It had to happen some time and the longer this game at Brisbane Road went on the more likely it became that Aston Villa’s remarkable run of success in the League would come to an end.

Villa’s first League defeat of the year can be put down to a number of factors.

Perhaps it was the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the pitch - one moment acting like a magnet, clutching the ball with avaricious glee; the next like a skid pan, hurrying it through at alarming trajectories and making any attempt at controlled football totally in vain.

Or the double vision suffered by poor Bobby McDonald when Orient began the second half with two No. 8s on the field and stayed that way for the remainder of the game.

Ricky Heppolette, caked in mud, changed his strip during the interval and reappeared wearing the same number as Peter Bennet thereby adding a touch of spice to a game that was fast becoming tasteless.

Referee Alfred Grey said afterwards: “I did not notice anything until one of my linesmen drew my attention to it. But, as far as I am aware, it is not illegal.

“The League’s rules state only that each player must be numbered - they don’t say they all have to have different numbers.”

Or perhaps, and far more likely, it was Villa’s own lack of urgency that cost them the game.

An untidy defence, in which only Chris Nicholl showed any consistent endeavour, was breached in the 11th minute when Gerry Queen headed home from a Peter Allen free kick but was judged to have fouled Nicholl.

Several more unhappy moments followed for, although Villa had more of the play than Orient, they seldom did anything constructive.

The pitch, of course, was partly responsible but, with Ray Graydon blotted out by Tony Grealish and lan Hamilton rarely in the game, it was left to Frank Carrodus to try to carve something out of the midfield morass.

Carrodus worked hard In the first half but lost interest thereafter and gradually Orient gained the upper hand.

Villa seemed to have settled for the draw when Orient scored the 82nd-minute goal they just about deserved.

Micky Bullock centred from the right, Queen outjumped Nicholl to flick the ball on, and Heppolette, unmarked on the edge of the area, hit an unstoppable shot wide of Jim Cumbes.

Suddenly, Villa woke up, but it was too late and Orient hung on grimly to their slender lead.

“Our worst performance of the year” said manager Ron Saunders later.

“Mind you, they didn’t make it easy for us. I told one of my lads to mark their No. 8 He had his hands full, didn’t he?“