Match Report: Leyton Orient 1-1 Port Vale

A great finish by David Worrall gave Vale the lead but denied all three points by Daniel Kemp today in London.

A fresh start for all of the squad away to Leyton Orient and everyone was looking to impress. Curtis Guthrie was close to scoring his first Port Vale goal on eight minutes but his glancing header just went wide of goal. Vale had another chance on the quarter hour mark, Alex Hurst was unmarked in the area but his effort was saved by the feet of Lawrence Vigouroux in goal.

The Valiants were looking for revenge against the O’s after they snatched all three points at Vale Park with a late winner. The hosts looked dangerous from set pieces with Dan Happe getting his head on the ball but sent it way over the bar with 17 minutes played. Vale had the majority of the ball in the first 25 minutes but couldn’t make it pay. David Worrall snuck in at the back post to reach Hurst’s ball into the box but couldn’t direct his header on target from a tight angle.

It had been two weeks since the Vale were last in action, that defeat at Prenton Park. With a change in manager the Valiants also wanted a change in results. Brown had little to do in the first half hour but he was tested for the first time on 36 minutes by a shot from Jobi McAnuff which was hit straight at the Vale stopper as he comfortably claimed the ball.

The Valiants were certainly spurred on by Darrell Clarke’s half time team talk. They pressed at every opportunity in the opening two minutes of the second half, and forced a mistake from the Orient back line as Devante Rodney nipped in and helped the ball onto Worrall inside the area who out strengthened his man and caressed the ball low into the opposite corner to give Vale a deserved lead on 47 minutes.

Guthrie had a good opportunity to extend the lead with a header at the back post but was blocked which forced the ball out for a corner just two minutes after the opener. The corner was cleared, only as far as Tom Conlon who tried his luck from outside the area but had his shot blocked. After a positive spell on possession, the home side grabbed an equaliser on 63 minutes through Dan Kemp who opened his body up and slotted the ball into the net from inside the box.

A minute later Rodney lined up a shot to try and give Vale the lead back but his shot was well blocked by Adam Thompson. 65 minutes on the clock and Orient were close to making it 2-1 as a fortunate deflection led the ball to fall into the path of Danny Johnson but he scuffed his shot well wide from three yards out.

A corner for the O’s on 68 minutes which Thompson managed to get to but his header sailed over the bar. A minute later Rodney almost gave the lead back to Vale but his header crashed against the crossbar and out for a goal kick. Johnson should have scored after 70 minutes but was denied by brilliant last ditched defending. The initial shot was saved by Brown and the second blocked off the line by Mustapha Olagunju before being cleared by Nathan Smith. Inside the final ten minutes a great save by Scott Brown secured a point for Vale in London.

The Valiants will be looking to go one better when they play Stevenage at Vale Park on Tuesday night in Darrell Clarke’s second game in charge.

Leyton Orient: Vigourox, Cisse, Happe, McAnuff, Wilkinson, Kemp (80' Abrhams), Brophy, Akinola, Freeman, Thompson, Johnson

Unused Subs: Sargeant, Widdowson, Coulson, Dayton, Turley, Young

Port Vale: Brown, Gibbons, Crookes, Joyce, Smith, Worrall (57' Oyeleke), Conlon, Guthrie, Rodney, Hurst (90' Montano), Olagunju (75' Legge)

Unused Subs: Cullen, Taylor, Scott, Swan