Defender George Ray felt Leyton Orient made a good start under new head coach Richie Wellens at Hartlepool United.

O's picked up a hard-earned point in the north east, as Wellens took charge of his first match, to edge a further point clear of the relegation zone.

And although they remain without a league win since their December 7 success over Swindon Town, Ray believes they have a good baseline to work from.

"We've got a new manager in, he's only had a couple of days really, maybe even just yesterday (Friday) to work on the things he wanted to do, so it's tough for him and us," Ray told the club website.

"But I think you could tell we implemented his style of play slightly. Obviously there's more to come but I think it's a good baseline to show what's to come.

"It's tough when you're down the bottom, lost a few games, it's hard to just say have a bit of confidence, you need to put it in on the training ground, you need stuff to work, you just need to go with what the manager wants and today we did.

"There was a good few passages of play and I think today will help boost everyone's confidence."

Ray lined up alongside Omar Beckles, Adam Thompson and Connor Wood in an experienced O's back four and praised his teammates for denying Hartlepool.

He added: "Clean sheets are a whole team performance thing, not just the back line.

"The way we played and the clean sheet will help us going forward. There was a lot of experience in the back four, I think we all knew what we were doing, all knew what each other wanted to do."

And with a trip to table-topping Forest Green Rovers up next on Tuesday, Ray feels Wellens has made a good early impression.

He said: "He's come in and been really positive, told us how he wants us to play. It's good, he's coaching us well at the minute, he's only had a day but I think what we've seen, you can tell the style he wants on and off the pitch.

"Anyone can beat anyone in this league, we won't be going there with any fear. They're on a bit of a bad run themselves, so we'll go there with all the confidence in the world and try and get a result."