Leyton Orient’s winless run continued this afternoon, as they were held to a goalless stalemate by former boss Andy Hessenthaler’s Eastleigh in the National League.

The O’s came closest to making the breakthrough, when the returning Jobi McAnuff saw a free-kick strike the bar, in what proved to be a tight game which was largely low on quality.

Justin Edinburgh made four changes to the side that lost to relegation threatened Torquay United in mid-week. There was a welcome return for McAnuff, who came back into the side after missing the last six weeks through a nerve injury, while there were also starts for Joe Widdowson, Matt Harrold and Dan Holman. David Mooney and top scorer Macauley Bonne dropped to the bench, while Jake Caprice and Lamar Reynolds didn’t make the match-day squad.

It was Hessenthaler’s Eastleigh though who started brightly with former Tottenham Hotspur and Watford man Mark Yeates having the first effort of the game in the fourth minute, forcing a comfortable save from O’s stopper Dean Brill.

Yeates was causing problems for the hosts early on and he saw two efforts whistle inches wide of the post inside the first 20 minutes, before Sam Wood then fired wide from the edge of the area.

But it was the O’s who had the best chance of the game nine minutes before half-time, when the returning McAnuff saw a free-kick from 20 yards strike the bar. Harrold tried to bundle the ball home on the rebound, but the home side managed to clear.

Eastleigh started the second half the better, with Ben Williamson and Yeates both wasting good opportunities inside the first few minutes.

Back came Orient though when Harrold’s flick on found Holman, whose low effort forced an excellent save from former Barnet stopper Graham Stack in the Eastleigh goal.

Another chance came and went for the O’s moments later, but substitute Josh Koroma’s teasing cross somehow evaded everyone before being cleared.

Orient were starting to get a real foothold in the game by this point but despite creating chances, they failed to convert them once again, with substitute Macauley Bonne wasting two good opportunities, as the O’s returned home with a point.

Eastleigh: Stack (GK), Hoyte, Togwell (C), Johnson, Wood, McCallum (Zebroski 79), Yeates, Obileye, Boyce, Miley (Matthews 68), Williamson.

Subs (Not used): Cresswell, Broom, Hollands.

Booked: Johnson (35), Hoyte (45), Obileye (88), Togwell (88)

Leyton Orient: Brill (GK), Widdowson, Elokobi, McAnuff (C) (Koroma 53), Coulson, Clay, Brophy, Harrold, Holman (Bonne 61), Adams, Ling.

Subs (Not used): Grainger, Ekpiteta, Mooney.

Booked: Adams (72)

Referee: Joseph Johnson.

Attendance: 2013 (453 Orient fans)