Yeovil Town 1 - 2 Leyton Orient
Nationwide League Division Three

A DETERMINED rearguard action from the O's saw them record their first double of the season as they celebrated their first ever visit to Huish Park with a win.

A smash and grab raid of two goals in three first-half minutes, the first a Mark Peters header, the second a clinical finish from captain Gary Alexander, proved enough to inflict a fourth home defeat of the season on Yeovil, and further enhance the O's own play-off credentials.

But the points were far from easily secured as Town threw everything at Orient in the second period, grabbing a goal back through Nick Crittenden and then seeing a Kevin Gall effort strike a post in the final minute.

However in Peters and John Mackie, Orient have two experienced centre-halves who know how to protect a penalty area, whilst the young players around them played with mature heads and big hearts to keep the Town attack at bay.

The opening period was open and fluent with the two sides alternating attacks only to be unable to supply a telling ball.

That role fell to David Hunt, who supplied the two set-pieces from which the O's scored.

First, Jabo Ibehre - who should have opened the scoring in the third minute when Justin Miller played a ball in across the six-yard box - was fouled by Adam Lockwood and Hunt's delivery from the free-kick perfectly picked out Peters who powered home his first goal for the club with an unstoppable header.

And three minutes later that was followed up by a long throw which wasn't dealt with and Alexander at the far post steered the ball under Chris Weale.

In between the goals Matthew Joseph had limped off suffering the ill effects of the groin injury which had restricted his week's training, thus ending the game which fell on the sixth anniversary of his signing for the club in disappointingly early fashion.

Yeovil were shell shocked and their wingers Lee Elam and Gavin Williams had little joy against Billy Jones and Joseph's replacement Donny Barnard as they sought to work their way back in to the game.

So The Glovers tried to work play through the centre instead with Darren Way and Lee Johnson testing Glenn Morris with long-range efforts.

After the interval Yeovil's onslaught was predictable, but the O's were in no mood to relinquish the advantage they had worked so hard to secure.

Hunt and Miller were forced to sit deep, often almost in line with Mackie and Peters, but the collective will of the black-shirted players meant that when a header needed winning or a clearance needed making, one was on hand to do so.

With most of the game being played out in the O's half, keeping Yeovil out of the penalty area was the primary objective but they were almost undone on 68 when Gavin Williams neatly brought the ball down before firing in to the side netting.

Two minutes later, referee Mark Warren limped out of the action with a thigh strain - much the amusement of the 410 Orient fans who cast their minds back to the Cheltenham match in December when he dismissed Morris - and a lengthy delay ensued.

When play restarted Yeovil continued in the same vein and with 15 minutes remaining, sub Nick Crittenden, one of five strikers on the field for The Glovers, slid in at the far post to convert a Williams cross and give the home crowd renewed hope.

Yet Orient refused to panic and they continued to defy Town's front line, with only one heart-stopping moment as a Mackie clearance rebounded off a Yeovil player in to the path of Gall who raced in to the area and beat Morris with his shot only to see it rebound off a post.

Over five minutes of injury time followed, but the O's hadn't got so far only to lose their lead at the death, and a couple of breaks in to Yeovil's half consumed enough time to ensure the points were theirs.

Orient (4-4-2): Morris; Joseph, Mackie, Peters, Jones; Toner, Hunt, Miller, Newey; Gary Alexander, Jabo Ibehre.
Subs: Barnard for Joseph (27), Purser for Ibehre (78).
Not used: Harrison, Tate, Sam.
Booked: Jones (foul), Hunt (foul).
Goals: Peters (25), Alexander (28).
Star Man: Mark Peters.

Yeovil (4-4-2): Weale; Terry, Lockwood, Skiverton, Pluck; Elam, Johnson, Way, Williams; Weatherstone, Gall.
Subs: Crittenden for Elam (61), Edwards for Terry (65).
Not used: Stansfield, Rodrigues, Collis.
Goal: Crittenden (75).
Star Man: Lee Johnson.

Ref: Mark Warren (West Midlands) (replaced by Mike Mullarkey, 71).
Att: 6299 (410 away).