The 45-year-old Scot expects many more National League teams to find it tough at Brisbane Road this season

Tranmere Rovers manager Micky Mellon was pleased with the way his team played at Leyton Orient on Saturday, but not with their finishing.

The Merseyside club took the lead through Ritchie Sutton in the 43rd minute when the defender headed home from close range.

Orient responded just nine minutes later though, when Dan Holman stabbed in from six-yards after a fine Jake Caprice centre.

Rovers squandered several chances before and after the equaliser, however, with a combination of Dean Brill and the woodwork at Brisbane Road denying them the win.

“You have to put things into context and understand coming to Orient is always going to be tough,” Mellon told the official club website.

“You have to respect the point coming here at any stage of the season and we will do that because it was a really hard-fought game.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t take the one-v-ones and the other opportunities we had, but we’ll dust ourselves down now.”

After speculative efforts from both sides in the first-half, Tranmere broke the deadlock through Sutton.

Holman nearly levelled the scores immediately, but his chipped effort was cleared off the line.

A mistake by O’s stand-in captain George Elokobi almost gifted Rovers a second as James Norwood dribbled into the area, but he blazed over with only Brill to beat.

Orient equalised minutes later when Scott Davies could only parry Macauley Bonne’s close range shot and Holman poked home the rebound.

Rovers pushed for a winner and Andy Cook got through on goal in the 66th minute, but Brill tipped his strike onto the post.

It was the start of a purple patch for Mellon’s team as Connor Jennings forced the O’s goalkeeper into another save, via the post, with 69 on the clock.

From the resulting corner, Jennings hit the crossbar after Cook had been denied by Brill before Orient threatened.

Another Caprice cross caused problems for the visitors, but Holman could only stab the rebound off target under pressure.

There was still time for one final chance, deep into injury time, when Ben Tollitt went on a mazy run and found Norwood inside the area, but he was thwarted by Brill from 12-yards and it ended all square at Brisbane Road.

Mellon added: “I think we’ve probably had four chances that in any given day you’ll be disappointed not to take and that’s just me being honest.

“It’s the standards we have here and when you play for Tranmere you have to make chances, create chances and take them. We didn’t, so that is probably the tale of the game and even right at the end we get another and we didn’t take that one either.

“Orient is a tough place to come to and I knew it would be, so I knew it would be a difficult game and it was in difficult conditions, but it was two teams going at it hammer and tongs.”

Despite the wet and muddy conditions, both sides tried to play attractive football in east London.

“We’ve played that way all season and all credit to the boys because it is a tough place to come to and there will be many more tough games at this stadium that’s for sure,” said Mellon.

“To take four points off Leyton Orient out of a possible six, I would say I am happy with that.”