Leyton Orient 0-0 Stevenage
by Layth Yousif
at Brisbane Road

IT PROVED to be a point apiece after League Two’s top-of-the-table clash between Leyton Orient and Stevenage ended in a goalless draw.

In a full-blooded match in the East End of London, neither side could break down the other in front of a crowd of 8,644, which included 1,044 travelling fans, Stevenage’s best away support of the season.

Richie Welllens’s side came into the match with four wins on the bounce in front of the Sky Sports cameras, with the match between league leaders and second place Boro quite rightly chosen for live coverage.

With four 8,000+ sellouts in a row at Brisbane Road, you felt that iconic 1970s trailblazer and former O‘s man Laurie Cunningham, whose fine image is cast in bronze in nearby Coronation Gardens, would have approved of Orient’s resurgence.

On 13 minutes, O’s No23 Charlie Kelman forced a save from Boro keeper Taye Ashby-Hammond that took a slight deflection off defender Dan Sweeney that the net minder did well to adjust to.

Boro, resplendent in purple, rallied after good work down the right flank by Danny Rose to feed Jordan Roberts, whose shot was gathered by Orient keeper Lawrence Vigouroux.

With the tempo of the match bubbling away nicely, Orient powered forward, with Paul Symth’s low drive narrowly flying wide.

It has to be said, referee Charles Breakspear kept the game flowing despite several rambunctious challenges from both sides.

From one such foul on Orient No 7 Smyth, Tom James saw his free kick headed back across the Boro goal and away to safety.

As the half progressed, endeavour and industry were the order of the day, with the man in black eventually forced to reach for his book to hand Luther Wildin a deserved yellow card for an agricultural challenge on Orient captain Darren Pratley moments before the interval.

The second half continued in much the same vein, with Boro attempting to gain advantage when industrious No 4 Jake Reeves played Roberts into the box with a clever free kick, only for Orient keeper Vigouroux to block the former Ipswich striker’s shot.

The best move of the match came shortly afterwards on the hour mark, when Theo Archibald — whose late leveller broke Stevenage hearts last season during a hectic 2-2 draw at the same venue — crossed for Pratley to fire over the bar following a sweeping raid from Wellens’s side.

Pratley then had a close range header saved by Ashby-Hammond, as the home side put the pressure on Boro, however, as the clock ticked down, both sides ultimately settled for a hard-won point apiece.

The result saw Steve Evans’s side consolidate second place in the automatic promotion places, a full nine points clear of fourth place Carlisle.