League leaders Leyton Orient ran out worthy winners and ended Gillingham’s mini revival as boss Neil Harris saw from himself the difference between the top and bottom end of the League Two table.
The manager would have been pleased with what he witnessed in the opening half when the Gills matched the leaders without really threatening the Orient goal too often.
Sadly when they did, as happened with the first opportunity of the game it was safely dealt with by the home back line with keeper Lawrence Vigouroux have a quiet East End night.
Stuart O’Keefe managed to get away down the left but got caught in two minds of whether to shoot or try to find Lewis Walker (who started in place of Mika Mandron) and sadly for the Gills skipper, neither actually happened and the Orient keeper was able to clear.
Walker skied a chance from twenty yards before the League leaders really threatened Glenn Morris’ goal as Jayden Wareham hammered a shot into the side netting and that was effectively that as the Gills went in goal-less, and probably well pleased with their opening half.
Orient showed why they have now won eleven of their League games and are two points clear at the top as they upped the tempo after the break and sadly the Gills just couldn’t live with them.
Paul Smyth put the home side in front seven minutes after the break when he was allowed too much space as he cut in from the left to thunder a shot beyond Morris into the bottom corner and substitute Ruel Sotiriou grabbed a second when a ball into the Gills box took the kindest of deflections for the Orient man, and he gave the keeper no chance at all from six yards.
It wasnt all one way traffic in the second period, and had Elkan Baggott been able to make it three goals in three games – when Will Wright’s shot had only been pushed out by the Orient keeper – instead of his shot squirming wide, things may have been different. But he sadly didn’t and the result isn’t as the O’s march on at the top.
The defeat sees The Gills drop to 20th in League Two, just three points above the relegation zone.
Next up for Harris and co is a trip to Doncaster Rovers on Saturday before switching their attention to a tricky FA Cup 1st Round tie at AFC Fylde the following weekend.
Leyton Orient: Vigouroux, James (Clay 82), Happe, Beckles, Hunt, Archibald (Kelman 82), Brown (El Mizouni 69), Pratley, Drinan, Wareham (Sotiriou 63), Smyth (Duke-McKenna 82).
Unused Substitutes: Sargeant, Ogie.
Goals: Smyth (52), Sotiriou (74).
Booked: Brown (55), Happe (72).
Gillingham: Morris, Wright (Mnoga 80), Ehmer, Baggott, Alexander (Law 67), McKenzie, O’Keefe (Kashket 67), Jefferies, Green (MacDonald 75), Adelakun, Walker (Mandron 75).
Unused Substitutes: Turner, Chambers.
Booked: Jefferies (81).
Referee: Mr Charles Breakspear.
Attendance: 7099 (936 Gills)
Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.