Austin penalty denies Orient

A second-half penalty by Neil Austin gave 10-man Hartlepool a deserved 1-1 draw at Leyton Orient in League One on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts had taken the lead after 25 minutes through Dean Cox and Pools were reduced to 10 men at Brisbane Road when Paul Murray was dismissed for a second bookable offence. Cox struck when George Porter exchanged passes with David Mooney before delivering the ball into the path of the winger who was left with the simplest of chances to score low into the corner of the net. Yet the visitors had come close to taking the lead after just three minutes when a shot by Antony Sweeney was blocked on the line by Jimmy Smith. They levelled after 54 minutes when Terrell Forbes brought down striker Andy Monkhouse and Austin sent Ben Alnwick the wrong way from the spot. With 20 minutes left Murray walked for a foul on Porter but despite their numerical advantage, Orient were unable to break down a solid Pools defence. And it was Monkhouse who came closest to a winner when he brought a fine save from Alnwick at the foot of the near post in the final minute.