Leyton Orient avoided a third straight defeat following a second-half Lloyd James equaliser at ten-man strugglers York City.

Jobi McAnuff had earlier hit a post from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time after on-loan Middlesbrough striker Bradley Fewster had opened the scoring for the hosts on 18 minutes.

But, after York keeper Scott Flinders made terrific saves to deny Shaun Brisley and McAnuff, substitute James drilled in a 15-yard equaliser just seconds after home defender Will Boyle, who gave away the penalty, had been sent off for a second bookable offence when he was deemed to have dived in the penalty box.

The O’s made a sluggish start to the match with Alex Cisak forced into action after just 16 seconds from Lewis Alessandra’s diagonal 15-yard shot.

Continuing to be second best to a relegation-threatened York team, who now nine points from safety, Kevin Nolan’s men then fell behind when former England under-19 international Fewster swept a Luke Summerfield right-wing cross into the roof of Cisak’s net from three yards.

Flinders, meanwhile, did well to push a McAnuff shot around his post after the Jamaican winger had burst through the right channel.

The visitors were then gifted a route back into the game after the hapless Boyle threw his arms in the air and handled following a punted Nicky Hunt free kick upfield.

But McAnuff only succeeded in finding the base of Flinders’ right-hand upright from 12 yards.

The visitors improved after the restart with Jay Simpson firing too high from a spectacular overhead kick after Ollie Palmer had won an aerial ball into the York box.

Flinders went on to make fantastic fingertip saves from Brisley’s header and a curling edge-of-the-box McAnuff effort as the visitors continued to press.

Following Boyle’s dismissal, the O’s then broke up field and, when a headed clearance only travelled as far as James, he kept his cool with a firm, low strike.

It was York, though, who then came closest to claiming maximum points.

Fewster headed against the bar on 81 minutes after a right-wing cross from full-back Luke Hendrie, who later forced a near-post Cisak save with his rising 12-yard effort.

At the other end, the visitors’ attempts to snatch a winner were limited to off-target McAnuff and Brisley attempts and, delivering his post-match verdict, Nolan said: “I got a reaction but it was half-an-hour after I wanted it.

“We knew they would start fast because they wanted to get their fans up for the match.

"We also came up against a keeper on top form and, on another day, we could have won comfortably, but you cannot start like that and give a team that are fighting for their lives a 1-0 lead.

“The players came back and showed a bit of character, but we’ve got to start showing that for 90 minutes and we’ve not had that during the last three games, but we dominated the second half and, if we keep doing what we did after the break, we can keep pushing for those play-off places.”

York: Flinders; Hendrie, Winfield, Boyle, Ilesanmi (Galbraith, 48); Berrett, Bennett, Summerfield, Coulson (Oliver, 70); Alessandra, Fewster.

Subs not used: Riordan, Hyde, Dixon, Ingham, McEvoy.

Leyton Orient: Cisak; Hunt, Brisley, Ramage, Binnom-Williams; Clohessy (Jahraldo-Martin, 66), Nolan, Atangana (James, 66), McAnuff; Palmer (Gnanduillet, 81), Simpson.

Subs not used: Moore, Turgott