25 October 2022

Paul Smyth and Ruel Sotiriou score as leaders Leyton Orient beat Gillingham

25 October 2022

Paul Smyth and substitute Ruel Sotiriou scored second-half goals to earn League Two leaders Leyton Orient a 2-0 home win over Gillingham.

Smyth’s fine strike opened the scoring seven minutes into the second half after a drab opening period.

Sotiriou added a second 11 minutes after being brought on as Orient recorded an 11th win of the campaign and remained a point clear at the top.

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.

But the breakthrough came in the 52nd minute when leading scorer Smyth 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.

Orient doubled their lead after 74 minutes when Theo Archibald crossed from the right and an unmarked Sotiriou slammed the ball into the net from close range.

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