THE SADDLERS slumped out of the LDV Vans Trophy with a disappointing performance at League Two outfit, Leyton Orient.

The game started with the home side seeing plenty of the ball and forcing several early corners. With ten minutes on the clock, Jabo Ibehre planted a header just over following a teasing corner kick that was curled into the penalty area.

The first raid at goal from Walsall came just on the quarter-hour mark when Zigor Aranalde delivered a ball into the box and as Jorge Leitao linked up with Gary Birch out wide, his low effort flew across the face of the goal.

Moments later at the other end, a long free-kick found the head of Alan White, up from his central defensive position, but Joe Murphy did well to push out his header from point-blank range. The resulting corner kick saw Ibehre win another header which just missed the target.

The Saddlers were struggling to find any momentum or urgency to their play but after a fierce drive by the lively Wayne Carlisle was gathered by Murphy, a positive, powerful run by Leitao saw him make inroads towards the home goal, however he tried to find strike partner Birch rather than have a shot and The O's were able to get men back to block.

Leitao was again involved in the action on the half-hour when a precise free-kick by Simon Osborn set him racing away, but again he hesitated and his first effort was blocked before his follow-up was staright into the grateful arms of Glenn Morris in the home goal.

With time running out at the end of the half, a long cross by Carlisle was returned back into the danger area where Tom Newey was on hand to win the ball but was denied by Murphy.

It wasn't long after the restart when Leyton Orient managed to get their noses in front as Newey beat Aranalde out wide before putting in a low cross that found its way across to the far post where, in attempting to clear his lines, Mark Wright fired the ball into the roof of his own net.

The unfortunate Wright tried to make amends eight minutes later as he managed to get in a teasing cross which fell to Leitao whose attempt dipped onto the top of the crossbar.

With The Saddlers in desperate need of a spark as too many balls were going astray, the pace of  Daryl Taylor was introduced in place of Mark Kinsella, whilst five minutes later Matty Fryatt took the place of Gary Birch.

As the clock ticked down, a flare-up on the touchline was sparked by a clash between Osborn and Lee Barnard and as players from both sides got involved, the match officials managed to get control before booking both instigators.

In the closing stages, the home side struck the base of the post with a hopeful low cross-cum-shot by Newey that caught Murphy out, whilst Carlisle also flashed an effort wide.

However, the miss of the match came in injury time when a powerful run and shot by Fryatt was too hot to hold for Morris who pushed the ball out into the path of Wrack and from close range he somehow missed the target and with it went Walsall's chances of making further progress in the competition.

It summed up The Saddlers' night as our loyal band of supporters trudged home following yet another disappointing defeat.