BIG MATCH VERDICT: Carlisle United 2-3 Leyton Orient

You could smell the fury rising from the home crowd, out of Carlisle’s pores, as they considered how their nine-game unbeaten run vanished here. No ill-feeling justifies throwing coins at the opposition manager, as per Richie Wellens' allegation: if that indeed occurred, shame on the individual(s) responsible.

But there were more than enough moments of contention to inform the post-match sentiments on the more civilised side of the line. United had grounds to say they were denied at least one clear penalty moments before Ryan Edmondson was sent off.

If that latter decision was unarguable, the striker foolishly raising his hands to Darren Pratley who duly and inevitably collapsed, then many other aspects were not well handled by the officials, as Orient – admittedly ruthless in the taking of their goals – killed time, worked the angles, grappled Carlisle in the margins, dictated certain terms on the edge of things without rebuke.

United players react after Orient's early opener (Image: Barbara Abbott)

Parsons was jeered off at half-time and full-time by a fulminating Paddock. His loose handle on affairs rendered the game itself more challenging than usual to analyse, the whole thing generating much more heat than light.

A cooler interpretation of the action says Carlisle did contribute to their own downfall with Orient’s first two goals (the third surely ought to have been wiped for offside), and showed some real heart in their attempts to fight back in the second half.

Their competitive character is not in question despite this first home league defeat of 2022/23 to a good side they could have done without helping. It was also telling that Paul Simpson didn’t park every last piece of responsibility for the result at the hapless Parsons’ door. “That’s not the sole reason we’ve lost the game,” United’s manager said. “We lost it because we’ve made daft mistakes.”

Fin Back on the attack for United (Image: Ben Holmes)

From the second minute until the 96th, it was an open, semi-controlled spectacle, immediately at odds with the calm autumn conditions. The visitors invited United to play into the sun, and something blinded them to the risk of allowing Theo Archibald the chance to run at them between the midfield and defensive lines.

Immediately he burrowed in to beat Tomas Holy. Game on.

The first occasion newly-promoted EFL ref Parsons angered the home contingent was when Fin Back swept forward in the fourth minute, went down under Idris El Mizouni’s challenge, yet attracted no whistle. This allowed early disgruntlement to set in, embedding the idea it was going to be an undue battle against more than one obstacle.

Ryan Edmondson celebrates equalising (Image: Ben Holmes)

Carlisle, though, responded well to the goal, working and spreading the ball, overloading wide areas, Callum Guy winning midfield 50-50s, Edmondson meeting a Guy corner with a bullet header to equalise.

They were level for one minute. Out they played from the back, Jon Mellish’s footing failed him as he received a Holy roll-out, and Archibald sand-wedged it beautifully over the stranded keeper.

Archibald (no11) celebrates his and Orient's second (Image: Ben Holmes)

Things then became somewhat misshapen. United had a flat spell and then had to negotiate five minutes without Owen Moxon, who needed stitches to a head injury. Simpson refused to wait any longer than that, and sent Jayden Harris into midfield.

Then – chaos with Thomas Parsons. A Guy corner came back the midfielder’s way, and his second delivery could not have found Tom James’s extended arm more directly if it had been sent via Amazon Prime. Parsons saw no infringement. Brunton Park foamed at the mouth.

Then, a few seconds later, Edmondson got involved in a needless set-to with Pratley, and while the contact was trifling, it allowed Orient’s veteran captain to milk the moment and encouraged the red card out of Parsons’ pocket.

Players clash (Image: Ben Holmes)

Simpson reorganised, Mellish into midfield, a brisk end to the half, Kristian Dennis held in the box (unnoticed by the officials), Archibald staying down fraudulently after a trifling challenge, United roared off by their supporters, the officials differently greeted.

After the break, the mess of Orient’s third goal, Aaron Drinan retreating from an enormously offside position, then suddenly turning and going through on goal as Corey Whelan lunged and Paul Huntington hesitated.

There is an argument that Carlisle’s defenders should have acted more bluntly to the risk, however the officials interpretated the phases of that situation. Either way, Drinan took clinical advantage…and then Carlisle powered up. After surviving two more near-misses, the ten men went down the other end and worked an intelligent move which ended with the excellent Back crossing, Dennis dummying and Jordan Gibson dispatching.

Jordan Gibson pulls one back (Image: Barbara Abbott)

Then – more than half an hour of energetic agony as Carlisle went for it and Parsons continued his neurotic decision-making, neither side spared in truth. Gibson had his moments, Harris drove forward impressively, Back saw a goalbound shot blocked, Tobi Sho-Silva was introduced, Guy cleared the bar with a free-kick…they didn’t die wondering.

Yet they couldn’t quite manage the full turnaround. Lawrence Vigouroux, the Orient keeper, took an age over many kicks and the booking he received for this in the 93rd minute was much too late.

Tomas Holy at full-time (Image: Barbara Abbott)

Fans in the Paddock, meanwhile, reported some openly provocative antics from Wellens and his colleagues. This, though, is meagre mitigation if coins were indeed launched from somewhere in the United crowd.

Let that sort of carry-on be rooted out, as Carlisle dab their bruises and move on to the hopefully calmer – and more competently controlled – waters of Stockport on Tuesday night.