Marijan Kovacevic enjoyed his first taste of English football, thanks to a connection with a celebrity cook and the World Cup coach who almost became Albion's manager.

The Croatian trialist partnered captain Danny Cullip in the centre of defence for the second half of Saturday's sweltering stalemate at Brisbane Road.

The intriguing presence of Jamaican culinary queen Rusty Lee in the main stand for a pre-season friendly in East London helped explain why Kovacevic has arrived on the south coast via Germany and Greece.

Sitting beside Lee was Andreas Hohmann, her partner of 14 years.

The German-born, Kidderminster-based football agent includes among his many clients Kovacevic and Cameroon World Cup coach Winfried Schafer, who was interviewed for the manager's job by Albion chairman Dick Knight.

Hohmann recommended Kovacevic to Knight and boss Martin Hinshelwood will spend the rest of this week assessing whether the 28-year-old can fill a void created by Simon Morgan's retirement.

Robbie Pethick, replaced by Kovacevic at half time, and Kerry Mayo can play in the middle and rookie Adam Virgo is a recognised centre back, but Cullip remains a target for former Albion chief Micky Adams at Leicester.

Kovacevic, who had ten years in Germany with Hamburg, Wolfsburg and Duisburg, has already been dubbed "Darius" by his new team-mates after the singer from the Pop Stars and Pop Idol TV shows.

Whether he can become a hit at the heart of the defence like Romanian Stefan Iovan when Barry Lloyd and Hinshelwood steered the Seagulls to the Wembley play-off final a decade ago remains to be seen.

The dark-haired Kovacevic, big and strong, is certainly built for the job of defending. A tackle from behind on Gary Fletcher echoed Hohmann's opinion that "he's not afraid to go in."

He used the ball well enough with his favoured right foot after a shaky start, which included a couple of dodgy headers.

He also demonstrated a desire to get forward with a header over from a Paul Watson corner and a slightly reckless surge upfield after breaking up play midway inside his own half, which must have given Cullip kittens!

Kovacevic, axed by the new president and coach of Greek First Division outfit Aris Thessaloniki, admits he will have to adapt to a style alien to him.

"There is a lot of difference, much more battling and pressure than in other European countries I have played in," he said in commendably efficient English.

"Also I try to play much more with the ball and if I want to play here I will have to learn not to do that so much.

"The people here have been very nice to me and I hope I can arrange to stay for one or two seasons."

Saturday's other newcomer, goalkeeper Andy Petterson, is contrastingly familiar with the English game, even though he is Australian.

The 32-year-old spent six years at Luton, five at Charlton and the last three at Portsmouth, culminating in a short spell at the end of last season with West Brom after they took over his contract.

Ex-Pompey stalwart Alan Knight fixed him up to train with Albion this week, but his chance came sooner than expected with No. 1 Michel Kuipers ruled out by a recurrence of thigh trouble and young understudy Will Packham by an ankle injury.

Petterson was entitled to be satisfied with a relatively routine clean sheet. His handling was competent and he dived to parry a long-range drive late on from Dave McGhee.

"I played a reserve team game for West Brom probably in the middle of March and a dozen reserve team games, if that, for Portsmouth last season," he said.

"It's over a year and a half since I've played first team football, but I'm excited after the World Cup. I want to get back playing some football after watching that.

"Unfortunately, with so many players at Portsmouth, Harry (Redknapp) felt one more body was just not going to help them, so I couldn't train down there.

"Then I had the chance to come here and train and the chance to play was a great bonus. I would rather have had a week's training behind me, but I don't think it showed.

"It was pretty quiet. I had that save to make and came for a few crosses. Obviously it wasn't a high tempo game, but it's good to get it behind me."

In front of Petterson, Hinshelwood experimented with a narrower version of the 4-3-3 formation adopted on occasions last season by his predecessor Peter Taylor.

It was hard work for the hard-working forward trio of Gary Hart, the versatile Shaun Wilkinson and Paul Brooker in the absence of Bobby Zamora, continuing his recovery from minor groin surgery.

Daniel Marney took over from Brooker at the break, David Lee replaced Hart midway through the second half and Brooker came back on for Wilkinson near the end.

A midfielder came closest to breaching the Third Divison hosts. Steve Melton, pressing for a more regular role this season, had an early left-foot shot tipped onto the bar by Ian Feuer.

Orient's giant American custodian thwarted Melton again seconds from the interval, pushing his right-foot effort for a corner at full stretch.

Hinshelwood said: "We were a game of two halves. In the first we did ever so well. We played the 4-3-3 and kept the ball up front better than we did in the second half, when we just gave it away too much."

It was interesting to see Hinshelwood and assistant Bob Booker hold a debriefing session on the pitch with the whole squad after the match.

"We are all in it together," he explained. "I want their opinions as much as anyone's. One or two felt we should have coped because we have played that way (4-3-3) in the past, but perhaps I'm asking them not to play as wide as they have in the past.

"We were missing someone who has scored 60 goals and has done that role (Zamora). It's hard for the boys going in, but overall it was a good workout. It was a very hot day and our fitness was half decent."

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