Stones beaten on the big stage
LEYTON ORIENT
Stones boss Jay Saunders believes they might take some stopping when they build up a head of steam but there wasn’t that much to worry about last Saturday with the O’s neat and tidy in possession but not yet offering that cutting edge that’s needed to blow teams away. If they start fast with that crowd behind them and really get after oppponents, you can see a few away teams folding.
But this was quite the opposite with Maidstone looking largely untroubled and having the better chances before conceding after an hour.
United thought they’d equalised when Delano SamYorke struck in the 89th minute but the linesman’s flag was up for offside and Orient added an injury-time second.
The best chance of the first half fell to Pigott after SamYorke’s pass split the defence.
Pigott looked a good bet to score after breaking into the box but Charlie Grainger made the block and Tom Wraight sent the follow-up over.
Orient’s only genuine chance of the half came shortly before the break when Mooney’s flick found McAnuff but the former Premier League player barely troubled Lee Worgan.
Orient were better in the second half with Macaulay Bonne dragging a shot wide after a bounce beat debutant Alex Wynter.
Wraight headed over at the other end before Orient opened the scoring.
A rare Reece Prestedge mistake led to the goal with James Dayton exchanging passes with Jake Caprice on the right before swinging over a lovely cross on to the head of Mooney.
Bonne missed a sitter shortly after Stones moved Sam-Yorke up front alongside Pigott but with Maidstone pushing, Wynter just needed any sort of touch to convert Josh Hare’s cross.
Sam-Yorke’s disallowed goal followed before Orient broke and added their second goal through substitute Romauld Boco. Maidstone: Worgan, Twumasi, Anderson, Hare, Wynter, Prestedge (Willard 74mins), Reason, Paxman, Sam-Yorke, Pigott, Wraight (Richards 80mins). Subs not used: Taylor, Okuonghae, Phipps. Attendance: 5,085 (595 away).