[SPORT###] Gillingham vs Leyton Orient live online 5 September 2023
I don’t blame them (Orient) for not wanting to press, I don’t blame my players, there was certainly no message from me to say don’t attack and we did at times but the rules lent themselves to us finishing with the ball and Orient not wanting to move. “They didn’t wan to damage their goal different and injure their players. Really bizarre circumstances but the fact is we've beaten the best team in the league - by a mile - 2-0 and what we have done since January 13 is quite miraculous. ”A power-cut in the Medway area hit Priestfield stadium just after 9. 30pm. When it became apparent there would be no quick fix, the referee took the players off. Down the road at Star Meadow the game between Hollands & Blair and Kennington was also plunged into darkness when the lights went out.
Gillingham - Leyton Orient
Harris: I've never been involved in anything like itGillingham manager Neil Harris made no apology for the surreal ending to Tuesday night’s game after a fantastic win over the league leaders. The Gills beat champions-elect Leyton Orient 2-0 but the final 10 minutes was a non-event after the teams returned to the field following a 23 minute delay because of floodlight failure. Gillingham play keep-ball as the League 2 match ends at walking pace (63635860)Report: Gills 2 Orient 0Before the game restarted the rest of the games in League 2 had finished, confirming promotion for Orient and guaranteeing safety from relegation for the Gills. The Gills played keep-ball, largely at walking pace until the final whistle, after the referee restarted the action in the 80th minute.
Leyton Orient clinch promotion in the darknessLeyton Orient made to wait to celebrate clinching promotion to League One as floodlights fail during Gillingham defeat... but the party begins after other results go the way of the table-toppersThere was a power cut during Leyton Orient's clash with Gillingham on TuesdayThe O's were officially promoted from League Two while the game was delayed Swindon scored a later winner against Bradford to confirm top three finish Updated: 01:39 BST, 19 April 2023 Leytpn Orient's promotion party began while their match against Gillingham was still incomplete after it had been paused when the ground was plunged into darkness. The table-toppers were 2-0 down when the floodlights failed at the Priestfield Stadium due to a fault in an underground cable which caused a power cut. This forced the referee to lead both sets of players off the pitch as the supporters attempted to light up the ground with the torches on their phones.
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The players await instructions as the lights go out at PriestfieldThe players returned to the field at Priestfield after a long delay and with the stadium still in darkness news came through that Swindon were beating Bradford, which would mean promotion for Orient. That result was confirmed just before play resumed, leading to wild celebrations on the pitch. When Gillingham got the game restarted they kept possession and Orient let them, the hosts playing it around the back without any pressure. Fans urged them to get forward but Harris admitted it was tough for both sets of players to get going again.
It took some time for the chaos to settle and the lights to come back on, during which the O's were officially promoted due to a late Jonny Williams for Swindon Town against Bradford. Orient fans learned the news as it happened and there were special scenes as they began celebrating in the darkness. The floodlights went out due to a power cut with just under 15 minutes remaning Leyton Orient fans celebrated in the dark as Bradford's defeat handed them promotion The Orient players then celebrated as the lights came back on before the game restarted The players were seen doing the same as they re-entered the pitch before the game restarted in what was one of the more bizarre series of events you will see on a football pitch. It is now mathematically impossible for them to finish outside the top three and therefore they will be playing their football in League One next term.
He said: “It would have been nice to finish the game at the tempo that we were playing at, to maybe go and get a third or fourth goal. “The game finished when the lights went out, there was no appetite from both sets of players to go and finish that at a tempo because both had achieved their goal before the game. I 100% support it. There was nothing agreed between me and Richie (Wellens, the Orient boss). We just didn’t want the players to get injured, that was our message. “(There was) one guy who had paid for his ticket and wanted to see 90 minutes of action, I tried to say to him, it wasn’t possible to get going again at that tempo, the hunger of the game had gone. He didn’t quite understand but hopefully he will. “I have seen a lot in football, played 600 games, managed 400 games, played non-league, I have not been involved in an incident like that where two teams are absolutely shattered and don’t want to really play.
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