Yeovil Town 2 - 1 Leyton Orient
npower Football League 1

ORIENT were made to pay the penalty for two first half defensive lapses as they crashed to defeat on the opening day at Yeovil Town.

Jamie Jones' failure to hold onto Andrew Williams' cross in first half stoppage time was to prove fatal as Luke Freeman was allowed to sweep home the Glovers' winning goal.

Dean Bowditch had earlier given the hosts a 12th minute lead when he got inside Ben Chorley too easily to lash home from 20 yards.

Alex Revell capped an impressive spell from the Londoners with his 40th minute debut goal, but it ended up without reward on a frustrating day for Russell Slade's men.

Terrell Forbes hit the post after the break, while Adam Virgo cleared Scott McGleish's close range shot off the line and there was to be no way through for a second equaliser.

The first half chance fell to Yeovil centre half Virgo, who headed wide from 15 yards after jumping to meet Williams' cross from deep.

Freeman then sent in a 20-yard shot that flew wide of the near post after he cut inside from the left flank.

Yeovil seemed to have settled first and they edged in front on 12 minutes when Bowditch received the ball in the right channel, beat Chorley and then had far too much time and space to find the back of the net via the far post.

But Orient came back into it and began to threaten themselves with their neat football in midfield.

On 33 home stopper John Sullivan had to tip Revell's bouncing header away after Matthew Spring picked the O's striker out at the far post with a clipped free kick.

Two minutes later Revell was involved again, running onto Spring's diagonal ball to cross from the right, and Sullivan had to be alert to stop Scott McGleish's header from a tight angle.

The visitors were rewarded for their spell of pressure five minutes before the interval when Cox ran onto Stephen Dawson's pass in the left channel and stood up a near post cross for Revell to power a header home.

It was the least Orient deserved, but parity wasn't to last until the break as visitors were made to pay for a Jones error right on the stroke of half time. The O's stopper failed to cling on to Williams' cross on the bounce and Freeman was waiting to pounce and sweep home.

The O's looked to bounce back from that disappointment right at the start of the second period and Yeovil old boy Forbes was so close to giving them the perfect fillip when he met Spring's 47th minute corner with a powerful header that thudded against the left hand post.

The Yeovil goal was living a charmed life and they were indebted to keeper Sullivan on 58 when he threw himself at McGleish's shot to slow its progress after Dawson's low cross found him at the far post. The shot was still goalbound, but Virgo got back to scramble clear with Adam Chambers closing in.

Orient's challenge seemed to run out of steam as the game entered its final quarter though, and Yeovil looked increasingly comfortable in their lead.

Sam Williams drew a save from Jones with his header from Nathan Jones' cross five minutes from the end, while Orient couldn't respond and they were left to reflect on what might have been.

Yeovil: Sullivan; Alcock, Huntington, Virgo, Jones; A Williams, Kalala, Ayling, Freeman (Kiernan 85); S Williams, Bowditch (Stewart 77)
Subs: Stam, Smith, Hutchins, Upson, Roberts (GK)

Goals: Bowditch 12, Freeman 45+3

Booked: Kalala

Leyton Orient: Jones; Omozusi, Forbes, Chorley, Liddle; Spring; Chambers (Smith 72), Dawson, Cox; McGleish (Téhoué 72), Revell
Subs: Brown, Butcher (GK), Jarvis, Porter, Cestor

Goal: Revell 40

Booked: Chambers

Referee: Mark Haywood

Attendance: 4,126