Leyton Orient collected their first point under new head coach Carl Fletcher as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Carlisle United on Saturday.

A seventh-minute penalty by Josh Wright put Orient in front, and the hosts had numerous chances to put the game to bed in a dominant first half.

Those missed opportunities came back to bite them early in the second half when Jack Iredale slammed home a loose ball, and the Cumbrians will feel as though they should have gone on to win the game after controlling large parts of the second half.

George Marsh came into the side in place of Dale Gorman for the only change to the starting 11 that was defeated at Plymouth Argyle, while Jamie Turley was on the bench once again and Myles Judd returned to the matchday squad.

Orient started the game brightly and had a penalty shout turned down after just four minutes when James Brophy was sent tumbling in the box.

A similar move just three minutes later brought a more positive result though, as a clumsy challenge by Jarrad Branthwaite on Brophy allowed Wright to step up and slot his sixth goal of the season past Adam Collin.

Fletcher’s side were in complete control of the game and they were only prevented a second by a good save from Collin after neat interplay between Brophy and Joe Widdowson created a chance for Matt Harrold.

Having struggled to get a foothold in the game, Carlisle finally created their first real opportunity after 39 minutes, but Mike Jones’ effort was comfortably held by Dean Brill.

Visiting manager Steven Pressley made a tactical change at the break, switching from a back three to a back four, and the change had an instant impact as just three minutes into the half, Iredale finished from Jack Bridge’s corner to level proceedings.

Carlisle managed to maintain their fast start to the half and looked the more likely side to notch the next goal, prompting Fletcher to bring on Jordan Maguire-Drew and Louis Dennis in place of Harrold and James Dayton.

Gorman also entered the game in place of Marsh and they attempted to reassert themselves in the game, but the best chance of the half for the O’s didn’t come until the 84th minute.

Craig Clay received the ball and played it through for Brophy, but he was denied by an excellent save from Collin to preserve the 1-1 scoreline.

The Cumbrians immediately responded with a chance of their own when substitute Olufela Olomola broke through and beat the offside trap, but Brill, making his 100th appearance for the club, stopped him with his legs.

That proved to be the final real chance for either side in the game, although Gorman did fail to keep a speculative attempt down deep into stoppage time, and both sides were made to settle for a point.

The draw moves Orient up to 16th in the League Two table and they remain five points ahead of Carlisle as well as being level on points with Cambridge United, Mansfield Town, Macclesfield Town and Crawley Town.

Next up for the O’s is the long trip up to bottom side Morecambe, who have won just one of their last five games.

They play this coming Saturday, with kick off at 3pm.