Orient manager Russell Slade saw his side beaten for the second time in Kent Pic: Simon O'Connor

Orient suffer another setback in Kent

Dartford 1 Leyton Orient 0

Orient boss Russell Slade was delighted with the progress his team had made following their training camp exercise in Leicestershire, but the gloss was taken off those productive four days when the O’s slipped to a 1-0 friendly defeat at Dartford on Saturday.

“You have to ignore the results, because the only thing that’s important is making sure we are prepared for the first game of the season,” said the Orient boss.

However, after suffering a 1-0 defeat at Ebbsfleet a week earlier, the O’s might consider giving non-league sides in Kent a swerve next season!

The O’s have now won two and lost two of their pre-season friendlies as they prepare for their first competitive fixture in just over two weeks time when they travel to Championship side Charlton Athletic in the League Cup.

In a game where chances were few and far between a solitary strike from Danny Harris two minutes before the break was enough to settle this clash at Princes Park, when he cut in from the left and fired home into the bottom right-hand corner of Jamie Jones’ net.

Despite the result, Slade will draw comfort from the fact that several players, Jones, Nathan Clarke, Gary Sawyer, Jimmy Smith and Dean Cox all played 90 minutes – while Scott Cuthbert played for an hour after missing the friendly against a Wolves XI.

Orient looked better after the break and striker Kevin Lisbie was denied by home keeper Louis Wells after Michael Symes set up the opportunity on 49 minutes.

Fit-again David Mooney also tested the keeper, while Cox was denied by Wells as Orient went in search of a leveller.

Orient: Jones; Odubajo (Ahmed Kashi 46), Clarke, Cuthbert (Ertl 61), Sawyer; Smith, Griffith (Laird 80), James (McSweeney 61), Cox; Lisbie (Brunt 61), Symes (Mooney 61). Subs: Lobjoit, Allsop.