Pre-season friendly: Greenwich Borough 1 Leyton Orient 2

David Mooney and Macauley Bonne found the net for Leyton Orient at Greenwich Borough to give Steve Davis another pre-season win.

It was not easy going for the National League club, however, as Gary Alexander’s team provided a stern test for the O’s.

Orient opened the scoring after two minutes, as Bonne chipped the ball in for Mooney to head into the corner.

Greenwich almost responded straight away, though when George Elokobi’s back pass was poor and Travis Gregory was picked out, but Charlie Grainger made a fine save with his legs.

Trialist B helped O’s get back on the front foot soon after, as he cut inside and smashed an effort against the post after five minutes.

Charlie Lee was captaining the east Londoners and he made his presence felt early on by dictating play in the middle of the park.

Davis’ team were dominating possession without creating a host of chances, but Trialist B had another effort of note with 25 minutes gone, although he could only fire wide.

With just over half an hour gone, Grainger was forced into a sliding challenge with ex-O’s forward Charlie MacDonald.

Fortunately Orient’s goalkeeper won the ball, but it seemed to boost the hosts’ confidence at the DGS Stadium.

Davis substituted Trialist A moments later with Michael Clark coming on for another pre-season opportunity.

He was thrust straight into the action, as MacDonald got through again and Grainger denied him before Clark cleared the danger.

With half time approaching, Alexander and John Mackie’s team pushed for an equaliser and tested the O’s resolve.

The National League club stood strong until the break, however, before Davis made three more changes.

Jobi McAnuff, Henry Ochieng and Dan Happe were introduced with Trialist B, Charlie Lee and George Elokobi making way.

And just like in the first-half, it didn’t take Orient long to find the net and it occurred after good pressing.

McAnuff and Mooney forced Greenwich’s Nathan Paul to pass without looking and Bonne controlled before firing into the corner after 54 minutes.

Orient nearly added a third minutes later, as Steven Alzate crossed in for Bonne, but his header was saved.

Greenwich were holding their own still and should have pulled one back in the 57th minute when MacDonald got through, but he hesitated and Happe got back to block his effort.

The pressure of the hosts eventually did pay off in the 61st minute when Jack Sommoutis lashed in from the edge of the area.

It was nothing less than Greenwich deserved having responded positively to O’s second goal.

A host of substitutions occurred after the goal, as Davis gave a chance to Sam Sargeant and others, as he handed Romuald Boco his Orient debut.

O’s substitute goalkeeper didn’t need long to show his class, as he prevented Josh Koroma from scoring an own-goal.

Greenwich should have equalised in the 67th minute, though, when Happe’s back pass was weak and Jesse Darko latched onto the loose ball and knocked it past Sargeant, but fortunately for the visitors’ his effort went wide.

O’s substitute stopper was forced to make another excellent stop 10 minutes later, as he thwarted a Chris Parr effort.

Boco then came close to finishing the game with three minutes left, but he was denied by Greenwich’s goalkeeper.

And soon after the referee blew the full-time whistle to bring a close pre-season friendly to an end.

It was another good work-out for O’s and a test having easily beaten Harlow Town and Burnham Ramblers over last week.

Alexander and Mackie could be proud of their teams’ effort, however, and Davis would have been left with plenty to think about with the National League opener just two weeks away.

Leyton Orient: Grainger (Sargeant 61); Caprice (McLean 61), Trialist A (Clark 34), Elokobi (Happe 46), Widdowson (Trialist C 61); Trialist B (McAnuff 46), Clay (Trialist D 61), Lee (Ochieng 46), Alzate (Koroma 61); Bonne (Boco 61), Mooney (Abrahams 61).