Super-sub Gradel delivered a match-turning cameo for the third successive home league game against Leyton Orient last night, with his thrilling 89th-minute strike securing a last-gasp 1-0 victory which keeps United six points clear at the League One summit.

But with the Leicester City winger on loan at United for the rest of the year, the priorities for Grayson – rumoured to be lining up a beat-the-deadline move for Cardiff City left-back Tony Capaldi – currently lie elsewhere with no transfer business allowed until January after tomorrow evening.

He said: "I wouldn't be surprised if we bring one or two in before the window shuts on Thursday night and maybe one or two going out as well.

"We've always said that we'll try and do our business secretly as such. But we're obviously looking to improve our squad at times."

Andrew Hughes (groin) had added to Grayson's injury concerns, although Jason Crowe and Luciano Becchio are poised to make their long-awaited comebacks in today's reserve clash at Lincoln City.

Meanwhile, Grayson has hailed Gradel's late heroics against Orient – when he claimed the man-of-the-match honours for the third home game on the trot in League One.

On Gradel's future, he added: "He's certainly made an impact. And when a player contributes to the games and settles in very well to the football club, then it makes it easy sometimes for your decision to try and keep him.

"But that will be between us and Leicester to try and sort that out. They might not want to sell him, but while we've got him, we'll enjoy him being here.

"A little bit of individual brilliance from Max won us the day and I'm delighted with the result.

"I turn around now and look at my bench and know that I've got players who can affect the game.

"Max has done ever so well since he's come here. He's a lively, infectious character and gave us that little bit of urgency and (fresh legs) that we were probably missing in the first half."

Gradel's strike saved the day for United, who failed to hit the heights of the Brighton performance against an O's side who were desperately unlucky to leave empty-handed.

But despite his side being well below-par, Grayson was thrilled with their never-say-die exploits – not for the first time this term.

He added: "It was an exciting end; I thought we were probably average to say the least for the most part of the game.

"Orient played well and passed the ball about well and made it difficult for us, playing 4-5-1 and probably had the better chances.
"But you've got to give credit to the players. They never know when they've not won a game.

"We had the majority of the play in the second half without having the breaks or creating chances, but we certainly kept going and had an attitude that we didn't want to draw the game.

"We keep grinding results out. Sometimes, you can't win games two, three or four-nil or by half-time.

"You have to keep going. Football matches can go into the 95th or 96th minute and we've certainly got a group of players who drive each other on and are a fit group of players who keep going.

"You sometimes have to graft and fight for results and in a few weeks or maybe a couple of months' time we'll look back and no-one will remember the performance, but will remember that we won the game 1-0.

"We knew after Saturday that we couldn't let our standards slip, but we did. It was through no fault of trying or anything like that, it was just that we didn't adjust to the conditions as well as we could do."