Leyton Orient 0 - 1 Colchester United
npower League 1

ORIENT failed to build on moving into the top half of the table for the first time this season by coming unstuck against Colchester United at Brisbane Road on Saturday.

O's boss Russell Slade said ahead of the meeting with the U's that finding consistency at home would be key to Orient climbing the table further, but Terrell Forbes's first half own goal meant an afternoon of frustration for the hosts.

Forbes was unfortunate in turning Karl Duguid's cross beyond Lee Butcher just before the half hour and Orient struggled to get going as they searched for an equaliser after the interval.

Referee Mark Haywood turned down strong penalty appeals for what looked like a foul on Kevin Lisbie, but that moment aside, Colchester looked strong in defence as they stood firm for victory.

Orient started brightly and passed the ball well in the opening stages, creating a chance for Lisbie when he found himself in behind on six minutes, only for keeper Ben Williams to make the save.

Lisbie also placed a header wide from David Mooney's cross on 15 minutes, but it was Colchester who struck with 28 minutes on the clock.

Duguid's low cross from the right was dangerous, and as Ian Henderson looked to meet it in the middle, Forbes got an unfortunate deflection that sent the ball past a helpless Butcher.

Three minutes before the break Orient felt they should have had the chance to level it up when former U's striker Lisbie made a strong run into the penalty area and was bundled over under a challenge from Magnus Okuonghae.

The home crowd howled for a penalty, but referee Haywood thought otherwise and Colchester took their lead to the interval.

They should have doubled it with the first action of the second half, but somehow still found themselves only one up after Gavin Massey rounded Butcher but, with the goal at his mercy, struck the post with his outside-of-the-foot shot.

It was an unbelievable miss and Colchester were almost made to pay on 52 when a corner from the left led to Lisbie and Mark Laird having their shots blocked.

But Orient were finding it difficult against a sturdy Colchester defence, despite the introduction of George Porter, Jamie Cureton and Jonathan Téhoué from the bench.

At the other end, the hosts were indebted to Butcher's save from Lloyd James as Colchester looked to seal it.

Téhoué managed a shot on target from way out in the closing stages, but there was precious little else from the home side to trouble Colchester as Orient fell to their seventh Brisbane Road reverse of the campaign.

Leyton Orient: Butcher; Forbes, Cuthbert, Leacock, McSweeney; Smith (Porter 64), Laird, Spring, Cox; Lisbie (Téhoué 78), Mooney (Cureton 64)
Subs: Chorley, Chicksen

Colchester: Williams; White, Okuonghae, Eastman, Wilson; Wordsworth, Izzet, James, Duguid; Henderson, Massey (Odejayi 75)
Subs: Rose, Gillespie, Bond, Coker

Goal: Forbes og 28

Referee: Mark Haywood

Attendance: 4,659 (665 away)