At best Ako Sodje is a whirlwind of confusion and menace, a thorn in the side of opposing defences.

But at worst he can look like his feet are on the wrong legs.

On Saturday he was a mixture of the two, causing havoc in the Leyton Orient penalty area, but when presented with a great chance to score, he fluffed it.

But after missing a late, glorious chance to earn Darlington a point Sodje refused to make excuses and instead resolved to do better the next time he finds himself with the ball in front of an open goal.

Quakers were second best to a well-organised Leyton Orient side, who have now won their first three matches, Sodje's miss denied Darlington what would have been a fortunate point.

He opened his account for the season with a close-range header against Stockport last Tuesday and looked set to make it two goals in as many games when Carlos Logan's left wing cross found the Nigerian inside the six yard box in space at the far post.

With the keeper elsewhere and the ball around thigh height Sodje appeared a certain scorer but, instead of shooting first time, the 25-year-old dithered and dallied until the chance was lost and with it the substitute's chance of being the hero.

Although four minutes later Sodje, on at half-time for Clyde Wijnhard, found himself gifted another good opportunity - after intercepting a header to the Orient keeper - it was not so clear cut as the first chance which beggared belief.

"I definitely felt I was going to score," Sodje admitted. "The goal was right in front of me and the keeper was out of the way.

"I am very disappointed, chances like that don't come along very often. The game was really tight and we needed a goal.

"The first one, the ball bounced just in front of me. But I am not giving excuses because I have scored goals like that before.

"I was expecting the ball, I knew it was coming because Carlos had the ball so I knew he would cross to me but I had two defenders behind me that I was trying to hold off and get my foot on the ball but it didn't work out and I missed it.

"Hopefully next time I get a chance like that it will go in."

Four minutes later Sodje found himself between Orient keeper and defender when he intercepted a tame backwards header by chesting the ball down, but on this occasion the keeper did enough to divert the striker.

He said: "If the defender had headed the ball downwards I would had the ball at my feet but he headed it at my chest and I didn't really know where the keeper was as I was looking at the defender.

"So I tried to knock it over the keeper but he was too close.

"But I am really disappointed with the chances I got, fingers crossed for next time."

Saturday's appearance was Sodje's tenth since signing, originally on loan, from Huddersfield in March, but all but one of those have been from the bench as he's played second fiddle.

But the gangly striker is determined to earn a place in the starting line-up and putting Saturday's misses to one side, Sodje holds a presence up-front.

Strong in the air, he has demonstrated an ability to cause panic among defences when entering the fray in the closing stages - a tactic manager David Hodgson is keen on employing.

And with summer arrival Johnson and the high profile Wijnhard being ahead of him in the pecking order, Sodje is not satisfied with bench duty.

"I hope every single day that I will be in the starting XI, that is why I am at Darlington, I am not here just to be on the bench all the time," said Sodje who has brothers playing for Brentford and Yeovil.

"Before I signed in the summer I spoke to the gaffer, about me not starting and being on the bench, but I have just got to keep on working hard and pushing hard for a starting place.

"One of my brother's scored the other day and I want to be the same, in the team scoring goals.

"Hopefully I will soon get my chance to show what I can do."

* Defender Alan Harrison, who broke his leg while on trial at Darlington in a pre-season game over a year ago, is due to finally make his comeback from injury in this afternoon's reserve team clash at Grimsby.

The former Middlesbrough youngster has not kicked a ball since a friendly against Bradford in July 2004 but is now finally being given the chance to prove himself, starting in today's game which has been moved from Darlington to the Mariners' Blundell Park

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