Hartlepool United 1 - 0 Leyton Orient
Coca-Cola League One
ADAM BOYD'S late goal was enough to send the O's to defeat at Hartlepool United on Saturday.
The former Orient striker came back to haunt his old employers when he popped up inside the six yard box to poke home the only goal with just nine minutes left to play.
Orient looked set to claim a point from the Victoria Park clash after keeping the contest tight for the first 60 minutes.
Neither side displayed much of a goal threat in the first half, but the game was more of a spectacle after the break.
Still it looked as though the scoresheet would remain blank, but Boyd had other ideas and won the game with his late intervention.
Hartlepool's James Brown had the game's first shot on goal with five minutes on the clock, but his volley from the edge of the box was directed straight at Glenn Morris and the O's keeper was untroubled.
Another long range effort from Ritchie Jones was easily saved by Morris in the 18th minute as the game started in a slow and subdued fashion.
There was no way in behind the defences for either team and it took another 25-yard effort, this time from Andy Monkhouse, to draw another stop from Morris with 28 minutes on the clock.
The game's first genuine opening fell to Brown on 32 when Ritchie Humphreys drew his man towards him before releasing the home striker in the left channel. It looked to be a great opportunity as Brown bore down on Morris, but he sent his left-footed effort into the side netting and Orient escaped.
An even better chance fell to Colin Larkin three minutes before the break when Ben Chorley could only nod a long ball back towards his own goal and into the home winger's path. Morris was out of the equation but Larkin could only direct the ball wide of the target.
Hartlepool continued to look the stronger at the start of the second period and Brown collected a neat pass from Monkhouse on 51 before standing up Luke Ashworth and shooting at Morris from 15 yards.
Seconds later Brown looked to be getting away from Ashworth as he made his way towards goal, but the O's defender recovered to make a superb saving tackle and allow Morris to clean up.
Sean Thornton then had Orient's first shot on goal with a low strike from range, and with 55 minutes on the clock McGleish forced a smart save from home keeper Scott Flinders with an angled drive from the right channel.
There was a more open feel to the game now and Boyd found space outside the box to send in a shot on 57 that was deflected behind for a corner, and from the resulting flag kick the former O's man had another shot blocked.
That led to another corner, and Humphreys supplied the delivery for Sam Collins to send in a header at goal that Morris did well to save instinctively.
A goal looked on the cards and it was Orient who almost got it with 68 minutes on the clock when Thornton's free kick was met with a header by Chorley and the ball just evaded Scott McGleish's lunge at the far post.
13 minutes from time it was Hartlepool's turn to threaten and Morris had to spring to his right to make an excellent save to deny Monkhouse after the wideman skipped past Charlie Daniels down the right and cut inside to shoot.
Four minutes later the inevitable Boyd goal arrived when Larkin's deep right wing cross was nodded back across goal and the former O's man stole in to prod home.
Daniels drilled a free kick wide of the mark with four minutes left and Andros Townsend had a low skidder saved in injury time as Orient looked to respond, but there was no way back as Hartlepool saw out time to claim the points.
Hartlepool: Flinders; Austin, Collins, Liddle, Hartley; Larkin, Jones, Humphreys, Monkhouse; Brown (Behan 87), Boyd
Subs: Clark, Rowell, Sweeney, Fredriksen, Cook (GK), Bjornsson
Goal: Boyd 81
Booked: Liddle, Collins
Leyton Orient: Morris; Purches, Chorley, Ashworth, Daniels; Smith (Townsend 83), Thornton (Chambers 77), Summerfield, Demetriou; McGleish, Scowcroft
Subs: Melligan, Jones (GK), Jarvis, Cave-Brown, Patulea
Referee: Craig Pawson
Attendance: 3,119 (118 away)
