Kenny Jackett's Leyton Orient secure 2-0 pre-season victory over Gills at the Breyer Group Stadium.
Two first-half goals proved enough for Leyton Orient to seal a 2-0 pre-season victory over Gills on Saturday.
Omar Beckles, and a trialist, both found the net within the opening half an hour and were then able to see the game out in variable weather conditions at the Breyer Group Stadium.
Steve Evans made several changes to his side for the game with Chris Maghoma, David Tutonda, John Akinde and Harvey Lintott all starting. Gerald Sithole and Kyle Dempsey were among the subs.
The game started quietly, although Orient had to be alert to defend a corner in the first minute which couldn’t be kept in play by Max Ehmer.
The hosts gradually got a foot hold in the game and enjoyed a succession of corners which needed to be dealt with by the Gills rearguard.
However, on 14 minutes, Orient made their pressure count when Omar Beckles opened the scoring. A corner to the back post was headed towards the edge of the six-yard box and the former Shrewsbury man was unmarked to drill home a left footed effort into the opposite corner, giving Aaron Chapman absolutely no chance.
A header from Dan Happe shortly after was dealt with by Chapman before a low effort from Olly Lee went just wide of Lawrence Vigouroux’s right hand post. The Orient stopper palmed away a free-kick from Trialist before the hosts added a second goal.
Dan Kemp found space on the left side; he delivered a good ball into the danger zone and the club’s Trialist made enough contact to divert an effort into the top right hand corner.
H/T: 2-0
Only one change was made at the interval, and that was for the hosts with Jayden Sweeney replacing Connor Wood. Steve Evans stuck with the same XI, with Stuart O’Keefe in possession of the captain’s armband.
Orient were happy to keep the ball in their own half in the early exchanges of the second period but neither were side were particularly in control of proceedings.
On 70 minutes Steve Evans made nine changes to the team with only Maghoma and O’Keefe staying on the field; skipper Kyle Dempsey and Vadaine Oliver were among those to be introduced. Rhys Bennett was called on almost immediately to intercept a cross form the left to concede a corner, which Gills cleared, before a free-kick soon after was blocked by Ben Reeves in the wall.
The changes made Gills far more comfortable in possession and they enjoyed more of the ball as the game came to an end with a cross from Danny Lloyd needing intervention from the keeper. Although the visitors became more fluent in their play, they were unable to get a goal back before the full-time whistle.
F/T: 2-0
Leyton Orient: Vigouroux, James, Wood (Sweeney 46), Happe, Clay, Kemp (Clarke 80), Trialist (Archibald 63), Pratley, Beckles, Sotirio, Kyprianou.
Unused subs: Sargeant, Tanga, Young, Papadopoulos, Ogie
Gills: Chapman (Trialist 70), Lintott (Sithole 70), Ehmer (Bennett 70), Maghoma, Tutonda (Akehurst 70), Trialist (Dempsey 70), Trialist (Phillips 70), O’Keefe, Trialist (Reeves 70), Lee (Lloyd 70), Akinde (Oliver 70).
Unused subs: Cumming, Trialist, Tucker, Gale.
Referee: Mr C Hicks