Leyton Orient 2 - 2 Carlisle United
Coca-Cola League One

ORIENT are still searching for their first home win of the season after Paul Thirlwell's injury time equaliser gave Carlisle United a share of the spoils on Saturday.

The O's looked set to break their Brisbane Road duck when Scott McGleish's second goal of the game gave them an 85th minute lead.

But Carlisle were the better side throughout and they ensured they wouldn't leave east London defeated when Thirlwell struck.

Matty Robson had earlier given the Cumbrians a first half advantage before McGleish's penalty moments after the restart got Orient back in it.

Geraint Williams' side were under-par, but holding the lead so close to the end, they will still be disappointed not to have taken maximum points.

Carlisle started on the front foot and Kevan Hurst's ninth minute shot skimmed across the turf before Glenn Morris - in for the injured Jamie Jones - gathered.

Striker Joe Anyinsah's pace was always a useful outlet for the visitors and he outran Luke Ashworth a minute later but shot harmlessly over.

Another Carlisle chance fell to Anyinsah on 14 minutes when Hurst skipped away from Charlie Daniels down the right and sent a cross over. Ashworth's header out fell back to Hurst, whose second attempt at a cross picked out the former Bristol City striker, only for the header to be misdirected.

Hurst was a key figure early on and he tried his luck from range with 18 minutes of the clock and Morris moved across to pluck the ball out of the air.

Robson was also sending in some dangerous crosses trom the other flank as Carlisle looked the more threatening and it wasn't until the 34th minute that Orient had a shot on goal.

Lenny Pidgeley came out to the edge of his penalty box to punch away a lofted ball from Ashworth and his clearance fell to Jimmy Smith, whose attempted volley looped over the bar.

Scott Dobie nodded Robson's cross straight at Morris, while McGleish's header needed a touch over from Pidgeley as the interval neared, and this late flurry of first half activity resulted in a Carlisle goal.

Jason Demetriou's corner was intercepted at the near post and Hurst got the better of Andros Townsend on the edge of his own box to set a Carlisle break in motion. The visitors had a man over as they moved the ball into the left channel and Morris was helpless against Robson's pefectly placed angled shot.

Orient were handed a lifeline right at the start of the second half when Carlisle's Peter Murphy was very harshly punished for a high foot on Ryan Jarvis inside the area.

Referee Graham Horwood pointed to the spot and Scott McGleish kept his nerve, after his he was made to re-take after successfully converting, to beat Pidgley's dive down low to the left.

Carlisle were soon exerting the pressure again though and Morris had to produce an excellent save to prevent Danny Livesey's glancing header from finding the net.

On the hour Dobie fired straight at Morris when an Ian Harte free kick dropped for him eight yards from goal. If the former West Brom striker had directed his shot a yard either side he surely would have scored.

Morris came to the rescue again on 66, flinging himself to the left to turn Dobie's volley behind after he controlled Hurst's cross and shot on the turn.

Scott McGleish drilled wide from 20 yards as Orient offered a rare threat 12 minutes from time, and five minutes from time, somewhat implausibly, Orient found a second through McGleish.

Jimmy Smith got the move started, threading a ball into Adrian Patulea's feet from the midfield. The O's sub shifted the ball onto his left foot and spotted McGleish's run off his shoulder, feeding his strike partner to dink over Pidgeley.

Pidgeley denied McGleish from close range as Orient looked for a third, but it was Carlisle who were to have the final word with an equaliser at the death.

Seconds after Morris' brilliant save denied Gary Madine with a far post header, Thirlwell cut inside from the right channel and curled a left footed effort beyond the O's keeper and into the far corner.

Leyton Orient: Morris; Purches, Mkandawire, Ashworth, Daniels; Melligan, Demetriou, Smith, Townsend (Chambers 54); McGleish, Jarvis (Patulea 70)
Subs: Cave-Brown, Pires, Baker, Hall, Giddens (GK)

Goals: McGleish pen 48, McGleish 85

Booked: Ashworth

Carlisle: Pidgeley; Raven, Livesey, Murphy (Offiong 88), Harte; Hurst, Thirlwell, Taiwo (Kavanagh 68), Robson; Dobie (Madine 81), Anyinsah
Subs: Collin (GK), Horwood, Rothery, Kane

Goals: Robson 42, Thirlwell 90+2

Booked: Thirlwell, Robson

Referee: Graham Horwood

Attendance: 3,546 (424 away)