Leyton Orient 2 Gillingham 0

EFL SkyBet League Two, Tuesday 25th October

I popped over to E10 on Tuesday evening to see high flying Leyton Orient take another three points after second half goals from Paul Smyth and Ruel Sotiriou helped the O's see off struggling Gillingham at Brisbane Road.

The hosts have been flying this season, ten wins from fourteen league games and top of the tree by a point, and they welcomes a Gills side who were twenty points worse off and down in 19th place in the division and perilously close to the drop zone and the trap door out of the football league. 

On paper then it looked as if this would be a comfy home win then, but football is not played on paper, and the opening forty five minutes saw a rather uninspiring half of football with neither keeper being tested, the O's were looking very subdued it has to be said and lacked the normal zip they played their football with. 

Orient's Jayden Wareham, on loan from Chelsea, had come closest to breaking the stalemate on his first league start when he drilled a close-range effort into the side netting, and the Gills also did see a rasping drive go just over the hosts net, but this aside goal mouth action was hard to find, but the visitors did have a bit more spring in their step, which was frustrating the majority of the 7,099 inside Brisbane Road.

Those fans expected and wanted more in the second period, and seven minutes into the second half the home fans had their wish, as a fine strike from Smyth edged the O's ahead, the hosts leading scorer cut in from the left, danced past a tackle from a defender and drilled his shot low into the net for his sixth goal of the campaign.

The goal inspired Orient, who discovered the purpose and invention that had been missing in a forgettable first half, and although The Gills did have an effort from range beaten out by O's keeper Vigouroux before the rebound was fired miles off target into the stand behind, they spent most of the second period having to soak up Orient pressure.

And with sixteen minutes remaining the contest was as good as done when the hosts doubled their lead when Theo Archibald crossed from the right and an unmarked Sotiriou slammed the ball into the net from close range to send the home fans wild with delight and hurtle them to an eleventh win in fifteen league games, maintaining their one point lead at the top.

For The Gills it's another disappointing evening for them and their decent following who made a lot of noise during the contest it has to be said, but they slip a place to 20th now and are just three points above the relegation spots.

Full time Leyton Orient 2 Gillingham 0