Leyton Orient 1 - 1 Crewe Alexandra
Coca-Cola League One

ORIENT'S revival continued on Saturday after a second half fightback earned them a 1-1 draw against Crewe Alexandra.

In an open and entertaining game, the visitors enjoyed the better of the opening period and led at the break through a strike from dangerman Nicky Maynard.

But Orient improved after half-time and levelled within two minutes of the restart when Matt Lockwood converted from the spot - his seventh goal of the season.

Both sides had chances to nick all three points, but in the end a draw was the right result.

In the second minute Maynard showed a glimpse of his threat when he burst clear in the right channel.  Justin Miller sprinted across to put the Crewe forward under pressure and Glyn Garner saved at his feet.

Orient fashioned their first opportunity four minutes later when Gary Alexander chested Wayne Corden's lofted pass into James Walker's path on the edge of the area. Walker sliced his shot, however, and the ball flew harmlessly wide.

Although both sides were obviously committed to playing football, the first 15 minutes were quite scrappy with possession being exchanged too frequently.

It was from a corner that the next chance materialised, Corden knocking Lockwood's flag kick back to Luke Guttridge, whose drive was deflected before being cleared off the line.

Crewe's forward line of Maynard and Luke Varney were looking lively, but it was a midfield runner who next went close for them when Michael O'Connor charged past a couple of challenges in the 21st minute before sending in a shot that deflected awkwardly off Lockwood and needed a decent save from Garner.

Justin Miller, who felt ill before the game, couldn't continue and on 25 Shane Tudor came on to replace him. 

Three minutes later Walker came desperately close to giving the O's the lead, running onto Alexander's through pass but seeing his shot tipped around the post by visiting keeper Stuart Tomlinson.

The match had become an end-to-end affair, but Orient looked to up the pressure and Alexander sent a rasping left-footed drive just wide of the far post 60 seconds later.

But this spell was nipped in the bud on the half-hour when Maynard received a perfect defence-splitting pass from Ben Rix to drill across Garner and into the far corner.

Orient were rocked by Crewe's opener and they were forced into another change of plan four minutes before the break when Tudor hurt himself when illegally stopping Jon Otsemobor's maurading run. Tudor was booked and Donny Barnard came off the bench to take his place on the right hand side.

Orient needed to start the second half at a tempo and they were given the perfect opportunity to equalise just 45 seconds after the interval when Walker was clipped in the box by  Billy Jones as he received a pass from Corden.

Referee Mark Hayward pointed straight to the spot and Lockwood made no mistake from 12 yards, sending Tomlinson the wrong way with a cool penalty.

On 53 John Mackie leapt well to meet Lockwood's left wing corner but nodded wide under pressure.  There was no doubting, though, that the hosts had begun the second half just as they needed to.

Guttridge also fired wide from the edge of the box after Corden had picked him out in space, but Crewe found their feet again and the game was delicately poised as it entered the last 25 minutes.

Walker was always a threat and with 20 minutes to go he had Tomlinson worried with a sverving shot from 18 yards that the visiting stopper had to parry away.

At the other end O'Connor drove a yard over the Orient crossbar after a free-kick from the right hand side dropped down to him outside the area, but still neither side could find a way through.

With 11 minutes to go, though, the visitors created a glorious chance to win it when Maynard ran away from Brian Saah and passed square for Luke Varney, who had managed to find acres of room. The net looked set to bulge, but Garner narrowed the angles well and blocked from the Crewe striker, while Maynard was unable to force the rebound home.

It was an incredibly open ending and on 85 Adam Chambers put on the afterburners to run onto Guttridge's lofted pass.  Chambers looked to be winning the race, but veteran Crewe defender Neil Cox stuck out a leg at the last moment to divert the ball over the bar.

That proved to be the last significant chance as the contest ended as an entertaining draw.

1	LEYTON ORIENT	COCA-COLA LEAGUE 1		CREWE ALEXANDRA	1
1	Glyn GARNER	Brisbane Road23/12/06		Stuart TOMLINSON	13
3	Matt LOCKWOOD (C)	Ref: Mark Hayward (West Yorks)		Jon OTSEMOBOR	2
6	John MACKIE	Att: 4,371 (232 away)		Billy JONES	3
8	Craig EASTON	Goals (time):		Gary ROBERTS	4
9	Gary ALEXANDER	Maynard (30)		Neil COX (C)	5
15	Justin MILLER	Lockwood (pen 47)		Julien BAUDET	6
16	Luke GUTTRIDGE			Michael O'CONNOR YC	8
21	Brian SAAH YC			David VAUGHAN	11
25	Wayne CORDEN			Luke VARNEY	12
26	Adam CHAMBERS			Ben RIX	14
28	James WALKER			Nicky MAYNARD	18
	SUBSTITUTES	Replaced (time)		SUBSTITUTES
2	Donny BARNARD YC	7 (41)		Ben WILLIAMS (GK)	1
7	Shane TUDOR YC	15 (26)	18 (90+1)	Luke RODGERS	9
12	Glenn MORRIS (GK)			Darren MOSS	17
18	Paul CONNOR	28 (75)		Danny O'DONNELL	37
19	Jabo IBEHRE		14 (69)	Lee MATTHEWS	38