Summer storms couldn’t stop this game from going ahead as a strong Leyton Orient side – who have scored 15 goals on their travels already this pre-season – added two late efforts to give this scoreline more daylight than Fleet’s efforts deserved.
In torrential rain for the opening half, Orient’s first chance of the match was also their opening goal. A looping ball from midfield picked out new signing Aaron Connolly on the left wing. He took the ball around Mark Cousins despite more than a hint of offside and although pushed wide, he still had the space to pick a spot with the ball bouncing over the head of Jamie Fielding who had made a diving attempt to head clear off the line.
The Fleet looked for an instant response and a long ball by Finlay Barnes picked out Aaron Cosgrave to speed down the left flank. He whipped a ball into the area where an arriving Josh Passley met the delivery but his headed effort snuck past the post.
The visitors doubled their advantage when Tyreeq Bakinson dropped a ball over the back line, again with shouts for offside from the red shirts, and Sean Clare was able to get on the end of it and fire over Cousins for 2-0.
The Os kept the Fleet at arm’s length for much of the rest of the half but in the final minute before half-time, the home side were back in it. Cosgrave received a ball from the right and turned in front of his marker to find Kwesi Appiah arriving in the box and he kept his shot low and on target to beat goalkeeper Killian Cahill.
Mark Cousins was called into action in the opening stages of the second half and provided a strong hand to palm away Josh Koroma’s effort.
At the other end, Cosgrave weaved into the box to dispatch a shot of his own from the edge of the area which was bravely collected by Cahill on his second attempt just before Jake Hessenthaler could convert with the goalkeeper on the floor.
A similar move after the hour with a second Fleet XI taking to the pitch saw Maxx Manktelow race through the middle and get a shot away but again Cahill went to ground to save and then stopped Dom Samuel following up by grabbing the ball at his feet.
The Fleet began to up the pressure on the visitors in their best spell of the game with dangerous crosses from out wide as George Moncur tried to find a way through against his old club. On the opposite flank, Ben Coker’s delivery was met by Appiah whose effort was just wide, while Moncur caught Cahill out of position and forced the goalkeeper to make an uncomfortable tip over the crossbar.
Into the last 10 minutes and despite Fleet looking for an equaliser, Orient quickly secured two further goals with substitute Dan Carter and Diallang Jaiyesimi adding their names to the scoresheet with two close range efforts in quick succession.
EUFC: Cousins, Coker, Ehmer, Fielding, Passley (Moncur 46), Chapman, Hessenthaler, Edser, Barnes, Cosgrave, Appiah.
EUFC 60 minutes: Bellagambi, Seaman, Olagunju, Ehmer (Uma 75), Nelson, Kennedy, Peake, Moncur, Manktelow, Coley, Samuel
LOFC: Cahill, Cooper, Chinedu, Edmonds-Green, Happe, Bakinson, Clare, Perkins, Jaiyesimi, Koroma, Connolly. Subs: Phillips, Carter, Hambury, Anderson, Bullas.
Photos: ©EUFC/Ed Miller
