A first league win continues to elude Leyton Orient but they do have their first point on the board after a hard-earned goalless draw at fellow strugglers Chesterfield.

Despite the result doing little to improve their early-season plight at the wrong end of League One, the O’s will probably be the happier of the two sides with the outcome after keeping their first clean sheet of the campaign against a side who had the majority of the chances.

The visitors had few clear-cut opportunities to register their first away goal of the campaign – the best falling to Dean Cox midway through the second half when he headed a Charlie Daniels cross wide from inside the six-yard box.

Russell Slade made three changes from the side which dramatically beat Bristol Rovers in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night, two of which were enforced.

On-loan Spurs keeper David Button was ruled out with a shoulder injury he sustained in the 3-2 victory, while Scott Cuthbert had a calf problem. Lee Butcher returned in goal, Elliot Omozusi came into defence, while the other change saw Marc Laird replace Leon McSweeney, who dropped to the bench, in midfield.

The O’s had the first sight of goal after a minute when David Mooney drove in off the left and fired a rising drive a yard or so wide of the near post from 20 yards.

But two minutes later the visitors almost shot themselves in the foot when Butcher passed the ball out to Daniels, who was caught in possession by Craig Westcarr. The Spireites forward was clean through on goal but Butcher was quickly out to save well, before getting back on his line to save Danny Whitaker’s follow up.

Chesterfield maintained their lively start though, with Jonathan Grounds seeing a far-post effort blocked after their opponents had failed to clear a corner and then Westcarr curled a right-footed side from the opposite side of the area beyond Butcher’s left-hand upright.

The visitors weathered that early mini storm but the Spireites continued to have the better of it, creating another chance in the 14th minute when debutant Alex Mendy nipped in front of his man on the edge of the area to prod a low Whitaker cross goalwards but Butcher dealt with the threat.

However, the visitors created an opening two minutes later when Mooney got across the near post to attack a Jamie Cureton cross from the right but he was unable to turn the effort on target.

Back came the hosts with Westcarr and Jack Lester combining in the area before the former got away a shot that was well blocked by Ben Chorley.

Orient though, were coming more into the game and they created their best chance to date in the 25th minute when a Cureton shot was blocked and the ball broke ideally for Laird to strike a right-footed shot that was superbly turned behind by Tommy Lee.

Slade’s men could have been celebrating at that point but, equally, they almost went behind moments later when Chesterfield’s dangerous front two again combined, with Westcarr standing up a cross from the left that Lester volleyed over.

Centre-half Simon Ford also struck a decent opening on the turn over after a throw had been flicked on but not before Jimmy Smith had met a corner with a thumping header that wasn’t too far away.

The game then went through a quiet spell but six minutes before the break the hosts were awarded a free-kick in a central area 25 yards out and Westcarr struck the set piece narrowly wide, although Butcher always looked to have it covered.

But the Spireites striker went closer still in first-half injury time when Orient were again fortunate not to fall behind.

Again a corner was not properly dealt with but this time Westcarr was inexplicably left unmarked in the middle of the area, giving him the time to turn and strike a right-footed shot that was blocked on the line by Chorley before another effort from the hosts was fired into the side netting.

There was little between the sides at the start of the second half, although both Lester and Westcarr weren’t too far away from connecting with a fine Whitaker cross from the right.

Soon after though, Jimmy Smith did well to get up and meet an Omozusi cross with a fine header from 12 yards that wasn’t too far over. The O’s right-back then combined with Laird down the same flank before the latter struck a right-footed shot from inside the area but Lee wasn’t unduly troubled.

Whitaker warmed Butcher’s gloves with a shot at the other end before Mooney chested a clearance down and fired in an effort that Lee had to go to ground to collect.

Whitaker was off target with another strike from outside the box as the hour-mark ticked by with the deadlock still not broken, leading Slade to make an attacking change after 63 minutes, with Jonathan Tehoue replacing Cureton.

There was a dangerous moment for the visitors four minutes later when Chorley was booked for pulling back Lester on the edge of the area but Whitaker wasted a good free-kick opportunity by shooting harmlessly over.

But Orient’s search for a first away goal should have ended in the 71st minute when Daniels sent over a great cross from the left and Cox, perhaps expecting Mooney to get a touch ahead of him, headed a superb chance wide from inside the six-yard box.

Westcarr’s afternoon came to an end moments later when he was replaced by Scott Boden and then Lester, after Lee Johnson had made way for Dean Morgan four minutes later, saw yellow for a late challenge on Laird.

In between times though, Mendy embarked on a surging run that started on the left side of his own half before unleashing a right-footed shot from the edge of the area that didn’t go too far wide.

Having strengthened their attacking options, Chesterfield lost one with the final ten minutes approaching when Lester came off far worse in a collision with Butcher and, after receiving treatment for what looked to be a nasty arm injury, had to be stretchered off.

Jordan Bowery took his place, while George Porter came on for Mooney, but it was the Chesterfield substitute who set up another replacement, Boden, for a stinging right-footed drive that Butcher had to deal with.

The Spireites were finishing the game by far the stronger and their next chance came when Morgan appeared to have done most of the hard work after dancing around a couple of challenges, only to loose his footing as he struck the shot.

Boden headed a Mendy cross wide deep into stoppage time but, that chance apart, neither side went close to breaking the deadlock in the closing stages.

Chesterfield: Lee; Talbot, Ford, Grounds, N Smith; Mendy, Allott, Johnson (Morgan 75), Whitaker; Lester (Bowery 82), Westcarr (Bowden 71). Not used: Holden and Bowery.

Leyton Orient: Butcher; Omozusi, Forbes, Chorley, Daniels; Laird (McSweney 89), Dawson, J Smith, Cox; Cureton (Tehoue 63), Mooney (Porter 84). Not used: Odubajo and Richardson.

Bookings: Chorley for a foul on Lester (67); Lester for a foul on Laird (72); J Smith for a foul on Talbot (84).

Attendance: 6,197.

Referee: Gary Sutton.