Orient blow top chance

9:19am Monday 19th November 2007

Leyton Orient 2
Brighton & Hove Albion 2
(League One)

ORIENT once again blew the chance to return to the top of the table as Brighton twice came from behind to earn a draw.

There were early appeals by the hosts for a penalty in the third minute, when Tamika Mkandawire found himself pulled back by Guy Butters as he attempted to get on the end of Charlie Daniels free-kick. Ref Tony Bates was having none of it though and waved play on. Both teams appeared to suffer from stage fright in front of the Sky cameras as a somewhat dour affair then ensued.

It wasn't in fact until the 27th minute that the first real attempted on goal saw Brighton's Dean Hammond head Dean Cox's corner wide of the target.

This however stirred the O's and they went straight up the other end to open the scoring. A neat interchange between Sean Thornton and Adam Boyd saw the former poke the ball through to Wayne Gray, who clinically smashed the ball from just inside the box past Michel Kuipers.

Gray then laid the ball back to Daniels on 31 minutes, and the on-loan Spurs man flashed a dangerous ball across the Seagulls box.

Paul Terry was then unlucky to see a powerful efforts blocked by the heals of Butters, allowing the ball to full comfortably into the hands of Kuipers.

Brighton however came within a whisker of levelling on 39 minutes, as Bas Savage played in George O'Callaghan and he let fly with a powerful effort that just had a little too much elevation on it.

A quick free-kick by Jason Demetriou on 43 minutes then sent Paul Terry clear down the left but he couldn't get any real power on his shot to trouble Kuipers.

Then right at the start of stoppage time the visitors had the ball in the back of the net. Cox down the left sent over an inviting cross, but while former O's loanee Hammond rose well to head the ball home ref Bates pulled back play for what he thought was a foul on Adam Chambers. Subsequent TV replays however showed no evidence to back the officials decision and the Seagulls were left rightfully aggrieved.

The Londoners started the second half brightly and Demetriou flashed one just over the bar on 49 minutes after being played in by Gray.

Just 60 seconds later and a quick free-kick by Terry released Daniels and he let fly with a screamer from 25 yards that Kuipers did well to turn around his post at full stretch.

Brighton begun to press and Alton Thelwell did well to get in the way of a fierce effort from Cox on 64 minutes.

And just four minutes later the Seagulls were level, when Nicky Forster let fly with a thunderbolt from 25 yards that flew through the hands of a Stuart Nelson.

Orient however hit straight back with a second goal on 70 minutes. Sub JJ Melligan put a dangerous ball across the Brighton box from the right that found Demetriou at the back post and he calmly cut back in on his right foot and planted the ball into the top corner.

The visitors however levelled again on 75 when Cox was on hand to head home after Forster's original header from O'Callaghan's cross had rattled the home bar.

The lively looking Forester almost left Nelson red faced again on 80 minutes with a dipping half volley that just flashed wide.

Hammond went even closer 60 seconds later with a fierce effort that crashed against the top of the O's bar.

Back at the other end and on Terry saw a dipping effort from 20 yards just go the wrong side of the bar, as Orient looked to retake the lead.

Brighton however went even closer in the first minute of stoppage time as Cox flashed another dangerous ball in from the left and Hammond arriving like a steam train was unlucky to see his header just flash wide of the post.

It was Martin Ling's men, who looked to have snatched victory right at the death. Demetriou's cross from the right was flicked on by Terry and Gray with time and space at the back post almost sneaked it through Kuipers legs, but the keeper as able to smother the ball up at the second attempt.

Reflecting on events Ling said: "I'm disappointed that it is only a point, but I am a realist and I think a draw was probably a fair result.

"We got our noses in front, but couldn't see the job through but we could have still nicked it right at the end with the very last kick of the game from Wayne Gray.

"But if i look at the whole game and ball retention they were certainly the better team in the second half."

Orient: Nelson, Purches, Thelwell, Mkandawire, Daniels, Thornton (Melligan 39), Terry, Chambers, Demetriou, Gray, Boyd (Ibehre 78). Unused: Morris, Saah, Corden.

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