Gillingham vs Leyton Orient. Sky Bet League Two.
MEMS Priestfield StadiumAttendance6,629.
Leyton Orient promoted to League One despite 2-0 defeat at Gillingham – and a 23-minute delay during the second half due to a power cut which saw the floodlights go off – Orient back in third tier after an eight-year absence thanks to Bradford’s 1-0 loss to Swindon
Wednesday 19 April 2023 10:34, UK
Leyton Orient secured promotion from League Two despite losing 2-0 in a feisty and interrupted encounter against Gillingham.
Goals from Alex MacDonald and Cheye Alexander earned victory for the hosts but leaders Orient, who had Omar Beckles sent off after just 14 minutes, were able to celebrate a return to League One after an eight-year absence.
However, they were made to wait as a floodlight failure at Priestfield during the second half saw the match come to a halt.
By the time the game was able to resume after a 23-minute delay, the Orient players had already raced back onto the pitch to start their promotion celebrations due to events elsewhere, with the two teams then seeing out the remainder of the match.
The O's started well and only a goal-line clearance from defender Alexander prevented captain Darren Pratley from putting the visitors in front inside 10 minutes.
Backed by a vociferous following of over 1,600 fans, Orient's evening took a turn for the worse when Beckles was controversially sent off by referee Carl Brook for his 14th-minute challenge on George Lapslie.
And from the resulting free-kick, Gills midfielder MacDonald curled his shot past goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux at his near post to put the hosts in front.
Vigouroux made amends for that misjudgement inside the first minute of the second half when he brilliantly kept out Tom Nichols' goal-bound header.
However, the hosts made sure of an eighth win from their last 10 home games alongside securing their League Two status when Alexander fired home from the penalty spot after Idris El Mizouni handled a MacDonald free-kick.
Orient manager Richie Wellens was booked by referee Brook, yet neither that nor a localised power cut and subsequent delay could stop the east London club from securing a return to the third tier for the first time since 2015.
Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens:
"Leyton Orient never make things easy, and even the lights got involved tonight! Whoever was messing around with that generator in Gillingham wasn't going to help us out.
"We only became aware of the Swindon score when our fans started celebrating. I'm so proud of the players and I'm proud of the supporters.
"The club deserves this - a few months ago we were 20th in the league and looking over our shoulders. Now we've got the opportunity to flex our muscles against some real massive clubs.
"I thought at times tonight we were unbelievable. Obviously the sending off changed a lot, but even when it was 11 versus 10 we put on a performance. It was just a shame that the referee wanted to be the highlight of the show.
"We'll take our medicine tonight, but we'll do all we can to get enough points to win the title. I'm sure the supporters will make a big day of it at home on Saturday."
Gillingham manager Neil Harris:
He said: "What we've done since January is quite miraculous. The reaction is raw at the moment, but we were miles off survival. We've come so far in such a short space of time. Nobody can take away how good we've been.
"Let's deal with the fact: we've just beaten the best team in the league 2-0. For 80 minutes, even playing with 10 men, they made it difficult for us.
"I wouldn't say it's our best performance this season, but it's the best result. I think for 12 minutes we were poor, then the red card changed things. Our game management after that was excellent.
"Orient deserve to be league champions - they're a top side. Congratulations to Richie Wellens for everything they've achieved."
