from Barnsley, Dylan Mottley-Henry, with the former Portsmouth man seemingly suffering a slight reaction in his first game back from injury.

The score remained level at the break and early in the second half, Ollie Norburn curled a shot from 25 yards which was well saved by Grainger as Rovers piled on the pressure with a number of dangerous corner kicks.

The pressure paid off on 71 minutes when Mottley-Henry did well down the right to win the ball, go past his man and send in a deflected low cross which found Norwood two yards out who turned the ball home.

Connor Jennings had a header just wide from a delightful diagonal cross by Adam Buxton and Orient forced a couple of late corners but the Tranmere defence stood strong to hold on to three points.

Rovers are at home again on Saturday, against Chester FC.