O's play out bore draw with Walsall

ORIENT will be disappointed not to have collected all three points from this drab affair, having dominated Walsall from start to finish, without creating any clear-cut chances.

The O's came up against a determined yet unambitious Walsall outfit, and it combined for a largely uneventful contest.

An Alex Revell header and an Adam Chambers shot that struck the post was the closest the home side came to breaking the deadlock.

Scott McGleish spurned what was perhaps the best shooting opportunity of the first half after just seven minutes. The striker opted to try and roll the ball to the unmarked Revell instead of shooting after good work from Dean Cox, but a defender was able to get back and make the interception.

Six minutes later, Revell met Cox's free-kick with his head, but he couldn't keep the effort down.

Captain Stephen Dawson then found himself bursting in from the left touchline, but his centre was too high for the advancing McGleish.

Down the other end Orient were relatively untroubled, with Jamie Jones' only piece of action a smart stop from defender Oliver Lancashire.

As the half drew to a close, Revell drove a free-kick into the wall, and from the resulting corner Terrell Forbes nodded a header just wide of the far post.

Julian Gray's speculative lob from a tight angle fell the wrong side of the crossbar.

Orient ended the half on top, but it has otherwise been a fairly uneventful first half.

Orient attempted to turn up the heat after the break against a Walsall side seemingly content with a point.

Cox picked out Chambers with an excellent slide-rule pass but the midfielder's shot from the edge of the area was deflected and cannoned off Jon Brain's near post.

The O's kept up the pressure, forcing a succession of corners, one of which was met by a powerful header from Revell, but Brain reacted well to tip the ball over the bar.

Walsall rarely ventured outside their own half, and the only chance they mustered was gifted to them by the hosts.

Daniels was lazy in possession and was robbed by substitute Will Grigg, but the striker ignored the pleas of partner Reuben Reid and opted to go it alone, however his curled effort from the edge of the box was high and wide.

An animated Russell Slade threw on Tottenham loanee Paul-Jose M'Poku for the disappointing Chambers.

Orient, who had spent large swathes of the half camped in Walsall territory, should have taken the lead on 76 minutes after Brain's sloppy clearance fell straight to McGleish. The striker played a quick ball square for the unmarked Revell in the middle, but there was too much weight on the ball and Aaron Lescott was able to get back and clear the danger.

All the attacking was being done by the hosts, but a combination of some stubborn defending and lack of creativity on Orient's part thwarted them.

Striker James Walker was introduced for McGleish as Slade went for the jugular, but the clear-cut chance never arrived.

Reid saw a shot from range easily dealt with by Jones, who had very little to do other than the odd goal-kick throughout the contest.

A small section of the crowd greeted the final whistle with a chorus of boos, evidently disgruntled at their side's inability to convert possession into chances and, ultimately, goals.