By Tim Dudding, at Brisbane Road

Albion are out of the Johnstone's Paints Trophy at the first time of asking after a last-minute strike from Adrian Patulea gave Leyton Orient a 1-0 win in an entertaining affair in East London.

With less than 1500 fans rattling around the Matchroom Stadium (a third of them blue and white), this had a reserve game feel to it, and not least because Russell Slade had made nine changes to the Albion line-up.

One of those changes, Glenn Murray, was making his highly anticipated return after finally resolving his groin problem, and the former Rochdale striker almost made an instant impression, but his header from Arron Davies's free-kick floated past the upright.

Patulea then came close at the other end, but dragged his shot wide of the far post after escaping down the left channel.

By and large though, Albion's new-look side were the more dominant of the two outfits in the first half. Jake Wright was outstanding in his preferred central defensive role, and to his left, Jim McNulty made his first start since his horrific kidney injury in March.

But it was Murray, a class act here, causing all the trouble for the Orient defence with some sublime touches and clever link-up play. He came close again when he muscled his way through a couple of challenges, only to scuff his shot straight at Jamie Jones.

Albion weren't quite so forceful after the break, and instead it was Orient who did the probing. On-loan Spurs midfielder Andros Townsend surged past Tommy Elphick with a powerful run but shot straight at Graeme Smith, and the Albion keeper saved well again moments later under pressure from Loick Pires.

Suddenly Albion sprang to life again at the other end, and Gary Hart almost got on the end of Murray's knock-down, but Jones gathered just in time.

Hart then had Albion's best chance after Dean Cox's shot had been blocked, but the striker's first time effort skewed horribly wide.

The game was now wide open, and the brilliant Wright was called into desperate measures twice in a matter of seconds. First he cleared under real pressure after Smith had parried Patulea's shot, before blocking Townsend's fierce follow-up.

Patulea then had the game's best opportunity so far after being picked out by Jason Demetriou, but fortunately for the Seagulls, his header came back off the crossbar.

The Romanian striker wasn't to be denied however, and after James Scowcroft flicked on from Jones's long clearance, Patulea raced on and smashed the ball emphatically past Smith with a minute left on the clock.

Cox's speculative curling effort almost crept under the bar in injury time, but it wasn't to be, and Albion's journey to Wembley, in this competition at least, is over for another year.

Leyton Orient: (4-4-2) Jones; Cave-Brown, Mkandawire, Ashworth, Daniels; Baker (Townsend 65), Smith, Demetriou, Pires; Patulea, Jarvis (Scowcroft 46). Subs not used: Morris (GK), Chorley, Summerfield.

Albion: (4-4-2) Smith; Virgo (Tunnicliffe 46), Elphick, Wright, McNulty (Livermore 68); Cox, Navarro, Thornhill, A Davies (McLeod 87); Hart, Murray. Subs not used: Dickinson, J Smith.

Attendance: 1457 (555 Albion).

Referee: Grant Hegley.

Yellow Cards: Demetriou (Orient).