It was a miserable day in the north west for Leyton Orient as Russell Slade’s side fell to a 4-1 defeat at Carlisle United.
United took the lead after just 50 seconds when a long ball into the box found Francois Zoko and the striker was able net in the corner for the early advantage.
The O’s struggled to create any chances of note early on and paid the price on the half hour when Matty Robson doubled the lead from a free kick, before Tom Taiwo added a third before the break.
James Berrett settled the match with 15 minutes to play, beating Lee Butcher from inside the penalty area to send the O’s home with nothing, as Jamie Cureton’s late header proved only a consolation.
Slade made one change to the side that beat Stevenage as Kevin Lisbie came back into the team in place of the suspended Ben Chorley.
The defender was beginning a three-match ban, meaning Leon McSweeney dropped into his more familiar right back role as Terrell Forbes reverted to centre back.
Elsewhere it was an unchanged Orient line-up, meaning Marc Laird retained his place in the midfield following an impressive display at Stevenage on Monday.
Dean Cox was named on the bench again as he looked for more minutes following his return from injury and was joined by fellow midfielder Jimmy Smith, who sat out the last match with a knock.
The game was less than a minute old when it saw its first piece of action as the hosts took the lead against a shell-shocked Orient.
A long ball into the box from full back Frank Simek saw Zoko able to use his strength to get the better of Forbes.
Taking a touch before applying the finish, Zoko managed to poke the ball past his marker and into Butcher’s net via the post for an early advantage.
The opening exchanges saw the hosts on top as they look to extend their lead with Taiwo coming closest to doing so.
The midfielder should have done better with an effort from a Robson cross while shortly after he drilled an effort wide from the edge of the box.
Orient’s best chance of the early stages saw Lee Cook shoot well over but skipper Stephen Dawson went down heavily in the build up under a Jon-Paul McGovern challenge.
Dawson limped off minutes later to be replaced by birthday boy Smith who went to the right side of the midfield with Laird switching to the middle.
And with Slade’s side unable to carve the hosts open, United doubled their advantage from a free kick wide on the right.
Robson’s low set piece took a deflection off the defensive wall which left Butcher flat-footed as the ball fell despairingly beyond his reach and into the corner.
With 37 minutes on the clock, Carlisle made it a three-goal lead although there was an element of fortune about the strike.
Orient could only clear their lines as far as the edge of the area and Taiwo was the first to the ball, looping it back into the box and beyond the outstretched arm of Butcher to fall into net.
Shortly before the break, a move down the Orient left saw Lisbie beat his marker to send a low ball across for David Mooney but the Irishman was unable to steer his effort goalward.
The final act of the half saw the O’s awarded a free kick but Cook’s strike was comfortably held by Adam Collin as the hosts maintained their three-goal advantage.
Orient enjoyed better possession after the break but were still unable to find a clear sight of goal while the hosts looked dangerous on the break.
With the game passed the hour mark, the visitors had still not managed a clear strike at goal in the half while the Cumbrians looked set for a fourth.
Zoko had caused the Orient backline problems all afternoon and when he cut inside Scott Cuthbert on 66 minutes, the striker looked well placed to convert but his effort found only the home end.
With quarter of an hour to play, the hosts, who had looked a good bet to score every time they went forward, bagged a fourth goal to settle any doubt there might have been about the result.
Picking up a loose ball, Berrett was able to skip pass Forbes to find himself one-on-one with Butcher, applying a simple finish pile further misery on Slade’s side.
Jamie Cureton came on straight after the goal and almost had an immediate impact, linking well with Lisbie to let fly from just inside the penalty area but his strike drifted wide of the post.
With five minutes to play Cureton managed to get his first goal for the club as he met Cox’s free kick at the near post to convert with his head but it was as good as it got for the O’s who well beaten on the day.
Carlisle: Collin; Simek, Murphy, Mickalik, Robson; Thirlwell, Taiwo (Chantler 76), Berrett (Madden 83); McGovern, Miller, Zoko.
Subs: Livesey, Welsh, Gillespie.
Orient: Butcher; McSweeney, Cuthbert, Forbes, Chicksen; Laird (Cox 61), Spring, Dawson (Smith 19), Cook; Mooney (Cureton 76), Lisbie.
Subs: Porter, Cestor.
Attendance: 4,954.
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