Gillingham 3 - 1 Leyton Orient
Coca-Cola League One
ORIENT'S 100% away record came to a disappointing end when they fell to a 3-1 defeat at Gillingham on Tuesday.
Delroy Facey laid on two goals for strike partner David Graham while winger Barry Cogan was also on the scoresheet as the Gills established a 3-0 lead.
The visitors came strong in the final 20 minutes and netted a consolation through sub Jabo Ibehre, but they shot themselves in the foot by conceding a couple of sloppy goals earlier in the contest and another comeback proved beyond them.
Neither side asserted their authority in a scrappy opening 20 minutes and it wasn't until midway through the half that the first shot on goal materialised, JJ Melligan dragging wide from a long way out.
Shortly afterwards, Sean Thornton laid a short free-kick to Wayne Corden, who fired high and wide from 25 yards as Orient looked to take control.
But it was the Gills who struck first, Graham firing into the far corner superbly from the edge of the box after strike partner Facey's touch fell to him nicely.
Orient looked to hit back, and Simon Royce made his first save on 31, scrambling across his goal to turn Wayne Gray's effort behind after the O's striker had stretched to meet Jason Demetriou's low cross.
Gray then missed a glorious chance to level five minutes later when he turned Efe Sodje on the edge of the box. The Gills defender seemed to be tugging at Gray's shirt as he tried to get his shot away and the pressure he applied was enough to force the O's man to send the ball wide.
Martin Ling's men were really upping the pressure and Melligan was next to go close, shooting at Royce and then blasting the rebound over after Thornton fed him in down the right channel.
But Gillingham weathered the storm and nearly forced a second on the stroke of half time when Sean Clohessy delivered to the far post, where Andrew Crofts couldn't find the connection required to beat Stuart Nelson from a tight angle.
A clever corner routine three minutes after the break nearly led to an equaliser for Orient, Thornton driving the flag-kick deep towards Corden, who volleyed back into the centre but the ball just evaded Adam Boyd in front of goal.
But a defensive lapse two minutes later saw Graham double the home side's lead. Orient switched off down the right allowing Facey to burst clear and square for the former Torquay man to sidefoot home from close range.
The O's only had themselves to blame again when they fell 3-0 down on 66. Nicky Southall delivered from the right and Cogan arrived unmarked at the back post to head home.
Corden and Demetriou both had shots on goal within a minute as Orient tried to mount an unlikely comeback, but the Gills three-goal blast had left them stunned.
However, Ibehre gave them a glimmer of home 18 minutes from time when he ran onto Adam Boyd's flick on and found space in the area to drill across Royce and into the far corner.
Boyd came desperately close to further reducing the arrears four minutes later, but Royce got down to block his close range effort after Corden had picked the striker out with his cut back.
The O's threw everything at their hosts in the final 15 minutes, but it was a case of too little, too late and the Gills were able to close the game out.
Gillingham: Royce; Clohessy, Sodje, Cox, Hamilton (King 81); Southall, Crofts, Nowland (Stone 85), Cogan, Graham (Mulligan 72), Facey
Subs: Stillie (GK), Dickson
Goals: Graham (25, 50), Cogan (66)
Leyton Orient: Nelson; Chambers, Thelwell, Mkandawire, Palmer; Melligan (Daniels 60), Thornton (Terry 69), Demetriou, Corden; Gray (Ibehre 60), Boyd
Subs: Morris (GK), Oji
Goal: Ibehre (72)
Referee: Pat Miller (Bedfordshire)
Attendance: 5,632 (992 away)
