Oxford United 2 - 2 Leyton Orient
Coca Cola League Two

ON A day when they made history, Orient took the chance to look to the future as pride was restored with a battling draw at Oxford.

Lee Steele's goal after 12 seconds was the quickest goal ever scored by an Orient player, whilst they ended the match with five scholars on the field as Martin Ling stayed true to his word to drop his under-performing senior players in favour of youth.

The point ended a run of five successive away defeats, and after Friday's capitulation to Cheltenham Town it at least managed to halt any further slide down the table.

With Aiden Palmer handed a full senior debut at left-back in place of Matt Lockwood, and Brian Saah and Donny Barnard both recalled to a defensive looking midfield, there was a different pattern, if not formation, to the O's play.

But tactics bore no bearing on their opening goal, scored in the move direct from the kick-off.

The ball was played back to Justin Miller at right-back, who launched it long to the edge of the Oxford area with Steele, playing against his former club, charging it down.

Leo Roget and Chris Tardif, the U's goalkeeper, conspired to fail to clear the ball as they became tangled up in each other, and from a narrow angle, Steele kept his nerve to slot the ball home and write himself into the record books.

Orient almost doubled their advantage after three minutes, but Gary Alexander couldn't stretch quite far enough to connect with Saah's header back across goal.

But Oxford boasted a dangerous midfield including Argentineans Juan Pablo Raponi and Lucas Cominelli and the lightning quick Chris Hackett, and they were soon back on level terms.

After 17 minutes Orient's defence watched a throw on work its way across the edge of the box to Steve Basham, who drilled in a low shot past the despairing dive of Glenn Morris.

Basham should have given his side the lead four minutes before the interval as he watched Tommy Mooney's lofted cross down on to his right foot, but the volley went high and wide of the goal frame.

Nevertheless, it took Oxford only eight minutes after the re-start to gain the lead as Mooney scooped in a Hackett cross from the right to the far post which Basham had flicked on.

In the initial build-up play, Gabriel Zakuani had appeared to handle the ball inside the area, but Oxford will feel justice was served as they netted from the cross which followed Orient's initial clearance.

Although there were not too many clear cut chances falling at either end, the match was open and entertaining, with both teams fighting hard in midfield and working well at the back to contain two lively pairs of strikers.

But with 19 minutes remaining, Orient's front two combined to produce an equaliser with a move which started on the half-way line.

Alexander laid his pass across to Michael Simpson, who found Steele with a neat through-ball.

Steele held off his man and touched the ball back to Alexander 20 yards out and his rifling shot took a decisive deflection off Simpson, who had continued his run into the box, and flew past Tardif to the delight of the visiting supporters.

With young wingers Derek Duncan and Scott Wallis, the day's second debutant, in full flow, Orient looked more likely than their hosts to snatch all three points.

Six minutes were left on the clock when Steele floated in a cross which Alexander headed against the frame and then in injury time Wallis chipped an effort over from distance whilst a low cross after a mazy 80 yard run from Duncan narrowly failed to find one of its intended targets in Oxford's six-yard box.

Although they did not manage to find a winning goal, Orient had done enough with their efforts on the day to restore some much-needed pride to carry into the final segment of the season.

2	Oxford United	Coca-Cola League Two		Leyton Orient	2
1	Chris TARDIF	Kassam Stadium - 3pm		Glenn MORRIS	1
3	Matt ROBINSON	Attendance:		Donny BARNARD YC	2
4	Leo ROGET	5320 (464 away)		Michael SIMPSON	4
5	Jon ASHTON	Referee:		John MACKIE YC	6
7	Chris HACKETT	Brian CURSON		Gary ALEXANDER (C)	9
8	Tommy MOONEY (C)	(Leicestershire)		Lee STEELE	10
9	Steve BASHAM	Goals:		Justin MILLER	15
17	Barry QUINN	Steele (12 secs)		Gabriel ZAKUANI	20
24	Juan Pablo RAPONI	Basham (17)		Brian SAAH	21
25	Lee MOLYNEAUX	Mooney (53)		Daryl McMAHON YC	24
33	Lucas COMINELLI	Simpson (71)		Aidan PALMER	25
	Substitutes	Replaced (time)		Substitutes
10	Lee BRADBURY	24 (76)		Matthew LOCKWOOD	3
12	Paul WANLESS			Lee HARRISON (GK)	12
16	Simon COX		24 (65)	Derek DUNCAN	22
29	Billy BEECHERS	33 (86)	2 (73)	Scott WALLIS	23
34	Emiliano DIAZ			Efe ECHANOMI	26