Orient held at home by Carlisle

4:54pm Saturday 23rd August 2008

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Leyton Orient 0
Carlisle United 0
(League One)

ORIENT were held at home in an entertaining goalless draw with Carlisle, although were left to wonder what might have been after a domineering second half display.

The visitors had the first shot on goal on three minutes, when Marc Bridge-Wilkinson flashed a free-kick just over the bar.

Carlisle must have thought they had broken the deadlock eight minutes later, but Danny Graham's thumping header from Simon Hackney's free-kick was brilliantly saved by Glenn Morris. A linesman's flag for off-side would however have ruled the effort out had it hit the back of the net.

The Blues continued to pepper the home goal, although this time Peter Murphy headed over Bridge-Wilkinson's cross on the quarter-hour mark.

Orient's first chance of the afternoon finally arrived in the 18th minute. Jason Demetriou latched onto Adam Boyd's knock down, but Danny Livesey bravely headed his goalbound effort behind.

From Demetriou's resulting corner, Wayne Gray headed just over.

A Boyd header on 24 minutes also flashed over the bar, following some good work by Ryan Jarvis down the right.

O's manager Martin Ling then saw Gray limp out of the action as he appeared to go over awkwardly on his knee. Carlisle should have taken the lead in the 26th minute, but Scott Dobie somehow headed over the bar from two yards out, following an excellent cross from Hackney.

Back at the other end Paul Terry unleashed a screamer from 20 yards that flew just wide, after he pounced on a half clearance.

Hackney also went close on 31 minutes minutes after he cut inside from the left and let fly with a low shot but Morris got down well to it.

The hosts then lost their second player of the afternoon, after Danny Granville came off to be replaced by Aiden Palmer.

Dobie then headed just wide after an excellent deep cross from the left from Peter Murphy in the 33rd minute.

Orient sub Simon Dawkins, who was looking lively after coming on for Gray then showed good footwork in the box before crossing from the left, but Boyd somehow headed wide.

A quick break by the east Londoners on 38 minutes then saw Demetriou play in Dawkins, but his shot proved too close to keeper Ben Williams who got down well to block. The O's started the second half brightly, and Jarvis just headed just the wrong side of the left-hand post on 48 minutes following an excellent cross from Stephen Purchase.

Jarvis then fired a powerful effort just over the bar from the edge of the area on 59, after being picked out by Demetriou.

Carlisle's first chance of the second half arrived from a highly disputed free-kick in the 68th minute, which Hackney took from the right and resulted in a glancing header from Murphy that Morris was able to deal with easily in the end.

The hosts then went back on the attack and Jarvis was unlucky to see his shot blocked behind by Evan Horwood on 69 minutes.

Demetriou's resulting corner from the right then picked out Boyd at the back post and his venomous shot was somehow kept out by Williams before being scrambled clear.

The Blues went back on the attack and Morris was called into action again to block Graham's low effort from the right-hand side of the box.

Orient playing some attractive football in the second period, then saw Dawkins thread the ball through to Adam Chambers, but Williams came out well to block his shot.

But Carlisle came within inches of breaking the deadlock on 83 minutes, when sub Cleveland Taylor's header from Hackney's cross grazed the top of the bar.

Just two minutes later and Bridge-Wilkson's powerful long range effort flew narrowly over Morris' bar.

The visitors were then reduced to ten men, after Dobie was giving his marching orders after clashing with Brian Saah in an off-the-ball incident.

Orient attempted to make their extra man count with a flowing move deep into stoppage time, but sub Loick Pires headed Demetriou's cross from the right just wide.

The lanky winger then headed over the bar in third minute of stoppage time from Demetriou's corner.

Orient:Morris, Purchase, Saah, Thelwell, Granville (Palmer 31); Chambers, Terry, Demetriou; Jarvis (Pires 88), Boyd, Gray (Dawkins 26). Unused: Jones (GK), Ashworth.