JOHN FINNIGAN'S deflected injury time volley denied a tactically astute Orient side victory at Cheltenham Town on Saturday.

Martin Ling's men swiched to a 5-3-2 formation for the Whaddon Road clash and his move seemed to have paid maximum dividends until Finnigan broke their hearts from the edge of the box two minutes after the ninety.

Chances were thin on the ground, but John Mackie had earlier made the most of his from a half-cleared corner to lift the ball into the roof of the net left-footed from six yards out after 19 minutes.

Orient had settled early and slotted into their new-look system with the minimum of fuss and, although they had not created much in the final third, the opening goal came as reward for their excellent possession in the opening stages.

But all their hard work was undone right at the death when Finnigan struck.

Cheltenham forced three corners in the first five minutes, but Orient quickly found their feet and looked comfortable with their new system and Justin Miller in particular seemed confident in carrying the ball out of defence.

Orient were untroubled at the back during the opening exchanges and it wasn't until the 17th minute that the game produced its first effort on goal when former West Ham youngster Grant McCann sent a free-kick comfortably over the crossbar following a foul on Damian Spencer by John Mackie.

Two minutes later Gary Alexander had the visitors' first effort when his 20-yard drive was deflected behind and from the resulting corner they took the lead.

Daryl McMahon's delivery was only half-cleared to left hand side of the six-yard box from where Craig Easton squared the ball for John Mackie to find the net with his left-foot.

On 28 Shane Higgs got down low to his right to beat away another Alexander effort as Orient continued to ask questions in possession.

Six minutes prior to the interval Garner was called into action for the first time when JJ Melligan unleashed a speculative 25-yarder that needed a touch form the vigilant stopper to divert the shot over the bar.

But in the first half Orient had got it tactically spot-on, and with home frontmen Spencer and Kayode Odejayi being kept in check Martin Ling's men merited their half-time advantage.

And they came close to adding a priceless second with 49 minutes on the clock when another flag-kick led to a chance.  Again the first header failed to clear the Robins' penalty area and Easton prodded the ball towards goal where Higgs displayed fine reactions to push the ball up and away from danger.

Four minutes later Cheltenham offered their first threat of the second half when Melligan bundled his way past Aiden Palmer in the right channel before shooting low from 18 yards.  Garner was on hand, however, to repel the former Wolves player's effort.

The O's strike duo of Alexander and Lee Steele were working together with much greater effect than has been evident so far this campaign, but on 56 the former lacked some much-needed composure in front of goal when he snatched at an opportunity he had created himself twelve yards out and his left-footed effort sliced horribly wide.

That miss acted as a cue for a spell of Cheltenham pressure that bore its best chance after 61 minutes when Odejayi's looping header from a right-wing corner just cleared Garner's crossbar.

Orient's ability to retain possession in midfield wasn't as strong as it had been for the first hour and Cheltenham were able to take a stranghold on the contest for the first time, but Orient remained stout at the back and the Robins still struggled to create chances.

WIth fifteen minutes left they fashioned their clearest opportunity to date but Odejayi could not test Garner with his headed opportunity after Melligan had set him up with a teasing centre.

Orient responded with a fine spell of passing in midfield to frustrate the home side, but still Cheltenham kept probing and they came so close to breaking the visitors' hearts five minutes from time when a Jerry Gill long throw was flicked on by Odejayi into substitute Brian Wilson's path, and with everyone waiting for the net to bulge Orient breathed a huge sigh of relief when the header dropped wide.

But their reprieve was only to last until the second minute of stoppage time when Finnigan controlled well on the edge of the box and sent a fizzing right-footed volley through a ruck of bodies and, with the help of a deflection, past Garner's despairing dive.

by Leo Tyrie