Clinical strikes from Alex Gilliead and Lee Novak ensured Orient succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Scunthorpe in front of a sell-out crowd at the Breyer Group Stadium.
Following Carl Fletcher’s departure, Ross Embleton was put back in interim control of first team affairs during the week and he made two changes from the defeat against Maldon & Tiptree.
Joe Widdowson picked up a slight knock in training which meant Marvin Ekpiteta returned to the back four in his absence, whilst Dean Brill replaced Sam Sargeant in between the sticks Lee Angol was named in a matchday squad for the first time since September as he took his place amongst the Orient substitutes.
Driven
The away side started well in E10. A driven cross from Alex Gilliead forced Josh Coulson to turn the ball over the crossbar in the third minute.
The resulting corner then fell nicely to Gilliead on the edge of the box and he proceeded to unleash a wonderful strike with his right foot to give the Iron an early lead.
Winning a number of set pieces ensured Orient began to gain a foothold in the game and they eventually fashioned their first shot on goal in the 16th minute. Ekpiteta found Louis Dennis, who fired narrowly over from around 25 yards out.
Another chance came and went moments later when Coulson flicked a ball on towards the back post where Craig Clay was waiting. But off balance, the central midfielder’s shot was parried out for a corner by ‘keeper Jake Eastwood.
Pressure
The O’s maintained their pressure and in the 20th minute, after some patient build up play in and around the box, Dan Happe managed to get a shot away, but again Eastwood was on hand to deny the home side an equaliser.
A low effort from James Brophy stung the palms of the Scunthorpe ‘keeper in the 40th minute, before a last-ditch tackle from Sam Ling denied the Iron a second minutes before the referee blew his whistle for half time.
Orient had the ball in the back of the net shortly after the restart. However, the assistant referee spoilt the celebrations by raising his flag after Matt Harrold had nodded home.
Thwarted
The home side continued to threaten throughout the second half. Brophy slipped through Dennis in the 64th minute, but the former Portsmouth winger was thwarted by the legs of Eastwood.
Shortly afterwards, Embleton made his first change which saw Angol make his much-anticipated return to the field in place of Happe. The second sub came soon after with Dennis making way for James Alabi.
For all their pressure, Orient just couldn’t find their way past a stubborn Scunthorpe defence and in the 79th minute they were dealt a hammer blow when Lee Novak sprang the offside trap and finished high into the roof of the net to double his side’s lead.
Alabi almost got the O’s back in it a couple minutes from full time but his strike was well held by Eastwood at his near-post.
He then came even closer a minute later when he headed just wide from Jordan Maguire-Drew’s free-kick, but that proved to be the final chance of the match as Orient fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat.
ORIENT: Brill, Ling, Ekpiteta, Coulson, Happe (Angol 64”), Maguire-Drew, Clay, Wright, Brophy, Harrold, Dennis (Alabi 73”)
SUBS: Sargeant, Gorman, Marsh, Turley, Ogie
BOOKED: Ling 80”
GOALS:
SCUNTHORPE: Eastwood, Clarke, Ntlhe, Lund, van Veen (McAtee 78”), Perch, Novak, Gilliead, McArdle, McGahey, Eisa (Butler 89”)
SUBS: Watson, Colclough, Dales, Bedeau, Proctor
BOOKED: Gilliead 28”, Perch 45”
GOALS: Gilliead 4”, Novak 79”
REF: Brett Huxtable ATT: 6,670 (612)
