Carabao Cup First Round
LEYTON ORIENT 4 NEWPORT COUNTY 1
JOHN CHUBB at the Gaughan Group Stadium
@JohnCphoenixfm
After an opening day home defeat in their first Sky Bet League One match of the 2024/25 season on Saturday, when Bolton Wanderers took all three points in a 2-1 victory, Leyton Orient bounced back emphatically this evening as they saw off Newport County of League Two at the first stage of the Carabao Cup.
Orient head coach Richie Wellens made five changes to his initial line-up, with Tom James, Brandon Cooper (wearing the captain’s armband), Lewis Warrington, Sonny Perkins and Dialling Jaivesemi all starting in place of Daniel Happe, Omar Beckles, Jordan Brown, Ollie O’Neill and Charlie Kelman, all of whom were named as substitutes.
Newport’s recently appointed Portuguese head coach Nelson Jardim – who recently replaced former Southend United assistant manager Graham Coughlan at Rodney Parade – saw his new charges lose their opening League Two match 3-2 at Cheltenham Town and made six alterations to his own starting 11.
And it took the Os just 45 seconds to open the scoring, as Dan Agyei evaded a Newport defender before slotting a shot through, which bounced off the post to visiting goalkeeper Jacob Carney’s left and into the net.
The game then settled down, and for a lengthy period both sides had spells of possession without looking like scoring.
There was also a break in play midway through the first half, as one of the linesmen received treatment for an injury before eventually being replaced by the fourth official.
After the match resumed, Agyei capitalised on a defensive error and came close to doubling his tally and his side’s lead, but on this occasion he fired his effort wide to Carney’s right.
Just before the tie entered first-half injury time, County winger Nathan Wood delivered a cross from the right towards the area, but home keeper Zach Hemming was able to gather the ball comfortably as the visitors struggled to find a path to goal.
Then in the seventh minute of time added on, Jaivesimi scored his first competitive goal for the Os since his recent move to the Gaughan Group Stadium from Charlton Athletic, as he nodded a header past Carney from close range from a Sean Clare cross to double the lead for the hosts.
After the restart, Orient were laying siege to the Welsh side’s penalty box and their persistence paid off in the 51st minute, when Cooper’s close-range header found the net after the skipper for the night had been set up by O’Neill, who had come on to replace Ethan Galbraith for the second half.
Richie Wellens’ men were now in dominant form, the lively Jaivesimi going close and forcing a quick reaction from Carney.
But Newport pulled a goal back against the run of play just after the hour mark, when James Clarke – who had only come on to replace Kyle Jameson a couple of minutes previously – bundled the ball past Hemming to reduce the deficit.
But with 17 minutes remaining, a clever Orient move saw Kelman make it 4-1 as the Basildon-born Queens Park Rangers loanee latched on to an excellent through ball from Perkins, and fired the ball home from a tight angle – his second strike in as many games since beginning his second season-long stint in E10.
And Darren Pratley nearly made it 5-1 with ten minutes remaining, but this time Carney was able to prevent his effort on target with a save.
So it proved to be a good night’s work for the Os, in what was a scrappy affair at times but a match the home side thoroughly deserved to win.
Orient return to League One action this Saturday, when they will make a short trip across the Thames to the Valley to face Charlton Athletic.
LEYTON ORIENT (Head Coach: Richie Wellens) – Zach Hemming, Tom James, Jayden Sweeney, Brandon Cooper ©, Dan Agyei (Charlie Kelman 59), Lewis Warrington (Omar Beckles 67), Sonny Perkins, Ethan Galbraith (Ollie O’Neill 46), Diallang Jaivesimi (Darren Pratley 75), Sean Clare (Jordan Brown 60), Zech Obiero.
NEWPORT COUNTY (Head Coach: Nelson Jardim) – Jacob Carney, Anthony Glennon, Matt Baker, Ciaran Brennan (Cameron Antwi 70), Kai Whitmore, Kiban Rai (Courtney Baker-Richardson 70), Shane McLoughlin, Nathan Wood (Bobby Kamwa 59), Kyle Jameson (James Clarke 59), Aaron Wildig ©, Luke Jephcott (Cameron Evans 89).
Referee: Craig Hicks
Attendance: 2141 (including 195 Newport fans)
