Leyton Orient fell to a slender defeat on their long trip to the north west on Saturday.

Head coach Carl Fletcher named an unchanged starting line-up from the side that drew 1-1 with Carlisle United the previous weekend, while there was a return to the bench for striker Conor Wilkinson after his three-game ban.

The hosts went close early on as Tom Brewitt curled an effort goalwards from the edge of the box, but it was deflected wide.

Andrew Tutte then let fly from distance but goalkeeper Dean Brill pushed it over the bar in the 19th minute to keep the score level.

The hosts looked to capitalise on a poor Dan Happe pass but he recovered really well to deflect the shot behind for a corner in the 32nd minute.

Two minutes later Morecambe had another big chance as a low ball across the box found Lewis Alessandra in front of goal but he scuffed it wide.

John O'Sullivain then curled an effort over as O's kept the home side out to head into the half-time break goalless.

The second half was only two minutes old when a James Dayton corner caused problems for the hosts, but was cleared at the expense of another.

And there was some more nice play between Marvin Ekpiteta, Josh Wright and Dayton to win another corner, which was also cleared by the Shrimpers defence.

Fletcher sent Dale Gorman and Wilkinson on for Ekpiteta and Dayton on the hour mark, while Tutte was booked for a foul on Craig Clay and made way for Cranston soon after.

And O's went close to breaking the deadlock midway through the half as Clay played in George Marsh on the right and he fired just over.

Cole Stockton fired wide at the other end moments later, before making way for AJ Leitch-Smith.

And it proved an inspired change by the home side as Leitch-Smith broke the deadlock with an excellent strike just a minute later.

Wilkinson was replaced by Maguire-Drew, having only been on for around a quarter of an hour, and Aaron Wildig was booked for a foul on Wright, before Happe was denied by a fine save from Halstead on 79 minutes.

Wright fired wide from distance, before Marsh sent in a long throw-in, which Matt Harrold flicked on and Wright sent just past the scrambling Halstead and the far post.

Lewis Alessandra was booked for kicking the ball away as the match ticked into five minutes of stoppage time, with James Brophy seeing a good delivery sent goalwards and bundled behind by Halstead just before the final whistle.

Morecambe: Halstead, Tanner, Lavelle, Old, Conlan, Tutte (Cranston 64), Brewitt, Wildig (Kenyon 84), O'Sullivain, Stockton (Leitch-Smith 73), Alessandra.

Unused subs: Roche, Miller, Brownsword, Buxton.

Leyton Orient: Brill, Ekpiteta (Gorman 60), Coulson, Happe, Widdowson, Marsh, Clay, Wright, Dayton (Wilkinson 60) (Maguire-Drew 75), Brophy, Harrold.

Unused subs: Sargeant, Turley, Dennis, Alabi.

Attendance: 2,691 (including 353 Orient fans).