Danny Spiller in action for Gillingham against Orient on Tuesday night Picture: Barry Goodwin

by Luke Cawdell

Gillingham lost Tuesday’s friendly match against Leyton Orient but emerged with plenty of credit.

Against their League 1 opponents the Gills had the majority of the possession and most of the chances and were unfortunate to lose the game.

Orient took a 30 minute lead and it was a goal created by two former Gillingham players. Luke Daniels swung in a corner, Ben Chorley nodded the ball down and Dave Mooney hit the ball in off the bar.

Just moments later keeper Ross Flitney, who had turned Alex Revell’s low shot wide, made a great block to deny Matt Grieve, when he wriggled his way through the defence and into the clear.

It was a brief flurry from Orient who had otherwise offered little going forward against the Gills in the opening half.

Gillingham had dominated the early stages, with some crisp passing and quick movement in attack, where Danny Kedwell was again playing alone up-front inbetween wide-men Chris Whelpdale and Luke Rooney.

It was Rooney who had the game’s first real chance, with a low shot that keeper Lee Butcher had to get down low to save before Whelpdale tried his luck from distance. The former Peterborough midfielder saw his shot go well wide.

Despite good work from the Gills it was the visitors who ended the half with another good chance, once more beaten away by Flitney after Marc Laird tried his luck.

Gillingham made eight changes at the break, with trialist keeper Willy Gueret and forwards Paris Cowan-Hall and Reggie Lambe among those coming on.

Lambe was lively at the start of the second half, creating a couple of opportunities for the Gills as again the Os started on the back foot.

Just after the hour mark Garry Richards came close with two headers from successive corners. The first was expertly saved by Butcher and the second went narrowly over. Dennis Oli also smashed an effort close and Cowan-Hall header over as the Gills looked good for a deserved equaliser.

Good football continued from the Gills and with 10 minutes to go Lambe almost created a goal from nothing with some neat footwork.

Gills: Flitney (Gueret 46mins), Fuller (Fish 46mins), Jackman (Martin 46mins), Frampton (King 62mins), Lawrence (Richards 46mins), Montrose (Lee 46mins), J Payne (Tefera 62mins), Weston (Spiller 46mins), Rooney (Lambe 46mins), Whelpdale (Cowan-Hall 46mins), Kedwell (Rance 82mins).

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