Leyton Orient 1 - 1 Cambridge United: Ollie Palmer leaves it late to rescue a point for Leyton Orient

Posted Saturday, December 31, 2016 by PA

Substitute Ollie Palmer salvaged a point for Leyton Orient in stoppage time as they drew 1-1 with Cambridge United at Brisbane Road.

The visitors had taken a first-half lead through Harrison Dunk and looked set to add to their five successive Sky Bet League Two wins until Palmer's late intervention.

There was little between the two teams in the opening 20 minutes, although the visitors' Luke Berry saw his ninth-minute cross-cum-shot go across the face of the goal with nobody on hand to apply the final touch before the ball ran narrowly wide of the far post.

The deadlock was broken on 21 minutes when full-back Myles Judd blocked a Berry shot in the penalty area and the ball fell to the unmarked Dunk, who had the simplest of chances to tuck the ball into the net.

From that point on the well-organised visitors were seldom asked any serious questions by their lacklustre hosts.

Uche Ikpeazu almost doubled the visitors advantage when his effort brought a good save from home keeper Alex Cisak. The O's shot-stopper was also called into action diving at full stretch to keep out a firm drive by substitute Max Clark.

But Palmer was to have the last word. Cambridge failed to clear the danger and Michael Collins played the striker, whose shot took a deflection before squeezing under U's keeper Will Norris to give the hosts an unlikely point.